[Reader-list] Call for stories of cross-border friendships

[Chintan Girish Modi]

Dear friends

'Friendships Across Borders: 'Aao Dosti Karein' is an initiative
launched on 14th February 2014 to share stories of cross-border
friendships between Indians and Pakistanis, to show that peace talk is
not just lip service, to demonstrate through real examples that it is
possible for Pakistanis and Indians to build beautiful friendships.

To read more about this initiative, kindly check:
http://www.hrisouthasian.org/component/content/article/416-friendships-across-borders-valentines-day-redefined.html

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fabaaodostikarein

If you would like your story to be featured on this platform, pitch
your idea to friendshipsacrossborders at gmail.com

This is a voluntary initiative, and no payment is involved. Your story
will be a gift towards this project of building on the power of
personal friendships to transform the long-standing hostility between
India and Pakistan.

I am hoping that a bunch of passionate volunteers will gather around
this initiative, and we will be able to do many beautiful things
together.

One friend has offered to help design a blog, and another has offered
to translate our stories into Punjabi and Urdu. A children's magazine
has shown interest in publishing some of these stories in Hindi
translation. It is encouraging that people think of this initiative as
having some kind of value and worth spreading.

There are so many possibilities. It would be great to find volunteers
who are willing to record these stories on audio, and upload the files
online, making it available for visually impaired friends and elderly
folks who find it cumbersome to read. At some point, there may be a
publisher interested in putting these stories together as an anthology
or someone may feel inspired to make a short film on one or more of
the stories or  some teachers want to use these in class. The
possibilities are endless.

I am also interested in engaging with schools, colleges, universities
and non-formal learning spaces around the idea and experience of
cross-border friendships. If you have any ideas about this, do mail
me.

Feel free to forward this mail to your friends, family, colleagues and
acquaintances.

Warmly

Chintan Girish Modi
Founder,
Friendships Across Borders: Aao Dosti Karein