'We are Pakistani, and we love India'

Q What was the core purpose to start an online platform like ChaiChalkThe need for ChaiChalk emerged when we realised that Pakistani talent had been travelling to international venues and this was partly due to the lack of opportunities nationally Specifically there was a problem with the publication industry in the country Notable writers were being published outside the country A Pakistani writing about Pakistanfor Pakistan being published in another country was just not sitting well with us So ChaiChalk was born a versatile platform developed solely to provide a home to Pakistani literature ChaiChalk strives to raise social awareness show another side of Pakistan and importantly produce and promote relevant content Pakistan is a blur made of diverse people stories and circumstances With no way to map this diversity and put it to good use our countryrsquos narrative is always in and out of focusOurs is a tiny but strong effort by privileged and innovative students at LUMS Lahore University of Management Sciences to bring the focus back on to Pakistan mdash the real Pakistan We aim to do away with the blurred lines haunting our country To do this our plan is to be an academic and social organisation which aims to provide connections which unify this diverse country by creating zones of compliment and overlap We would do so as to promote empathy and tolerance within the society and promote the true image of PakistanA student participated in the ProfileForPeace campaign to spread the universal message of tolerance This campaign aimed at reducing the assumed hostilities between India and Pakistan Q How has social media helped ties between India and PakistanWith smartphones and cheaper Internet connectivity available to hundreds of millions of people on both sides of the border it is difficult to see the artificial boundary at Wagah Border being slowly given lesser importance Social media and the Internet has blurred the line between states While it is up to officials on both sides the universal message of peace harmony and tolerance can be disseminated via social media ProfileForPeace was this and it couldnrsquot have been possible without social media It remains debatably one of the greatest evolutionary developments of the 21st century as it has united people across the worldA vigil arranged by ChaiChalk to stand in solidarity with the people affected by the suicide attack in Jacobabad during a religious processionQ We have read of the success of the girlsatdhabas movement Do you feel that such initiatives will help to change the image of PakistanPakistan is a beautiful country mdash from the breathtaking Hunza Valley to the colourful energy of Karachi However this beautiful land has seen its fair share of pain with all that has happened in the past decade Yet its people are undeterred determined to make their country proud Initiatives like Girls at Dhabas RastaBadlo and TurrLahore are movements that we are proud of as citizens of this country By raising awareness people are solving their problems Instead of blaming institutions they are looking at ways to improve scenarios Lahore has become a thriving hub for startups especially techsocial startups that are helping change the national image These bright young minds are directly influencing the global standing of our country We need more of thisA ChaiChalk representative readies the bus used in a relief drive to raise funds for quake victimsQ Do you plan to recreate an India chapter of ChaiChalkOur motto is lsquoMade in Pakistanrsquo If we create a chapter for India it would require a comprehensive thought process and intensive planning Due to an abundance of projects in the pipeline we have not yet thought deeply about expanding into IndiaAs one of our posts says lsquoWe are Pakistani and we love Indiarsquo We are always open to collaborations and contributions from IndiaOver sixty people gathered to hold a minute of silence followed by prayers for those affected by the Jacobabad attack that occurred on October 24 2015ChaiChalk team at LUMS Lahore University of Management Sciences campus Their IT and art teams work 24x7 to create a vibrant interactive websiteFounder ChaiChalk Asad Shabbir and Kiran Masood both juniors at LUMS studying Management SciencesQ What is the road ahead for ChaichalkWe are currently working on some very exciting projects which include getting directly involved in the publication industry However we will also be focusing on using social media on driving social value by promoting literature raising social awareness and contextualizing internationally acclaimed media practices to PakistanLog on to chaichalkcom