Away from India-Pakistan tensions, South Asians at Hong Kong arts festival laud harmony and coexistence
- Many say they hope tension between their countries will end soon
- ‘We have lived peacefully in Hong Kong for years’ says one festival-goer
Tensions may be high in South Asia, but 4,000km from the terrorist attack that put India and Pakistan on high alert, people at a Hong Kong arts festival were not letting ethnic loyalties sour ties between two of the city’s biggest communities.
They said they hoped the period of tension between their countries – which had raised the spectre of a full-blown war between the nuclear powers – would end soon.
Among them was Faride Shroff, founder and director of SENsational Consultancy, which provides corporate training to enable equal opportunities for people with disabilities. The Indian Hongkonger said: “No one should be made to suffer based on where they were born. In a world that is developing so rapidly, it’s imperative that keeping the peace is kept as a priority.”
She added: “I have dear friends from all over the world. I would never let anything affect my bonds with them. We are all people first, politics should never jeopardise our humanity.”
Various artists have arrived in Hong Kong from India to perform at the festival, which takes place mostly at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre in Admiralty.
Folk musician Chugge Khan said: “We believe in the power of music to bring people together, and that is why we have been participating in this event for years.”
Khan and Nathoo Lal Solankee – master drummer of the band Rajasthan Josh – will perform at City Hall on Sunday. The artists, who have performed in more than 125 countries, said art and culture could bring together people from around the world.
South Asians have a long and storied history in Hong Kong, with large ethnic minority communities from the two regional giants and Nepal. According to the 2016 census, there were 36,462 ethnically Indians residents and 18,094 ethnically Pakistani.
I went to school with Indians and I still cherish those days. I cannot imagine breaking bonds with them for the tensions going on between the two countries
Vikas Grewal, head of the business division at ship management company Fleet Management, said: “I have friends from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even Pakistan. My son plays cricket every Sunday and his coaches are all Pakistani.
“At the back of one’s mind it does affect our relationships, but then we tell ourselves not to be negative. At the end of the day, our first reaction is for our country, so if something is going on there, we stand for it. It does affect our thoughts, but education helps us rationalise and we coexist peacefully.”
Khalid Khan, who is from Pakistan and has been living in Hong Kong for more than 20 years, said people from the two countries formed two of the biggest expat communities in Hong Kong and had always lived together in peace and harmony.
“I went to school with Indians and I still cherish those days. I cannot imagine breaking bonds with them for the tensions going on between the two countries,” he said.
“I regularly play football with my Indian friends and we have lived peacefully in Hong Kong for years. Why can’t our governments also peacefully coexist and push the peace process instead of war?”
Anuraag Bhatnagar, from India and director of Vulcan Holdings, echoed many others in attendance in condemning the terrorism attack. He said: “Our fight is and should remain against terrorism. The tensions should not escalate any more.”
