Editor’s note: This guest post is written by filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, who writes about why he created the short film “To the Children of Swat,” which you can watch below, and why he’s supporting the refugees of Pakistan by getting involved with the Concert for Pakistan, Sept. 12 at the UN General Assembly in New York. You can find out more information about Anand and his work at Patwardhan.com.

The world looked on helplessly as tragedy overtook the people of the Swat Valley caught in the crossfire of war. As always, the greatest sufferers were the children.

Salman Ahmad, doctor, musician, crusader for peace and justice, is also an old friend, so when he asked if I would like to send a message from India for his concert to raise awareness about conditions in the Swat Valley, of course I was happy to do it.

I thought to avoid the cliches of of friendship that usually involve showing Indian and Pakistani flags waving in harmony. Instead, I took my camera into a Mumbai slum where so many of the powerless and penniless live and face daily indignities and uncertainties and yet retain their spirit of resistance.

What has resulted is a message from the economically displaced children of India to the militarily displaced children of Pakistan.

WATCH VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP…

To the children of Swat from Anand Patwardhan on Vimeo.

Production, Direction, Editing: Anand Patwardhan
Camera and Sound: Anand Patwardhan and Simantini Dhuru
Production Assistance: Trupti Kanade and Nikesh Korgaonkar
Special Thanks: Simpreet, Umar and Sajida and
The children and teachers of Mandala, Mumbai and
The Ghar Bachao Andolan (The Save Homes Movement)

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Anand Patwardhan has been making political documentaries for nearly three decades pursuing diverse and controversial issues that  are at the crux of social and political life in India. Many of his films were at one time or another banned by state television channels in India and became the subject of litigation by Patwardhan who successfully  challenged the censorship rulings in court.

Patwardhan has been an activist ever since he was a student — having participated in the anti-Vietnam War movement;  being a volunteer in Caesar Chavez’s United Farm Worker’s Union; working in Kishore Bharati, a rural development and education project in central  India; and participating in the Bihar anti-corruption movement in 1974-75 and in the civil liberties and democratic rights movement  during and after the 1975-77 Emergency. Since then he has been active in movements for housing rights of the urban poor, for communal harmony and participated in movements against unjust, unsustainable development, miltarism and nuclear nationalism.

For more information visit Patwardhan.com.