South Asian Peacemakers

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...