A welcome from Raju

Dear friends,

Welcome. I write as a member of the Indian diaspora, carrying family memories of India, loss, and belonging. At Carter Peace Week, on the International Day of Peace, I spoke about journeys to India after the passing of loved ones. Each held grief, but also a renewed sense of ancestry and home. That is part of why this work is personal to me.

Caring for older people and accompanying people at the end of life has taught me to slow down and make room for another person. At a Global Social Witnessing gathering, I watched a South Asian speaker share a story while the room stayed present. No one rushed to analyze it or fix it. I left with a conviction that being heard can change what becomes possible between people.

The histories of Partition and Kashmir travel through families, in the words of elders and in what remains unsaid. Kashmir carries beauty, culture, dignity, and pain. I hope friends in the Indian and Pakistani diasporas can help make room for listening, while Kashmiri people remain central in shaping their own future. One community’s suffering need not compete with another’s.

Through Global Mediation Team, I am developing an 18-month peacebuilding program drawing on the established Global Social Witnessing practice shared by the Pocket Project and Thomas Hübl. Trust and safety must come before testimony. We will seek guidance from Kashmiri and diaspora communities on who participates, how people are cared for, and what happens next. I bring no prescribed political answer. I bring a commitment to listen, learn, and stay present.

I invite you to explore this proposal, watch the video I have shared below and the Peace Week conversation, listen to the song, and share your perspective if you would like to help build this space. Thank you for being here.

Adapted from Raju’s September 2026 Carter Peace Week talk. The supplied transcript was edited from automatic captions; this letter is an editorial adaptation, not a verbatim transcript.