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Campaign For Peace - A visit to India by girls from Pakistan |
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Padyatra For Peace And Harmony Volunteers of Asha in India are participating in a peace march - padyatra
in these troubled times of communal violence. The goal of the march is to promote
communal harmony and draw attention to problems faced by people due to the
existing tensions. The padyatra will take place between 27 May to 21 June,
2002, from Chitrakoot to Ayodhya in UP.
The Padyatra will take-off from Chitrakoot. It has been decided to keep
the focus of the inauguration programme on 'Gender and Communalism'. Various
women's groups and cultural groups are likely to participate. A big public
programme will be organized on 26th May, 2002, afternoon and the padyatra
will begin the next day morning after a small public meeting. The yatra will
reach Allahabad on 3rd June where a public meeting will be held at
Sadhana Sadan. On 8-9 June, 2002 a Manav-Dharam Sammelan will be organized in
Raja Talab, 15 km before reaching Varanasi. Kishan Patnaik, Kudip Nayyar,
Nirmala Deshpande, Siddharaj Dhadda, Admiral L. Ramdas and Thakur Das Bang
have confirmed toparticipate. The yatra will reach Varanasi the next day
where the Gandhian Studies Centre of the Kashi Vidyapeeth will host the main
meeting. On 13th June the yatra will be in Jaunpur where Swami
Agnivesh will address a public meeting and finally the yatra will reach Ayodhay
on 21st June, 2002. Medha Patkar will be there to address the final meeting.
Anand Patwardhan will also join the yatra towards its end. We are also
inviting some politicians and religious persons to address meetings during
the padyatra. A combined meeting of various organizations like NAPM, CNDP,
Sarva Sewa Sangha is also be being planned on 22nd and 23rd June to discuss
the future of movement against communalization of our society. Please make plans
to join the yatra wherever and for whatever period you comfortably can.
Cultural groups are specially invited. We'll be carrying some literature with
us for distribution and sale. If any organization would like us to carry
their literature (preferably in Hindi) we'll be happy to do so. Manav-Dharma Samelan 8-9 June, 2002, Raja Talab, Varanasi We are going through
very troubled times. Some fundamentalist forces are trying to poison our
minds. The outcome is one of the worst communal carnages we have witnessed.
We can only hang our heads in shame in response to what has been happening in
Gujarat. We cannot recall any other occasion in our recent memory when a
society has mortgaged its collective wisdom to a hate based violent ideology.
Some people forcibly want to construct a temple in Ayodhya. A temple is meant
for worshipping. Normally construction of a temple and worshipping are considered
very pious activities. Whether a
temple will get constructed in Ayodhya on the disputed land or not the
movement has plunged us into a communal fire. The manner in which communal violence
was executed in Gujarat it has also raised doubts as to whether the entire
temple movement was meant for this purpose. Can it be called a religious
movement at all? When an action of ours becomes a cause of fear, terror and
violence for others it cannot be called a humane action. The common
God-believing people, be they of any religion, want to live with peace and
harmony. Nobody would like to offend another person in the process of
worshipping their God. The Ayodhya temple movement is causing harm to the
social fabric of this country and is distorting the culture of co-existence
of Indian society. If innocent people are being killed due to the temple
movement then it is not at all a religious programme. It is naked politics
for power. The common people of this country do not approve of this abuse of
religion for political purpose. We are opposed to all kinds of fundamentalist
thinking be it related to any religion. With a view to take
the debate of what is religion and what is not religion to the common people
we are planning about a month long padyatra. We believe that we can be misled
for a short while but ultimately we reject violence and aggressive behaviour.
We are peace loving people and normally practice the larger tolerance value
of religion. Most of the people in their daily life believe in a human centered
religion. Irrespective of their beliefs we try to find our God in fellow
human beings. We experience true happiness only in the service of fellow
human beings. The one who gets trapped in parochial thinking can never be
happy. The categorization of human beings on the lines of nations, religions,
castes or gender will always result in violence and agony because these are
man made categories, not natural. The traditional religions which have a
narrow perspective have failed to give proper respect to women. They have
ignored the existence of women. How can we even conceive of a happy and
prosperous society while insulting half the population on earth. What to talk
of equality the traditional religions have exploited the women. Even during
the time of communal violence women are made the soft targets. There is no
place for such religions in a civilized society. We may say that we
are governed by God but we never give up in our efforts. Normally we reap as
we harvest. And we act according to ourunderstanding. We always try to
improve our understanding based on our experiences. In fact, the only
difference, if at all any that exists, among human beings is their
understanding. Hence we are the observer, doer and it is we who experience. On the way of
padyatra a Manav-Dharma Sammelan will be organized on 8th and 9th June in
Raja Talab, 15 km before reaching Varanasi. Well known social activists, who
are actually serving the vast humanity and religious leaders who can
interpret religion keeping in view the interest of all human beings living on
earth will be invited. We will have to reject the attempts by some
organizations to hijack religion and give it a fundamentalist tinge otherwise
our society is headed towards disintegration. Contact: AALI office, 407 Dr. Baijnath Road, near Post Office, New Hyderabad Colony, Lucknow, Phone: 782060, 782066, 347365, 342435, Mobile: 9839018491, 9839073355, e-mail: ashain@sancharnet.in, aali@sancharnet.in Padyatra schedule 27 MAY TO 21 JUNE, 2002, CHITRAKOOT TO AYODHYA Date Place Contact Person May 27
Chitrakoot Madhvi Kukreja, Vanangana, Dwarikapuri Colony, Karwi,
Chitrakoot, Ph: (05198) 36985, 35036 June 1
Shankargarh Rampal Verma, Sankalp, Khan Mazdoor
Union, Shankargarh June 3 Allahabad Ram Dheeraj, Azadi Bachao Andolan, Gandhi Bhawan, ChaithamLines, Allahabad, Ph: (0532)
641872, 466838 June 6
Gopiganj
Pranavanand Muni (Dr. S.C. Verma), Deen Dukhi Sewa Ashram,Sadar Mohalla,
Gopiganj, Ph:
(05414) 30256 June 8,9 Raja
Talab Nandlal Master,
Lok Samiti, Mehdiganj, Raja Talab, Varanasi, Ph: (0542)632433 June 10
Varanasi Ajit Singh, Guria,S-8/395
Khajuri Colony, Varanasi,
Ph: (0542)342253; Ram
Chandra Rahi, Sarva Sewa Sangha, Rajghat, Varansai, Ph: (0542) 430957 June 13
Jaunpur Daulat Ram, Bhartiya Jan Sewa
Sanstha, Badlapur, Jaunpur,
Ph: (05453) 48580 June 18 Akbarpur R.B. Pal, Jan Shikshan Kendra, Village Kutiyawan, Post Bewana, Ambedkarnagar Ph: (05271) 55031, 55037 June 19 Gosaiganj Bharat Bhushan, PANI, Village Dhirendrapuri, Post Chachikpur, Ambedkarnagar, Ph: (05271) 57340, 57240, (05278) 25175 June 21 Ayodhya Uttam Sharma, Vishwa Ekta Parishad-c/o Gopal Mandir, Ramghat, Ayodhya, Ph:(05278) 27847, (05248) 23817 |
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