The thought that was reiterated by almost all speakers of the 7th National and the first Global Peace Convention held online from January 30 to February 1, 2021 was going back to the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. His ideals of non-violence and satyagraha, equal respect for all faiths, self transformation for social transformation, a simple life in tune with nature and rejection of greed, were resonated in the speeches delivered during the convention.  

Taking into account the limitations caused by Covid 19, National Peace Convention 2021 was held online, and this provided the opportunity to convert the National Convention into a Global Convention with registration of more than 750 people from 15 states of India and 20 countries of the world. On an average 400 people participated in the various sessions and the highest participation was in the inaugural session with 540 persons. The Peace Convention, organized under the auspices of the Indore based National Peace Movement, started on 30th January on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, a champion of peace.  

As in the previous years, this year also the participants reflected on different dimensions of peace building. There were total seven sessions including inaugural and concluding sessions, four panel sessions and one session for open discussion.  

The participants consisted of professionals from various fields, Rotarians, educationists, social activists, teachers and students. 

The process of the convention consisted of talks by experts and experienced persons from different areas of social involvement, sharing by persons who have made a difference in the society, sharing ideas on peace by students and young persons and discussion with the participants for preparing action plans. During the six sessions of the convention the participants listened to 25 persons involved in various fields and have made a difference in the society. Almost all the speakers, especially the five students who spoke during the session, “Youth for Peace”, referred to Mahatma Gandhi and the need for following his ideals for building a peaceful and harmonious society. 

A variety of songs and dances related to peace and cultural diversity of India, presented by Peace Club members of different schools reinforced the noble social, ethical and spiritual ideals that were shared by many speakers, and added beauty and charm to the convention. Even though the schools were not reopened, the management of these schools took efforts to train students for different cultural items. It shows their commitment to promote peace and become partners in the Peace Movement. 

Themes for Reflection and Discussion 

Themes and topics for the reflection and discussion of the participants during the three days of the convention were the following: 

    Preserving the heritage of unity in diversity to sustain peace and harmony
    Peace and development: 1) One world one life. 2) Human relationship, the mantra for peace. 3) Invisible link between peace and sustainable development.
    Mahatma Gandhi and world peace 
    Mahatma Gandhi and the 20th Century Pandemic 
    Role of Rotary International in promoting peace 
    Empowering women for peace building 
    Role of youth in  peace building 
    Peace education for civilization of love 

 Main Insights of the Convention 

Peace is not mere absence of war, but peace comes out positive actions like efforts to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality, promotion of literacy and education and improving health care. 

Conflict resolution and conflict prevention through dialogue are essential for maintaining world peace. Individuals, communities and countries must be ready to listen and understand others perspectives. 

Bharat Mata is not merely a geographical area; Bharat Mata is its land, its flora and fauna, and above all its people. Every Indian citizen is Bharat Mata. The state should not be a profit making organization, but its primary duty is to care for the wellbeing of its people. 

While taking policies, our leaders have to listen to Mahatma Gandhi, “Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man/woman whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him/her”.

Women don’t want sympathy, but equal rights and equal treatment in view of their empowerment and their contribution to peace building. 

Peace and justice are intimately related and without justice there cannot be peace. Justice is reflected in respecting the dignity of the individuals, inclusion and fairness and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. 

There cannot be peace without protecting the environment through a process of sustainable development, and it requires following the advice of Mahatma Gandhi. ‘The earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person’. 

Each one of us has to adopt a way of life to forgive and forget and go forward in order to experience peace and become agents of peace.

For the promotion of peace and harmony, people all over the world, especially Indians, have to preserve and promote the precious heritage of unity in diversity and the attitude of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (The whole universe is a family). There shouldn’t be fear in any individual in order to preserve unity in diversity. Any effort to create fear in any individual or community is a threat to peace. 

Intolerance and hate speech are becoming a great threat to peace in different parts of the world, including India. One has to express differences in views, thoughts and ideology without resorting to violence and being sensitive to the rights of others to express their views. 

Global peace requires a borderless world by adopting an attitude of transcending the boundaries of religion, race, caste, nationality, language etc. and reaching out to the needy with empathy and compassion. 

Transform the self for transforming the society. Let us build ourselves better by following Mahatma Gandhi’s dictum “You be the change you want to see in others.”  Following the example of Mahatma Gandhi, lead a simple life in harmony with the nature in order to bring peace in oneself, the society and the nature.

Proposals for Action Plan 

Rotarians shall establish and promote Peace Chair in colleges and schools, visit educational institutions and speak to students and teachers on peace building.  Rotary clubs may take up the responsibility of training PEACE MEDIATORS in collaboration with other Civil Society Organizations, and get recognition for them from the government so that they can intervene in conflict situations, as Red Cross personnel do. 

At a personal level, become agents of peace by forgiving others unconditionally; avoid hatred towards anyone and staying away from social media posts that promote hatred.  Use social media platforms for sending messages of peace and harmony to counteract spreading hate speech. 

Organize peace conventions/seminars/workshops in schools and other educational institutions. Arrange brief speeches on peace building by students during the school assembly. Organize exposure visits for students to orphanages, old age homes, homes for the disabled in order to create in them sensitivity towards the needy and the underprivileged. 

Encourage students to plant saplings on their birthdays and gift saplings on the birthdays of their friends and take membership in eco clubs.  Start Peace Clubs in educational institutions for STUDENTS, TEACHERS and PARENTS, and organize peace rallies, peace walks, exhibiting quotes on peace in the school notice board and arrange street plays and cultural programmes on peace building under the auspices of Peace Clubs.  

As a means to promote peace within oneself, train students in the art of amicable communication, negotiation, anger management, yoga and meditation.  Start networking with other schools for promoting peace activities. 

Transform the National Peace Movement into a Global Peace Movement and organize global peace convention by combining physical and virtual modes. 

In order to promote respect for all faiths, encourage reading the scriptures of different religions, celebrate the main festivals of different religions and conduct inter-religious prayers. The core values of all religions are to be taught to all students and exposure could be organized for students to different worship centres in order to understand the uniqueness of different faiths.  

The First Global and the 7th National Peace Convention was organized by National Peace Movement in collaboration with Rotary International District 3040, Universal Solidarity Movement (USM) Indore, Rotary Club of Indore Malvika, Globethic.net, Indian Currents, Trendsetters Books Ltd. and Peace Channel. Fr. Varghese Alengaden, the President of National Peace Movement and the founder of Universal Solidarity Movement Indore, played a key role in organizing the convention. USM team Indore under the leadership of Fr. Varghese was in charge of arranging and monitoring the online convention.