Working for communal harmony

At ‘1 India’ campaign started by NGO Yuvsatta, the things kicked off with an inter-faith harmony meet in which scholars and experts from various religions took part. The event took place recently at People’s Convention Centre in Sector 36 which also saw more than 100 students from various colleges and schools of Chandigarh participating. Prominent speakers taking part in the included Father Lawrence Benedict of Christ the King Cathedral, Sector 19, Moulana Mohd.Ajmal Khan, Imam of Jama Masjid, Sector 20A, Prof Kulwant Singh, president of Institute of Sikh Studies, and Prof Shyam Sunder of Shri Hanuman Teerath, Sector 25, Panchkula. Several ideas and views were exchanged on the occasion, and Prof Shyam Sunder shared that Indian civilization is based on co-existence of faiths- Sarva Dharma Sambhava, which means equal respect for all dharmas.
Moulana Mohd. Ajmal Khan said that Islam teaches peace and love for mankind. And to combat all forms of expression which incite hatred, society as a whole should take action against dissemination of such material in the mass media. Father Lawrence emphasized that first we should promote unity in families first, which will lead us to a united country. And we also should believe in our young people. If we need a strong India, we have to first make our youth strong by inculcating values of right speech, thinking and action. Later, the discussion was extended to the students who shared their thoughts about the issue. They also asked questions to the panelists to remove their doubts.