– M Rafi Ahmed
“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. Compassion and inner peace are the cornerstones of a harmonious society”. The heart-warming quote from the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and a prominent advocate for peace and compassion currently represented by the 14th Dalai Lama – Tenzin Gyatso sends a strong message of global peace.
With mounting tensions across the Indo-Pak border, it has been necessitated to hold “Prayer for Peace”. No doubt people are separated by a border, but connected by shared history, culture, and kinship between the warring nations. In the wake of a consensus after talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries agreeing to halt military action on May 10, several organisations hailed the decision and conducted prayer meetings.
Coimbatore headquartered Divyodaya – the Inter-Religious Centre organised for an Inter-Religious Prayer for Peace at their office premises on Geetha Hall Road in the city with spiritual heads drawn from different faiths joining together to pray for world peace while paying homage to Pahalgam victims. Notably, the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, resulted in the tragic deaths of 26 individuals, primarily tourists, in one of the deadliest attacks in recent years.
The attack occurred in the scenic Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, when five armed militants targeted a group of tourists. This had sent shockwaves across the global communities who prayed for peace and an end to war. Both the neighbouring countries were in turmoil due to conflict which reflected in the world arena as leaders expressed concern over the crisis prevailing on the Indo-Pak border.
Not unusual for Divodaya – the Inter-Religious Centre to conduct peace and harmony events incorporating spiritual leaders from different faiths and students thereby bringing together diverse voices to advocate for justice, peace, and social harmony. The active participation of interfaith leaders and students reflects a collective commitment to fostering understanding and building a more inclusive society.
It may be recalled that former CMI director of Divyodaya Rev Fr John Peter Muringathery played a pivotal role by taking a lead in ensuring peace among the people after the Coimbatore bomb blast in 1998. Since then, Divyodaya hogged the limelight for convening a plethora of communal harmony programmes which did have a good impact among different faiths for peaceful coexistence.
Swamiji Shivatma of the Universal Peace Foundation, Fr. George Puthenchira of Friends for Peace, and Abdul Hakkim, Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) spoke at the “Prayer for Peace” event underlining the need for peace. Moreover, the speakers stressed that peace must begin within the individual and then spread to society and the world at large.
Students besides Knowledge Centre R J Ashik, Maanuda Vasantham Mohamed Haneefa, JIH women wing representatives were also part of the Prayer for Peace event. Fr. Wilson Chakkyath CMI, Director of Divyodaya, welcomed while the participants took a pledge to work for peace and harmony.
It is pertinent to point out that Religions For Peace which has its secretariats across Japan, Kenya, Peru, the UK and the US conducting Interfaith Prayers with leaders from diverse faiths, traditions, and cultures for global peace. Early this year, they organised Interfaith prayer for shared human flourishing and transformative peace. Interestingly, Religions for Peace celebrates more than 50 years of bringing together the world’s religions to advance peace, mutual understanding, and security.
