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Gong Li giving me one of those looks, outdoes the sultry Nadira with her long cigarette holder, swaying and singing 'Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekh'' This is come hither at its best. Sometimes, I park Gong Li on the dining table while I work / slave away. This evening I had an interesting visitor from Vienna - Dr.Edit Schlaffer, Executive Director of Women Without Borders. She is a determined lady on a special mission. Edit has started SAVE ( Sisters Against Violent Extremism), because she firmly believes the only way to tackle terrorism is by working with mothers and sisters of troubled young people. Youngsters who could be inducted into terrorist organisations ( like in the case of the Boston Marathon Bombers) by agents looking for vulnerable recruits. She believes it is through sensitising mothers of youth in troubled areas, that a change of heart will take place. She exhorts mothers to watch out for certain signs ( brooding, alienation, suspicious activities) and then act on them ( talking more to their children, drawing them out, getting them to reveal their inclinations, persuading them to turn their backs on violence) that transformation will eventually come about. Her husband is a psycho analyst. And they have two wonderful children. Edit is constantly on the move around the world, taking her message to places as far flung as Palestine and Pakistan. She has just returned from a trip to Kashmir, where she spoke to several mothers who have lost their husbands and sons to Jihadis. She's in Mumbai to plan a series of workshops and meetings around the 5th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks. Our brain-storming session went very well indeed. When Edit left, I wondered what has made this affluent, successful, happy Austrian lady invest so much time, effort and money on such a difficult but worthwhile mission. I have supported Women Without Borders for a while now. And happy to do so in future. If you'd like to know more about this initiative, log on to www.women-without-borders.org.
