Gandhi Peace Mission Appeals to Desist from Denigration of Gandhi and to Promote Dialogue and Reconciliation

Gandhi Peace Mission Appeals to  desist from Denigration of  Gandhi and to Promote Dialogue and Reconciliation

The participants of a two-day International Peace Summit and a three-day youth rediscovering Gandhi campaign  organized by the Gandhi Peace Mission, in association with several Gandhian and Civil Society organizations, to mark the 100th Year of Gandhiji's return to India from South Africa and the 70th Year of Noakhali Peace Mission adopted a resolution appealing those persons and groups who in recent times Denigrate Gandhi.
    The Peace Summit held on 2nd and 3rd February 2015 at the historic Beleghata Gandhi Bhavan, Kolkata (where Gandhi had fasted for peace and harmony on 15 August 1947) on the theme “From Conflicts and Violence to Dialogue, Reconciliation, Development and Peace”, was attended by over 150 delegates from India, Bangladesh, Canada, Germany and Belgium.
    The Peace Summit was preceded by a 3-day Youth programme which commenced on 30th January. The youth programme consisted of Interactions, seminars and visits to the ancestral homes of national leaders like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda and Gurudev Tagore to draw renewed inspiration from their teachings.
At the end of the Peace Summit, the participants resolved the following:-
1.    In the context of growing violent conflicts in the society, a culture of dialogue and reconciliation has to be promoted along Gandhian lines of non-violence for furthering peace and harmony.
2.  Efforts must be made to promote right understanding of religions and Gandhi's “Sarva-Dharma Samabhava” i.e. Equal Respect for all Religions, by stressing the common core values of all religions and respecting  the same.
3. Inter-faith approaches drawing the moral, ethical and spiritual values should be promoted for communal harmony and sustainable peace.
4.     Steps to introduce compulsory education for peace from childhood onwards incorporating the ethos and universal human values of Love, Compassion, Mutual Respect, must be taken.
5.     Adequate and effective steps must be taken to prevent violence against underprivileged, women and children.
6.     Structures such as Shanti-Sena, Departments of Peace (DoP) in National Governments, for promoting Social Harmony and coherence must be set-up.
7.     The process of sustainable development and the Programmes and Schemes must include Gandhian Values.
8.     Denigration of national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and distortion of history and the historic role played by national  leaders, must not be allowed.
9.     The great civilizational heritage of India must be stressed in the syllabi of educational institutions.
    The delegates also took the Pledge to promote the spirit of dialogue, reconciliation and forgiveness, in their individual capacity to bring peace and development in the family, society and the world.
    The Peace Summit appreciated the initiative undertaken by the Gandhi Peace Mission  to involve the various segments of people to combat the problem of violence, killing, hatred, intolerance, injustice in various forms. The concluding session was presided over by Prof Sankar Kumar Sanyal, Chairman All India Harijan Sevak Sangh.

    Dr.N.Radhakrishnan, General Convener of the Gandhi Peace Mission announced a five-point  follow-up work of the Peace Summit :

 (i)    The 'Youth Re-discovering Gandhi Campaigns'; 
  ii)   'Gandhi Goodwill Missions to SAARC Countries' to promote good neighborly  
          relationships; 
(iii)  the 'Observer Teams' to areas of conflict and violence in various parts of India;
(iv)   the 'Shanti Sena Training Programmes' in educational Institutions;
( v)   'Enrolling of 1 Million Indian Non-violent homes' as part of taking nonviolence to 
          children and others.

    Dr. Kunwar Sekhar Vijendra (Chancellor, Shobhit University), Justice Sengupta (Former Chief Justice), Dr.S.N.Subba Rao, P.V.Rajagopal , Prof Dilip Sinha (former VC Viswa Bharti University), Dr. Akash K Ouchi (Bharat Soka Gakkai), Sh. Syed Abul Maksud (Bangladesh), Sh. Bill Bhaneja (Canada), Sh. K.C. Sashidhar (former CGM, NABARD), Sh. Raha Naba Kumar (Gandhi Ashram Trust Noakhali, Bangladesh), Sh. N.Vasudevan (Indian Council of Gandhian Studies, New Delhi), Prof. M.L. Sharma (Punjab University), Prof William Baskaran (Gandhigram University, Madurai), Sh. Vishesh Gupta (Bharat Soka Gakkai), Dr. Sudarshan (Scientist, UGC), Sh. Indranath Chaudhari (Bharat Soka Gakkai), Prof Supriyo Munshi (Gandhi Sangrahalaya), Dr. R Mani (Gandhigram University, Dr. T. Ravichandran (Gandhi Museum, Madurai), Dr. Ramesh Kumar (Delhi University), Dr. Anitha (DB College, Kochi) were among the prominent resource persons, speakers and panelists at the various sessions of the Summit.
    The cultural wing of the Bharat Soka Gakkai (Kolkata) presented Bengali folk dances and songs, while the prayer group of the Beleghata Gandhi Bhavan presented Rabindra sangeet and Gandhi prayer.