AN APPEAL TO ARTISTS AND ALL PEACE LOVING CITIZENS OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA -do add your name to this:
Let us rise above war mongering and raise our voices for love and peace between India and Pakistan!
"We are extremely saddened by the horrific attack in Pulwama and stand by the families of the 40 paramilitary forces who lost their lives in this senseless violence. At a time when countless number of people are grieving - when families have lost their young sons, husbands, fathers, brothers in this brutal violence, now is the time for the artist community - those who have a large fan base, who are followed by thousands and millions of people, whose influence is massive to be the voice of the reason and to not pander to the war hungry rhetoric.
We cannot and we should not bow down to the zealots who thrive on war and destruction. Both India and Pakistan have a joint rich culture and we genuinely believe that these similarities in our art, heritage and languages make us one. Urdu poetry and Ghazals from Pakistan have always been cherished and loved by the artist community and the public in India. There is no literary festival in India which does not include or talk about the work of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Munir Niazi, Sadat Hasan Manto. Powerful voices of Abida Parveen, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Madam Noor Jehan, Nazia Hasan and Roshan ara Begum transcend boundaries and are heard by millions. Similarly, Indian artists like Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan, Amir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ashwarya Rai and many others are loved, respected and watched by millions of Pakistanis across the world. When Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar came to Lahore recently for the Faiz Festival, the hall was overcrowded and each person in that jam packed hall gave them a standing ovation; despite the tension between the governments of the 2 countries, cinemas in Pakistan are packed to watch Ranveer Singhs ‘Gully Boy’, because there are no boundaries when it comes to art. In the words of the legendary Indian writer and poet, Gulzar when he came to Pakistan in 2013, "I wanted to cross the Wagah border on foot. Walking on that soil I felt like I was walking to my homeland, my birthplace. The feeling was extremely intimate. Instinctively, as soon as I reached the Pakistan border, I took off my mojaris (shoes) and wanted to put my feet on the soil."
Our stories are the same - we just need to share them and once we start appreciating the differences and start celebrating similarities, we can move forward in addressing and overcoming our collective challenges like poverty, inequality, violence against women etc.
We hope and plead with the artist community on both sides of the border to realise the need to raise our voice for peace, harmony and friendship. We need to teach our children and youth that there is no glory in war, no one wins through violence and aggression. We cant have more young men and women dying and more families being destroyed.
Lets rise above this dangerous war mongering, let’s raise our voice for love and peace!"
Issued on behalf of artists and peace loving citizens of Pakistan and India:
Sheema Kermani - Tehrik-e-Niswan
AN APPEAL TO ARTISTS AND ALL PEACE LOVING CITIZENS OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA -do add your name to this:
Let us rise above war mongering and raise our voices for love and peace between India and Pakistan!
"We are extremely saddened by the horrific attack in Pulwama and stand by the families of the 40 paramilitary forces who lost their lives in this senseless violence. At a time when countless number of people are grieving - when families have lost their young sons, husbands, fathers, brothers in this brutal violence, now is the time for the artist community - those who have a large fan base, who are followed by thousands and millions of people, whose influence is massive to be the voice of the reason and to not pander to the war hungry rhetoric.
We cannot and we should not bow down to the zealots who thrive on war and destruction. Both India and Pakistan have a joint rich culture and we genuinely believe that these similarities in our art, heritage and languages make us one. Urdu poetry and Ghazals from Pakistan have always been cherished and loved by the artist community and the public in India. There is no literary festival in India which does not include or talk about the work of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Munir Niazi, Sadat Hasan Manto. Powerful voices of Abida Parveen, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Madam Noor Jehan, Nazia Hasan and Roshan ara Begum transcend boundaries and are heard by millions. Similarly, Indian artists like Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan, Amir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ashwarya Rai and many others are loved, respected and watched by millions of Pakistanis across the world. When Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar came to Lahore recently for the Faiz Festival, the hall was overcrowded and each person in that jam packed hall gave them a standing ovation; despite the tension between the governments of the 2 countries, cinemas in Pakistan are packed to watch Ranveer Singh's ‘Gully Boy’, because there are no boundaries when it comes to art. In the words of the legendary Indian writer and poet, Gulzar when he came to Pakistan in 2013, "I wanted to cross the Wagah border on foot. Walking on that soil I felt like I was walking to my homeland, my birthplace. The feeling was extremely intimate. Instinctively, as soon as I reached the Pakistan border, I took off my mojaris (shoes) and wanted to put my feet on the soil."
Our stories are the same - we just need to share them and once we start appreciating the differences and start celebrating similarities, we can move forward in addressing and overcoming our collective challenges like poverty, inequality, violence against women etc.
We hope and plead with the artist community on both sides of the border to realise the need to raise our voice for peace, harmony and friendship. We need to teach our children and youth that there is no glory in war, no one wins through violence and aggression. We can't have more young men and women dying and more families being destroyed.
Let's rise above this dangerous war mongering, let’s raise our voice for love and peace!"
Issued on behalf of artists and peace loving citizens of Pakistan and India:
Sheema Kermani - Tehrik-e-Niswan
