Give peace a chance

SELINE AUGUSTINE

The nation observed Kargil Day on July 26 - wreaths were laid, speeches made, parades held, war memorials visited, candles lit. But in the city of Visakhapatnam, the day belonged to children. To mark the solemn occasion and as part of its NIE programme in Vizag, The Hindu conducted a programme "Saluting the martyrs". It was truly a show by the children and for children. Right from compering the programme (there were two of them doing the job in fact) to reading out the citations for the war heroes, giving excellent rendition of patriotic songs and conducting the evening's proceedings, it was youngsters all the way. Over a 100 of them taken from some of the well-known schools in the city.

When the students sang, everyone present was struck by the exemplary discipline and fervour that were the hallmarks of the performance. The absurdly young all-boys orchestra of Kendriya Vidyalaya were a treat to watch and hear. Mr. Christopher, music teacher, PEN school, had composed an English song to the tune of "Angelo" by Brotherhood of Men. Sweet-voiced singer Malavika of Little Angels School rendered a national integration song in six different languages.

Lt. Cdr. P.S. Anand, Commodore Gomes Laucet and Maj. P.R. Rao were the guests of honour. The NIE co-ordinator, Dr. G. Prabhakar, listing a few statistics of the

Kargil tragedy said it lasted 74 days, claimed 407 lives, and cost Rs.1110 crores. "No wonder, peace is the priority of every nation", he said.

Sadguru Sivananda Murthy, chief guest, felicitated the war heroes and kin of martyrs hailing from areas in and around Visakhapatnam. Cash gifts and a momento were presented to them on behalf of The Hindu. Mr. Murthy said if you understood the history and special qualities of the heritage of our country, you cannot help loving it. Avoiding war is of paramount importance. It is a definite "No" to war-mongering and thirst for vengeance. Even giving a few concessions to the enemy is allright. The chief guest also encouraged children to ask questions and interact more with parents and teachers.

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