Interfaith Dialogue Promotes Proximity

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE PROMOTES PROXIMITY “Keep the lamp of hope burning, Let the broken heart heal, Show everyone a path, Remove the obstacles, Let history be written, Let the Ganga and Jamuna meet.” Upon hearing the final verse, my heart felt an inexplicable sensation. It felt like the words of the song were echoing through the streets, echoing what Swami Vivekananda had said a hundred years ago: “I see with the eye of my future that Islam and Hinduism are together building a splendid new India.” A desire arose in my heart that these streams of the Ganga and Jamuna could become one and create a great flood of unity and hope. The Shanti Yatra started in Pune on December 15, 1992, and ended in Nagpur on December 21. From Pune, the journey was to go through 35 different places such as Chakan, Manchar, Sangamner, Nandgaon, Maligaon, Rampur, Nwasah, Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Ahmedpur, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Akola, Amravati, Sewagram, Wardha, and finally reach Nagpur, which was the last destination of this journey. All arrangements were completed in advance through telephones in every area. Due to tensions in the region, public gatherings were entirely prohibited. However, due to the efforts and influence of Pune’s Shantilal Muttha, permissions were obtained everywhere, and all this was accomplished within a few days. The method used during the Shanti Yatra was initially to enter a neighbourhood and undertake a padayatra (pedestrian journey) for one or two hours.