3 Mumbai youths for International Peace Day meet in Hiroshima

Mumbai, July 29 (UNI) Three Mumbai youths will join hands with students from Pakistan and Japan in urging the international community to make the world ''nuclear weapons free'' during the International Peace Day in Hiroshima on August 6.

Alpana Gandhi, Swati Bhat and Ashish R Singh will be flying to Japan on August 2 as part of the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal (BSM)'s 20-year-old initiative on total disarmament, BSM programme officer T R K Somaiya told UNI.

Alpana has completed her Masters in Microbiology from Wilson College, while Ashish is a journalism student from Mumbai University. Swati is a final year student of Bachelor of Mass Media from FISE College.

The Mandal, since 1987, has been organising peace march in the city to observe the International Peace Day, and appeal to the world to fight against nuclear armament, and establish peace the world over.

''I personally feel that when there is so much hunger and poverty all around, we should make the best use of the available resources and money. Both India and Pakistan have spent billions of dollars in making the nuclear bomb, but what is its use? It would have been prudent had the same money been used in removing the abject poverty from both the nations,'' said Alpna while talking to UNI.

''I am feeling excited and looking forward to the trip, which I think is for a noble cause,'' she added.

Stating that peace is the only tangible solution for resolving any conflict, Swati said, '' I am totally against the development of nuclear weapons as well as their use.'' According to Ashish, the focus of their 9-day visit will be on the anti-nuclear campaign and the Indo-Pak peace talks.

The programme in Hiroshima is being organised by the ''Association of Peace Exchange with the Youth of India and Pakistan''. From India, five youth are flying to Japan under the initiative, and include the three from Mumbai and one each from Hyderabad and Ranchi.

The main purpose of this exchange is the growing concern over the nuclear issues, facing the world at large, and India and Pakistan -- the two nuclear powers in South Asia -- in particular. The initiative also aims at creating awareness about the holocaust of nuclear bomb.

UNI