Chinmaya Mission Amritsar conducted C20 National Conference on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam under G20 Summit Progamme on Monday, 17th April 2023 at Chinmaya Amrit Ashram Chinmaya Marg,E block, Ranjit Avenue Amritsar. Honourable Shri Banwarilal Purohit His Excellency the Governor of Punjab attended the inaugural function as
Chief Guest. Swami Mitrananda, Head Chinmaya Mission Chennai graced the event as National coordinator. The entire programme was organised under the guidance of Shri Avinash Mohindru,President Chinmaya Mission, Amritsar. Sh. SN Joshi, Secretary Chinmaya Vanprastha Sansthan conducted the stage of the entire programme. A Cultural item on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was presented and the Guests were escorted to the main venue of Chinmaya Amrit Ashram. The Conference commenced with Lamp Lighting ceremony performed by Honourable Shri Banwarilal Purohit His Excellency the Governor of Punjab, Swami Mitrananda, Swami Chidrupananda Ji, Swami Pradyumn Ji Maharaj and MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. The guests were extended floral welcome by President Sh. Avinash Mohindru and Sh. Kunwar Vijay Pratap (MLA).
In the formal speech delivered by Shri Avinash Mohindru, he welcomed all the worthy dignitaries and made the audience familiar about Indian Culture and Heritage. He also thanked the Govt. of India to think of the important topic of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and hold the Conference on that by assigning the prestigious responsibility to Chinmaya Mission.
Swami Mitrananda, Head Chinmaya Mission Chennai, Singh Sahib Prof Manjeet Singh,Former Jathedar Sri Akal Takhat Sahib Amritsar,Maulana Usman Ludhianvi,Shahi Imam Punjab, Acharya Pradyumnji Maharaj(Mukhya Updeshik Patanjali Yoga Peeth), Haridwar, Swami Chidrupananda(Head, Chinmaya Mission Noida),Lt Gen (Retd) S N Handa PVSM AVSM,Lt Gen (Retd) Mohinder Puri PVSM, UYSM ,Let Gen (Retd) KJ Singh, PVSM, AVSM were the august speakers of the Conference and Distt Governor RI Distt 3070 Sh. Dushyant Chaudhary, and upcoming Distt Governor RI Distt 3070 DGM PS Grover were all honoured by Honourable Shri Banwarilal Purohit His Excellency the Governor of Punjab.
Swami Mitranandaa ji in his formal address stated the purpose of C20 National Conference and quoted Indian Upnishads. He defined Upnishads and stated that ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ comes from Mahaupanishads that makes us to look at the world as one family. The entire universe is a one family and this is not a statement of humility but a statement of fact. The creator and the created, both are divine. Be the plant, be the animal, we have that reverential attitude, he added.
Honourable Shri Banwarilal Purohit His Excellency the Governor of Punjab stated that all religions are equal and to be respected with equal mindedness. He referred back to Swami Vivekananda, Mahatama Gandhi, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Swami Chinmayananda ji and many more to sensitize the audience regarding the issue. He asked the sagacious speakers to draft the wonderful paper so to create the long lasting impression in the whole world. Sh Ashwani Malhotra, Secretary Chinmaya Mission Amritsar proposed vote of thanks.
Afterwards, 3 Sessions on Dharma, Education and Defence were organized which were presented by the well-noted speakers: Singh Sahib Prof Manjeet Singh, Former Jathedar Sri Akal Takhat Sahib Amritsar, Maulana Usman Ludhianvi,Shahi Imam Punjab, Acharya Pradyumnji Maharaj (Mukhya Updeshik Patanjali Yoga Peeth), Haridwar, Swami Chidrupananda (Head, Chinmaya Mission Noida),Lt Gen (Retd) S N Handa PVSM AVSM, Lt Gen (Retd) Mohinder Puri PVSM, UYSM ,Let Gen (Retd) KJ Singh, PVSM, AVSM
First session was on topic- Dharma wherein
First speaker was Swami Mitrananda ji in which he insisted on performance of Dharma. He stressed on producing more than consuming to fulfil our duty as a true denizen and also motivated all to be dutiful towards securing the world and its environment. He referred back to the dharma and stated that out of 84,00,000 species of planet, 83,99,999 do not have the sense of contemplation. It’s only the human being that possesses the distinctive quality of thought and this being is responsible for its destruction. Now the question why the so called intelligent human is doing this devastating task and the answer lies that he is forgetful of dharma. Swami Mitrananda ji encouraged all to bring back this ideology back into the system through Education. He cited the example of USA and said that the disintegration of family system leads to the more consumption of land which in turn violates the basic idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. The duty based life and nature based life is the necessity of the current time. He further added that ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ is the thought of progressive India. He concluded his line of thoughts by saying that art, literature and sports should be connected with dharma and all must learn to sacrifice.Second speaker Singh Sahib Prof Manjeet Singh Former Jathedar Sri Akal Takhat Sahib Amritsar laid emphasis on true religion that lies in virtuous heart. He quoted lively examples and added that a building turns into a Home with its family members therefore underlined the connotative meaning of Dharma. Referring to egoism, he added that dharma is not enforced rather it is from within. Each and every creature is the embodiment of both the qualities. Both virtues and vices are to be accepted when we are in love. But today, this is going in an opposite direction. Now, we keep on glorifying others’ vices instead of appreciating their goodness. This pollution of thoughts has arisen from within. We have come far away by misunderstanding the verdicts and analysis of our sages. He kept on adding that in today’s time, the politicians are more prone to bring the desired changes as they are influential. He questioned the gathered assembly what should we do so as to create our own impact on them.
Third speaker Maulana Usman Ludhianvi, Shahi Imam, Punjab asked about Dharma and questioned all what it wants from us. If the preachers of dharma are ascetic and disciplined, then they spread the message of love and peace but if they are unaware of this very foundational virtue then they become the cause of destruction. Dharma is our necessity instead of goal. Dharma motivates us to pray for the wellbeing of others. If we do not care about the parents, family and neighbors, at that time, prayer becomes pretence. Until the politics was under the umbrella of Dharma, the peace and prosperity prevailed but when Dharma came under politics, everything got polluted. He inspired the gathering to donate a part of one’s saving (Daswant) to help first the nears and dears then neighbours instead of donating it in temples or gurudwaras. Above all, he said that one should love all irrespective of the narrow domestic walls of mind.
Second session was on Education in which
first speaker Acharya Pradyumnji Maharaj (Mukhya Updeshik Patanjali Yoga Peeth), Haridwar laid emphasis on the need of Education. He expressed his view very practically and said that true Education brings money, prosperity along with contentment. He further said that Education describes the life in its true sense and helps us to understand all the virtues and vices that come along in the stride of life. He said that human being is like an animal by birth. He is to be taught at every step as opposite to other species. At times, he is the victim of terrorism, but at times he leads a successful life. Whatever is happening across the world, it is because of education only. Education directs the way of life. It is divided in two… one is good education and another one bad education. We learn from our mistakes, parents, teachers, learned people and environment. He underlined the idea of embracing the entire humanity as friend and said that teacher is not to cover but more to uncover. Education instructs us to face every situation of life in a beautiful way and prepares us to use our resources for the welfare of the society as a whole.(Second speaker Swami Chidrupananda Ji Head, Chinmaya Mission Noida), defined two types of education namely academic and life Education wherein he said that the later is missing. He said that True Education is by demonstration and not by teaching. He quoted Swami Chinmayananda ji and said that Training the mind is Education. He also requested all to expose the children systematically to ancient values and declare all man making Education as secular. He also focused on 3 values namely love, justice and sharing which need to be inculcated in young minds and school curriculum must compulsorily include interactions with less privileged people. He further added that unity occupies the place in essentials and liberty in non-essentials and also to sensitize the children towards nature and natural resources. He emphasized that God comes first, world next and myself the last.
Last session was on Defence wherein
first speaker Lt Gen (Retd) S N Handa PVSM AVSM, in his address started with profession of arms and expressed his worries on what and how to manage the damage and devastation happen in wars. He further added that a large number of committees have been setup to lend a humanitarian dimension for warfare across the world. He mentioned that the Holy Scripture Quraan describes Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as the loftiest of thoughts as it brings all elements, humans, animals and plants together. He said that in Defence, various aspects of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam are related. Defence promotes the notion of peace by discarding all distinctions based on caste, religion, culture, region, race and colour. When one considers the world as family, it automatically engineers towards empathy, mutual respect, understanding, harmony, global respect, justice and fair play. He also added that an individual must be committed to do acts for the good of the entire society and not be self-centered. The armed forces of the country symbolizes Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. It is the soldier’s job to vanquish the nation’s enemies and thereby safeguarding the nation’s borders, national interest and national sovereignty and therefore it gives rise to congruity. He quoted Mahabharata and said that forces used to fight from morning to sunset and the night time was for taking care of the sick and wounded. The principle of proportionality dominated there. The cavalry must not attack Charioteers. He also referred Sunni Muslim Caliph Abu Bakar and his rules and regulations of mutilation of officers, killing of children, females and elderly. Indicating to Christianity, he quoted Augustine and his philosophy.After this, he came to Henry Dunant, and talked about international Humanitarian laws and laid focus on principles of humanity and impartiality. Wars should be limited to achieve political goals. They should not include unnecessary destruction and these should be brought to an end as quickly as possible. Coming on the certain principles of laws of war, he stated the Principle of Military Necessity, Principle of Distinction, Principle of Proportionality and Principle of Honour. He also discussed his personal experiences of battlefield. He threw light on 10 rules for Soldiers namely: soldiers must fight only militants; must not harm any army which surrenders; must not kill or torture any person in custody; must take care of wounded whether friend or foe; must not attack medical person, facility or equipment; must not destroy more than the mission requires; must treat civilians humanly; must not steal; must respect private property and possessions and lastly must report violations to their superiors.
Second speaker Lt Gen (Retd) Mohinder Puri PVSM, UYSM praised about the integrity, solidarity and oneness of Indian army citing various examples. He narrated his experiences of battlefields wherein serving the soldiers in perspective to the idea of one earth....one family. He also threw light on helping the needy as a part of disaster management irrespective of the nationality. He said that our country is very old civilization country drawing back to the centuries since armed forces a part of the society, we are much practiced what the country teaches that is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. This concept is applicable in both peace and war. He said the country comes first, the men who command comes second and own self the third. He referred to 1971 war and discussed about the captivated prisoners and their release. He also talked about the causalities during the war with Pakistan and praised the Indian Army gesture of performing the last rites of mutilated. Then, he exemplifies Korean War of 1953 wherein he talked about rehabilitation of 20,000 prisoners to the places of their choice except to 80 prisoners who were readily accommodated by the Indian Government.
Third speaker Let Gen (Retd) KJ Singh, PVSM, AVSM discussed about the future plan of actions in state of war. He began with the war of 1923 and named as the Great War and stated that it was said that after that no war would take place, but it took, that is the war of World War II and then Atomic Exchanges. Due to the change in the weapons, there was positional warfare that became manoeuvre warfare and led to hybrid or Grey zone warfare. He referred to Non-Kinetic Warfare. He asked that how Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam will come into it, it is the biggest challenge. He gave the examples of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and said that the deterrence of weapons is still fragile and frail and therefore, emphasized the need of strengthening the deterrence of weapons and war. He further said, that in today’s robotic times, the autonomous weapons and drones are fed in the system of war therefore we should find out the ways and means of delegitimizing the use of weapons. He quoted that as the country will gain power, it becomes more responsible. He cited an American thinker and said that the countries will ceaselessly pursue for hegemony. He said that firstly, we talked of land, air and water but now we do talk about cyber and space. The war has also gone into information, cognitive and narrative. The narratives are changed and fed. He stated that during Pandemic and after COVID-19, a new concept of national security emerged. Without health, happiness and well being, there is no productivity. Preparedness to fight the pandemic has become a new element in national security where operation and collaboration is very important. Therefore, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has to come. Army is playing a major role in maintaining ecological balance and sustainable development. At the end, he summed up by saying that discipline is the guiding force behind everything to attain Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
With the concluding remarks offered by Swami Mitrananda ji and with the singing of National Anthem, the C20 National Conference on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam came to its culmination.
