South Asian Peacemakers

I suspect that Pakistani Vlogger Mariya Tarik will someday become a university professor. And, she will be a fantastic instructor when she starts teaching. I have learned from her videos that she has completed her MPhil degree, a halfway step in some countries towards completing your PhD. She does both monologues and public discussions on controversial issues with the public in Lahore. The Socratic dialogue style that she uses demonstrates a keen intellect and it is especially remarkable how she is able to get people to think when she poses her questions. Mariya asks difficult questions and she is not afraid to talk about issues that many might be scared to discuss in public. Follow her tone of questioning, however, and it is clear that she is looking at directing both her audience's and her counterparts' thoughts towards helping sort contentious issues out in promoting the idea of peace. Do follow this lady. She is brilliant.

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.

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...