By Hina Wyne
Palo Alto: Lytton Plaza, downtown Palo Alto, was the venue on June 29 of the sixth of a series of monthly vigils organized locally by the Friends of South Asia (FOSA).
The idea of simultaneous monthly peace vigils held around the globe was conceived by peace groups in India and Pakistan. The program calls for peace-loving people all over the world to get together in the name of peace on the same day every month. There is hope that a global effort will help influence the policies of India and Pakistan and bring peace to the South Asian subcontinent.
The first monthly vigil was held simultaneously on January 27 in 18 cities around the globe. Thousands of people attended the vigils in India, Pakistan, and the US. FOSA -- having already held two vigils in the Bay Area for Peace in South Asia -- joined this effort and has been holding monthly vigils since.
Twenty-two concerned citizens turned up to attend this Saturday’s vigil. The appointment of L.K. Advani as the Deputy Prime Minister of India was greeted with dismay and termed as a blow to efforts aimed at ushering peace and stability in the region.
Attendees at the June 29th vigil prayed, sang a South Asian version of “We Shall Overcome”, and listened to speeches and briefings. Sabahat Ashraf acted as master of the ceremony. He gave a brief account of the recent developments in South Asia and pointed to a slight ease in tensions following the visits of American diplomats.
Addressing the gathering, Aniruddha Vaidya emphasized that people across the world need to lend an impetus to peaceful, non-violent struggles and methods of dissent, de-legitimize the use of terror and violence whether by state or non-state players. He observed that diplomacy, negotiations and inclusive democratic processes need to be the basis of solutions to political problems such as the ones plaguing the Indo-Pak ties .
Speaking next, Ali Hasan Cemendtaur said that the emphasis of the governments of South Asian countries should be to improve the living conditions of their respective people. An average South Asians is not much concerned with politics but cares more for clean water, food, job opportunities and security. He noted with dismay that the venom spread by political leaders has infected the masses and there is an unimaginable level of animosity between common Indians and Pakistanis. He hoped to fight hatred with love. “Peace-loving people of India and Pakistan should tie their localities and their towns in bonds of friendship. South Asian cities need to be declared sister cities,” he observed.
Other speakers at the peace vigil included Ravi Rajan and Usman Qazi.
Several of the demonstrators carried homemade placards with slogans ‘Cowards Make War, the Brave Make Peace’; ‘When Governments Go to War, Citizens Die’; and ‘No One Wins a Nuclear War.’
FOSA plans to continue its participation in the Global Vigils. The next event is scheduled to be held on Saturday, July 27, at Lytton Plaza, Palo Alto.
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