South Asian Peacemakers

I learned about Saima Pirzada only a short while ago. I learned about her from my friends Sameer Khokhar and his business partner Mahesh Punjabi, who are legends in the world of Vlogging in Pakistan, as well as in the support of minorities of all kinds in the country. It is heartwarming to see a sensitive and always cheerful young woman working hard to not just show minorities in her country in a sympathetic light, but also put in a lot of effort in her choice of music. Her husband seems to prefer staying anonymous and he only makes a brief appearance along with her occasionally, but she must enjoy his wholehearted support because the work is absolutely top notch. Please follow the young couple and support their efforts at peacemaking.

One more Pakistani Vlogger who works hard to bring the world the latest on hundreds of abandoned and some in-use places of worship in his country, is Shahid Shabbir. When he started his Vlog, he looked at the many rich cultural and religious traditions that originated in Pakistan and that survive today. His recent work has focused upon Sikh places of worship in the country. The provinces of Punjab and Bengal weere the ones that split in the main when the British partitioned India and caused bloodshed that saw millions slaughtered, women abducted, and worse. Decades later, old sorrows and hatreds dominate the discourse on either side of the border. Shahid Shabbir's attempts at portraying historical monuments, minorities and their culture as it remains in Pakistan in a positive light, is most welcome as a peacemaking attempt. May he succeed beyond his own dreams!

I am wary of "influencers" on Instagram and other media, because most of these are people trying hard to get themselves noticed. How much time can you spend shaking your head sympathetically for someone who wants every aspect of their lives presented online in a faux milk and honey format? There's a reason why I follow some of these young people (and some not so young ones). It has long been a hobby of mine to find and expose scammers and cheats and many of these hang around attractive young women to try and phish. That's another story, though! Today's peacemaker is Meghna Kaur, a young woman whom I know nothing about. She does not make documentaries or seem to have a VLog like all of the others I've featured so far. Most of the young lady's posts are social ones about outings with friends, short holidays at Tier-2 resorts etc. But in recent weeks, while India has seen a horrific spike in Wuhan Virus cases, she has done something that ought to stand out a...

Today's featured peacemaker is a Journalist, very popular Vlogger, and a budding elected representative who has contested the elections to the Tamilnadu State Assembly in a superbly ethical campaign, with very little money and adirect outreach to the public: introducing Deepan Chakkravarthi. I have been following Deepan's Tamil language VLog, as it brings me news ffrom the land that I was born and grew up in a long time ago. What I love is how he focuses upon development in Chennai and in smaller cities, with very interesting looks at innovators and small entrepreneurs in that land. As a result, you can expect one episode to focus upon a new metro rail line or an electric bicycle rental service, another to look at a home-brewer who installs solar panels upon a rural home, and a third that looks at someone trying to preserve centuries old indigenous dog breeds in a country where there is a craze for exotic foreign ones. And these are just three among hundreds of examples. I s...

I have so far written about Pakistani peace activists on this forum. I do not know any of them personally. This time, I am writing about someone whom I have spoken to a few times, and whom a close friend and business associate of mine has met in person: Daniel Jain Raj, popularly known as Dan JR. His video channel has a mix of food and travel reviews, but what is especially endearing is his social work and his always happy commentary and sense of humor. His brother Jibin joins him on his Vlog and also has a separate Vlog of his own, where he teaches people to start Vlogging and make money off it. Both brothers participate in a number of festivals, undertake to feed orphans and seniors on all festive occasions, and quietly care for animals in their neighborhood. You get a sense of peace and calm just by watching their Vlogs, while you laugh at their infectious and always clean humor with memories of your own family gatherings. A must watch - these young men deserve everyone's suppo...

Rehan Allahwala is a man with much to commend him. From a successful background in technology entrepreneurship to his current aim of promoting education, encouraging both the financially weak as well as members of the minority in Pakistan to take entrepreneurship up, and with very strong video production skills (he likely has a superb team to film and edit his videos) his work in promoting peace is exemplary. I would sincerely hope that his attempts at fanning the sparks of curiosity that exist in most peoples' minds into warming and constructive flames succeed in a big way. This is one more good-hearted individual whose success is certain to make the world a better place.