Peace activist cautions against Indo-Pak 'water war' By Shahid Husain
Karachi: Eminent peace activist from India, Tapan K. Bose, has cautioned against a "water war" between India and Pakistan if remedial measures are not adopted immediately by the two neighbouring countries.

Bose, who is the secretary general of the Indian chapter of the People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, made the remark while addressing the "Meet the Press" programme on Tuesday at the Karachi Press Club.

"A water war has a major potential to be a reality if we don't take immediate steps," he said. "I think water is an important part of the peace process."

Both India and Pakistan were "water starved." Though the Indus Basin Treaty exists and is the only instrument, it is clear on certain aspects and unclear on other aspects. "I don't think that the two states have changed their character," he said.

In Indian-administrated Kashmir, some people think that they were bypassed by the two countries; they should have been taken into confidence while dealing with issues related to water and Kashmir, Bose said.

Unfortunately, there was not enough awareness amongst the people of Indian-administrated Kashmir to stand against the construction of big dams, he said, adding that just as people-to-people contact between India and Bangladesh played a role in resolving water issues between those two countries, there should be people-to-people contact between Pakistan and India on this vital issue. "Water theft, you know, is an old issue in this part of the world and landlords have been stealing water for centuries," he said.

Asked if he was optimistic about foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, which begin on Thursday, Bose said that the dialogue should continue. "The governments may be under pressure from the 'sole superpower' to go for peace, but we would still welcome it because a face-to-face meeting between representatives of India and Pakistan is better than Islamabad saying something and New Delhi saying something," he said. "Of course, something substantive will not come out of secretary-level talks, but it is a positive step anyway; it is the first step, and if it leads to some positive results, something substantive will come out eventually."

"Your government and our government are not influenced by what people say," he said, adding that not only the divided families in the two countries but other people too were keen in restoring the bus service between the two countries and the Monabao route, and the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

"By and large there is no tug of war. No sensible Indian is talking of war," he said. "After the Mumbai incident, we thought that we would lose ground, but this did not happen. In Pakistan too, nobody wants war."

Referring to international pressures for peace, he said that there were several compulsions, including globalisation. "We are in a process where peace is being impinged by several forces and not only by the ruling elites of the two countries," he said.

The governments of India and Pakistan have not allowed the people to talk on political issues during the past 62 years because they thought that it was their prerogative to talk about these. These governments, however, have never resolved the Kashmir dispute, nor have they done anything about the Sir Creek and other issues, he added.

Kashmir was not a "territorial issue" and the people of Kashmir should decide whether they want to be independent or join Pakistan. "The position of states is not relevant because it is divisive; it is a zero-sum game," he said.

Water, environment and ecology are trans-boundary issues and both India and Pakistan should initiate "joint research" on these issues. People-to-people contact was the most effective way of challenging terrorism, religious extremism, and violence, Bose said.

It was high time that India and Pakistan establish their respective consulates in Karachi and Mumbai.

The People's Forum for Peace and Democracy had raised the issue of violation of human rights in Indian-administrated Kashmir, Bose said. "Peace will not come in the next two years, but it will come if we strengthen the process," he said. "Peace is a compromise. It comes from compromise on both sides."

Governments think that if they opt for peace, they will become unpopular, but this is not true because people like peace, he said. Security was always the domain of the army and unfortunately decisions on security issues were not taken by the government. The army was the "permanent government," he remarked sarcastically.

Bose also appreciated "Aman ki Asha," launched between the Jang Group and The Times of India, and said that it was a "good thing."

When in dark times, will there be also singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times," wrote Bertolt Brecht, highlighting the importance of poetry in public discourse. The well-attended Indo-Pak mushaira, organised under the aegis of Aman ki Asha, however, went a step further. It not only focused on the burden of history that clouds the two sides, it articulated hope and harmony too.

On the one hand, there was the Indian poet Malikzada Manzoor who intoned: Har ek lavz pareshan, har ek misra udaas...Khuda kare woh jo aaye hamare baad, hamare fan ki alamat na samajh paaye (Every word troubled, every verse pain-filled, Hope the future generation does not understand our pain-filled verse). On the other, Pakistani poet Mahmud Shams felt the only way India and Pakistan could turn their backs to a tortured past was to work towards peaceful co-existence. ''Apna aagaz (beginning) jang ke dam se, apna anjaam (end) aman ki asha," he said.

This was indeed a topical message which struck an instant chord with the poetry lovers. For, as Indian poet and lyricist, Nida Fazli pointed out, it was time to stop reading traditional history books since they talked only about hatred.

The mood at the mushaira wasn't merely political. Pakistan's Anwar Shaoor sent the audience in raptures with: ''Achha khasa baithe-baithe gum ho jaata hoon. Ab main aksar main nahin rehta, tum ho jaata hoon," he said. For Khusbir Singh Shaad, it was the Taj Mahal which became an inspiration as he garnered applause with "Yeh tera Taj nahin, hamari pagdi hai, yeh sar ke saath hi utregi, sar ka hissa hai...."

But the hope for peace remained the leitmotif of the evening as Tariq Subzwari, Pakistani poet intoned: "Aman ki chaon, mohabbat ki nazar maangte hai, saath chalne ke liye, raah guzar maangte hain."

Courtesy: Times of India

Thursday, February 11, 2010

There HYDERABAD: At around 7.30 pm on Friday, the strains of the ‘azan’ streamed into the Chowmahalla Palace like they do every evening. Only this time, the ‘azan’ notes blended with those of the song that storyteller-singer Parvathy Baul was rendering to a spellbound audience.
The sadhvi from West Bengal with the ektara in one hand and the duggi in the other, took a sudden, graceful break and waited for the prayer time to pass before resuming her performance.
This was just one of the many magical moments at the ‘Aman Ki Asha’ concert organised by The Times of India at Chowmahalla Palace on Friday, an initiative that hopes to bring India and Pakistan together.
The beautifully lit Palace reverberated with the sound of oneness as India and Pakistan came together through the music of Baul and Arif Lohar, folk singer from Pakistan. The venue, located in the heart of Old City, illuminated with the melody of the two accomplished singers as they initiated a step towards friendship between the two nations, with the power of music.

If Baul’s Bengali songs crossed language barriers and moved the audience, Arif Lohar’s Sufi, folk and Juni music took the audience to another foot-tapping level, with the lilting notes played on the flute marking his entry on stage. He sang in Punjabi, deftly playing the ‘chimta’ along, with the catchy folk beats keeping Hyderabadis hooked. Dancing with his troupe in a colourful Punjabi attire and swaying to the beats of his songs, Lohar had the audience asking for more and obliged with Runa Laila’s “Damadam Mast Kalandar.”
Though from different sides of the border, the music of both the countries spoke of similar things like love, life and the almighty. The audience lauded the singers through the memorable evening, for which crowds had started assembling into the venue much before the show started.
The reception the two artistes received possibly showed that the city’s appreciation was not just limited to culture but also the peace initiative which hopes to bring the two neighbours together.
The event drew to a close with a 15-minute jugalbandi of the two artistes calling for Aman Ki Asha. 

Two voices sing one anthem for Indo-Pak
Shankar Mahadevan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan lend voice to Gulzar’s lyrics for Aman ki Asha — an initiative by Times of India and Pakistan’s Jang
Reagan Gavin Rasquinha
Times News Network

An anthem, written by Gulzar and sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as part of Aman ki Asha - the cultural and emotional people-to-people peace initiative by The Times of India and Pakistan's Jang Group has been released. It's sung in Urdu, naturally, because language is one of the first big things common to both nations. Followed by an unequivocal love for music, films, the fine arts... all based on a common culture that was tragically cut down the middle on August 15, 1947. Now Aman Ki Asha seeks to build bridges between the people of the two nations 63 years after Partition (or is it Independence?) starting with the campaign's tune called Nazar Mein Rehete Ho Jab Tum Nazar Nahi Aate. It has taken on a life of its own and become a full-fledged song already, dispelling ignorance and fostering trust, based on the fervent belief that Indians and Pakistanis want peace and stability.
BT dropped in on Gulzar and Shankar when they were recording the song for Aman Ki Asha at a Mumbai studio. Shankar, who put together the vocals and tune for Nazar Mein Rehte... said, "It has a heart-to-heart appeal, sounds warm and personal, and through its simple message of brotherhood between both sides of the border represents something that everybody would love to see happen. It took me just a minute to get the melody. Certain lyrics in this song are so powerful that they just reach at you and dictate a melody. While reading Gulzarsaab's lyrics, I spontaneously sang it, and that was the melody."
Gulzar, who provided the words to the song, was full of praise for Shankar. "The spontainety that comes from him is unmatchable," he said. As for Rahat's contribution, Mahadevan added, "We're planning to use his voice from Pakistan. We've worked together in Bollywood and our chemistry is heart-to-heart. We apprecaite each other and love each other's music. It's a lovely relationship. We're going to send the music to him and he's going to overdub his parts."
You may catch Nazar Mein Rehte... on Times Now and Radio Mirchi from today, the lyrics are contagious, especially the lines Nazar Mein Rehte Ho Jab Tum Nazar Nahi Aati, Yeh Sur Bulatey Hai Jab Tum Idhar Nahi Aati... Of the song, Gulzar said: "This subject is very close to my heart. I was born in Dina, Pakistan, so I have a soft corner for that country. There is not a day where I don't talk to someone about this, Being an Urdu writer, that's my playground and I have got a lot of recognition there. This friendship is inborn; so there is no 'effort' involved in being friends with them. At the same time, what's all this about 'differences' between Indians and Pakistanis? Are there no differences between Indians? You must meet one-to-one respectfully, give and receive respect."
(Courtesy :Times of India)

Two voices sing one anthem for Indo-Pak   There's going to be a new anthem for India and Pakistan, written   by Gulzar and sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Rahat Fateh Ali   Khan as part of Aman ki Asha.

Peace between India and Pakistan has been stubbornly elusive and yet tantalizingly inevitable. This vast subcontinent senses the bounties a peace dividend can deliver to its people yet it recoils from claiming a share. The natural impulse would be to break out of the straitjacket of stated positions and embrace an ideal that promises sustained prosperity to the region, yet there is hesitation.