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Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar hosts reconciliation meet for Kashmir conflict

Peace Initiatives | Published: | 6 min read


Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar hosts reconciliation meet for Kashmir conflict  

Gurudev sends a Paigam-e-Mohabaat to Kashmir by bringing together families of slain militants, army personnel and local Kashmiris on a single platform. 200 affected families including women attended the program.

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Gurudev sends a Paigam-e-Mohabaat to Kashmir

  • Brings together families of slain militants, army personnel and local Kashmiris on a single platform
  • 200 affected families including women attend the program

Let’s make Kashmir a Paradise Again

November 10, 2017,
Bengaluru, India

A heart-felt exchange of emotions marked the Paigam-e-Mohabaat, a unique gathering of victims of Kashmir conflict hosted by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Art of Living International Centre, Bengaluru on Friday.

The program brought together family members of slain militants and victims of cross-firing from Kashmir and families of defence and security personnel from all over India who have been martyred in the Valley. Representatives from over 200 affected families, including 60 women, travelled all the way from remote places in Kashmir to attend the program.

It was a heart-touching moment for everyone to see the families share the pain they have gone through and renounce the culture of militancy, which has claimed their dear ones.

Commenting on the initiative, Gurudev said, “When the families affected by violence come together in a spirit of forgiveness, a new vision for a non-violent society will emerge. I am confident that this would inspire many youths to take that path.”

“Unless and until we put a balm to heal the hurt and give a new vision, the chain reaction of violence will continue,” he added.

“Deep inside, there is compassion in every heart. Such events will enliven that aspect and make one realise that neither violence nor blame game lead anywhere,” he hoped.

Kashmir meet - Press conference

A softening of hearts was very apparent when a former militant Abdul Majeed said, “Youth must drop their guns and follow the path of peace. We have come here because Gurudev is a big personality who does big work. We hope that he will get us a solution through talks.”

“We have come with a lot of hope. We didn’t expect that we would have the chance to come to a space like this. We have lost a lot. Now we want to spread a message of love to the nation,” added Ajaz Ahmad Mir from Ganderbal.

“Nobody listens to us. Something should be done for people like us. That’s why we came here. We want to tell Gurudev this,” shared Naseer Lone of Bandipora.

We have nothing against each other. Our anger is against the circumstances that are making us kills each other in Kashmir. We hope Gurudev will address this,” said a widow of an officer martyred in Kashmir.

“We also feel the pain of the family who are getting killed while on duty in Kashmir. But we are also suffering in their hands. We must put an end to this. We appreciate Gurudev’s initiative,” a Kashmiri lady from the family of a slain militant said while sharing emotional moments with the families of the martyrs.

“We women have no political agenda so we can unite the hearts,” said another.

Denouncing the path of violence, Fayaz Ahmad Sheik of Baramullah regretted, “My father was killed and burnt in 1999. I want to say this shouldn’t happen to anyone else. We don’t want this to happen any more.”

“People of both sides have been killed whether they are from the Army or the other side. We are unable to sleep at night, can’t go out in the day. We want peace. He have come to Gurudev with the hope for peace,” added Ghulam Hussain, a former militant.

Kashmir meet - families and leaders

Sharing the work done by the Art of Living in Jammu & Kashmir since 2004, Sanjay Kumar, Program Director of the Art of Living, said, “From pro-Pakistan leaders to stone-pelters, Sufi saints to intellectuals, we have been in continuous and sustained engagement with all stakeholders for over a decade. The reconciliation and conflict resolution efforts will continue to bridge religious, ideological and communal divides in the troubled Valley.”

Besides, many representatives from the Valley have met Gurudev and sought his intervention to rebuild trust and peace in the Valley. They include members from the families of slain militants and martyrs. Muzaffar Wani, father of slain Hizbul Muzahideen leader Burhan Wani, also met Gurudev last year in the Art of Living International Centre in Bengaluru.

The Art of Living has been working in Kashmir since 2004 to heal the trauma of militancy, facilitate dialogue, reform those who are lodged in prisons, de-stress Army and police personnel and channelize misguided youth towards constructive pursuits.

Kashmir meet - Leaders and citizen from around the world attended

Gurudev is no stranger to bringing opposing parties to reconciliation. He effectively played that role in Colombia in 2015 by convincing the leaders of the Colombian rebel group FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), who were holding up to global pressure for negotiations, to the adopt the Gandhian principle of Ahimsa or non-violence. His reconciliation efforts culminated not only in the rebel group, which had been waging a guerrilla war for five decades that claimed more than 220,000 lives, signing a peace treaty with the government, but also to seeking forgiveness from the victims of the conflict.

Similarly, Gurudev intervened in the former Yugoslavian enclave of Kosovo post the civil war to boost the process of reconciliation and restoration of peace and help war victims reclaim their lives.

#SriSriHealingHearts

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