Guns shoot peace march plans to pieces

“When the terrorism in Punjab was at its peak, I travelled through the troubled state without any security. But this was in our country. The Pakistan government is worried that it’s reputation will be damaged if somebody harms me,”he says.

Gandhian to the core, he is hopeful that the decade-long enmity between India and Pakistan will ultimately come to an end. “Look at the Israel-Palestine tussle. After so many years of violence, Israelies and Arafat sit together with Clinton to end the dispute. The new century is the Century of Reconciliation,” he feels.

“We have become nuclear powers, but everybody knows that with such type of devastating weapons, victor can become victim. The ideology of enemity and hatred will not last long,”he expresses.

An 87 year old Amte is not in the pink of his health. Spinal cord problem makes it impossible for him to sit. However, he is deeply concerned about the tribals in Narmada Valley who will be displaced following the Supreme Court order. “I will have to go to the valley right now. I can’t just remain a mute witness to their plight and abuse of human rights,”says the determined social crusader.

Amte will be going directly to Badwain in Madhya Pradesh to join the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

The veteran Gandhian is still hopeful that the relations between the people of the two countries, especially, the youth will improve.

“Some years ago, an unknown soldier had sent a poem to me which I think coveys my message to the people of both countries–

Where one end of the rainbow begins in India
And the other in Pakistan
Where the clouds come from India
And rain in Pakistan
Where winds blow from India
And take the fragrance of flowers to Pakistan
Where the Jhelum flows from India
And quenches the thirst in Pakistan
Where the birds glide in India
And birds sleep in Pakistan
Where the mountains divide India and Pakistan
Where enmity begins between both countries
and ends nowhere.”