ASIA

by Balkrishna Kurvey, President

India is marching fast toward development, but the gap between rich and poor is increasing day by day and our basic amenities are insufficient. We lack adequate drinking water, medical facilities, employment and other things. India needs money for development at the same time that India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons and are engaged in an arms race.

Possessing nuclear weapons cannot solve our problems. The vehicle of change is ultimately the people. A nuclear war may break out due to a misunderstanding between India and Pakistan. The threat of using missiles by either India or Pakistan is terrifying because the distance between launch sites and targets is so short that there would be no time to determine whether an incoming missile was carrying a nuclear warhead. It takes only 8 to 10 minutes for a missile to reach its target in India and Pakistan and there are only 3 minutes to decide if the missile is carrying a nuclear warhead or a conventional weapon. Due to a misunderstanding, this could trigger a nuclear war. Nuclear weapons are not military weapons, they are political weapons. Nuclear weapons are an economic burden, an economic disaster. They are completely inefficient and ethically and morally unacceptable.

The public has to be informed about the costs and impact of nuclear tests. Indians might see that there are other priorities, other places where the money could be used. Most Indians do not know what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is no medical or civil defense against nuclear bombs. A nuclear blast would vaporize large chunks of humanity in a flash and render several generations genetically defective. The environmental and health effects of nuclear tests are known. In roughly a third of all underground tests, radioactive gases are released into the atmosphere. In the long term, underground radioactivity may come to the surface through ground water. The consequences might be apparent even thousands of years later.

There is a need to educate people about the differences between a conventional bomb and a nuclear bomb. The only rational idea is to prevent a nuclear exchange and to move as quickly as possible to eliminate nuclear weapons. Toward this end, the Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament & Environmental Protection (IIPDEP) established the "No More Hiroshima-No More Nagasaki Peace Museum" on August 6, 1996 in Nagpur, India. The museum opened in a large hall in the city's commercial district. Our aims are to raise public awareness and put pressure on the government to make the world a better place to live.

Along with information on the Holocaust, the permanent exhibition shows photos of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as images of India's nuclear test site in Pokharan. The photo panels were donated by Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and an association of A-bomb survivors in Japan.

In addition to its permanent home, IIPDEP has also maintained a traveling exhibit on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that tours to different parts of India during the period from August 6~9. The traveling exhibit has visited such cities as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Proddatur, and Sri Ganganagar and been hosted at schools and public facilities. Students and citizens have come to the traveling exhibit in large numbers and written their wishes for a nuclear-free world. This past August the traveling exhibit visited the cities of Hyderabad, Morshi, Narkher, Amravati, and Sri Ganganagar.

The religious traditions of both Islam and Hinduism place a high value on peace. Through the "No More Hiroshima-No More Nagasaki Peace Museum," IIPDEP is carrying out a program of public education and awareness in India. Nuclear weapons are inhuman, immoral, illegal, undemocratic and do not provide security. Peace is the most basic starting point for the advancement of humankind. Nothing is more precious than peace.

IIPDEP is seeking to expand our peace museum, but financial constraints make this difficult. Contributions from peace-loving peace around the world in this endeavor would be deeply appreciated.

Address: 537, Sakkardara Road, Nagpur-440009 INDIA
Phone: +91-712-2745806
Days closed: No holidays
Admission: Free

(Originally published on Nov. 16, 2009)