For the last eight years, the festival has been a melange of the arts served with a liberal dose of fun. The inaugural ceremony sets the tone of things to come — with the chief guest flying a paper airplane to declare the festival open. The global village fair on the second day will have stalls from countries like Zambia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Iran, Lithuania and Poland.

Performances include a dance-theatre social commentary by the Brazilian group Teatro Xirê and the German Leipziger Tanztheater. Poland will present a folk dance while the Romanian contingent plans a comic opera. Pakistani rock band Akash will join Ryan International’s teenage band called Rock for Peace sing notes of harmony.

The objective of the festival has been to break stereotypes about nations by allowing children to bond in a festive milieu. “The language, culture and music differ but all human beings emote the same way,” says Grace Pinto, managing director of the Ryan Group. Not all music will be for the stage, each team is bringing a CD of a hit song that is scorching the disco floors back home. “A DJ will mix all the foot-tapping numbers from discos in various countries to create a dance number,” says Marwah.

For once, the sound of peace will be loud and clear.

The festival will be on from November 27 to 30. Contact: www.ryanicfpa.com