White rose in hand, peace crusader from US aims to turn war-torn lands into farms of food security

Mumbai: Global peace initiative ‘Roots of Peace' founder Heidi Kuhn perhaps could not have celebrated her 68th birthday in a better way and at a more appropriate venue.Collaborating with the city-based Harmony Foundation and St Andrew's College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Bandra, Heidi planted white rose bushes in the campus, cut her birthday cake and spoke to enthusiastic students about why guns need to be turned into shovels and landmines need to be replaced by vines.Flying into the city this week from California to attend the Ordination of Bishop Stephen Fernandes in the city, Heidi took time off on Wednesday to plant white rose bushes, first at St Paul's Institute of Communication, which was attended by minister of culture Ashish Shelar, then at St Andrew's College. The white shalwar kameez-clad Heidi Kuhn who Global Peace Foundation is a movement that aims to turn war-torn land into "productive farms for peace and food security" speaks with passion.For someone whose efforts have helped remove landmines, restore livelihoods and cultivate peace, she is grounded and knows the value in respect for local culture. So, if she is in Afghanistan, she doesn't grudge wrapping herself in a hijab. "My work depends on trust. We create bonds that last long," she said.That bond has helped her envision to turn "swords into plough-shares" by helping communities reclaim their war-torn land. "I have returned to this college after 12 years. I am glad to see cheerful faces of young students. And today we are planting white roses which symbolise peace. The plant shows human resilience, with its flower soothing our senses," said Heidi. "I may return again when the roses are blooming," she laughed.A cancer survivor, she said she decided to start a campaign against the "cancer of landmines" and get the conflict-ridden places across the world, from Afghanistan to Guatemala, de-mined. "De-mining must go beyond the soil. We have to de-mine our thoughts, our minds, and our souls. India has been shaped by some great peace leaders," said the former journalist whose crusade against the devastating landmines through agriculture and nourishment of the soil with plants and trees has won her prestigious awards, including World Food Prize Laureate (2023)and Harmony Foundation's Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice (2023). Her work, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, she said, has got affected as funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have "been cut", though help from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) continues."For both the Harmony Foundation and Heidi Kuhn, this white rose campaign holds profound significance. Through her philosophy of ‘Peace Through Agriculture', Heidi Kuhn has dedicated her life to transforming conflict-ridden lands into thriving agricultural spaces. Her work empowers communities to reclaim their soil, rebuild livelihoods, and heal societal wounds —truly turning swords into ploughshares," said Harmony Foundation's founder-chairman Abraham Mathai.