Fifteen children of the `Centre for Advanced Studies', a Karachi school, will call on their friends from the Bombay International School sometime in August this year. Pals for almost two years now, this is the first time they will meet, hoping to strengthen a bond that transcends borders, cultural affiliations and linguistic barriers. A bond they have nurtured through letters full of dreams - dreams of peace, of love and even a common Indo-Pak cricket team.

Given the ruling Shiv Sena's rigid stand on relations with Pakistan, the host school and the organisers are a bit apprehensive. However, they have ruled out cancellation. Shiv Sainiks recently had disrupted a show of Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali protesting against Pakistan's anti-India policies and its support to extremists in Kashmir. Research co-ordinator of the project, TeestaSetalvad said the children were keen and as of now their parents in Karachi too had not asked for any changes in the schedule.

Apart from sight-seeing, these children will visit a newspaper office, a hospital and will meet a famous Indian television or theatre personality to gain some insight on life in India. They will also participate in an open discussion and other such programmes organised by the host school.

"The Indian children were supposed to visit Pakistan in January `98. They even had their visas ready. Unfortunately, violence broke out in Karachi and their parents did not wish to risk the trip," Setalvad said.

This effort at Indo-Pak bonding is part of a project called Aman, launched in August 1996 by Communalism Combat. Aman was an off-shoot of a secular intervention programme called Khoj for Standard seven (now Standard nine) of the Bombay International School in 1994. "This intervention through history helped us to get to the roots of prejudices - may it be communal,social or gender-based," explained Setalvad.

The first batch of letters were collected from the children of both the countries in order to facilitate exchange. Gradually, children forged their own ties and made pen-friends. The letters speak volumes about the curiosity among them to know about the other country.

For instance, an Indian child suggested in a letter that if the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams merged, they would be unbeatable. A Pakistani child wanted to know about religions, other than Islam, practiced in India. Yet another child wished to join in the Diwali and Holi celebrations in India as they seemed like "great fun when he watched them on television."

The Indian children are naturally disappointed that their trip is cancelled. But they may soon participate in a video-conference with their friends across the border.

Khoj which is soon to be introduced in the BMC schools too, began with educative modules on sensitive issues like the Kashmir problem and Partition. "We found thathistory books in both countries carried a strong bias. While the Indian child is taught that Jinnah alone was responsible for partition, the Pakistani child is told that the two-nation theory was the only solution to all problems," Setalvad said.

And as they learn to see history in the light of their own experiences, some young adults have sought to join them. Responding to the Aman in Combat address bank, a few college girls from Hyderabad have written in seeking pen-pals. A science graduate from Ujjain too has dropped in her address and a student from IIM Ahmedabad has begun correspondence with a research student in Islamabad. They may not have any control over what is history, but they certainly want a firm grasp on the future.