peace, here, now!

On 7 May 2010, Kathmandu witnessed a historic moment. Thousands of people poured into the streets, joining hands for one cause—PEACE. People of various walks of life—students, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, writers, musicians, actors, artistes, professors among others—swarmed the streets, putting pressure on the political parties to resolve their differences and get on with running the country responsibly. It was also a stout cry against the bandha (strike) business that had plagued the valley for the entire stretch of last week. 

The rally participants reached Basantpur from various parts of the city, dodging obstacles on the way, finding short cuts, taking long routes. Most wore blue and white. Most of them were young, out on the streets for the first time. Many carried banners made at home, slogans they created overnight, armed with handmade posters, and yards of cloth dotted with signatures. 

This apolitical assembly/rally in Kathmandu became an occasion for many 'firsts'. For starters, it did not stress heavily on rhetoric or on violent means to get the point across. The message was clear—We Want Peace. And, We Want it Now. It started with the organizers whispering words about the gathering, which soon spread like wild fire through sms, emails and social networking sites, especially Facebook. It was through the new wave of communication tools from where the valley folks had got wind of the program. In addition, the apathetic silence the people of the valley had been branded with has been quelled for the first time. 

The Basantapur mass gathering and the impromptu rally that followed echoed a message loud and clear: Peaceful reconciliation is the only way to go.

~ Photography by Rishi Amatya and Sanjana Shrestha. Text by Khushbu Agrawal.