This letter, dated 4 May 2012, from the Bundespräsidialamt (Office of the Federal President of Germany), Berlin, is one such treasured document in my journey as a human rights defender.
It was addressed to me, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, at the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), Varanasi, following a letter I had written to the Federal President of Germany.
Acknowledging the struggle for freedom, equality and human rights
The letter begins by thanking me for my communication to the Federal President.
What particularly stayed with me was the recognition of our efforts for freedom, equality and human rights.
The letter states that these ideals can only be achieved through constant efforts, whether in India or elsewhere in the world.
For a human rights activist working closely with marginalized communities in Varanasi and eastern Uttar Pradesh, such words carried significance.
Human rights work is rarely a single event or campaign. It is a continuous process—listening to people, documenting violations, accompanying survivors, challenging injustice and creating spaces where marginalized communities can speak for themselves.
Recognition that these efforts require persistence is therefore meaningful.
From Varanasi to Berlin
The letter also referred to the existing cooperation between PVCHR, the German-Indian Society and other German partners.
This was an important dimension of our work.
Over the years, PVCHR's engagement with international partners has helped create bridges between grassroots struggles in India and people and institutions in other parts of the world.
Our work has always been rooted in local realities.
In Varanasi, we work with communities affected by caste discrimination, poverty, violence and exclusion. Yet the principles behind this work—dignity, equality, participation and justice—are universal.
A conversation that begins in a village in Uttar Pradesh can therefore become part of a much wider international dialogue on human rights.
Young people as bridges between societies
One particularly interesting part of the letter was its reference to direct contacts between students in Germany and India.
The German Federal President's Office observed that such contacts could deepen mutual understanding and strengthen a sense of common responsibility for a better future.
This idea remains relevant today.
Young people should not encounter other countries only through textbooks, news reports or political narratives. They should have opportunities to meet, listen to one another, exchange experiences and understand each other's societies.
People-to-people relationships can sometimes achieve what formal diplomacy cannot.
A student from Germany meeting young people in Varanasi may discover realities that cannot be captured in statistics. Likewise, an Indian student engaging with German society can gain a more nuanced understanding of Europe's history, democracy and contemporary challenges.
Such encounters create empathy.
And empathy is an important foundation for peace.
The importance of international solidarity
For grassroots human rights movements, international solidarity has a special meaning.
It does not mean that solutions must come from outside.
Rather, solidarity means recognizing that people everywhere share fundamental rights and that struggles for dignity are interconnected.
Our work in Varanasi has always sought to place survivors and marginalized communities at the centre of the process.
Whether working on caste discrimination, torture, child rights, women's rights or the rights of marginalized communities, the starting point is the same:
Listen to people. Believe in their dignity. Stand with them. Help create the conditions in which they can claim their own rights.
International partnerships can strengthen this process when they are based on equality, mutual respect and shared learning.
A meaningful connection with Germany
Looking back, this 2012 letter also forms part of a much longer relationship of cultural and human rights engagement between our work in India and people in Germany and Europe.
Over the years, Germany has been connected with many aspects of my personal and professional journey—from human rights dialogue and international networks to friendships and cultural encounters.
The letter therefore feels less like an isolated piece of correspondence and more like one chapter in a continuing story.
It represents a moment when a grassroots organization in Varanasi was able to communicate directly with one of Germany's highest constitutional institutions.
That itself was meaningful.
Human rights require persistence
More than a decade later, the central message of the letter remains powerful.
Freedom, equality and human rights do not sustain themselves automatically.
They require constant effort.
They require institutions that are accountable, citizens who participate, communities that organize and human rights defenders who are willing to speak when others remain silent.
They also require international cooperation.
The challenges facing humanity today—discrimination, violence, inequality, exclusion, climate change and democratic backsliding—do not stop at national borders.
Our response cannot stop there either.
A document of gratitude and responsibility
I preserve this letter not simply as an acknowledgement of our work, but as a reminder of responsibility.
Recognition can be encouraging, but it also asks us to continue.
The most important question is never whether our work has been recognized.
The more important question is:
Have we been able to make someone's life more dignified?
Have we helped a survivor find her or his voice?
Have we enabled a child to access education?
Have we challenged discrimination?
Have we helped communities become more confident in claiming their rights?
These are the measures that ultimately matter.
The letter from Berlin reminds me of something I have learned repeatedly through decades of grassroots work:
Human rights begin locally, but their values are universal.
A small office in Varanasi can be connected to Berlin.
A conversation between students can cross continents.
A survivor's testimony can reach an international audience.
And a commitment to human dignity can create friendships and solidarity across borders.
From a letter in 2012 to the journey ahead
Today, when I look at this document, I see both history and continuity.
The world has changed considerably since 2012. Yet the fundamental aspirations for freedom, equality, dignity and human rights remain as important as ever.
The task before us is to continue building bridges—between India and Germany, between communities and institutions, between generations and between people whose experiences may appear different but whose hopes for a better world are deeply connected.
I remain grateful for this acknowledgement from the German Federal President's Office and, above all, for the many people and partners who have walked with us in the journey for human dignity.
The struggle for human rights is a long journey. Recognition may encourage us, but solidarity gives us strength—and persistence keeps the journey alive.
A historical note
The letter was issued from the Bundespräsidialamt, Berlin, on 4 May 2012 and was signed by Georg Schmidt, Head, Division for Africa, Asia, Australia and International Development. It refers to PVCHR's cooperation with the German-Indian Society and other German partners and highlights the potential of direct contacts between students in Germany and India.
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