Insidious effects of the Cultural Cold War

Excerpts of how the philosophy of hatred within masses can damage attempts at peace.

1. Hotel Mohenjo - daro, a Pakistani play has been cancelled in India.
2. January 14th, MNS activistsbarged into a studio where a Pakistani comedian was recording for a TV show.
3. Book stores in Mumbai have had to pull out Pakistani writers works dreading MNS activism and arson.
4. 10 - 15 major shows by Pakistani musicians have been cancelled.

This kind of low grade people to people conflicy can be more corrosive than all out ways.. Insiya Amir, Correspondent.

Culture plays a big part in helping overturn stereotypes asnd providing alternatives to official narratives. When you muffle these voices, you are increasingly left with governments pointing figers at each other, which only increases jingoistic attitudes .. Pakistani writer, Kamila Shamsie

Cultural excahnges build bridges which no amount of politics can achieve. Artists need to travel, they need to introduce their world to new worlds... Fahid Hamid Ali, Pakistani Painter.

People to people conflict, can hieghten tensions as each person will feel targeted individually, leading to more hostility and unreceptivness... Mehr Hussain, Freelance Journalist

It was 2004, when the Indian cricket team went to the friendship cricket series in Pakistan. To me, that series did more good to India - Pakistan than a decade of bus diplomacies! Pakis and Indis are same people from the same cultural seed. We appreciate sufi, Begum Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali and Junoon as much as they love Amitabh Bachchan, SRK and Indian movies. By erecting embargoes arround cultural exchanges, governments are killing the little ray of hope that we may harbour, one that we call culture.