'Tour around the bomb' on Hiroshima, Nagasaki anniversary

New Delhi: 70 years after atomic bombs, nicknamed 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man', nearly wiped out the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a pacifist movement will walk around the edges of India's power capital on Sunday, attempting to recreate the aftermath of a nuclear explosion, while performing a medley of music and plays, symbolising whistles of hope post destruction.

Going beyond the hackneyed route of organising seminars and talks, the movement 'Global Zero's' unique `Tour Around the Bomb', from Connaught Place to India Gate, seeks to push the boundaries of public imagination, by making them mull over the potential impact of a "small" nuclear blast in Central Delhi.

"Activists are going to take to the streets challenging citizens to consider what a nuclear catastrophe would look like in our community and advocating for a world without nuclear weapons," says Ashesha Mehrotra of Global Zero, an international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, that killed around 2 lakh people, stand biggest testimony to the destruction of nuclear weapons. As part of the group's initiative, there would be simultaneous tours in various cities across the world urging complete abolition of nukes.

The corresponding walks will take place in Kolkata and Bangalore in India, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, Orlando, New York and Asheville in the United States, Karachi, Lahore and Quetta in Pakistan, Berlin in Germany and Cyprus in Greece.

"The only way we can guarantee the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are never repeated is to eliminate all nuclear weapons -- everywhere. It's up to us to deman X from our leaders to take urgent action to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," says Mehrotra

The event will witness a street play by the theatre group 'Shabd' along with performances by city-based bands like Swarantar and Artizan. Several noted experts in this field will also deliberate on the issue.