South Asian Peacemakers

The two young ladies in this series are Dua and Kainat. I have not been able to figure their brother's name out yet, and will post it when I figure it out. I just need to watch more of their videos when I have time. It is both cute and sad to see these kids struggling to understand some of the chaste Hindi commentary on the videos that they review. Under better circumstances, they would be able to converse and make friends with girls of their age across the border, and both sides would understand what the other spoke. That said, this is yet another family of young people working hard to try and promote a positive and sympathetic understanding of the other side.

Sana Amjad is a young lady with a wide range of interests, focusing upon areas of common interest between India and Pakistan, without shying away from contentious topics. Her interviewing technique is very interesting in that she manages to draw people whom she speaks to on screen out of their shells to opine on very complex issues concerning both these countries. It is always refreshing to see this young woman use her very disarming charm to get people to open up about difficult issues. I would think that she makes everyone she talks to revisit their own thoughts later on, as well. Do check her channel out. There's always something worth watching there.

While stated peace activism is not the intention of this series, and it's main focus is preserving the performances of amazing Pakistani musicians, the page has proven an amazing focal point for positive interaction between Indian and Pakistani music aficionados. The team producing this series consists of Pakistanis who reside in Pakistan and overseas, and their travels across the country to find and record performances by traditional musicians. While the genre has historically been referred to as "Hindustani" music (it is still referred to that way in India)I am not sure what it is called in Pakistan these days. If anyone knows, I would appreciate their guidance on current Pakistani nomenclature. That apart, this is a fantastic channel to visit from time to time if you enjoy traditional South Asian music in the strictest traditions in which it used to be performed. Small orchestras, continuous interaction between the performers and the audience and the unique combina...

One more young Pakistani blogger, Suleman Saif blogs from his country's capital. Islamabad. What is common to his and other peace bloggers' efforts is the fact that they have to content themselves with watching videos of India on Youtube, and reacting online. The always sympathetic and friendly reactions show how much positive interest there exists, especially among educated young people on both sides of the border in the neighboring country. Before the internet, none of this would have been possible, of course! Hopefully, with so many peace-focused efforts, people on both sides of the border would be able to travel freely between the countries!

Pakistani actress Bushra Ansari and her poet and writer sister Asma Abbas recently composed and performed a Punjabi rap number seeking peace between India and Pakistan. The song Humsaye Maa Jaye became an instant hit on both sides of the border, in a demonstration of how much ordinary people in both India and Pakistan desire peace. It was also a sad contrast between entrenched power centers on both sides who would prefer a permanent state of hostility and conflict instead. What is good is how much support there is for peace on both sides - as long as this is the case, those who would like otherwise, will find themselves overruled and brushed aside. Hopefully, this will happen sooner rather than later. Thank you, Bushra Sahiba and Asma Sahiba! My sincere respect to you!

While several other peace bloggers who are from Pakistan are either university students or young professionals, Sohail Balkhi is someone who has worked in several countries, before returning to his country to work for peace. He helps students and newcomers to the workforce prepare for interviews and so on via motivational videos in addition to featuring interesting vignettes about both Pakistani's majority Muslim community as well as minorities there. What I find heartwarming is his always positive outlook and his frankness in not editing out uncomfortable aspects of history, even while he maintains this state of mind. His viewpoints about social media and instructions for newcomers to Vlogging are especially good starting points for those interested in taking this up either as a hobby or full time, and my guess is that his ideas are likely to have helped and influenced several others who have taken to peace blogging.

Iman and Moazzam are young Pakistani siblings who look at videos of various aspects of life in India from across the border in Pakistan, and react to what they see. In addition, they feature historical locations in Pakistan that are always of interest, in a region that is thousands of years old. Seventy plus years of intense hostility between India and Pakistan have erased the memory of the two countries' shared history from the minds of the younger generations on both sides of the border. Iman and Moazzam are among a dedicated group of young peace activists who work to keep the memories of a shared history alive. Kudos to them!