The good thing about social media is that no matter how loud the dominant discourse gets, it almost always provides alternatives. So while news anchors are harping on retribution, a social media campaign called "Profile For Peace" has resurfaced, with people posting selfies with a message saying that they do not hate the other country.
Started by Mumbai-based ad-filmmaker Ram Subramanian, the campaign invites people "to participate in this campaign, write a similar message on a post-it or a piece of paper, take your selfie with it and make it your profile picture" accompanied by the hashtags 'Kill Terrorists Not Talks' and 'Profile For Peace'.
Ram Subramanian
Bollywood celebrity Mahesh Bhatt also joined the campaign, posting a picture with the message.
— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) October 1, 2016
However, not everyone agreed with the campaign this time and an army veteran, Major Gaurav Arya, posted a response on Facebook, implying that the support for Pakistan was unfair to the soldiers who worked to protect India.
"Its easy to ask for peace when you are a thousand miles away from the Line of Control, and your primary concerns are which party to attend this evening and where to get financing for your next film. Peace is not a punch line. It is the end result of war," he wrote.
But despite opposing voices, responses have come from both sides of the border with men, women and children posing with messages of peace.
The pictures havebeen uploaded by the Facebook page 'Voice of Ram' in an album. These are a few of them.
Ajmad Abbas, Pakistan
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Ex navy chief admiral Ramdas, with his wife Lalita Ramdas, India
Masood Khan, Pakistan
Jyoti Sharma, India
Syeda Jasmine Jaffer, Pakistan
Neha Rastogi, India
Rida Chandio, Pakistan
Rajesh Souran, India
Talat Islam Khan, Pakistan
The campaign was also carried out last year in light of Shiv Sena threatening Pakistani actors against working in Bollywood. People on both sides of the border had responded by posting selfies and expressing their desire for peace.
