ROLE OF INDIAN YOUTH IN PROMOTING PEACE IN THE FACE OF TERRORISM
Paper presented by Master Siddarth Thomas, Ness Wadia College

For half a decade my country India has had hostile relations with our neighbour Pakistan. That has led to three costly wars; the last one , the Kargil war, took place during our lifetime. We watched the corpses of many young soldiers (of our own age) coming home as the bombing ravaged our sacred Himalayas. We called the enemy “terrorist”; today we call all enemies terrorists! George Bush has declared a ‘war on terror’. The Indian government from time to time has also declared a war on terrorists; the Khalistanis, the insurgents in the North East, the Naxalites or Maoists, the Bangladeshis, Secessionists in the Kashmir Valley. When will all this war and terror end? Gandhi has said, an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. Using violence to curb violence only leads to more violence. Innocent people get hurt. Fundamentalists and war mongerers exploit people’s fear and insecurity thus creating further divisions between people. Borders and walls of hatred get erected between neighbours who once lived in peace and harmony. Families are divided. Peace becomes a wounded bird.

What role do we, the youth of today have in all this war and mayhem. Can we afford to turn a blind eye? Can we be mere spectators? Can we risk our futures by giving consent to war and violence? Must we continue to carry the mantle of age-old hatred and partition which our forefathers gave us? The time has come to say ‘no to war’ and ‘no to violence’. We can turn around the violent past that was handed over to us. We are the torch bearers of the 21st century and we must light the torch of peace. We shall call our selves Youth for Peace.

Here are some ideas that we, young Indians can do for peace:

1. We can take a pledge today that we will never indulge in any violence, give consent or assistance to any person or any organization that uses violence
2. In any case of any social conflict; local, national or international, we can decide to study the problem from all angles and opinions before we take a stand
3. We can decide to read the scriptures of all religions and spiritual people, participate in all religious festivals and have friends from all religions
4. We can research and explore India’s secular, traditional history from unbiased history books, discover how people of all faiths and languages, colours and regions, have lived together in our land in peace and harmony
5. We can join peace organizations like the World Foundation on Reverence for all Life, Rotary, Lions, Jaycees, youth wings of religious missions, World Peace Centre MIT, and others and volunteer in some of their peace projects
6. We can decome a volunteer for peace brigades, shanti sena, citizens initiatives, and mohalla committees that talk peace whenever there is rioting, war or social unrest; we can help in any relief work
7. We can work for peace and brotherhood between students of different faiths and regions on our college campuses
8. We can read the works of great peace writers like Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, Ikeda and many others who teach non-violence and peace
9. Let us trace the history and working of peace organizations and their leaders who are working for peace in the world today, like the Doctors without boundaries, Red Cross International, Philosophers for Peace and others; try to volunteer for them if they have a branch in our city
10. Let us try to find inner peace by joining a satsang, meditation class, art of living course or any other peace workshops being held in the city
11. We can research the internet for the hundreds of peace sites, or start one yourself
12. Let us change our attitude and feelings towards people different from us or who think differently from us; be aware of our stereotyping and prejudices towards such people and try to remove our bias
13. We can make visits or pilgrimages to places of peace like the Aga Khan Palace, the World Peace Centre MIT, and others attend their peace seminars and workshops, get trained in the science and art of peace making
14. Do not believe everything the print or electronic media tells you instantly, especially rumours and gossip; if you find something written or said as untrue or destroying the peace, protest to the editor or producer peacefully
15. Let us support the Indian government’s present efforts for Indo-Pak dialogue; join any student exchanges between our two countries that are organized from time to time and become a peace ambassador
16. Let us organise in your colleges intercultural and interfaith meets such as this one today to celebrate international peace days
17. In your spare time, join an NGO as volunteer and do some social service for the upliftment of the poor, homeless, handicapped, aged or prisoners, thereby sensitizing yourself about the problems of the world
18. When we organize debates or elocutions, college days or annual days we can choose such themes as peace, interfaith dialogue and communal harmony
19. Finally, let us make peace our motto, let it be inscribed all over in our lives, on our notice boards, on our t-shirts, on our vehicles, and even on the walls of our bedrooms and hostel rooms

It is often said: the days of our youth are the days of our glory
I would like to add: May they be glorious and peaceful!

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
May Peace Prevail upon the Earth, and in my Motherland!
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Name: Siddharth Thomas
Age: 19 Years
Class: SYBCom
College: Ness Wadia College of Commerce
Cell: 9890236454
E-mail: sid9890@yahoo.co.in