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Rediff.com  » Getahead » Video: Peace, one seed at a time

Video: Peace, one seed at a time

Last updated on: December 27, 1999 

Photographs: Satish Bodas Matthew Schneeberger

The November 2008 attacks on Mumbai prompted a fresh wave of anti-Pakistan rhetoric and sentiment in India. And Pakistan's apparent refusal to bring to justice those who perpetrated the heinous crime only fuelled the Indian public's anger.

But a collection of youngsters from Mumbai and Lahore are working to deconstruct the hatred, the discrimination and the endless cycle of violence. Since 2001, every year, India and Pakistan have sent 13 and 14 year old teenagers to The Seeds of Peace camp in Maine, USA, where they must learn to live in harmony and peace.

Seeds of Peace is a US state department initiative that seeks to bring together teenagers from conflict-torn regions, like Palestine and Israel and India and Pakistan. Over 4,000 'seeds' from 22 countries have passed through the programme, providing a glimmer of hope for a peaceful future.

Here, members of the 2009 Indian delegation -- from five Mumbai area high schools -- discuss their three-week experience at camp, where they slept in the same cabins with Pakistani and Afghani teens of the same age.