Let There Be Peace
Shariq Ali
Valueversity
A Letter to Shankar Hindustani
From: Shariq Pakistani
(From the alleys of Lahore, bearing the contours of Delhi)
Dated: May, 2025
Dear Brother Shankar Hindustani,
Infinite salutations!
I hope this letter finds you in the best of health and spirits. Though we haven’t yet met face to face, your image is etched upon the walls of my heart—like the sculpted shadow of a cypress on a mosque rooftop on a moonlit night.
Brother!
This letter is, in truth, a knock—one that I dare to place upon the door of your heart.
Its sole purpose is to urge us, even if for a while, to pluck the thorns of hatred from the fabric of our hearts, and to nurture roses of love in the soil of our minds and souls.
Shankar Bhaiya!
You and I have witnessed many bloody dances of war upon the stage of history—
The thundering cannons of ’65,
The falling bombs of ’71,
Jets roaring across the borders,
Medals pinned on chests,
And claims of valor.
But speak honestly—
Did any of those battles return a martyred son to his mother’s lap?
Did any widow’s courtyard find joy again?
Were the tears of orphans ever wiped?
Did any laborer’s hunger fade?
No, brother Shankar, no.
War is only devastation—
A monster that devours our sons.
So let us,
Sons of the Indus and Ganges civilizations,
Heirs of a refined history,
Now give peace a chance.
Your Banaras sarees and our Multani khaddar,
Your Jatakas and fables, our ghazals of Faiz and Faraz,
The melodic bells of your temples and the echoing qawwalis of our shrines—
Don’t all these proclaim openly that our souls carry the same fragrance of shared earth?
Shankar, take my word!
Let us now celebrate joy instead of war.
May your Kathak dance resound in Lahore,
May our qawwalis echo in Banaras.
May the waters of your Ganges embrace our Chenab.
Let children fly colorful kites,
Let women share laughter and sing tappas,
And men shake hands warmly and play kabaddi.
Do you remember—we were together even then,
When Premchand raised the banner of humanity,
When Gandhi lit the lamp of truth,
And when Ghalib gave wings to our dreams?
Come, let you and I
Be joint heirs to the legacy of love.
I’ve written this letter with the hope
That a ray of light might slip through the windows of our minds
And mark the dawn of a morning we’ve awaited for years.
Even if you’re busy, do write back.
Just write:
“Let there be peace”
And that will be more than enough.
With peace and respect,
Your well-wisher,
Shariq Pakistani