Silent Voices
The work that I have produced during the workshop arranged by The Phillips Collection in collaboration with the US Consulate Islamabad, Pakistan is entitled “Attention Please! A Silent Voice”. Continue
Fortunate to be a Part of An Amazing Experience
As I sit here, gazing out the window looking at the surreal view of the spectacular city of Washington, D.C. I would like to write all that I see and feel, but I am short on words. It feels as if I am in a dream where I have been introduced to a broader range of people and an amazing culture. Continue
Art for Life
Being a celebration of life, Art is the most intimate relationship human being can establish with life….It lives it CRITICALLY and transforms CREATIVELY..!! Continue
A Young Leader from Pakistan
It all began when at the age of 17 I realized that the old woman sitting on the pavement going through remains of chickens outside a butcher shop in Pakistan was actually looking for something to feed her family with, that the old guard sitting outside a store shivering with cold on a January night was working hard to provide for his family, and that the nanny in a relative’s house was younger than the children she was looking after. Continue
Mango Diplomacy – How The King of Fruit Eases Tensions in India and Pakistan
Meridian’s Art for Cultural Diplomacy staff learned about a fascinating tradition between India and Pakistan when Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Senior Vice President for the Arts, traveled to New Delhi to sign a Memorandum of Intent with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. During his stay, he met with Times of India journalist, Indrani Bagchi, who brought up the significance of mango diplomacy – a soft power initiative that we wanted to share with our readers.
The people of India and Pakistan have existed under similar spheres of influence for millennia, including the Indus Valley Civilization and the Mughal Empire, and in subsequent centuries developed similarities in language, literature, art, architecture, and cuisine across a key international border. Today, while both countries often focus on issues that divide them, a popular, regional fruit is bringing the two nations together to try and ease tensions. Continue