Walk for Peace and Harmony

By

Jose Kalathil

The ‘Walk of Hope‘, a padayatra for peace and harmony, by Sri M of the Manav Ekta Mission, a wing of the Satsang Foundation, founded by the 67-year-old, has entered the capital, New Delhi.

During his stay here, he will be honoured by several organisations and meet President Pranab Mukherjee and the state chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, among others.

The journey, which began 13 months ago on 12 January 2015, on the birth anniversary of the great prophet of inter-faith harmony, Swami Vivekananda, with 70 volunteers from Kanyakumari, the southern-most tip of India to Srinagar in the north, will cover 7,500 kms reaching out to 10 million Indians. Sri M sprinkled a mixture of water collected from the Holy Ganga and from the confluence of the three Seas — Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal at Kanyakumari — to bless the walk. The journey, walking 15-20 kms daily, covering 11 states, will end after 500 days in May.

The padayatra will halt in the evening at a pre-determined village or town enroute. The evening will be spent with the locals discussing inter-faith, eating together and resting overnight at their homes. A diverse assembly of responsible citizens, who foresee a united and inclusive India for themselves and the future generations, are accompanying him.

“The Walk of Hope is an exercise to restore the innate spirituality of the nation – rekindling true faith and rejuvenating the spirit of hope, love, peace, harmony and oneness,” said Sri M. “The hope is to erase disparities arising from a misunderstanding of our diverse culture and religions, thus uniting the humanity of India through a spiritual approach proving people can live together despite all differences” he added.

Born in a Muslim family, his transformation from a young boy to a living yogi, is a fascinating story symbolized by single-minded discipline and dedication. He travelled to the Himalayas at the age of 19, meeting saints and sages, eventually gaining his spiritual fulfillment under the guidance of Maheshwarnath Babaji.

The Satsang Foundation, established by Sri M, is a meeting point for spiritual seekers of all persuasions. Its key objectives derive from the dual principles of concern for mankind and search for truth.

Over the years, his efforts have given rise to many initiatives that include Satsang Vidyalaya that provides free, high-quality and multi-lingual education to rural children in Andhra Pradesh. Satsang Rural School, located in the hilly hinterlands of Ma Konda behind Satsang Nagar, has a unique and innovative approach to education.

Peepal Grove School, a co-educational, residential school is committed to providing an environment conducive to in-depth exploration of knowledge. Satsang Swasthya Kendra provides affordable yet quality health care to people through holistic and comprehensive treatments and Sarva Dharma Kendra is a spiritual retreat to facilitate dialogue between religions and a forum for realising the essential unity of all religions.

Jose Kalathil

Jose Kalathil is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. With more than three decades of experience in different publications in India and Nepal, he is comfortable writing on any topic under the sun.