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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Prestigious peace calendar has Salalah student’s painting

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By Kaushalendra Singh — SALALAH: Jan 15 - You can be in the mainstream without being in a big city. This has aptly been proved by a young student of Salalah whose painting has featured in a prestigious peace calendar. Prateek Das, Garde VIII student of Indian School Salalah has also proved beyond doubt that young age cannot be a barrier in achieving big goals. At 14 he may be the youngest, whose peace themed painting has been featured in the 2017 edition of Aaghaz-e-Dosti international calendar. The calendar has already been launched in Karachi, Lahore, Toba Tek Singh, Peshawar, Kolkata, Delhi, Bishek and Kyrgyzstan amid August gatherings, while launch schedule has already been announced for Chandigarh, Ohio and Seattle (USA).


The Indo-Pak Peace Calendar is an annual initiative of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a friendship initiative of India-based Mission Bhartiyam and Pakistan-based The Catalyst of Peace. Prateek’s painting has got November slot among a total of 12 paintings featured in the calendar. An elated yet very humble and shy Prateek is from Indian state of Odisha. He was happy to receive the letter from Aaghaz-e-Dosti confirming his selection in the calendar but not really believing it untill he saw the launch picture and his painting hanging in the hands of one of the dignitaries in Lahore.


He gives full credit to his art teacher who tipped him of about the peace calendar competition and encouraged him to participate. He was not very sure about his selection due to his own doubts that “people in the selection committee might not understand the underlying message of the painting.”


But the committee members proved him wrong by sending him a selection letter and an invitation to attend the calendar’s launch ceremony at any one of the locations.


“The true meaning of peace that I feel is a world without war and fear, where people live with friendship, freedom, equality and love. I want not only people of India and Pakistan live in peace but everyone in the world also,” said Prateek when asked what peace meant for him.


Through his painting that has been selected in the calendar, Prateek wants to convey to the world the message of peace through birds as symbol of peace. “The birds and animals give us reason to live with peace despite the political boundaries.”


An excellent scorer Prateek wants to pursue painting but feels like striking balance between studies and hobby. “I love to do painting but due to my studies and other daily activities I am able to do it regularly,” he said.


Having no one has any painting background in the family Prateek started playing with crayons at an early age of three and claims to have some works preserved which were done at that age. “Till now I have done different types of paintings such as water colour, oil painting, glass painting modern art and craft also.”


Prateek finds his parents source of inspiration and for art “my greatest inspiration is my art teacher.


An optimist by nature, Prateek is hopeful of peace around the world. “I believe that people will surely understand and day will come when they will definitely change their mindset, thinking and will walk on the path of peace.


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