By Bala Sai:
“The family became two homes. Brothers became strangers. And ‘we’ became you and me. Our future need not be our past repeating itself. Right now can be the start of a world where conflicts are resolved by words and not weapons.”
A powerful message, and a moving narration. The latest in the line of insightful videos by Ram Subramaniam’s Handloom Picture Company, ‘Pause’, tackles an issue dear to the people of two countries, an issue that has been hiding like a thorn in our hearts – the Indo-Pak rivalry. Ever since partition, we have been trained to loathe each other, and consider each other mortal enemies. This video shows you the real voice of the people, a people who have no reason to hate each other. This is a call to the brothers across the border, to open our ears, to reach beyond the din of rhetoric and hate manufactured by netas and diplomats, and listen to each other, as neighbors, as friends, and as brothers.
It has been 67 years. The wall between us has weathered and hardened, and layers of dust have accumulated. Several times over the years, gusts of differences, enmity, terrorism, political motivations, have all tried to slam the door shut, jam it close. But there has always been a faint, flickering hope, holding the door ajar, for a mild breeze to creep in. This video plants a seed of hope, an intent to bring neighbors closer, to understand each other, to share our reflected lives and to “break the old wall, brick by brick”.
Peace and unity are not just the government’s business. We need to brush aside our pasts and open our minds, to accept each other. There is no entity stronger than the will of the people. Isn’t it time we started listening?