| South Asia Forum & IGSA present “Jashn-e-Sangam”: A celebration of Indian-Pakistani freedom day & solidarity |
By Heidi M. Pascual
WAGAH
Between Pakistan and India at the Wagah border,
Each day a ceremony happens —
The border opens up for a few minutes
And then closes.
We know the Wagah border as the border of peace
Because it connects people to people
Once enemies, now desiring peace.
Many Pakistanis, many Indians come
To see what happens.
And as the borders open and close,
They chant the national anthem of their country.
I wish we might sing the national anthems
Of both countries together.
In my very last line below,
I use ‘gate’ in two ways —
One, the physical gate of the Wagah border
And two, gate as boundary —
One that divides people’s hearts and lives.
I wish that gate to open.
———-
With one foot on either side of the Wagah border
We stood and sang
“Paak sar zameen” and “Vande Mataram”
We sang them with equal fervor
You throw down your gun
And I empty mine, disarming, my
Bullets fall to the ground
Our hands rise
In salutation
In this fight for land and pride
May love, at length, set hate aside.
And may the reluctant powers realize
They cannot close the gates upon us.
— Ayeshah Iftikhar
The above poem was written by Ayeshah Iftikhar, a doctoral fellow at UW-
Madison Department of Anthropology. She read it at the Jashn-e-Sangam
celebration of friendship and solidarity between Indian and Pakistani students at
the UW-Madison Memorial Union on Aug. 21. It was also a celebration of the
Independence Day anniversaries of the two nations. Hosted by the South Asia
Forum and the Indian Graduate Students Association, Jashn-e-Sangam was
making a positive political statement to the world: that UW-Madison’s Indian and
Pakistani students are friends and allies and that they desire peace and harmony
to exist between their countries.
Iftikhar is an active member of South Asia Forum-Madison, an organization
of students, activists, and others interested in promoting awareness and
discourse about South Asian issues. SAF-M is committed to pursuing peace and
harmony among peoples — across boundaries of nationality, religion, race,
class, color, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. SAF-M came about in
2004 in reaction to the growing hostility among Indian and Pakistani students in
the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots (Hindus vs Muslims) that left thousands
dead. SAF-M has become committed to peace by getting together students
from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) to hold
dialogues, know one another, talk out differences, and embrace similarities.
Through the years, SAF-M has been conducting events featuring knowledgeable
WAGAH
Between Pakistan and India at the Wagah border,
Each day a ceremony happens —
The border opens up for a few minutes
And then closes.
We know the Wagah border as the border of peace
Because it connects people to people
Once enemies, now desiring peace.
Many Pakistanis, many Indians come
To see what happens.
And as the borders open and close,
They chant the national anthem of their country.
I wish we might sing the national anthems
Of both countries together.
In my very last line below,
I use ‘gate’ in two ways —
One, the physical gate of the Wagah border
And two, gate as boundary —
One that divides people’s hearts and lives.
I wish that gate to open.
———-
With one foot on either side of the Wagah border
We stood and sang
“Paak sar zameen” and “Vande Mataram”
We sang them with equal fervor
You throw down your gun
And I empty mine, disarming, my
Bullets fall to the ground
Our hands rise
In salutation
In this fight for land and pride
May love, at length, set hate aside.
And may the reluctant powers realize
They cannot close the gates upon us.
— Ayeshah Iftikhar
The above poem was written by Ayeshah Iftikhar, a doctoral fellow at UW-
Madison Department of Anthropology. She read it at the Jashn-e-Sangam
celebration of friendship and solidarity between Indian and Pakistani students at
the UW-Madison Memorial Union on Aug. 21. It was also a celebration of the
Independence Day anniversaries of the two nations. Hosted by the South Asia
Forum and the Indian Graduate Students Association, Jashn-e-Sangam was
making a positive political statement to the world: that UW-Madison’s Indian and
Pakistani students are friends and allies and that they desire peace and harmony
to exist between their countries.
Iftikhar is an active member of South Asia Forum-Madison, an organization
of students, activists, and others interested in promoting awareness and
discourse about South Asian issues. SAF-M is committed to pursuing peace and
harmony among peoples — across boundaries of nationality, religion, race,
class, color, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. SAF-M came about in
2004 in reaction to the growing hostility among Indian and Pakistani students in
the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots (Hindus vs Muslims) that left thousands
dead. SAF-M has become committed to peace by getting together students
from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) to hold
dialogues, know one another, talk out differences, and embrace similarities.
Through the years, SAF-M has been conducting events featuring knowledgeable
| (Top to bottom) Sewn-together flags of India and Pakistan; Samita Joshi & Harshal Patolia; IGSA and SAF-M leaders; Sunil Sunkara (l-r) and Gopika Nair |
(Top to bottom) SAF-M's
Ayeshah Iftikhar; Asian
Pacific Dance Study
Group; Joy Chen; Lalita
Subramanian
Ayeshah Iftikhar; Asian
Pacific Dance Study
Group; Joy Chen; Lalita
Subramanian
speakers, such as Harsh Mander, a renowned human rights activist, who spoke at length about the Gujarat carnage of 2002,
secularism in India and his personal struggle to uphold this philosophy; and Dr. Shazia Khalid, a rape survivor and advocate of
women’s rights, who spoke about the social and legal challenges women face in Pakistan. More than listening to speeches,
however, SAF-M members continue to listen to each other, believing that only in listening and being listened to, can peace
begin.
The Indian Graduate Students Association, established in 1996, “provides support to Indian students, particularly to those new
to the University of Wisconsin.” IGSA promotes Indian culture through classical concerts and film showing, and participates in
various campus and community events that celebrate cultures. Other activities include organizing various events like table tennis
tournaments, trivia quizzes, literary events, as well as presentations from outside-campus speakers, especially those from India
who are doing community service.
IGSA presented Gopika Nair and Sunil Sunkara in a fusion classical dance performed to the music called “Gurus of Peace,”
composed by AR Rahman and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The lyrics say that “when the blue skies, sunshine, stars and moon
belong to everyone, why do we fight over land? Let us join on sunshine, let us join on blue skies, let love and brotherhood be our
language.”
These two student organizations — SAF-M and IGSA joined forces to hold an annual Jashn-e-Sangam in the spirit of
friendship and unity. Aside from a brief documentary of the conflict between Pakistan and India (by Dr. Zia Mian [Pakistan],
Princeton University), “Pakistan and India - Living Under the Nuclear Shadow,” the students sang their respective national
anthems, performed songs and poetry that expressed hope for India-Pakistan peace and harmony, traditional dances celebrating
the beauty of their cultures, and capping it all with the dance, Tauba Tauba, the theme dance for Jashn-e-Sangam which says,
“Let us join on peace. It is really sad that we fight so much.” The dancers — Gopika Nair, Ayeshah Iftikhar, Arul Sundaramoothy,
and Sunil Sunkara — hoisted a sewn-together India-Pakistan flag at the conclusion of their beautiful dance. Atif Hashmi and Sai
Suryanaraynan took the stage and sang “One Love” (by Johnny Cash) and “Aaja More Gale Lag Ja” (Come, hold me close to your
heart) — songs that reflected the whole theme of Jashn-e-Sangam. On the lighter side, IGSA’s Arul Sundaramoorthy danced a
Michael Jackson number, “Black or White.” The Asian Pacific Dance Study Group (with dancers Joy Chen, Beverly Seavey and
Lalita Subramanian) performed three beautiful dances: Ghoomar, a folk dance from the state of Rajasthan in India; Rouf, a
traditional folk dance of Kashmir usually performed by women during festivals and family celebrations; and Darvoz, from the
Pamir region of Afghanistan.
There was also an open forum that gave attendees an opportunity to speak out. All of those who spoke shared one wish: that
peace and love reign over their countries and the hearts of their people. Some expressed pleasure over the efforts of SAF-M and
IGSA to unify Indian and Pakistani students. Samita Joshi (a UW doctoral student in cell and molecular biology) and Harshal
Patolia (a Marquette University student majoring in educational policy and leadership) were among the attendees, and both
agreed that an event like this shows that the Indians and Pakistanis do not share the perspectives of politicians, particularly their
divisiveness.
“In my personal opinion, none of the politicians are ever going to solve this, because that would put them out of business,”
Joshi asserted. “They don’t want to resolve the issues.”
“ We have lots of people from India who have visited Pakistan; they feel completely different,” Patolia added. “The amount of
affection that people in Pakistan show toward them, they feel welcome rather than going to an enemy territory. Within peoples,
there are no boundaries.”
Here is another poem by Ayeshah Iftikhar that expresses the wish of these students from India and Pakistan:
Let’s Be Friends!
Will you be my friend?
Will you let me shake your hand?
Yes you, same size as me,
Standing in the middle of the playground,
Cricket bat in hand,
Looking smart in your red turban,
Oblivious to rowdy children racing past you.
My name is Ali. I am 7. I am Pakistani.
I come from the border’s other side.
They say that our people don’t like your
people,
I’m not sure why.
Amma says it’s because we eat beef
And you eat pork,
Or are you vegetarian? I can’t remember.
They tell me in my text books and on TV
That you killed many of us in the great, big
war
That divided us in two.
They say you’re the enemy,
Your god’s not the same as ours.
They say we should not trust you.
But we look alike and sound alike…
I bet we even laugh alike, like human
beings
So why do they treat you different at school?
Why do they pick on you for something you
never did?
Why must you and I carry a burden not
ours?
Hey! You have a bat and I have a ball
Let’s dump this burden on the ground,
Let’s play!
© Ayeshah Iftikhar 2006
secularism in India and his personal struggle to uphold this philosophy; and Dr. Shazia Khalid, a rape survivor and advocate of
women’s rights, who spoke about the social and legal challenges women face in Pakistan. More than listening to speeches,
however, SAF-M members continue to listen to each other, believing that only in listening and being listened to, can peace
begin.
The Indian Graduate Students Association, established in 1996, “provides support to Indian students, particularly to those new
to the University of Wisconsin.” IGSA promotes Indian culture through classical concerts and film showing, and participates in
various campus and community events that celebrate cultures. Other activities include organizing various events like table tennis
tournaments, trivia quizzes, literary events, as well as presentations from outside-campus speakers, especially those from India
who are doing community service.
IGSA presented Gopika Nair and Sunil Sunkara in a fusion classical dance performed to the music called “Gurus of Peace,”
composed by AR Rahman and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The lyrics say that “when the blue skies, sunshine, stars and moon
belong to everyone, why do we fight over land? Let us join on sunshine, let us join on blue skies, let love and brotherhood be our
language.”
These two student organizations — SAF-M and IGSA joined forces to hold an annual Jashn-e-Sangam in the spirit of
friendship and unity. Aside from a brief documentary of the conflict between Pakistan and India (by Dr. Zia Mian [Pakistan],
Princeton University), “Pakistan and India - Living Under the Nuclear Shadow,” the students sang their respective national
anthems, performed songs and poetry that expressed hope for India-Pakistan peace and harmony, traditional dances celebrating
the beauty of their cultures, and capping it all with the dance, Tauba Tauba, the theme dance for Jashn-e-Sangam which says,
“Let us join on peace. It is really sad that we fight so much.” The dancers — Gopika Nair, Ayeshah Iftikhar, Arul Sundaramoothy,
and Sunil Sunkara — hoisted a sewn-together India-Pakistan flag at the conclusion of their beautiful dance. Atif Hashmi and Sai
Suryanaraynan took the stage and sang “One Love” (by Johnny Cash) and “Aaja More Gale Lag Ja” (Come, hold me close to your
heart) — songs that reflected the whole theme of Jashn-e-Sangam. On the lighter side, IGSA’s Arul Sundaramoorthy danced a
Michael Jackson number, “Black or White.” The Asian Pacific Dance Study Group (with dancers Joy Chen, Beverly Seavey and
Lalita Subramanian) performed three beautiful dances: Ghoomar, a folk dance from the state of Rajasthan in India; Rouf, a
traditional folk dance of Kashmir usually performed by women during festivals and family celebrations; and Darvoz, from the
Pamir region of Afghanistan.
There was also an open forum that gave attendees an opportunity to speak out. All of those who spoke shared one wish: that
peace and love reign over their countries and the hearts of their people. Some expressed pleasure over the efforts of SAF-M and
IGSA to unify Indian and Pakistani students. Samita Joshi (a UW doctoral student in cell and molecular biology) and Harshal
Patolia (a Marquette University student majoring in educational policy and leadership) were among the attendees, and both
agreed that an event like this shows that the Indians and Pakistanis do not share the perspectives of politicians, particularly their
divisiveness.
“In my personal opinion, none of the politicians are ever going to solve this, because that would put them out of business,”
Joshi asserted. “They don’t want to resolve the issues.”
“ We have lots of people from India who have visited Pakistan; they feel completely different,” Patolia added. “The amount of
affection that people in Pakistan show toward them, they feel welcome rather than going to an enemy territory. Within peoples,
there are no boundaries.”
Here is another poem by Ayeshah Iftikhar that expresses the wish of these students from India and Pakistan:
Let’s Be Friends!
Will you be my friend?
Will you let me shake your hand?
Yes you, same size as me,
Standing in the middle of the playground,
Cricket bat in hand,
Looking smart in your red turban,
Oblivious to rowdy children racing past you.
My name is Ali. I am 7. I am Pakistani.
I come from the border’s other side.
They say that our people don’t like your
people,
I’m not sure why.
Amma says it’s because we eat beef
And you eat pork,
Or are you vegetarian? I can’t remember.
They tell me in my text books and on TV
That you killed many of us in the great, big
war
That divided us in two.
They say you’re the enemy,
Your god’s not the same as ours.
They say we should not trust you.
But we look alike and sound alike…
I bet we even laugh alike, like human
beings
So why do they treat you different at school?
Why do they pick on you for something you
never did?
Why must you and I carry a burden not
ours?
Hey! You have a bat and I have a ball
Let’s dump this burden on the ground,
Let’s play!
© Ayeshah Iftikhar 2006