India News

Report by Alisha Souza

Goa, Feb 23, 2023 : At a recently organised ‘Sadbhav Sammelan’ – a two-day International Interfaith conference held in Pilar, folklore researcher and environmentalist, Rajendra Kerkar, delivering a keynote address, said that “We can find numerous and inspiring examples of communal harmony in Goa”. He also mentioned that the Society of Pilar is taking keen interest in encouraging communal harmony. He called upon the participants of the conference to guard and pass down this great heritage to the coming generation.

Fr. Elvis Fernandes, convenor of Sadbhav – an endeavour for fostering Inter-Religious dialogue, harmony, solidarity and fellowship, in his welcome address said that “Goa is blessed with Inter-religious harmony and stands out as a beacon to the rest of India”.

“Sadbhav Sammelan” took place at the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, Pilar Goa, on 17-18 of February. Nearly Ninety people, consisting of students, educators, peace activists and faith leaders took part in the conference to promote the idea of peaceful coexistence and harmonious living. Along with the participants from Goa and a few other States of India, two international participants, Geniale Awoussa from Togo, and Regina Lomarda from the Philippines took part in the conference.

Govinda Fadte, one of the participants said, “I have been privileged to be a part of Sadbhav Sammelan, this two-day International conference. Every presentation, the performances, the sessions conducted have not only widened my scope of thinking but also moulded my perception of the Almighty and opened my eyes to a call for 'peace'.” He further said, “I’ve learnt that humanity is the greatest religion and this world is one big family with everyone trying to seek their way to One God”.

Regina Lomarda from the Philippines said, “Sadbhav Sammelan was very enriching and interactive.  A learning process that prepares oneself to build bridges and effectively dialogue with people of other faiths”. She further said that “It was good to see the participation of many College students. Surely, the inputs of various speakers will help in shaping the minds of the youth towards inter-religious peace and harmony.

The conference began with a prayer dance, in Kathak style, by Bhagyashree Premnath Chari rendering ‘Sarva–jiva–sukham; sarva–dharma sakhyam’, a composition of Fr. Charles Vas. This was followed by lighting of the lamp, welcome address by Prof. Savio Falleiro, principal of Fr. Agnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar, Goa.

On the first day of the conference, research papers were presented by Prof Kishu Daswani (Government Law College, Mumbai), Asst. Prof Shefali Kale (St Xavier’s College, Mapusa), Jude Fernandes (Nirmala Institute of Education, Panjim), Asst. Prof.  Roman Rodrigues (Rosary College of Arts and Commerce, Navelim), Dr. Francis Carvalho (Pilar Theological College), Manjiri Vaidya (Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala College, Mumbai), Fr. Anand Mathew (Vishwa Jyoti Communications, Varanasi) and Michelle Colaco (Carmel College, Nuvem). The paper presentations were chaired by Dr. Agnelo Pinheiro and Tallulah D’Silva. These papers shared interesting perspectives on religion and interfaith harmony and enabled a fruitful discussion among the participants. The day ended with the screening of a short Konkani film, titled ‘Jaticho Khell by the students of Government College, Sanquelim and also the staging of a national award-winning Hindi play ‘Amaanat’, performed by Prerna Kala Manch, Varanasi, based on a short story ‘Mandir-Masjid’ written by Munshi Premchand. The play was directed by Motilal Gupta and Anand Mathew  from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Day two saw a more hands-on affair with two parallel workshops on ‘Mapping Diversity in India’ by Irfan Engineer (Centre for Study of Society and Secularism) and ‘Poetry: A Creative and Meditative Exercise’ by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar. Added to this, three guest lectures on the theme, Gandhi and Religion; Dialogue: Religion and Beyond; The Search for God through the works of Florence Nightingale were delivered by Dr. Subodh Kerkar, Dr. Ivon Almeida and Dr. Omkar Bhatkar respectively.

The conference came to a close with a melange of poems, skits, music, songs and a Hindi play, titled, Duniya ka Mela, by Prerna Kala Manch, Varanasi, inspiring the participants to imbibe the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is one family). This was followed by presenting of the mementos and sharing of insights by Fr Magi Murzello, Rector of St Andrews Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts. The day ended with a vote of Thanks by Fr. Elvis Fernandes, convenor of ‘Sadbhav’. The entire programme was seamlessly woven by Asst. Prof. Alisha Souza and George Irene who compered the programme.

The conference was organised by ‘Sadbhav’ in collaboration with Fr. Agnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar, Nirmala Institute of Education, Panjim, Carmel College of Arts, Science & Commerce for Women, Nuvem, Rosary College of Commerce and Arts, Navelim, and St Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts, Mumbai.