Screening at Suchitra Film Society~18th December 2010

The Bornfree Art School 

in Collaboration with

Suchitra Film Society and Suchitra Balajagat

 presents 

Ananda ~ an Ode to Joy Haaku Lagge ~Santhoskakke

on Saturday the 18^th December 2010, at 3 pm

at the Suchitra Film Society, 

36 BV Karanth Road,9^th main, Banashankari, 2^nd stage, Bangalore

Looking forward to your participation in taking the campaign forward.

Ananda~ an Ode to joy, 

Directed by John Devaraj is a full length Kannada feature film produced and performed by freed working children of the Bornfree Art School. It profiles the lives of 20 children with over 500 child actors in it. A hundred birds and animals have lent their voices to create Ananda. The film has been shot in guerrilla style combining documentary and reenacting personal histories. Ananda raises a critical question of the issue of 134 million working children in India. Poverty and Illiteracy directly related to the defense and military expenses of India. Do we need the ‘Ahimsa’ of Mahatma Gandhi or the ‘Himsa’ of a war culture?  

Does India needs Pens or Guns? 

‘Ananda’ is aimed at the children and youth, as those who will bring about the urgently needed social transformation to produce a culture of peace against the dominant war culture of the world, which shamelessly toils  246 million children.

Children's Ode to Joy~the First Screening in India

One day before Children's Day, Ananda~an ode to joy has been released in India, having awaited eagerly. It was one-year long work by John Devaraj, who has directed the future film, focusing on peace and war culture through the issue of child labour. The 20 Bornfree kids have enacted their own life history. Above 30 media has come to report about the film and voice out their experiences. Many of the BF children have not seen the complete movie and finally they watched! They have enjoyed every scene that they saw. Kiran, 15 says the best part is the whole part.. We have also exhibited series of photographs of all scenes taken by Frida Shanthi. Frida says that first time she has felt that she was an artist, having seen her own photographs exhibited.Venkatesh says that he likes the scene where Durga is sharing a small amount of food with street children. Gowri says that she likes that Gayathri acts as her mother, who dies from the suffering of giving a birth to Gowri. Anand says that he learned a lot from the process of making a film and appreciates that all children acted so well. He also says that we all should keep on dreaming and acting.

On the 14th, November, we had the first public screening at Ragigudda Slum, J.P. Nagar with 200 slum residents. Ragi Gudda was the location where this film was shot at the very beginning. The Ragi Gudda is a very famous slum in Bangalore where the agitation by the residents have been set on fire when the Government tried to force them to leave their homes. Anand, Subramani and Murgesh come from this slum. The scene where Anand's father beats his child and wife has been shot in Anand's house and in this slum.


The Bornfree is now all set to screen this film wherever possible. Please do let us know if you are interested in screening this film in your premises; colleges, schools, cooperates, etc. Contact us by email; mioinakayama@bornfreeart.org or phone; 9886011830/9886306366. The film is to raise a question whether we want a gun or pen.....

Ananda~Press Conference~the first release of the film in India

We are pleased to announce that a biographical film about working and street children called "Ananda~an Ode to Joy" will be ever first released here in Bangalore. Children of the Bornfree will be present at the conference to talk about the film experiences and wishes about children of India before India Children's Day. Come and join us.

Date; 13th November, 2010

Time; 10:30 am onwards~

Venue: the Renukamba Theater, 18th Cross Malleswaram

Ananda~an Ode to Joy~Screening in Hiroshima

Ananda~an ode to Joy will be screened in Hiroshima.

Ananda~an Ode to Joy is a non-fiction biographical movie about working children, acted by former working and street children of Bornfree Art School. Anand is a boy who wishes to study, but his father forces him to work. He drops out of the school, starts roaming on the streets. Out of hunger, he steals bread, money, fianlly BULLETS from the factory! He is arrested by the police, but he qeustions "I have stolen bullets out of hunger, and i am called a robber! But listen, who on this earth is the most guilty of producing guns and bullets and make money?" His journey starts with this question.............Guns vs Pens. Come and watch it! Details; mioinakayama.blogspot.com

Time: 12, September 2010 at Shinshyugakuryou, Nishiku Hiroshima
        13:00~16:30

Ananda will be screened in India on the 14th of November 2010 for the first time.

Show red card to child labour on you tube

Dear friend
Bornfree Art school 

appeals to 

Show Red card to child labour

watch and pass on our latest just a minute film 

Show red card to child on youtube, watch it and pass it on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpSs-caQ3kA

Show Red Card to Child Labour

Show Red card to Child labour

11th June~11th July 2010

This is the time when the world’s greatest sporting cultural spectacle will take place. The World Football Cup~FIFA will begin from the 11^th June 2010 at Johannesburg, South Africa. Whereas the world is paying the highest attention to the fever of football matches, tinny hands are still used to stitch footballs. While there are existing laws for the prevention of child labour, its impact and control has yet to be seen. That is because civil society has not accepted child labour as crime. The FIFA and football provides the necessary condition for the urgently needed campaign impetus. Hence, we have conceived the idea of conducting Show Red Card to Child Labour Football Tournament as a parallax to the FIFA World Cup days.

Who is organizing?

The Bornfree Art School is organizing this campaign. The BF is a movement for the liberation of working children from toil. We have done the History Expedition to record the history of working children, wrote the World’s Largest Love Letter to children of Pakistan in 2006. We undertook the Peacebycycle, cycling 2800kms from Bangalore to the Wagha Border, collecting 7000 peace messages from Indian children to the children of Pakistan. The Bornfree Football Club, which is consisted of street and working children, will initiate and organize the RED CARD tournament

What is gonna happen?

11^th June; Inauguration at the same time of the first football match of the FIFA World Cup. There will be a dream parade of children with masks and puppets on the theme of celebrating childhood {Liberation Parade}.

12^th June; International Day against Child Labour;

Starting with a procession from Bal Bhavan to Kanteerava Stadium, football match, film screening, cultural events and Children’s Parliament will be organized. Debate on the issue of child labor, implementation on the RIGHT TO EDUCATION. Invitations are open to school children, youth, educationist, journalists, and more.

11^th June to 11^th July; Football Tournament

The tournament will be conducted in the North ~South ~West ~ East school play grounds in the city in the preliminary league rounds, in order to wide spread the campaign against child labour. The final knockout will take place in the Bangalore Central District. All teams are invited.

1^st to 30^th June; Cultural Festivals; Call for Participation

Invitations are open to school children, youth, all artists to express and exhibit on the theme of child labour under the below sections of arts. Deadline is 30^th of June. The results will be announced on the 11^th of July at the Closing Ceremony. Each winner will be given awards and mementos.

1．Film Festival; John Abraham Award for the best video film / Shafi Syed Award for best documentary                                                      

2．Sculpture and Painting Festival; Child of Michael Angelo award for best sculptor /

   Kathe Kollwitz award for best painter

3．Photography Festival; La Frida Bornfree Award for best photographer

4．Dace Festival; Marta Graham award for best group / Pina Bosch award for best story

5．Song / Music Festival; Bob Marley award for best band / Michel Jackson for best individual performance.                                        

6．Mime Festival; Sir Charles Chaplin award for best group / Marcel Marceau award for best individual actor

7．Essay and Poetry Festival; Anna Frank Award for best literary work

11^th July; Closing Ceremony; this one-month match is going to be closed along with the global campaign called One GOAL final match. Works of winners of each festival will be displayed / performed / screened. 

To participate....

Please contact us for more details by 

Email; bornfreeart@gmail.com, johndevaraj@gmail.com, narendranathv@gmail.com, sandeepviswanaath@gmail.com mioinakayama@gmail.com

Phones; 9886306366, 9886011830, 9740128128, 08022183275

http://www.bornfreeart.org, http://bornfreeart.blogspot.com

Ananda Promotion Film on Youtube

Dear friends.

We filmed Ananda~ An ode to joy

It became a story of stories profiling working children  how they come into i, how they got liberated.

It has been a powerful experience with over 300 child actors give their best talent. It was filmed in a complete Guerilla combat style with a camera. It recorded truthfully the trials and tribulations of toiling struggling children. Twenty of the Bornfree children have been profiled with their true life stories. We are now in the processes of editing and making post production work. We started making Ananda as we hada powerful story to tell  and not because we had the funds to make a film. But we are challenged by the lack of Money to complete. It is not so hopeless because we believe in processes of peoples participation in the making of it. And we believe you will support the making of Ananda and become a co producer of Joy

Ananda will be made in a 35mm format in  Kannada, Tamil,  English and Japanese We have to complete the making of it 

We  need another 600 000Indian Rupees/  15 00 000 yen/ 10 000 Euros

Each print will cost Rs 100  000 X 4 versions      Rs 400 000.

 Editing costs                                                   Rs  30 000. 

 Dubbing Posting music                                     Rs  30 000

 Printing and publicity                                        Rs  25 000 

Film registration fees                                         Rs  50 000 

Postal and shipment costs , festival entry fees,   Rs  25 000

honorarium and food for technicians                    Rs 40 000

Total                                                              Rs 6 00 000 

                                 

Ananda is scheduled to be released on the 6th of August 2010.

Please view the trailer and forward it to your friends and those who want the liberation of 

toiling children of the world. 

 

See the trailer on the youtube.

Ananda~ an ode to joy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEn4CyuJTCA

Here below is the story of the film

A  n  a  n  d  a

a biographical film on  street kids.

Story. Screenplay Music Cinematography

John Devaraj

Ananda is a biographical work on street kids. Ananda, having been sent out of school worked as a tender coconut chopper forced into this job by his drunken father. Unable to do his homework, he is battered by his teacher. He runs away from school. Joins a bar and restaurant, learns drinking and smoking from his adult customers.

He sees his father among all the drunks; one day he smashes a glass of alcohol on the ground gets kicked out of his job. As he is walking away, he sees a petty shop, He looks at the sweets and is going for it when he sees the cash box open. He grabs as much change as he can, when the man shouts “thief, thief…”, he runs and runs but gets caught. He is jailed. He becomes a confirmed thief. When released, he meets a gang of street kids, and they share their histories.

Ananda has now a veteran of many thefts spots a box n the compound. of a small auxiliary production shed He sneaks to the sleeping security man .Grabs and runs He is chased by the security who then calls the police Ananda puts the box down and examines it, They are real empty brass bullet shells meant for guns It was an auxiliary unit of an ammunition factory

Ananda sells the bullets for its brass value As he walks across a grave yard, a rival gang bashes him up and grabs all his money.  He is subsequently arrested.

When he comes out of the jail Ananda realizes crime does not pay. He tries to change his friends through dance, art music. He changes fist fighting feuds to artistic challenges, dancing, sports, drumming, stilt walking, painting, rock climbing. Soon a beautiful culture of freedom and liberation is discovered. As they are moving on in life, they meet a sculptor who is turning a stone into a beautiful figure of art. He exposes them to Art and a philosophy of the world. He helps them to think and makes them see the world better.

They are now cycling and enjoying a new found freedom and they are seeing places. On Republic Day, 26^th January, they visit a air show of the Nation. They joining the thronging thousands and shocked to see a whole lot of guns, war planes, blatant display of killing instruments.. The scene in frightening! Bullets and missiles and every shape and size ready to kill. Half a million people are applauding and cheering the thrilling flying machines.

They are angry. As the planes go up and down, they are catching them in the sky and breaking them.

There is flashback of their lives. The scene is frightening. Bullets and missiles and every shape and size ready to kill. Half a million people are applauding and cheering the thrilling flying machines They want to change this!  No money for schools, all the money for war.

 As they return they stop near a factory and workers agitating for better wages It is a spring factory making springs for AK47 guns. A young trade union woman leader is talking about war and welfare, Education against war, guns versus butter. She is talking about globalization, the impact on the climate the energy spent on human destruction Ananda is listening intently and is motivated . Ananda gets on top of the wall and makes a passionate speech He demands  Tell me friends “Who is the greater criminal is it  me that stole empty bullet shells for its brass value for my empty stomach  or those make real killing instruments, the merchants of death; fill their purses with money by the killing of innocent children? As they are walking down a Botanical garden they see a young woman making dance movements. They are awed with her movement they befriend her and learn that she is from Hiroshima. They appeal to her to teach them dancing. She shares her experience of being from Hiroshima the historic city where the first atom bomb was dropped. They are taken on an intense and deep  journey of the effects and aftermath of a nuclear war. They go into a trance of war coming out of it very

Determined to change it. They decide to free all working children from toil. They want to express this  Art music and Dance. To produce  a culture of liberation. The Bornfree Art school is born free!

And they become talented Artists. Painters dancers mathematicians yearning for knowledge and a new found freedom Students Gaja has become a Gymnast. Santhosh is Moon walking with his horse, Prashanth is drumming .Kiran is sculpting

Ananda and Durga are dancing to Beethoven’s 9^th symphony  Ode to Joy.

The Making of Ananda

The Bornfree Art school is producing the film through a cooperative ventureof small contributions from Children, Youth and people who believe in the cause of Children’s Liberation. They are  the Co producers..Money of a big producer determine the way a film has tobe made  Here we will decide to speak the truth without compromise.

The film has been  made on a HDV format, a reverse tele cine { RTC} conversion made in 35 mm film format for purpose of showing in cinema houses and festivals.

If a Six hundred friends could contribute 10 Euros the film can be completed.

We appeal for your support.

Contributions by Cheque  in India to the Artists United or Gondwanaland Foundation.

21 2^nd cross GH Layout 3^rd Block East Jayanagar Bangalore 560011

International contributions by bank transfer to

Mioi Nakayama, Citibank Shibuya Branch, Japan Acc number 5285647

Looking forward to your support

johndevaraj@gmail.com, 9886306366 

mionakayama@gmail,com 9886011830

and the children of Bornfree Art school ~www.bornfreeart.org. bornfreeart@gmail.com

The New Trust

Dear Friends,

Hi. It's been a long time to update the Blog. Sorry for the long silence! I will keep updating from now on! Here is a news about the change at the Bornfree. The trust for the Bornfree Art School is now reorganized; it is registered under the Karnataka Society Act and here are the new members of the Trust.



0. John Devaraj ( Life Trustee), Artistic Director of the Bornfree Art School
1. Dr. Narendranath V; Joint Medical Director, M.S. Ramaiah Memorial Hospital
2. Dr. Ravi Gopal Varma, Professor and Head; Department of Neuro Surgery, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College and Hospitals
3. S.R Sindia; Director of Sindia Swimming School
4. Fr. Melvin Pinto, S.J,; Headmaster St. Aloysius High School
5. Anantha, Artist
6. Sandeep V, Film Maker
7. Saravana Dhanapal, Artist
8. Swamy Mahamane, Artist
9. Maria Ralph, Artist
10. Aditya Mendonca, Student
11. Binndiya; Entrepreneur, Trainer and Writer
12. Parmesh, Headmaster of Banjarapalya Government School
13. Pooja Hegde, Artist
14. Arun Shiva G, Artist 


As is now, there are 14 members who are officially committed as trustee members. 


There are two levels of the Trust in the Bornfree; one is the above indicated, which consists of people from various social sectors. Another level is the committee which is consisted by young people who come from the working, street and bonded labour background, i.e. students of the Bornfree. They are the real actors who need to take up the Bornfree Movement. They are; 

1. Sanjana Juanita D
2. La Frida Shanthi
3. Gayathri Verona
4. Gowri Gazella
5. Prashanth R
6. Anand Dhanakoti
7. Santosh
8. Subramani Dhanakoti 

Ananda~A new film

Ananda is a new film production which the Bornfree is currently working on. It is a biography of all our children~Anand, Gowri, Gaja, Srinivas D, and many more. It is a two-hour-future film. All children are acting in this.

A  n  a  n  d  a

a biographical film on  street kids.

Story. Screenplay Music Cinematography

              John Devaraj

Ananda is a biographical work on a  street kids. Ananda, having been sent out of school worked as a tender coconut chopper forced into this job by his drunken father. Unable to do his homework, he is battered by his teacher. He runs away from school. Joins a bar and restaurant, learns drinking and smoking from his adult customers.

He sees his father among all the drunks; one day he smashes a glass of alcohol on the ground gets kicked out of his job. As he is walking away, he sees a petty shop, He looks at the sweets and is going for it when he sees the cash box open. He grabs as much change as he can , when the man shouts “thief, thief…”, he runs and runs but gets caught. He is jailed. He becomes a confirmed thief. When released, he meets a gang of kids, In the meeting they share their histories.

Ananda now a veteran of many thefts spots a bag full of shining objects in the compound. He scales the wall, grabs and runs. They are real  empty brass bullet shells meant for guns It was an auxiliary unit.  of  an ammunition factory

Ananda sells the bullets for its brass value As he walks across a grave yard, a rival gang bashes him up and grabs all his money.  He is subsequently arrested. When he comes out of the jail Ananda realizes crime does not pay. He tries to change his friends through dance, art music. He changes fist fighting feuds to artistic challenges, dancing, sports, drumming, stilt walking, painting, rock climbing. Soon a beautiful culture of freedom and liberation is discovered. As they are moving on in life, they meet a sculptor who is turning a stone into a beautiful figure of art.. He  brings them together through their own talents. Some become painters sculptors, Dancers etc

They are now cycling and enjoying a new found freedom and they are seeing places. On Republic Day, 26^th January, they visit a air show of the Nation. They joining the thronging thousands and shocked tp see a whole lot of guns, war planes, blatant display of killing instruments.. The scene in frightening!. Bullets and missiles and every shape and size ready to kill. Half a million people are applauding and cheering the thrilling flying machines.

They are angry. As the planes go up and down, they are catching them in the sky and breaking them.

There is flashback of their lives. The scene is frightening. Bullets and missiles and every shape and size ready to kill. Half a million people are applauding and cheering the thrilling flying machines They want to change this!  No money for schools, all the money for war. As they return they stop near a factory and workers agitating for better wages It is a spring factory making springs for AK47 guns! Ananda who is the greater criminal me that stole empty shells or those make real killing instruments, the merchants of death. They are more determined to change it. They decide to free all working children from toil. They want to express this  Art music and Dance. To produce a culture of liberation. And they become talented Artists. Students Gaja has become a Gymnast. Santhosh is Moon walking with his horse, Prashanth a sculptor.

Ananda and Durga have joined a ballet school and are dancing to music Ode to Joy.

The Making of Ananda

The Bornfree Art school will produce the film through a cooperative venture..This through small contributions from Children, Youth and people who believe in the cause of Children’s Liberation. The film will be made on a HDV format. and a reverse tele cine { RTC} conversion made in 35 mm film format for purpose of showing in cinema houses and festivals.

The filming shot over a period of 10 days requires Rs 50 000. {1000 Euros}

A two hour RTC costs 1200000 INRS {20 000Euros} to be considered in the II stage.} If a hundred friends could contribute Rs 500 each the film can be completed. We begin shooting Ananda from the 28^th of November. 2009.

We appeal for your support.

Contributions by Cheque  in India to

Gondwanaland Foundation.

21 2^nd cross GH Layout 3^rd Block East Jayanagar Bangalore 560011

Looking forward to your support

Son of Michelangelo- Painting & Sculpture Exhibition by John Devaraj

Dear Friends,

Please do come to Son of Michelangelo- Painting & Sculpture Exhibition by John Devaraj. The inauguration of the exhibition is on the 7th of December 2009 at 8pm at the F&B on the St. Mark's Road. Please do come. We will be presenting a small performance by the Bornfree Art School.

Mioi

Gaja goes back to the school~Latest News

On the 20th of October 2009, after having been in the Bornfree for the past one and a half years, Gaja started to go to the formal school, Parikram school in Jayangar, Bangalore. Sold for the price of Rs.500 by his parents, he came along with 25 Bihari bonded labour children to work in the bag company in Bangalore. He had been stitching school bags for five years, being in the dark inside of the factory near Magestic. One day he hailed from the owner and came to the city station nearby where he met Elisabeth who brought him to the Bornfree. The journey of his success has started; joined the gymnastic classes at the Stadium, after a year, he is now representing Karnataka in the gymnastic competition. He joined several informal education schools. Everywhere he goes, his interests in learning are unlimited. He is extremely interested in dance, theater, drawing, painting, music apart from gymnastic. He wakes up at 4 am, leaves home at 5 am to go to the class. He may miss breakfast, but not a gymnastic class! Recently, John has taken him to the Parkram, which runs ICSE based education. Of course, he became already well-known among all kids because he did saumersauts! He wrote the exam and passed! Today was the ever first day of his schooling. His dream is to go back to Bihar to meet his parents one day...... He is currently working on a dance piece called "Two Little Crown" about circus children of the streets. He is going to stage on the 14th of November, Children's Day, at the Lalit Ashok Hotel.

Misho

Che Che Screening~14th October 2009

Dear friends,

 

The Bornfree Art school in partnership with Alliance franchise invites you to the 

screening of the film  Che Che

at the Alliance Francaise, 

Thimmaiah Road, Bangalore

on 14th October 6pm,

story, screenplay, Music, Direction 

John Devaraj

produced by 

the Bornfree Art school

The film show will be followed by a discussion by the child actors of the bornfree all former working children.

Please come and bring your friends along

Che Che is a cinematic expression in the style and genre of Sir Charles Chaplin Master of mime. After Charlie Chaplin; there has not been such quality cinema, mime, music with just subtitles and no dialogues.

This style made it possible to communicate some of the most intense problems of the world like Fascism, War, poverty, homelessness, and child workers and so on. You can laugh the whole way through and have tears and fears of the system that you became part of.

It was Chaplin who through his work Great Dictator who made the most profound critique of Hitler. The kid was a stunningly reality cinema, highly entertaining yet a damning statement on the conditions of working children, on poverty homelessness…

 I sculpted Chaplin, which stands as stone tribute to in Bangalore to become the world’s largest existing image of the great Maestro!

Chaplin’s biggest lesson to me was to make people laugh and laugh until they can cry and act for the revolution which can free all toiling children.

Now I have made films in his style

Che Che in the film is a character who is proactive towards working children an artist like Michelangelo and Chaplin. He believes in social justice.

Che Che is also showing the conditions of working children in India through humor. It shows the stupidity of an adult world which denies children their childhood.

Che Che is a nonviolent silent communication in a violent world.

It is in the style of Gandhi and Luther King our gurus.

Three episodes  Original format HDV , Silent with subtitles in English, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese are available for screening

Please forward invitation to friends

Cycle Journey

The Bornfree people will begin a cycle journey for fun and fishing to the fishing camp, cauvery rivera  90 kms cycles to the fishing camp 

Starting  10th October,Saturday, 6am

events at Camp Fishing, cooking, eating, playing football, Volley ball,musiac,Dance, swimming.

Camping around  a camp fire.

Sunday 11th October departure to Bangalore 11 am.

Requirements: bring your own sleeping bags contribute towards cooking material like Rice, wheat floor, sugar, milk, snacks, limes, biscuits, vegetables and ofcourse some money for the fuel for support vehicles.

RSVP

Starting from Bornfree Studios , Avalahalli, Narayana Nagar near Gublalla petrol bunk on Kanakapura road.{call from here 9886306366/9886011830}

Children follow Ahimsa ~ Gandhi Jayanthi

"We want Gandhi, we don't want Hitler! We don't want bombs, but we want pencils." So did the children of the Bornfree shout and appeal! The Bornfree children have staged "No Fat Boy Again" at the Town Hall, on the 2nd of October 2009, remembering the140th birthday of Mahatma Gandhiji. John Devaraj has created the actual size of the bomb ( FAT MAN ) which was dropped on Nagasaki. Children carried this huge bomb on their heads. One of the actors, Subramani, 15, stated to the public, "Our nation is spending too much money on wars and creating atomic bombs, but 134 million children like us have no access to schools. We want pencils in our hands."

India has now 17 nuclear reactors out of which, 7.7 % is concentrating in Tamil Nadu. Dr. Pugazhandi who is running his own clinic in Kalpakkam, 60km from Chennai, has noticed the pandemic of cancer cases among his patients.  He has been finding the facts of the strong connection between the leakage of Radioactive Iodide from the Kalpakkam Atomic Reprocessing Plant and his cancer patients. At Kalpakkam, the media has reported that babies without legs and arms are being born, which is closely due to the leakage of the Power Plant. Maximum life of nuclear reactor is 40 years, but resulting waste will remain for 48,000years. The Indian Government has entered the new foreign nuclear relationship with the US Government, aiming to create 25000MW by the year of 2020. However, the question of safety remains unsolved. ( Reference; Press Release by the NAAM). http;//nfijounal.wrdpress.com

Mr. E P Menon has joined our performance. He is the ever peace lover of India. At the age of 24, he started to walk from Delhi to appeal the disarmament of nuclear weapons among nations. He walked up to the Indo-Pakistan border but at that time he had neither a passport nor a visa. He has written a letter to Mr. Nehru in 1962 and Nehru has sent a passport to Menon after sometime. However, Menon crossed the border without a document with a huge welcome from Pakistani people. Pakistani President Ayub Khan has publicly announced his peace journey in Pakistan. "Everywhere i was welcomed by the people. That time there was no political conflict between India and Pakistan. They are all our brothers and sisters." After Pakistan, he went to Afganistan and Russia. When he entered Paris, the French Government arrested him and put him in jail for four days. Then, he proceeded to London, America, finally he went to Tokyo. His final destination was Hiroshima, reaching on the 6th of August, the day when the Atomic Bomb was dropped on. He walked with 7 Japanese young people from Tokyo to Hiroshima. In August 1964, his journey of 10,000km was completed. He came back to India and wrote about his journey. The book is called Footprints on Friendly Roads, which is yet to be published in India.

Now there is a big peace movement by the National Alliance of Anti-Nuclear Movement (NAAM) by the people. The Bornfree Art School is also joining this wave and as young people and children, we will work on this nuclear issues. E P Menon said that when children participate actively in the peace movement, will be there a big change in the world.

Misho