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Seminar on President Ikeda's
2008 Peace Proposal |
Harmonising Religion, Creating Peace
Seminar on Dr Daisaku Ikeda’s Peace Proposal organised in New Delhi
On August 25, 2008 Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) organised a seminar: "Harmonising Religion, Creating Peace” based on Dr Daisaku Ikeda's 2008 Peace Proposal submitted to the United Nations.
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The seminar was a big success with an overwhelming response and
participation of over 400 members and guests. There was a general
consensus about one particular aspect - a change inside would
produce a change outside. Various eminent speakers articulated
this aspect, sighting examples from their own line of work,
personal and professional experience. |
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Delivering the welcome address, Joint Secretary, IGNCA Ms Aditi Mehta congratulated the BSG for organising such a relevant topic for discussion in this current political scenario. She said "I couldn't have thought of any other issue. The IGNCA and BSG share a very strong fellow feeling underlying Ikeda's values of humanism."
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Chairing the symposium, Former Attorney General for India, Mr Soli J. Sorabjee pointed out that even 60 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, India is far short of its goal and that violence and conflict find root in the glaring social and economic disparities between the haves and the have-nots. ‘In India people are beginning to loose faith in the courts, there is a need for each human to be a peaceful judge of himself to make the country peaceful and positive’, said Sorabjee stressing the need for increased tolerance and spiritual self discipline. |
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Delivering the keynote address, Dr
V.N. Rajshekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, opined "I sincerely believe that the threat to peace all over the world has been caused by deprivation of one kind or the other." As an educationist, he spoke about how "value-based education can be the key to peace," Prof Pillai spoke of the need to prioritise literacy and education, and presented statistics that reflected the abysmal performance of India in both these spheres. He also spoke extensively on the need for value based and contextual education and how important it is “to review the content of education in relation to our understanding of the context of society”. Dr Pillai also shared the startling statistics related to universal education, access to primary education and the gap in university education that points to the need for greater outlays and reform in the sector. Dr Pillai stressed the need for contextual education so that students can actually apply the information and knowledge to their daily lives. |
Social activist and famous policewoman, Dr Kiran Bedi illustrated the behavioural change brought about by spirituality as experienced in police training and by the inmates of Tihar Jail based on the Vipassana system. Dr Bedi was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1994 for her prison reform policies implemented in Tihar Jail, one of the largest prison complexes in the world with around 10,000 inmates. Dr Bedi stressed on the need for "powering yourself to empower others." She declared, "Religion comes into play only after one is born. Everybody feels that my God is great. And peace will come. It needs to be believed. We also yearn for peace but do we yearn for it collectively?"
She emphasised Dr Ikeda’s thought that ‘it is necessary that the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty and poor living conditions is broken in the developing nations through policies that are more people-friendly and humanistic. The Vipasanna sessions in Tihar Jail are still conducted regularly though it has been over 15 years since it was initiated. Dr Bedi shared the moving anecdote of the Norwegian under trial in Tihar who confessed to his crime and accepted the judgement handed out by the court. Thanks to the coverage by media he was able to get a pardon from the President and now supports other inmates by sending clothes and other aids regularly to Tihar Jail. |
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In the closing address, Dr KK Chakravarty, Member-Secretary IGNCA co-related the work that is being done by the BSG and
IGNCA. Dr KK Chakravarty, emphasised on the importance of dialogue and contextual relevance of organisations that are working towards peace and culture He talked about how IGNCA had initiated "self-policing" and was able to re-orient itself in the process. Voicing the need for tremendous inner change, he said, “To heal the planet, we need to heal ourselves. Re-invention of knowledge is an imperative.” |
Delivering the vote of thanks, Ms Naveena Reddi, Director General, Bharat Soka Gakkai, reiterated the message of the seminar: that we all need to take up the challenge of the humanization of religion. The determination to respect all people that forms the bedrock of humanism brings us to see that differences of ideology, culture and ethnicity should be treated as flexible, fluid concepts that need to be constantly renegotiated so as to best serve human needs. People and not abstract principles are the protagonists of destiny.
She concluded with the unforgettable words of two champions:
Kim Ku, the champion of Korean independence who wanted his country to become the most beautiful country, not the richest or strongest said: What humankind today lacks is neither force of arms nor economic strength…We have already achieved a great deal in the natural sciences, making it fully possible for all people to live happily. The fundamental reason that humankind is miserable at present is the lack of humanity and justice, the lack of a spirit of compassion, the lack of love. If such a spirit could be developed, it would be possible, with the material resources existing at present, for all people on the planet to lead fulfilled lives.
Jose Marti, the champion of Cuban independence who proclaimed: All people have something immense and majestic and commonly shared, something vaster than the sky, larger than the earth, brighter than the stars and deeper than the sea- the human spirit. 
The seminar was well covered in both the electronic and print media with Aaj Tak carrying a report on it on the night of 25th itself. Main newspapers like Pioneer, Hindu, Punjab Kesari and Rajasthan Patrika, Times of India- East Delhi plus also reported on the event.
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