by BEENA SARWAR
ILLUSTRATION/Satwik Gade/The Hindu
How does a math student turned tech entrepreneur get involved in putting together a history book for children in India and Pakistan – a book that juxtaposes and highlights two conflicting narratives with a view to creating greater understanding?
The seeds were planted, if you’ll pardon the pun, some 13 years ago when a bunch of 14-16-year old students from India and Pakistan met at the annual Seeds of Peace camp in Maine, USA. Launched in 1993 by journalist John Wallace, the programme brings together teenagers from countries hostile to each other – UK, Ireland; Israel, Palestine; India, Pakistan, Afghanistan to name some.
“We were really excited to be going to America, to this beautiful camp – and then we learn that guess what, a bunch of Indians is going to be there too, and that we’d be sharing a living space with them. We got there before them – and none of us slept that night, waiting for them to arrive,” recalls Qasim Aslam, one of the young initiators of The History Project (On Facebook at this link).
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The friendships endured and the ongoing dialogue led to The History Project, launched in Mumbai in April 2013 with an engagingly illustrated (by Zoya Siddiqui) book that reproduces text verbatim from history books on either side. The book has since been launched in Pakistan as well and is being taught in several schools in both countries.
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During the discussion following Qasim’s presentation at Brown University, Nirupama Rao observed that history is taught in “a very cursory way” in our part of the world. She also said that the politicising will continue as long as religion and politics are not separated and there is a policy shift. The good news is that “the realisation that peace is the only option is slowly dawning”. She added that it is “difficult to get Pakistan to send students to attend the South Asian University” in New Delhi set up under the auspices of SAARC (the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). Pakistan says that India doesn’t grant the neccessary visas… Must get to the bottom of this.
Beena Sarwar for more
(Thanks to Pritam K. Rohila)