From Nagasaki To Gaza: Patna Event Highlights Children’s Suffering In War

Patna: Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) national secretary Dr Shakeel said that despite the world pledging to prevent the killing and suffering of the innocent children after an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, people including a large number of children were still facing horrific hunger and devastation in Gaza.

Marking Nagasaki Day on Sunday, several organisations came together in Patna to raise their voice against ongoing wars across the world and called for an immediate end to violence.

An event on the theme “Children Under the Shadow of Bombs” was organised at the IMA Hall on the initiative of IDPD and several other organisations.

The programme began with anti-war songs performed by IPTA artists, including Makhdoom Mohiuddin’s “Jaane Wale Sipahi Se Poochho” and Sahir Ludhianvi’s poem “Jang To Khud Hi Ek Masla Hai”.

Speaking on the occasion, IDPD national secretary Dr Shakil said an atomic bomb had destroyed Nagasaki 81 years ago, killing and injuring children and separating many of them from their parents.

“At that time, the world said: never again. Yet wars continue. Today, people in Gaza are facing horrific hunger and devastation,” he said.

Citing the 2026 IPC report, Dr Shakeel said more than 1.2 million people in Gaza are still facing food insecurity and that the figure could rise to over 1.4 million in the coming months.

Eminent physician Dr Satyajit Ray said everyone needed to come forward against war. Citing UNICEF figures, he said 98 per cent of school buildings in Gaza had been damaged, while more than 93 per cent required major rehabilitation or complete reconstruction.

Nearly 700,000 children, he said, have been unable to attend school for around three years.

“An entire generation has been kept away from books, teachers and classrooms,” he said.

Theatre personality Tanvir Akhtar said children bore the worst consequences of war, both mentally and physically. Citing a UN commission, he said 151 children had reportedly died of malnutrition by October 2025.

At least 11 children also died of hypothermia during the winter of 2025-26, he said.

Bihar Mahila Samaj president Nivedita Jha said thousands of children have been buried in Gaza, schools destroyed and homes reduced to rubble.

“The devastation caused by war never comes alone. It is therefore essential to raise our voice against it,” she said.

Ravindra Nath Rai of ISCUF said the possibility of famine has increased because of the war. Around 132,000 children under the age of five were at risk of acute malnutrition, including 41,000 facing severe malnutrition, he said.

Senior CPI leader Ram Babu said war represented the most brutal form of human civilisation.

“There are political and economic reasons behind wars, particularly when one country seeks to forcibly occupy another,” he said.