The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Needed cultural fusion not nuclear fusion'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 23, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

`Needed cultural fusion not nuclear fusion'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 22. "We need cultural fusion and not nuclear fusion," said popular singer Salman Ahmad of the Karachi-based music group "Junoon" at the Conflict Transformation workshop organised by Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) in the Capital today.

Speaking about "The Role of Popular Media in Peacebuilding: Focus on Junoon", the singer highlighted the role of popular media such as music and films in creating empathy between two hostile communities. "What do films and music do? They don't change the thinking of the people. They can just about express the truth. And truth goes beyond intellectual knowledge and connects with emotional knowledge. This opens up ways for people to look at other's experiences," he said, addressing the group of researchers, practitioners, journalists, grassroots workers and university students from India and Pakistan who have come together for the Workshop. With reference to India-Pakistan relationship, he added: "What we need to do is step back and stop intellectualising the relationship. People have to see it with their heart and then empathise with The Other. If we start with deep empathy and compassion for The Other, let's see where we end up."

Using the recently released song video by Junoon "Ghoom Taana" -- sung by the Pakistani group, starring actress Nandita Das and shot here in India -- to set the pace of the discussion, Salman Ahmad said, "I see this as song of hope. South Asia is very different from the rest of the world. We are deeply emotional people who have been living together as parallel communities for 5000 years now. Both sides people have suffered but if we are both inflexible and live in the past, then we won't be able to reach our potential."

However, while popular media can be used in peacebuilding, it can also be misused. And often is, said the singer, responding to a question from the group.

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