My brother and I feel incredibly fortunate to have received our education at Fountainhead School, a place known not just for its prestige, but also for its open-minded and nurturing environment. It has played a huge role in shaping us into individuals of strong character and competence. Recently my brother just commemorated his graduation convocation ceremony and it was celebrated with uplifting energy and in a joyful manner. It was truly a special milestone.
A highlight of the ceremony was an address by our esteemed guest speaker; Mr. Adhik Kadam. Adhik sir is an Indian Social entrepreneur and philanthropist. He has a deep-rooted mission of peacebuilding and peacekeeping in the upheaval of Jammu and Kashmir. He was an individual studying Political Science in Pune, and as a result, he decided to visit Jammu and Kashmir for a project, what was supposed to be an academic visit turned into a life-changing experience. After witnessing the heartbreaking state of Jammu & Kashmir, the conflicts, the fear, the trauma, and the shattered lives of innocent people, he promised never to return to his old life and instead dedicate his life to bringing peace and providing a sense of safety to the women and children there, who had lost their families to militant violence.
To fulfill this purpose, he founded the “Borderless World Foundation” which is a humanitarian initiative that established homes and orphanages for children who have been marginalized by the ongoing socio-political unrest in the union territory. These homes just do not offer shelter but healing and hope to those children who are deeply scarred by the heart rendering conflict.
During his speech, he also heightened a profound belief and a significant epigram, that women are both the bearers of culture and also the keepers of peace, and it’s our fundamental duty to protect the female energy in all of us. Significantly he also drew attention to the Hindu Mythology of Shiva and Shakti, where he compares women to Shakti, the divine feminine energy, the building block of nature, and views them as powerful forces in rebuilding a better future.
Over the years, he has become a father figure and a brother to thousands of young girls, guiding, supporting, and comforting them, helping them dream again and reach for something more, despite the darkness they’ve faced. One of the stories that he shared was particularly haunting. The children at the orphanage were so used to fear that they would often wake up at the softest ticking sound, staying awake as they were too terrified to fall back asleep. One young girl stood out, she endured unimaginable trauma, she hadn’t slept peacefully in years, no matter how much warmth and care he offered. When she was just four, militants shot her father in front of her. In her innocence, she tried to stop the bleeding with her tiny hands. But it was too late. The memory haunted her. But with the constant love and support from the orphanage, she slowly healed, and today, she’s a doctor, giving back to the very community that once held her through the darkest times.
Stories like these are a painful reminder that the politics of nations, the unending calamitous fight for power, leads to innocent individuals suffering, especially the children and women who are suppressed under such conditions and most importantly the profound nature of humans becoming imbalanced leading to uncontrollable social repercussions. The dedication, compassion, and commitment that Adhik sir has shown, has been a testament to reflecting that it isn’t too late to bring change and trace the path back to humanity.
“My Interpretation of a Borderless World“
When I first thought about the aphorism, “Borderless world”, it lightened a very conceptual denotation in my mind rather than an objective meaning. A borderless world doesn’t mean the end of identity, tradition, or community but rather enlightens a reimagining of these ideas in a rather inclusive light. It is the culmination of breaking down barriers, not just physical ones that are made out of fences and walls but rather mental ones made of fear, prejudice, blindness caused by power, and the deep-rooted concept of nationalism. In such a world, conflict is replaced by collaboration and Connection replaces isolation.
The phrase a Borderless world, emphasizes that borders as a concept is the contrivance of humans, lines drawn on the maps have decided who belongs where, what language they speak, and what opportunities they get, and in the case of Jammu and Kashmir it decides even whether they live or die. But when we view the World from a space-centric approach, none of these lines exist on the Earth from Space. It’s just one big sphere floating peacefully with the calm colors of blue and green.
A borderless world asks us to view humanity as one combined species that is interconnected, interdependent, and deeply similar beneath all our differences, although it does not talk about erasing cultures by embracing and celebrating all of them without any wall in between.
Of course, ignoring the challenges of economic inequality, political instability, and historical wounds can’t be healed overnight, these are tangible fears about security, resources, and identity, these concerns are extremely relevant, but so does the cost of continuing to build higher walls, which leads to wars, refugee crisis, cultural erasure and loss of life and overlooking the opportunities of cooperation.
The notion isn’t to dissolve the nation but instead to dissolve the hatred between them.
It’s a New Vision for the Future, breaking the most powerful Borders present in our minds, is the first step towards the vision.
This is not a fantasy, it’s a direction. It is not a destination, but a journey, a choice to see the world not as versus them but as “all of us, together” because the future of humanity is in the hands of today.
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