Peace, Love and Friendship by Surbhi Nahata
“With every true friendship, we build more firmly the foundations on which the peace of the whole world rests.”
– Mahatma Gandhi.
Peace begins with the individual, it is voluntary.
India and Pakistan are the two neighbouring countries that have had their own histories. The relations between the two countries have experienced quite a few ups and downs. Peaceful relations between the two countries is a distant dream, but who said that it can’t be achieved? The solution can be channelized by the youth of the countries. The idea of ‘Peaceful Development and Developmental Peace‘, if inculcated in the minds of youth has the potential to coordinate and carry out activities that will eventually lead to the establishment of peace.
India and Pakistan can be described as a land of diversities. The diversities relate to races, manners and customs. Both the countries, to some degree, have similar cuisines, languages and cultures. All these factors contribute in the strengthening of the historical ties between them. The cultural links have played a very crucial role in establishing amicable relations between the two nations. Pakistani singers, musicians, comedians and entertainers have enjoyed widespread popularity in India, with many achieving overnight fame in the Indian film industry, Bollywood. Likewise, Indian music and films are very popular in Pakistan also.
Celebrities like Fawad Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam from Pakistan have created waves with their talent in Bollywood. An Indian television group has launched a new television channel, Zindagi. The specialty of this channel is that it caters Indian audience with Pakistani content. This channel is presenting handpicked stories from Pakistani writers. These stories revolve around the everyday life of people in Pakistan. Coke Studio Pakistan, a music television series has also gained huge masses of fans and received critical acclaim. Bollywood is as popular in Pakistan as in India. Ekta Kapoor’s daily soaps rule the hearts and minds of the housewives in our neighbouring country.
Relations between the two countries have resumed through platforms such as media and communications. The unanimous success of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan‘ propagated a positive message of peace, unity and brotherhood on both the sides of the border, proving that there’s a strong force in the soft power of our entertainment industry.
Both the countries share a similar fondness for food. Karachi biscuits from Hyderabad are well known in Pakistan. The Pakistani food festival that was organized in Delhi, recently, became the talk of the town. Their cuisine is very similar to the North Indian cuisine. Chicken Tikka, Shami kebab, Korma are some of their local dishes that have wide popularity in India. Iqbal Latif, owner of 26 Dunkin’ Donuts franchise across Pakistan took an initiative and decided to extend a gesture to improve and promote brotherhood and friendship between the two countries. On October 17, 2015, his Dunkin’ Donut outlets in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar offered all Indian visitors a free meal and a doughnut to “promote harmony, peace, love and understanding” between the two neighbours. “It’s not a big deal, but an effort to invoke the teachings of Gandhiji who preached love and co-existence all his life,” Latif told Dawn in an interview.
Sporting ties between the two countries have also improved over the past few decades. Cricket and Hockey have earned thousands of fans across the borders.
Recently, Indian cricketers were winding up their practice session and their Pakistan counterparts had just arrived. It’s not known whether Mohammad Amir is a fan of Virat Kohli, but when the two bumped into each other, the Pakistan fast bowler asked for a bat. Kohli happily obliged. It looked like an extension of the Asia Cup camaraderie, when Kohli had wished Amir luck on his return to international cricket.
Virat Kohli, but when the two bumped into each other, the Pakistan fast bowler asked for a bat. Kohli happily obliged. It looked like an extension of the Asia Cup camaraderie, when Kohli had wished Amir luck on his return to international cricket.
The marriage between Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza is a perfect example of the transcendental force of nature, love. It is far reaching and has no boundaries. Peace, Love and Friendship have the power to bridge the gap between the two nations.
Good article
Gee wilieklrs, that’s such a great post!
Good article and well done
The story is quite interesting and captivating! There is really alot in common between India and Pakistan. All the disharmony is just a mentality. It can be erased.
This article aceivehd exactly what I wanted it to achieve.