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Some key organizations in the U.S. are working as important tools of cultural exchange with South Asia and are bringing the people of these distant regions together.
Cultural exchange programs have been a focal point in the relationship between U.S. and South Asia over the past decade. In fact this period can be defined as one in which invisible bridges are forged between nations; bridges that are used for the exchange of culture, art, music, literature and ideas. We may be living in an age in which the development of and specialization within the field of arms and military weapons has reached its peak, (which ironically is a matter of pride for countries rather than a source of shame and concern over the state of the world that we shall be leaving to the future generations) yet there is an alternative reality coexisting alongside this which may not come out strongly in your standard newspaper headlines or news shows yet continues to define humanity all the same. These cultural linkages, although sadly not the product of an overarching international awareness of the responsibility of humanity towards past and future generations to preserve the cultural heritage, reflect the conscience of particular individuals and organizations that can clearly envision this alternate reality for humanity and are willing to invest time and resources to ensure its survival.
The evolving relationship between South Asia and U.S. is a chapter in this untold story and though you may find at the margins of impressive foreign policy documents a reference to culture here and art there, yet such peripheral documentation barely scratches the surface let alone penetrates the depth of the effort and money that is being invested into the creation and preservation of cultural linkages between the two aforementioned regions. Over the past decade a number of programs have been launched through collaboration between organizations within the U.S. and indigenous organizations in South Asia that facilitate cultural exchange between the two and provide opportunities for each to get to know where the other is coming from by providing both the opportunity to observe and study the art, literature, music and history of the other.
The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) is one such organization that has been involved in the preservation and restoration of the architectural heritage of a number of countries in the South Asian region. It awarded a $900,000 grant for the preservation of the Patan Palace in Nepal, a project that involved collaboration between AFCP, the local Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust as well as international cultural organizations and foreign governments such as the World Monuments Fund, the Prince of Wales Charities, and the government of Germany. The involvement of a number of organizations in this shared project has ensured its success where previous local efforts at restoration had failed and at times resulted in the opposite effect. In addition U.S. has provided the Nepalese government with a total of $355,500 for the restoration of other projects including three Buddhist monuments, the Machali Pati (a rest house for Hindu pilgrims) and the Nag Bahal Hit (a very old water supply system). In Pakistan, the AFCP contributed a total of $50,000 for the preservation of the shrine of the Sufi saint Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari in the Punjab in Uch Sharif. In addition since 2001, AFCP has also been involved in the restoration of eleven projects in Pakistan including the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort and a Buddhist monastery in Taxila.
Private organizations have also played an instrumental role in bringing the two regions together. One such organization is "Room to Read" established in 2000 which has built children's' libraries all over the world providing more than five million children access to books. It operates in a number of countries in South Asia including Nepal and India. This organization is especially symbolic of the enduring impact of the work of cultural organizations for it has commissioned authors to write in the local languages to inculcate in the children a love of reading. This project has and would continue to have a wide-ranging impact upon the reading culture in South Asia. Other than being funded by a number of big companies such as Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse this organization also brings together about three thousand volunteers from all over the world which shows the scale of cultural exchange being facilitated by the organization.
Another organization that has been instrumental in consolidating cultural linkages between U.S. and South Asia is the Asian Arts Council established in 1980 which provides grants to individuals from U.S. to go for study and research to South Asia and also to South Asians to come to U.S for the same. It provides grants in a number of fields including architecture, archaeology, history, arts, film, literature and music. The work of this organization has particular bearing on the American-South Asian cultural exchange because its programs include a diverse number of activities including lectures specific to the field, cultural itineraries, and meetings with specialists as well as easy access to a number of cultural resources. Since providing its applicants with the opportunity to experience and study the other culture in all its glory is a part of the objectives of the organization, therefore its projects play a very significant role in bringing the individuals from the two communities together.
These organizations are headed by individuals who want to ensure that the youth of this age is given the opportunity to be a part of something greater and more meaningful than what they get to experience in their immediate social environs. It is in some ways a humbling experience as it provides individuals the opportunity to interact first hand with an alternate culture and question the validity of their own beliefs and assumptions. In a world in which an increasing scale of violence divides countries and individuals these organizations bring people together by teaching tolerance and acceptance. In addition to forging deeper and lasting relationships, they link countries in ways which although may not be clearly visible yet are also not easily destructible. 
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