FROM VARANASI TO MOSCOW, KYIV, NATO AND EUROPE

A Renewed Appeal for Peace, Dialogue and a Sustainable European Security Order

An Open Appeal to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; the President and Government of Ukraine; the Leadership and Member States of NATO; the European Union; and the Governments of Europe

Varanasi, India

October 2026

Excellencies,

I write from Varanasi, the ancient city of the Ganga, a city that has for centuries represented dialogue, coexistence, spiritual reflection and the meeting of diverse civilisations.

I write from India—the land of Gautama Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi—with a humble but urgent appeal for peace.

On 13 February 2023, I wrote an open letter to H.E. President Vladimir Putin from Varanasi, appealing for an end to the Russia–Ukraine war through dialogue, diplomacy and the principles of non-violence.

My original appeal remains available here:

Open Letter to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia — 13 February 2023

More than three years later, the human cost and geopolitical consequences of the war continue to remind us of a fundamental truth:

There can be no sustainable security through permanent war.

I therefore renew my appeal today—but with an important difference.

This appeal is no longer addressed only to Moscow.

It is addressed to Moscow, Kyiv, NATO, Washington, Brussels and the governments of Europe, and to all those who possess the influence and responsibility necessary to help bring this conflict towards a just, durable and sustainable peace.

To President Putin and the Russian leadership

I respectfully appeal to President Putin and the Russian leadership to demonstrate the highest form of political courage: the courage to pursue a genuine political settlement that can end the suffering caused by war.

Russia's security concerns must be addressed seriously and through diplomacy. At the same time, the sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and human dignity of the Ukrainian people must be respected.

A secure future for Russia cannot ultimately be built upon permanent confrontation with Europe, just as the security of Ukraine cannot be secured through an endless cycle of military escalation.

The strength of a nation is not measured only by its military power, but also by its capacity to make peace.

To the President and Government of Ukraine

I extend the same appeal to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian people have suffered immense loss, destruction, displacement and trauma. Their lives, dignity, sovereignty and security deserve the protection of the international community.

Every credible opportunity for negotiations that can preserve human life and lead towards a durable peace should therefore be explored with seriousness and courage.

Peace must not mean abandoning the rights or dignity of the Ukrainian people.

But neither should the pursuit of peace be postponed indefinitely until one side achieves complete military victory.

Diplomacy should begin wherever it can save human lives.

To NATO and its Member States

I respectfully appeal to NATO and its member states to recognise that military deterrence alone cannot create a sustainable European security order.

European security cannot permanently rest upon an escalating cycle of weapons, military deployments, counter-deployments and fear.

Support for Ukraine's security must therefore be accompanied by an equally determined commitment to diplomacy.

The international community should devote as much political imagination, persistence and courage to negotiating peace as it has devoted to preparing for war.

The objective should not merely be to determine who wins the battlefield.

The objective must be to prevent the next war.

To the European Union and the Governments of Europe

Europe carries the painful memory of two world wars.

That history gives Europe not only a responsibility to defend its security, but also a special responsibility to become a centre of peace-making.

I appeal to European leaders to strengthen diplomatic channels, confidence-building measures and dialogue involving Russia, Ukraine and the wider European security community.

Europe should work towards a security architecture in which countries can live without the permanent fear of invasion, military encirclement or uncontrolled escalation.

Europe needs a peace that is sustainable—not merely a pause between wars.

Peace Must Be Built, Not Merely Declared

A ceasefire is essential, but a ceasefire by itself will not be sufficient.

A sustainable peace requires a political process capable of addressing the causes, consequences and security concerns surrounding the conflict.

I therefore appeal for an internationally supported framework that includes:

• An immediate, verifiable and monitored cessation of hostilities;
• Meaningful and sustained Russia–Ukraine negotiations;
• Protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access;
• Prisoner exchanges and resolution of humanitarian and missing-person issues;
• Protection and safe return of displaced people, consistent with international law;
• Credible security arrangements and guarantees for Ukraine;
• Serious consideration of the security concerns of Russia, Ukraine and European states;
• A broader European security dialogue involving Russia, Ukraine, NATO and European countries;
• Independent mechanisms for monitoring and implementing any peace agreement;
• Reconstruction and recovery of communities devastated by war;
• Protection of cultural heritage and civilian infrastructure;
• Long-term confidence-building measures designed to prevent another conflict.

The principles of international law must remain central to this process.

At the same time, sustainable peace requires political realism and an honest engagement with the security concerns of all parties.

Justice and security must not be treated as competing objectives. They must become foundations of the same peace.

Gandhi, Buddha and the Courage of Non-Violence

My appeal is rooted in a simple conviction that I have carried throughout my human-rights work:

Non-violence is not weakness.

Mahatma Gandhi regarded war as one of humanity's greatest moral failures. For him, non-violence required extraordinary courage, discipline, truth and self-restraint.

Gautama Buddha taught humanity to confront hatred not with greater hatred, but through compassion, wisdom and understanding.

These traditions do not ask us to ignore injustice.

They ask us to find ways of confronting injustice without destroying human beings in the process.

From Varanasi, I therefore ask the leaders of our time to demonstrate another kind of courage—the courage to negotiate when negotiation is difficult, to compromise when compromise can save lives, and to recognise the humanity of those on the other side of a conflict.

India and the Responsibility of the Global South

India has repeatedly emphasised dialogue and diplomacy in addressing the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

India's civilisational experience also reminds us that differences between peoples and nations need not inevitably lead to permanent hostility.

The consequences of this war, however, extend far beyond Europe.

Countries and communities across the Global South have experienced the consequences of conflict through food insecurity, energy pressures, economic disruption and reduced resources for development.

The voices of developing countries, civil society and peacebuilders should therefore have a meaningful place in international efforts to end the war.

Peace in Europe is not only a European concern. It is a global responsibility.

A Message to the Leaders of Our Time

Excellencies,

History will remember the battles of this period.

But it will also ask another question:

When the possibility of peace existed, what did the leaders of our generation do with it?

Future generations will not only examine who gained territory or military advantage.

They will ask whether political leaders had the wisdom to stop the cycle of destruction.

They will ask whether humanity learned from the tragedies of the twentieth century.

They will ask whether we understood that in a world containing nuclear weapons, permanent confrontation is not a sustainable political strategy.

The strongest leader is not necessarily the one who can continue a war the longest.

Sometimes the strongest leader is the one who possesses the courage to end a war when doing so can save human lives and open the way towards a better future.

From Varanasi: An Appeal to Choose Peace

I do not write this appeal to defend one government against another.

I write it to defend human life.

I do not ask the world to choose between Russian security and Ukrainian security.

I ask the world to build a framework in which Russian security, Ukrainian security and European security can coexist.

I do not ask for peace without justice.

I ask for peace with justice, security and human dignity.

I do not ask for a temporary silence of weapons.

I ask for a peace strong enough to prevent the next war.

Therefore, from Varanasi, I appeal to:

Moscow: choose the courage of diplomacy.

Kyiv: preserve every credible avenue towards a just peace.

NATO: combine security with an equally determined commitment to diplomacy.

European leaders: become architects of peace, not merely managers of confrontation.

The international community: invest in negotiations with the same determination with which it has invested in war.

And to all of us:

Let human life be more valuable than geopolitical rivalry.

Let dialogue begin where violence has failed.

Let diplomacy become stronger than the logic of escalation.

Let the next chapter of Europe be written not with weapons, but with diplomacy.

Let the language of war give way to the language of peace.

Let us build not merely a ceasefire, but a sustainable peace.

From the ancient city of Varanasi, I offer this appeal with humility, hope and faith in the human capacity to choose peace.

I hope that one day I will be able to visit both Russia and Ukraine—not as countries divided by war, but as societies rebuilding a shared human future.

With hope for peace and with deepest respect for human life,

Lenin Raghuvanshi

Human Rights Defender

Varanasi, India

Grandson of a Gandhian freedom fighter against colonial rule

Original Open Letter to President Putin, 13 February 2023:
Read the original letter

 

Shruti Nagvanshi Honoured with the “Inspiring Women Award” on Radio City’s 25th Anniversary

Varanasi | October 2026

Shruti Nagvanshi, Managing Trustee and Chief Functionary of Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) / People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), was honoured with the prestigious “Inspiring Women Award” on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Radio City, part of the Dainik Jagran Group.

The award recognises women whose commitment, perseverance and social contribution continue to inspire positive change in society.

The honour was presented in the presence of Dr. Neerja Madhav, renowned Indian writer and distinguished literary figure, who was the chief guest at the celebration. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Madhav encouraged women engaged in social and professional work to continue moving forward on their path of duty and to contribute actively to nation-building.

For Shruti Nagvanshi, the recognition is not merely a personal honour but an acknowledgement of the collective efforts of women working for human rights, social justice, dignity and the empowerment of marginalised communities.

As a founding member and Managing Trustee of Jan Mitra Nyas/PVCHR, Shruti has played an important role in strengthening community-based initiatives addressing the rights and dignity of Dalits, women, children, survivors of violence and other marginalised communities. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to building a more inclusive and humane society through grassroots action.

Speaking about the honour, Shruti expressed her gratitude to the organisers and said that recognition of women’s contributions also creates a greater responsibility to continue working with dedication and compassion.

She extended her heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Yogesh Ji, General Manager, and all the colleagues involved in the programme for providing this meaningful platform and honouring women committed to social transformation.

The occasion also served as a reminder that women’s leadership, resilience and collective action are essential to building a just, inclusive and democratic society.

PVCHR congratulates Shruti Nagvanshi on this well-deserved recognition and celebrates her continued commitment to human rights and social justice.

🌿 A recognition of commitment, a renewed responsibility

The Inspiring Women Award is a moment of appreciation, but for Shruti and the PVCHR family, it is also a renewed commitment to continue standing with communities whose voices are often unheard and whose rights remain at the margins.

Congratulations to Shruti Nagvanshi on this inspiring recognition.

Shruti Nagvanshi

Jan Mitra Nyas (Managing trustee)

PVCHR (Founder Member)         

 

 

                                                                    SPECIAL GUEST INVITATION

 

Respected  Ma’am,

 

We are delighted to inform you that, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Radio City, Radio City has selected you as one of the Inspiring Personalities of Varanasi City, in recognition of your remarkable contribution to society and the positive difference you have made through your work.

On Radio City Fun Fiesta, we would be honoured to felicitate you as an Inspiring Personality of Varanasi.

 

Radio City Fun Fiesta provides a vibrant platform for the women of Varanasi to express their hidden talents, showcase their creativity, and celebrate their individuality.

 

Your presence as our Special Guest and Awardee will make this celebration even more meaningful and memorable.

 

We warmly invite you to join us and be a part of this special occasion.

 

Venue: AKS Palace, Durga Kund, Varanasi

Date 4^th October

Time: 3.30 PM

 

With Warm Regards,
Yogesh Singh

General Manager

Radio city 

Music Broadcast Ltd

Dainik Jagran

Nadesar Varanasi UP.

  M: +91 9648936077                              E: yogeshks@myradiocity.com

                                                                    W: radiocity.in                        

#ShrutiNagvanshi #InspiringWomenAward #RadioCity25 #DainikJagran #PVCHR #JanMitraNyas #WomenLeadership #WomenEmpowerment #HumanRights #SocialJustice #NationBuilding #NariShakti #InspiringWomen

📰 When Recognition Becomes Memory

 📰 When Recognition Becomes Memory

What does an award mean after the ceremony is over? In my new Medium essay, “When Recognition Becomes Memory,” I reflect on caste, masculinity, human dignity, justice, activism, grief, and why I dedicated my three international human-rights honours to Bharat Kala Bhavan, BHU—moving from personal honour to public heritage.

Read the full essay:

https://medium.com/@lenin_75290/when-recognition-becomes-memory-69baf7db9efc

#WhenRecognitionBecomesMemory #FromHonourToHeritage #HumanRights #LeninRaghuvanshi #BharatKalaBhavan #BHU #Kashi #SocialJustice #HumanDignity #PVCHR

 

From a Small Hand to a Global March: Lenin Raghuvanshi’s Early Journey in the Struggle Against Child Labour

An archival and journalistic reconstruction of a journey from local mobilisation to international child-rights advocacy

Some histories of social movements are preserved in institutional reports, policy documents and newspaper archives. Others survive in photographs: a hunger strike, a classroom filled with children, a handwritten poem, a banner demanding rehabilitation, or an image from a movement that would later acquire international significance.

The photographs and documents from the early years of my work against child labour belong to this second kind of archive. Taken together, they document a period when child labour was not simply a subject of policy discussion but a lived human-rights crisis involving exploitation, poverty, education, rehabilitation and dignity.

I became a founding member of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) in 1993, working with Kailash Satyarthi and others. It also records my participation as a Core Marcher in the Global March Against Child Labour in 1998, including organising and coordinating activities in several countries.

The photographs provide the human dimension behind those dates.

A Beginning in the Struggle Against Child Labour

My engagement with the issue of child labour began in the early 1990s. I worked with SACCS in 1991, during a period when campaigns for the liberation and rehabilitation of working children were becoming increasingly organised.

The surviving photographs from this period capture the character of that struggle: public mobilisation, direct action and demands that children removed from labour should not simply be released from workplaces but should receive rehabilitation and education.

One of the photographs records a 72-hour hunger strike demanding the liberation and rehabilitation of child labourers.

The language of the banner is significant. It connects liberation with rehabilitation.

This distinction remains important. Removing a child from exploitative labour is only the beginning. A child also needs education, family and community support, social acceptance and an opportunity to build a dignified future.

“A Small Hand”: When Poetry Became Testimony

Among the archival materials is a Hindi poem titled “नन्हा सा हाथ” — “A Small Hand.”

The poem reflects an encounter with children living in conditions of deprivation and labour. Its literary form is personal, but its historical value is also documentary. It reveals how the experience of child labour entered the consciousness of activists not only through campaigns and public meetings but also through poetry and reflection.

The image of the small hand becomes a powerful metaphor.

A child's hand can hold a pencil, turn the pages of a book, play, create and reach towards another person. Under exploitation, that same hand can become an instrument of labour.

The poem therefore belongs to the emotional and intellectual history of the child-rights movement.

It asks us to consider what society expects from the hands of a child—and what society has the responsibility to protect those hands from.

1993: From Protest to Organised Child-Rights Work

The early 1990s also saw the development of more organised national campaigns against child labour.

In 1993 I became a founding member of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, together with Kailash Satyarthi and others.

This period was important because the campaign increasingly connected several dimensions of child rights:

• liberation from exploitative labour;
• rehabilitation of rescued children;
• access to education;
• community mobilisation;
• accountability for exploitation; and
• recognition of child labour as a human-rights issue.

The photographs from this period should therefore not be understood merely as personal photographs. They are fragments of a broader social movement.

The Children of Jewari’s School

One of the archival photographs is captioned:

“Children of Jewari’s School”

This photograph represents another side of the struggle.

A school is more than a physical building. In the context of child-labour rehabilitation, it represents an alternative to exploitation and a pathway towards participation, learning and dignity.

The movement against child labour therefore had to answer a question beyond:

How do we remove children from labour?

It also had to ask:

What kind of future do we create for them afterwards?

Education was central to that answer.

The photograph of the children of Jewari’s School consequently forms an important counterpart to the photograph of the hunger strike. One records resistance against exploitation; the other represents the possibility of rebuilding childhood through education.

Working with Kailash Satyarthi

My archival record documents my association with Kailash Satyarthi during this formative period. My CV records that I was a founding member of Bachpan Bachao Andolan in 1993 and later participated in the Global March Against Child Labour in 1998.

The later international history of the movement gives these early photographs an additional significance.

The Nobel Prize biography records that Satyarthi became a prominent figure in the global movement against child slavery and exploitation and was the architect of the Global March Against Child Labour. The 1998 mobilisation extended across 103 countries and contributed to the international campaign that preceded the adoption of ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour in 1999.

My own CV records my role in organising, coordinating and participating as a Core Marcher, with the Global March taking me through the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, France and Geneva.

1998: The Global March Against Child Labour

The Global March represented an important transformation in the international child-rights movement.

The issue of child labour was no longer confined to individual workplaces, villages or national campaigns. It became part of an international mobilisation involving civil-society organisations, activists, workers, educators and communities across countries.

The Nobel Prize records the scale of the 1998 Global March, while the Global March organisation describes it as an 80,000-kilometre mobilisation across 103 countries.

My participation in that movement represented a continuation of the work that had begun at the local level.

The geography expanded, but the fundamental question remained the same:

What kind of society allows a child to become a worker before becoming a student?

From Local Struggle to International Advocacy

The significance of 1998 was not simply the physical distance travelled.

It was the connection between local experience and international policy.

A child working in a local industry could become part of an international discussion about labour standards, education and human rights.

My CV records that during this period I also organised and participated in campaigns concerning child labour in the sporting-goods industry. It records advocacy that engaged international sporting and commercial institutions and sought commitments against child labour.

This was an important development in the way child labour was understood.

Child labour was not only a problem of poor families or individual employers. It could also be connected to national and international supply chains, consumer markets, sporting events and corporate responsibility.

From Child Labour to Human Rights

In 1996, I founded the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) with Shruti Nagvanshi. My CV records this development alongside my continuing work concerning marginalised communities and human-rights violations.

The transition from child-rights activism to broader human-rights work was not a departure from the earlier struggle.

There was a common underlying question:

How can people who experience structural exploitation move from vulnerability towards dignity, participation and justice?

For children trapped in labour, this meant liberation, rehabilitation and education.

For survivors of violence, it meant testimony, justice and healing.

For marginalised communities, it meant recognition, dignity and rights.

The context changed, but the human-rights principle remained connected.

The Nobel Prize Came Later — The Photographs Came First

In 2014, sixteen years after the Global March, Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Malala Yousafzai.

The Nobel Committee stated that the prize recognised their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

For an archival history, chronology matters.

The Nobel Prize came in 2014.

The Global March came in 1998.

The photographs of local mobilisation, the hunger strike, the poem and the children of Jewari’s School belong to an even earlier period.

The later recognition should therefore not be allowed to overshadow the grassroots history. The photographs remind us that international recognition is preceded by years of local organising, risk, persistence and collective work.

Reading the Archive Today

Looking at these photographs decades later, I do not see only memories of my youth or early activism.

I see evidence of how social movements are built.

They begin with encounters—with children, families and communities experiencing injustice.

They develop through organisation.

They are sustained through solidarity.

They acquire historical value through documentation.

And sometimes, many years later, the significance of those early struggles becomes visible on an international stage.

The archive therefore tells a story of continuity rather than a single event.

The Importance of an Activist Archive

Photographs are often treated as illustrations accompanying written history.

But photographs can themselves become historical sources.

They preserve the physical setting of movements, the language of protest, the presence of children and communities, the relationships between activists and participants, and the emotional atmosphere of a particular period.

The poem “नन्हा सा हाथ” provides another form of evidence: the emotional and reflective language through which child labour was experienced.

The CV establishes institutional milestones and dates.

The photographs preserve visual memory.

Together, these materials constitute an activist archive.

Such archives are particularly important in human-rights work because many people whose lives are affected by exploitation and violence remain absent from conventional historical records.

A Personal Timeline

Year	Milestone
1991	My work with SACCS, as recorded in my personal history, formed part of my early engagement with the struggle against child labour.
1993	Founding member of Bachpan Bachao Andolan with Kailash Satyarthi and others.
1996	Founded PVCHR with Shruti Nagvanshi; my CV also records my work protesting for the liberation and rehabilitation of bonded child labourers.
1998	Organised, coordinated and participated as a Core Marcher in the Global March Against Child Labour.
1999	ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour was adopted.
2014	Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Malala Yousafzai.

---

A Small Hand, A Long Journey

The photographs of the 72-hour hunger strike, the children of Jewari’s School, the handwritten poem “नन्हा सा हाथ”, and the photographs associated with the Global March may initially appear to be separate fragments of an old personal archive.

They are, however, connected by a common historical thread.

They document a transition:

from witnessing suffering to organised resistance;

from resistance to rehabilitation and education;

from local mobilisation to international advocacy.

For me, these photographs are therefore more than personal memorabilia.

They are part of the historical record of a period in which child labour increasingly came to be understood through the language of human rights, education, dignity and social justice.

The history of a movement is not made only in international conferences or through awards.

It is also made in hunger strikes, classrooms, villages, poems, marches and encounters with children.

And sometimes an old photograph allows us to see the beginning of a journey whose significance becomes visible only many years later.

A small hand.

A local struggle.

A global march.

A continuing commitment to childhood, dignity and human rights.**

Shruti Nagvanshi: Survivors Leading Change | Dignity, Justice & Rehabilitation

 

 Min Ko Naing Receives the Gwangju Prize in Person — Gwangju, 2013

In May 2013, Gwangju welcomed Min Ko Naing, one of Myanmar’s prominent democracy activists, following his release from prison in 2012.

Min Ko Naing had been awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in 2009, but he was unable to receive it in person while imprisoned. After his release, he travelled to South Korea to finally accept the honour. Contemporary reporting confirms that he visited South Korea in May 2013 to receive the 2009 Gwangju Prize in person.

The Gwangju Prize commemorates the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and recognises individuals and organisations contributing to human rights, democracy and peace. Min Ko Naing is officially listed as the 2009 laureate, while Lenin Raghuvanshi was a co-laureate in 2007.

The photographs from Gwangju in May 2013 preserve a particularly meaningful moment: Lenin Raghuvanshi participating in the presentation of Min Ko Naing’s Gwangju Prize.

For PVCHR, this was more than an award ceremony. It was a moment of international human-rights solidarity—bringing together two activists whose journeys had been shaped by struggles for dignity, democracy and human rights in India and Myanmar.

Min Ko Naing’s presence in Gwangju also carried a deeper historical meaning. The May 18 spirit of Gwangju had become a symbol of solidarity with democratic movements beyond Korea. His return to Gwangju after years of imprisonment created a powerful connection between the 1988 democracy movement in Myanmar and the democratic legacy of Gwangju.

The photographs remind us that human-rights movements are connected across borders. Solidarity can survive imprisonment, distance and time.

A Moment of Solidarity

In 2013, the stage in Gwangju brought together activists, human-rights defenders and representatives of civil society to honour a long struggle for freedom.

Min Ko Naing receiving the Gwangju Prize in person — Gwangju, South Korea, May 2013.

Photographs from the PVCHR archive.

Related:

• Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
• Min Ko Naing — 2009 Gwangju Prize laureate
• Lenin Raghuvanshi — 2007 Gwangju Prize laureate

#Gwangju #MinKoNaing #GwangjuPrize #HumanRights #HumanRightsDefenders #Democracy #Myanmar #SouthKorea #PVCHR #LeninRaghuvanshi #HumanRightsCities #May18 #Solidarity #HumanRightsMovement #Freedom #Justice

 A Pen, a Meeting and a Memory from the Global March Against Child Labour — Paris, 1998

In 1998, during the Global March Against Child Labour, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Jacques Chirac, President of France, in Paris. I presented my thoughts and an appeal concerning child labour and the exploitation of children in the football industry, particularly in the context of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

As a young activist from India participating in the Global March, I carried with me the voices and concerns of children whose childhoods were being taken away by exploitation. The meeting with President Chirac remains one of the memorable moments of that journey.

Among the objects I have preserved from that period is a Waterman rollerball pen, kept in its presentation case. The photographs show the Waterman branding, black-and-gold finish and the original case.

For me, however, the significance of this pen goes far beyond its value as a writing instrument. It is connected with a historic period of international mobilisation against child labour and with my own participation in the Global March Against Child Labour.

The pen has therefore become a small but powerful part of my personal archive. Alongside the photographs, documents and memories of the 1998 Global March, it connects a physical object with a larger struggle for children’s rights, education, dignity and freedom from exploitation.

A pen writes words; history preserves the meaning behind them.

Today, I look at this Waterman rollerball not simply as a valuable or beautiful pen, but as a reminder of a movement in which people across countries came together with one demand: children belong in schools and in safe, dignified childhoods—not in conditions of exploitation.

Paris, 1998 — Global March Against Child Labour.

The pen, photographs and related documents remain preserved as part of my personal archive of the Global March and the struggle against child labour.

Related:My Journey with the Global March Against Child Labour | by Lenin Raghuvanshi | Medium

#GlobalMarchAgainstChildLabour #ChildLabour #ChildrensRights #EndChildLabour #HumanRights #ChildRights #GlobalMarch #1998 #Paris #JacquesChirac #Waterman #WatermanPen #RollerballPen #ChildProtection #EducationForAll #Dignity #HumanRightsActivist #LeninRaghuvanshi #PVCHR #SocialJustice