Sapan Blog… Two worlds touch at Cambridge Diwali-Eid event 12 Oct 202512 Oct 2025 By Beena Sarwar/Sapan News CAMBRIDGE, Mass.: Some 300 festively dressed Cantabrigians and neighbors gathered at Cambridge’s Reservoir Church on Saturday for the annual Diwali-Eid Cultural program, an interfaith, intercultural event…
Events… “You Can Kill a Person, But Not an Idea”: Southasia Peace Action Network Film Club on ‘After Sabeen’ 3 Oct 202524 Apr 2026 By Sapan News Desk New Delhi / Berlin / Karachi / Southasia diaspora — Last week, the story of prominent social entrepreneur Sabeen Mahmud who was shot dead in Karachi,…
Allied Events… Sept. 25: Southasia’s Youthquakes – Panel discussion on the uprisings in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka 24 Sep 202524 Sep 2025 In recent years, Southasia has seen a mushrooming of youth-led protest movements – fuelled by frustration around corruption, nepotism and economic inequality, and by anger at political and economic systems…
Press Statements… Young Southasians and Experts Converge in a Powerful Dialogue on Water, War, and Climate justice 18 Jun 202530 Jun 2025 press statement / for immediate release In a time of deepening ecological emergencies and political fragmentation, the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) hosted a landmark virtual discussion titled “A shared…
Allied Events… Southasian Voices: Art, Identity, and Bridging Divides 17 Jun 20252 Oct 2025 From Leeds to London: A comment on ‘South Asia: People, promise and potential - art, film and discussion,’ a half-day event organized by the Bloomsbury Institute London, beyond Instagram and…
Events… With Conflict Dominating Public Narrative, Young Southasians Reimagine Peace across Borders 15 Jun 202530 Jun 2025 Unfazed by the dominant narrative focusing on conflict, a small group of teens and young adults convened by by the Southasia Peace Action Network or Sapan, is quietly working together…
Press Statements… ‘Peacemongers’ Call for Renewed People-to-People Engagement Between India and Pakistan 21 May 202530 Jun 2025 Virtual gatherings underscore urgency of fostering regional peace through dialogue, particularly involving youth 21 May 2025 – The recent conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have raised alarm bells throughout…
Press Statements… Appeal for India and Pakistan to Stop Hostilities and Talk Gains Global Traction 20 May 202530 Jun 2025 Nearly 7,500 have signed the petition demanding de-escalation, dialogue, and regional peace for Southasia* An urgent call for peace between India and Pakistan issued has gained thousands of supporters since…
Press Statements… India-Pakistan: Justice, not militarisation, must guide the region’s future 13 May 202530 Jun 2025 Sapan statement on the India-Pakistan situation: Justice, not militarisation, must guide the region’s future Issued by: Southasia Peace Action Network 12 May 2025 Unequivocally condemning violence and the targetting of…
Resolutions… Urgent plea: Stop the war immediately 7 May 20259 May 2025 Statement from Southasia Peace Action Network 6 May 2025 We, at the Southasia* Peace Action Network, Sapan, make an urgent plea to India and Pakistan to stop the war immediately. We…
obituaries… Dr. Haroon Ahmed: A healer, comrade, and peacemonger across Southasia 9 Apr 202513 Apr 2025 Tribute to a beloved community leader who passed away recently, a co-founder of Pakistan’s first nationwide student movement, a pioneering psychiatrist and mental health practitioner, founder member of the Pakistan-India…
Climate Change… March 02 : “Nitrogen Pollution, Climate Change, and the Road Ahead for Southasia” 2 Mar 202530 Jun 2025 You are invited! Event: “Nitrogen Pollution, Climate Change, and the Road Ahead for Southasia”Date : Sunday, March 2, 2025Time : 17.00 - 18.30 (Sri Lanka Time) Based on Factum’s latest…
Press Statements… Patriarchy and the problem of gender representation in Southasian films and television 13 Jun 2023 The culture of patriarchy and gender discrimination is endemic across the Southsian film and television industry, and stakeholders are not doing enough to change the status quo. Whether it’s regressive…
Sapan Blog Meet the Lahori woman connecting Indians with their ancestral homes in Pakistan 9 Apr 2023 The 1947 Partition forced thousands to flee their homes and belongings leaving with nothing but painful memories. Inspired by stories her father told her as a young child, Lahore-based Noshaba…
Sapan Blog New York ‘MET’ catalogue linked to alleged looting and trafficking figures 24 Mar 202328 Mar 2023 Senior Nepali journalist Namrata Sharma, a core member of the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan), was among the journalists who recently investigated the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (‘the…
Sapan Blog Oscars 2023: Southasia shines bright 20 Mar 202328 Mar 2023 The annual Academy Awards are a big occasion every year but this year the moment was bigger for Southasia with two wins and appearances by Southasian icons and celebrities on…
Sapan Blog Why Sania Mirza is a Southasian Icon 14 Mar 2023 Celebrating one of Southasia's finest this Women's History Month. Tennis champion Sania Mirza is renowned across Southasia not only for her skill on the court but also as a woman…
Sapan Blog ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ Jemima Khan and Shekhar Kapur deliver a feel-good rom-com with a sturdy message 10 Mar 202313 Mar 2023 A personal take on Jemima Khan’s scriptwriting debut feature film 'What’s Love Got to Do With It?' directed by Lahore-born award-winning Indian director Shekhar Kapur By Yasmin Whittaker-Khan The recently…
Sapan Blog Visa issues, Kashmir and the ‘new great game’ between India and Pakistan 9 Mar 20239 Mar 2023 The question of why the United States does not stand up for its citizens of Indian and Pakistani origin when these citizens are denied visas because of their origins has…
Sapan Blog Celebrating love: Beyond borders and boundaries of religion, caste, and nationality 8 Mar 202315 Mar 2023 “In the process of suppressing individual happiness over centuries, we have encouraged agents of hate, discrimination, and violence,” comments journalist Aekta Kapoor, moderating an online discussion promoting equality and harmony.…
Climate Change… From Pakistan and Bangladesh to Africa, Brazil and USA: How Climate Change Impacts Women of Colour Across the Globe 8 Mar 202324 Jan 2025 On International Women’s Day, a look at the disproportionate impact of climate change and global warming on half the world’s population, and how women bear the brunt of inequitable policies…
Sapan Blog The magic of Faiz and the Javed Akhtar controversy 5 Mar 202315 Mar 2023 It is unfortunate that of all the art, culture and poetry at the Faiz Festival 2023 held in Lahore recently, it was mostly Javed Akhtar's controversial comments that made it…
Sapan Blog The ‘rights’ thing to do: when Seattle banned caste discrimination 25 Feb 20236 Mar 2023 A ringside seat and an eyewitness account of the happenings at the Seattle City Council as the historic anti-caste discrimination law was passed, now a template for other cities in…
Sapan Blog Rise in interfaith, intercultural events around India kindles hope 25 Feb 20236 Mar 2023 Does the plethora of interfaith and intercultural events in February indicate a resurging respect for India’s pluralistic culture? By Urmi Chanda Hindu nahin na musalmaanBhaye niranjan taj abhimaan... (I am…
Sapan Blog Zia Mohyeddin: One of a kind 15 Feb 202328 Feb 2023 Legendary actor, orator and television personality Zia Mohyeddin, born on 30 June (or 20 December), 1931, in Lyallpur, passed away on 13 February 2023 in Karachi By Beena Sarwar 14…
Sapan Blog A Bollywood songwriter, a daughter married in Pakistan, and a family torn apart 9 Feb 20239 Feb 2023 When iconic Bollywood lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri’s daughter Kishwar visited Mumbai a decade after her marriage across the border in Rahim Yar Khan, he knew it would be their last meeting.…
Climate Change… When faith actors combine forces with climate activists 6 Feb 202324 Jan 2025 Commemorating UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, some thoughts on a discussion about how interfaith collaboration can contribute to climate justice By Sara Arshad 6 February 2023: What does interfaith harmony…
Sapan Blog Peshawar mosque blast worst in a series of targeted attacks on Pakistan police 4 Feb 2023 The January 30 suicide bombing on a mosque in Peshawar is the latest in an escalating number of militant attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in northwest Pakistan after the…
Sapan Blog Stars behind the clouds: 20 OP Nayyar classics that never made it to the big screen 26 Jan 20238 Feb 2023 Although never seen on screen, these 20 ghost songs composed by OP Nayyar still shine bright, testifying to a Southasian musical genius who was born in Lahore, 16 January 1926,…
Sapan Blog A win for Maria, Rappler and press freedom 22 Jan 202325 Jan 2023 18 January 2022: Filipina journalist Maria Ressa recently won a four-year legal battle initiated by the administration of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, which falsely claimed that her media outlet Rappler…