‘We are the Future of the World’: Indian Students reflect on Peace Programs

Three Grade 8 students of Ecole Mondiale World School – Nysa Devgan, Devarya Mehta & Merrill Saldhana have shared their experiences, and the experience of the entire grade 8 on exchanging cards and letters with children in Pakistan.

We are the Future of the World

“For us, by far the most enjoyable and important activity was writing cards to children in Pakistan through Aaghaz-e-Dosti, celebrating their Independence day. In the past we wrote cards to wish them on festivals, independence day and other celebrations; they seemed to enjoy our cards and wishes as they wrote back to us. We also enjoyed an interactive Skype session with them last year. In 6th grade we began started sending letters, writing back and forth to a particular student from a school in Pakistan, and we learnt that the students there were not actually very different from any of us. 

They enjoy Bollywood films, cricket, Hindi music, just like any other student. We take pride in the fact that we did not let the partition come between our budding friendships and we treated them like any other friend. We’re hoping this would result in an undeniable friendship between the two nations, beginning with one school at a time. Even though several members of our grade were against the thought at first, they seemed to understand that these children are people, before “Pakistanis,” they are students before our enemies, they are humans, not our rivals. To put it simply, all we’re trying to do is make the world a better place because at the end of the day, we’re the future of the world.”

Nysa Devgan, Devarya Mehta & Merrill Saldhana

Grade 8, Ecole Mondiale World School

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