Mangalore: Speakers at Souharda Sambhrama stress on communal harmony

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)

Mangalore, Jun 16: "In India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari we have many religions, castes and sects with diversity in cultures. Where there is diversity, there is conflict, and this we know by history. To create and foster a peaceful and harmonious society, we should love everyone. Where there is tyranny there is no scope for democracy," said Dr Mohan Alva, chairman of Alva's Education Trust.

He was addressing 'Souharda Sambhrama 2013', a discourse on the importance of communal harmony, wherein three speakers from different religions presented their thoughts and views and called for the establishment of a peaceful society. The programme was organized by Milagres Church parish council.

Dr Alva further said, "It is not only education and behaviour that are important - one should also have a pure heart. This is what is taught at Alva's education institution, where students come from different places and backgrounds. Many students come to our institution because of our secular and harmonious ideology.

"India is not a country that belongs to any one caste or religion, it belongs to 3,000 castes and a 100 religions that dwell here. In northern India, there are great Muslim achievers in the field of classical music, but in the south, some Muslims think that it is a sin. But actually, it is a contribution to culture," he said.

"Presently there are some institutions that support or favour any one religion or caste. This should not happen. There are many castes but there should be only one dharma, and that is the dharma of humanity. There are also many backward castes, we should strive to bring them to the mainstream through education," Dr Alva said.

Dr A M Khan of PG deparment of electronics, Mangalore University in his address said, "We are striving to create a peaceful and harmonious society as well as a community. Harmony starts from self - there should be harmony and oneness in what we think, speak and see."

He cited education, experiment, safety, prosperity, health and responsibility as the six pillars of harmony.

"Today we seen people obtaining high degrees and PhDs, who get employed in companies and earn their living. They are only literate. Real education teaches us to differentiate between the good and the bad, the true from the false. Those who can do that are educated. Social harmony is the bedrock of democracy. We achieve communal harmony by togetherness. It is necessary to create a community which is not based on religion but which has the same thoughts and same ideas," he added.

"To sustain harmony we need to believe in four points - follow natural laws, diversity is the beauty of nature,equality is unnatural and there is strength in unity," Dr Khan said.

"People may have different cultures, religions and castes, but their basic requirement is the same - food, shelter and clothing. With the help of the media we can develop a good society. There should be liberty to think, which can empower an individual," he added.

Walter D'Souza, entrepreneur, said that people should build a bridge of love between them. "Many historians have written about Mangalore and the coastal region. They have lauded this place for its peaceful atmosphere.
Social harmony is where a human is treated as human. It is necessary to join hearts," he said.

"Hinduism is a tolerant religion as it allowed many religions to live here. Every person should be treated with respect. All religions should get together and celebrate one single festival," he opined.

Prof P L Dharma of PG department of political science, Mangalore University who moderated the discussion summed up the talks by the three speakers and said, "In our city there are world famous educational institutions, hospitals and religious centres, but sadly, human value is declining. It is our social and moral responsibility to preserve our systems for the future generation."

He added, "Basically, all the three speakers stressed on preserving communal harmony. This should be done for our betterment, for a peaceful future and to uphold the culture of this land. These days faiths are being demonstrated only on streets but not actually felt within us. Individuals are engaged in undeclared wars to protect their religions."

Parish priest of Milagres Church Fr Valerian D'Souza was present. Convener of the programme John B Monteiro  welcomed the gathering.