Activities
14. December 2009
Schools Against Violent Extremism India
Workshops one year after 26/11
Archana Kapoor, our SAVE India representative, held two workshops at DPS schools in Lucknow.
One workshop was held on November 26th, one year after the devastating attack in Mumbai; the other workshop took place on Dec 8th.
The participants sent us their feedback on the workshops.
Terror Remembered: Answers Sought
By
Kriti, Priya Neha and Kunal
The memory of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai is fresh in the minds of the students of DPS, Indranagar Lucknow. The television channels went crazy beaming the same visuals again and again for the last two weeks. We do not want a repeat of the Mumbai terror. But we have a number of questions, the answers to which we do not know where to find.
Schools Against Violent Extremism provided us with a platform. We, the 138 students of class 11 and 12, got to interact with the Editor of Hindustan Times, Ms Sunita Aaron, and Archana Kapoor, SAVE India Ambassador, on 26/11 2009, exactly one year after the Mumbai terror attacks. We were able to seek answers to questions that had been bothering us for a long time.
The program kicked off with the film “Surviving Terror.” This film on the Mumbai terror attack features victims’ testimonials and how the attack impacted their lives.
After the film there was pin-drop silence. We were moved and wanted to know what people gain from such attacks. The entire process is so painful—why do people kill? We wanted to know why the government could not protect the borders and prevent the terrorists from entering. Why did India need the help of the US to investigate the movement of terrorists? On the one hand, India has pretensions of being a global super power, but on the other, it could not prevent the indiscriminate killing of innocents. Why did it take the police and Special Forces 60 hours to get rid of 10 terrorists? We also wondered why 26/11 got so much coverage, unlike the earlier attacks in Delhi and Mumbai. Some of us wanted to know what we could do to create a terror-free society.
The answers to our questions were not easy, but at the end of our two-hour session we were satisfied. The program made us think. We liked being told that the answers to our questions were with us and amongst us. It was clear that the terrorists had only one agenda – to create fear. To frighten people so much that they refuse to move out. The reasons may be different but the purpose is the same, be it 9/11 in New York, 3/11 in Madrid, 7/7 in London or 26/11 in Mumbai. Spread fear and terror!
Our enthusiasm for being given an opportunity to discuss the subject of terror as adults made us think like adults. No one would hold anything we asked against us. We were free to ask and share. Unlike earlier or at home, where each time we raised a fear we were asked to study and forget about 26/11 as it did not concern us, being able to debate issues of national concern was an extremely empowering experience.
Archana Kapoor encouraged all students to look for answers from within our own experiences, even if they are limited. She helped us to recognize how little each one of us knew about the other, how the competitive environment had left little space for others in our lives, and how impatient we were when we had to listen to other points of view. She said, “Schools are a reflection of the society. They represent people from all classes, castes, religion and communities. Schools are able to create a favorable environment for all to grow and learn. There is no discrimination on account of caste or community. There is no injustice. If the same model could be replicated outside the school then there would be less reason for isolation and a feeling of injustice.”
The workshop ended with many takeaways, but a few immediately come to my mind:
There are no hard and fast rules on how to counter terrorism, but certain values, if incorporated in one’s lifestyle, can certainly create an environment of tolerance, brother/sisterhood and love. It is important to break the stereotyping of communities. This generation can depart from the burden of the past and the judgmental attitude of the elders to look at people from the prism of humanity.
Today, SAVE made a beginning in Lucknow through DPS Indranagar, and we the students have vowed to help in raising a million voices against violent extremism.
Workshop on December 8th 2009, DPS School Janakipuram, Lucknow
By
Masha Prakash
Recently we had a very interesting discussion at our school, DPS Janakipuram. The information that I gained from this workshop is very precious to me. I was impressed by Mrs Archana Kapoor’s skill in simplifying very complicated subjects like violence and terror for us.
Mrs Kapoor started the session by showing us a film on the pain and trauma of the 26/11victims, the day of the ghastly terror attack on Mumbai. The emotions and tragedy of the people impacted by the act was disturbing and rendered us speechless. But even more frightening was the feeling of revenge that the victims had toward the perpetrators.
We discussed many issues. Our questions ranged from why terror attacks take place and who these mindless demons are that kill to fulfill someone else’s agenda, to the lack of systems in our country and issues of corruption. We discussed the callousness of the politicians, their loose statements, the media frenzy and the vulnerability of the common man. We also realized how important it was for the affected persons to get on with their routine lives and how families can be destroyed because one person in the family is hurt. The survival instinct becomes stronger in adversity and Mumbai represents a tough life. To survive in Mumbai requires different skills. Even if they are not individualistic, the inhabitants of Mumbai tend to focus only on their own lives. Far distances and a lack of opportunities make living together more difficult.
We as students felt that some of the core issues were:
1. Corruption in the system- the politicians and bureaucrats would compromise the security of the nation for a small amount of money. Be it the purchase of bulletproof jackets or security systems- all the deals reeked of corrupt practices.
2. Lack of will of the state as represented through politicians is another major factor in putting an end to the problem.
3. The fight for basic rights and necessities has made people selfish, and they have little time for the other.
4. Separatist movements all over the country, and particularly in Mumbai, have divided the country. People like Bal Thackeray who use divisive policies to break the unified nature of the state/country should be put behind bars.
5. Congress Government, or rather the government in power, is too soft to take a stand.
6. The police lack basic equipment and could not stand up to the modern and technologically superior equipment of the terrorists. What can a police man with a stick do when people with AK -47s open fire?
7. There is lack of preparedness for overcoming any such act. It was lacking earlier and even today one has not seen any mock drills or change in strategy. If there was a repeat of 26/11 any where else in the country, more lives would be lost.
8. India has climbed up the ladder in the listings of the most corrupt nations.
We found the discussion very interesting. We were allowed to express our opinion freely and state our point of view. We realized that we as a nation were not willing to learn from the past. When Shah Rukh Khan was stopped at a US airport because he did not have all his documents, we alleged that the US was engaging in racism and religious discrimination. But we did not appreciate the fact that precaution and execution of duty has prevented a further attack like that of 9/11. America has not had a single act of terror since 9/11. In India, attacks are routine. If not in central India then in the Northeast, many lives are lost due to bomb blasts in trains or public places.
We also tried to analyze a terrorist. I personally feel that a terrorist is one who may not necessarily come from a poor background but who has desires that cannot be fulfilled by his own competence and hard work. He is vulnerable, illogical, does not have decision-making power and will do anything for money. Terrorists do not have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and in the process can be easily brainwashed. They may be educated, but they do not use their education for the betterment of society. In fact, they abuse their knowledge to fulfill other people’s agendas. In other words, they are an easy prey for those who are trying to spread fear in an otherwise peaceful society.
I have always wondered who was at fault. Can we not prevent a person from picking up a gun? During the workshop I got my answer!
I learned that when a child is young – it does not matter whether he is from a rich family or a poor one – the role of the mother is very important. If a child is going the wrong way or taking a wrong turn, it is up to the parents to notice and to bring the child back on track. A child is like wet clay, you can mould him/her the way you want. The right education and guidance during the formative years can influence the path one takes to maturity. Schools and teachers also impact the lives of the students. Any form of discrimination in the schools should be prevented, and education should be guided by values of equality, tolerance and non-violence.
The story Mrs Kapoor told us about the child who developed biases on hearsay and how his teacher handled him left a deep impact on my mind. She described how a child had overheard his parents say that all Muslims were bad and that they should be killed. So he came to class the next day and told his teacher that he thought all Muslims were bad and that they should be killed.
Instead of scolding or punishing him, the teacher said “Ok fine, since all Muslims are bad, let’s start with Rahim in your class. Shall we kill him?” The child said “No no - how can you do that he is my best friend.” So the teacher said “Ok, so we will spare him but let us go and kill Syeda aunty, she teaches you Hindi.” The child responded, “No, I don’t want to kill her. She loves me and is also very kind to me.” Then the teacher went on to the driver of the school van, the gardener and many others. The child did not want to kill any of the Muslim people the teacher mentioned.
The teacher was able to achieve so much by being patient and by putting things in the right perspective. It is so easy for adults to make loose statements that impact the psyche of innocent minds, and which, if nurtured, become embedded in their minds. To discriminate on the basis of caste, color, creed or religion is the most criminal act possible.
If you look at our own country, Muslims, Hindus, and other people have been affected in every bomb blast or act of terror. Religion is just an excuse. It is not written on a person’s forehead, and terror does not discriminate. Even to say that all terrorists are Muslims is immediately proven wrong in the Indian context, where Muslims did not carry out the the Malegaon blasts, the Samjhauta Express blasts, the blasts at the Hyderabad mosque and those at Kandhamal. Terrorists do not belong to any caste and they do not have any religion or values. Their goal is to spread terror, and each time we react violently they feel that they have been successful.
The common man wants peace. He/she wants security. He/she cannot live in fear or under threat of death. This holds true for a Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh or any other religion.
I would like to share a story. My father went to the religious site of Amarnath. My father’s horseman was a Muslim. On reaching the shrine, the horseman asked my father if he would do him a favor. My father said of course. The horseman said, “Can you please give my offerings to God as I am a Muslim and cannot enter the temple. But I have a lot of faith in this God, as it is because of him that I earn my livelihood. It is the pilgrims who come to visit this shrine that give me sustenance and I need God’s blessings all the time.” My father was so touched, and he too felt that God was one and it was we mortals who had divided Him into different religions and given Him different names.
We should also remember that this particular shrine in a cave was discovered by a Muslim. Even today, a Muslim family in Jaipur makes the red thread that we Hindus tie on our wrists. Muslims weave the Banarasi wedding saris. Why can we not live together and have respect for each other? Why do we need to divide ourselves in the name of caste, creed, color and religion? It is on this note, and with more questions of whether it is possible to have a violence-free world, that we departed.
Thanks a lot, Archana Ma’am, for your time and for initiating this discussion. You have been an inspiration. We as children and as the future of this world need to think about these issues and will certainly find solutions. As you said, ‘We need to look for local solutions to this global problem!”
By
Anon
We watched a film that was based on interviews with the victims of 26/11. You must have worked hard to find the victims and then to interview them. After listening to the victims and what had happened to them I was shocked, and my eyes filled with tears.
I think the only reason for the attack on India was to break the unity of its citizens, but our country’s solidarity can’t be broken. I think that the youth are the terrorists’ main targets, as they think that it is easy to get them to join their cause. This assumption is correct, because teenagers and adolescents have a lot of dreams. When they are not able to achieve their dreams, they search for some source of money. When they do not get money easily, they sometimes engage in bad activities.
Now we need to tackle the root of the problem and save the youth from going down the wrong path. The type of programs you are organizing in various schools around India is the best way to do this.
Whenever you need my help I promise to help you in any way in which I can, as I want to be of help to my country.
“JAI HIND”
