Amity School of Natural Resources & Sustainable Development, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, conducted a One-day Essay and Debate Competition-cum-National Workshop on “The Role Communal Harmony for Sustainable Development of the Indian Society”, in collaboration with National Foundation for Communal Harmony, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi.
The workshop aimed at discussing the significance of communal harmony for sustainable development of India and the ways in which this can be achieved, by bringing together various experts from different cultural backgrounds.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Junaid Haris, Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, averred, “Communal Harmony is all about co-existence, acceptance and tolerance. Islam means peace and submission and it strongly promotes the principle of ‘Unity in Diversity’ and respect for all religions. It is only through communal harmony that we, as a nation, can develop in every field, whether it is industrial development, socio-economic development or technological development.”
Sharing her views on the occasion, Dr. Tabassum Jamal, Former Chief Scientist & Head BDG, CSIR- NISTADS, New Delhi, said, “We must utilize the natural resources of our country for the sustainable development. The peaceful co-existence of so many people with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds is the uniqueness of our country and we should be proud of that, as it exists in no other country of the world.” She also urged the students to start their own venture and become “aatm-nirbhar” by becoming entrepreneurs and work towards nation -building.
Explaining about the Bahai perspective of communal harmony Ms Nilakshi Rajkhowa, Director, Public affairs, Bahai of India, said, “We must study all religions and their scriptures to understand about the diverse cultures and philosophies. We must have knowledge about the different cultures and religions so that we become more enlightened and well-informed about other religious beliefs rather than just believing what others say.” She advised the students of Amity to use Social Media wisely and investigate the truth before jumping to conclusions which are untrue and based on biases and prejudices.
Dr. M.D. Thomas, Founder Chairman & Director, Institute of Harmony & Peace Studies, New Delhi, said, “We must embrace each other’s culture and learn from other religious philosophies by studying them in great detail. Development is not only about oneself but it is a collective process. We have to walk together and move ahead on the path of development of our country. If there is no communal harmony in our country, any kind of development is not possible as communalism is an obstacle in the sustainable development of the country. Sustainable development must also be socially just and appropriate to the culture, history and social system of the place in which it occurs.”
Welcoming the guests on this occasion, Prof. S.P. Singh, Director, ASNRSD, Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), stated, “The Constitution of India envisages that India would be a country of multi-ethnic culture where people of different religions, castes, creeds and different lingual backgrounds shall live together harmoniously. Communal harmony is the fundamental bedrock of our democracy and continues to govern our lives through various laws, deliberations in the Parliament and social media too. In this context the Prime Minister slogan that “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas & Sabka Vishwas” is a pointer for the vision of the country. Every religion advocates peace and harmony for a peaceful coexistence and therefore we chose this theme for today’s workshop.”
The workshop was attended by the faculty, students and staff of Amity, in large numbers and concluded with the announcement of results of the essay and debate competitions conducted during the one-day workshop.