Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
To most of us, who desire and support Indo-Pak friendship or understand the need for peace for prosperity, friendship between the two nations matter. If it doesn’t matter, it should because 69 years of hatred has given us nothing to boast about. Hatred has robbed our economy, robbed our hearts of love and humanity and has meant loss of innocent lives on both sides.
It is time to realise the power and more importantly, the need for peace. But peace not just to save our ever-depleting economies but to realise the simple truth that the barbed wires could not stop people from feeling a bond with each other. We share a history, culture, language and values. We share the desire for a peaceful and prosperous life and sadly, we also share the misconception that people on the other side of the border do not want peace. We share mistrust and suspicion.
Through Aaghaz-e-Dosti (lit. beginning of Friendship), we are making efforts to enhance people to people communication to disrupt these flows of misconceptions. Aaghaz-e-Dosti is an initiative of India-based Mission Bhartiyam and Pakistan-based The Catalyst of Peace.
We through our initiatives are striving to present the side of our neighbor which our media does not show. We are trying to counter stereotypes and misconceptions as we believe that it is the lack of communication as well as miscommunication that has sustained the conflict. To meet our objective, we have been organizing interactive sessions in schools and colleges called aman chaupal, seminars and discussions, public demonstrations, launch an annual Indo-Pak peace calendar among other efforts.
We have now turned to use ICT for peace-building. We now use ICT to build a culture of mutual peace and understanding in India and Pakistan. In our “Indo-Pak Classroom Connect”, we connect an Indian classroom with a classroom in Pakistan through video conference to facilitate interaction between students. The students interact with their peers across the border. The students of both countries tell each other about their country, their everyday life and culture thereby countering stereotypes and misconceptions.
With “Indo-Pak Classroom Connect”, we use ICT that has removed barriers of space and time to remove the barriers between India and Pakistan and connect hearts.
Fourth IndoPak Classroom Connect: Classroom of Ghauri Wisdom High School (Lahore, Pakistan) and Headstart School (Bangalore, India) connected
Fifth Indo-Pak Classroom Connect: Land of Gandhi and Land of Bacha Khan or Frontier Gandhi connected
Kya Dilli Kya Karachi: 6th IndoPak Classroom Connect
Bonding over Gujarati, Food and Music: 7th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
Playing games, singing songs and discovering mutual crushes: 8th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
Indian and Pakistani Students showcase Dance Performance over Skype: 9th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
Love, Talk, Chat, and Dialogue could be a beginning: 10th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
“They do not resemble the stereotypes we were taught”: 11th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
13th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect: Water conservation connects children across borders
14th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect: Surat and Karachi Youth bond over food, movies and cricket
16th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect: Delhi and Karachi students read together, exchange literature
17th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect: Bangalore students interact with Karachi students
Delhi and Karachi students share tiffin, love and hope for peace on video conferencing: 18th Indo-Pak Classroom Connect
Aaghaz-e-Dosti 