FROM MAULANA’S DESK

the ‘most popular and influential man’ at the Parliament! In a world of strangeness and separation, Swami Vivekananda had touched the chord of familiarity and proximity, awakening a feeling of unity amongst his audience. The mission of the Parliament of the World’s Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world. Swami Vivekananda became the ambassador of this message of universal brotherhood at the Parliament. He was the first to introduce Indian philosophy to the West in this manner and received support, leading to the establishment of Vedic centres in the West. In his interactions, he extensively discussed tolerance and cooperation between communities of the world. In ‘Letters of Vivekananda,’ Swami Vivekananda outlined the bright future of India as a nation, to be shaped by two forces: Islamic Body and Vedic Brain. I would modify this and say that in order to create the future we all aspire for, we would have to resort to a blend of ‘Western Body, Eastern Brain’—this is the only way we shall progress in times to come! Swami Vivekananda was an ardent advocate of religious diversity being the soul of universality. His formula was, ‘Follow One, Hate None’. This principle was based on an inherent understanding of the fact that this world is full of differences—family, society, religious communities and nations; difference is an integral part of each ecosystem. But differences are not evil; they are a blessing as they create challenges, which lead to development and progress in the world. In my experience too, this is the simplest and most natural formula— to follow one religion, and respect all. As a nonagenarian, I can lead a life full of love and compassion devoid of any hatred. This is because in my mind and in my heart, I recognize every person as a creation of God. Since every one of us is created by God, how can I hate anyone? In this respect, there’s no difference between us. It is acceptance of this reality that can pave the way for us to co-exist and that will enable us to meaningfully adopt and leverage differences, rather than trying to eliminate or remove them. o Maulana Wahiduddin Khan editor@thespiritofislam.org Follow Maulana at speakingtree.in Follow one religion, and respect all. I can lead a life full of love and compassion devoid of any hatred because in my mind and in my heart, I recognize every person as a creation of God.