The Afghan students in South Asian University celebrated the New Year with gaiety and wished for peace and prosperity in their country.

As per the Persian calendar, Nowruz marks the onset of spring season and New Year that is celebrated on March 21 every year. This festival is celebrated in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistanand Kurdish region of Turkey.

The Afghan students feel that Nowruz is not restricted to one culture and brings people from different groups closer to each other.

“Nowruz is a day we should rethink our life, we should think about our past what we have done and how we can be more constructive not only in our personal life but also in terms of our society,” said Omar Sadr, a PhD student pursuing International Relations.

“Most of the South Asian communities suffer a lot from poverty, war, terrorism, conflict. Nowruz has a message for us. The message of Nowruz will be peace, prosperity and happiness….. So, we should take this message from Nowruz,” he added.

This New Year is significant for Afghanistan as the country has been longing for peace and stability.

Mir Waez, a student pursuing Post Graduation in Economics, echoing similar sentiments said the New Year brings joy with hopes of a prosperous and better future.

Abdullaha Ataee, another student enrolled with the South Asian University, said it is an opportunity to introduce the Afghan culture not only in India but across the South Asian region.

The above article appeared in The Business Standard. The original link is HERE.