International Association for Religious Freedom

Prof. Dr. Mumtaz Ali Khan

The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) is completing its centenary in 1999. A historical perspective of this world organization would reveal its noble gesture to making irrespective of religious, caste, racial, ethnic and other sociological considerations. Its main goal is to restore the confidence and faith in the earth community. The word 'restore' would imply that there was such a healthy network of human relationship in the past but that it is missing now. Thus we need to recover the social fabric that had the effect of bringing together people of different social groups to one common platform and bringing them together, all in the name of humanism for the overall development of mankind for a peaceful and cooperative existence.

It is this central theme of IARF that has caught the attention of people all over the world. Another significant feature of the philosophy of IARF is its emphasis on the social reality that humanism can be better understood and practiced even without faith in any religion. In other words, religion is not indispensable if there is confirmed and spontaneous faith in humanism as a solution to man's self-created problems that undermine mutual understanding, goodwill and peaceful co-existence.

CHANGES SINCE 1990

The structural and functional status of IARF underwent radical changes since 1990 as changes were deemed essential and inevitable for better results. It was during the 1993 Congress at Bangalore, India, that seeds of changes were sown and very soon, the International Council of IARF felt that in order to obtain better results, democratic decentralization was imperative. Over centralization of power and functions in the hands of the International Council and its secretariat had to be re-examined. This would result in more effective management, greater participation of members, a sense of belonging, better coordination, more effective working relationships and practical strategies.

It was in this context that the concept of regional councils was thought of and without loss of time and after due consideration, concrete steps were taken. Three regional councils were set up: the North American Coordinating Council, the European Coordinating Coordinating Council, and the South Asian Coordinating Council. Each Coordinating Council has a certain number of members including the chairman and Coordinator.

The Coordinating Councils meet as often as is deemed necessary in their respective regions and transact the business in a democratic way. The major concern of these councils is to plan and execute measures for promoting peace, understanding, and harmony among memebers of different faths. The proceedings are reported to the International secretariat at Oxford. Generally, all the members of the Council attend the meetings. All policy matters are laid down by the International Council.

REGIONAL SET-UP IN SOUTH ASIA

Though many parts of the world have their own socio-political problems and infighting, South Asia has fundamentally different problems, often distinct from other regions. All the four regions of South Asia were once part and parcel of united India. For various reasons, often politically motivated, there were divisions. India was partitioned. Apart from rivalry and prejudices from the four nations, what is distressing are internal differences and infighting on the grounds of religion, caste and ethnic compulsions.

India is a plural society with many religions, cultural pluralism and so on. The Hindus constitute the majority population with 80%. Next comes Islam, an alien religion with 12 % of the population. India has the second largest Muslim population in the world; only Indonesia has more Muslims; Christians account for 4%. The founders of the Indian Constitution decided to make India a secular state in which all citizens are to be treated alike and have their religious rights and freedom. The state is not to interfere in their religious matters, nor is there to be state religion.

In spite of these rights and guarantees, the social situation is sometimes not free from communal biases, conflicts and tensions. Religious fundamentalism prevails and this vitiates the otherwise peaceful and healthy environment. There are some socio-political groups with strong religious prejudices working hard to communalize the social situations. Hatred is spread in the very name of religion. Religious festivals sometimes lead to tensions, conflicts and killings. But the majority of the people are peace loving and are determined to ensure secularism.

It is in this context that there is an imperative compulsion to make the best use of IARF. The various member-groups and branches of the Chapter lend valuable support, directly or indirectly, to bring people of different faiths to common platforms, to promote better social interactions and provide opportunities to better understand their own religious principles for the betterment of mankind and also to respect the other religious principles and practices. IARF has a greater role to play in this direction as time passes on. People professing different religions are generally very receptive to the philosophy of IARF and it is for this reason that the IARF movement is gaining momentum and popularity. Members of IARF member-groups and branches command respect and importance.

The need for IARF is equally important in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In all these countries, there are communal, ethnic and other differences that weaken the social fabric. Mischief makers are busy in poisoning the minds of people so that they can easily kill the spirit of humanism and create uneasiness, followed by arson and looting. The ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka disturb the society and create a nightmare. The tensions and conflicts between the mulki and non-mulki groups and also the shabby treatment meted out to the minorities, particularly the Christians in Pakistan, call for serious and immediate attention and action. It is here that IARF can play a vital role. Even in Bangladesh, there is an immediate need to take steps to promote better understanding and harmony among people of different religions and cultural groups.

IARF activists are busy in meeting various religious leaders, intellectuals and other like-minded groups. The present experiences, gained in a very short period, indicate a bright future. Dark clouds with thunder and lightening will definitely give way to blue sky and a bright sun. Oneness of man and oneness of God will be the main desire of every man and woman, irrespective of their religion and caste. This, of course, needs time, proper direction and selflessness. Optimism is the inspiring instrument for a radical social transformation.

The South Asian Coordinating Council has four countries (regions) under its jurisdiction. These are: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A brief report about the Indian Chapter is already presented. So far as the chapters of other countries are concerned, not much significant development is seen. Pakistan's chapter is not active at the moment due to some internal problems. The set back could be temporary and something has to be done to make it more active and useful. However, it played an effective role at the 1996 Congress in Korea.

Bangladesh had an active chapter under the leadership of Mr.Md.Nural Alam. The team from Bangladesh participated at the 1993 Congress. Subsequently, Mr Nurul Alam did not show the same amount of enthusiasm and interest. He developed certain strong differences and forced temporary suspension of the works. Efforts are being now made to ensure meaningful participation of the Bangledesh Chapter.

The Sri Lankan Chapter played well for sometime, but it is not very active at the moment. There were some internal differences with the executive members of the Chapter. There was no proper constitution. Mr Harish Jain, the IARF Coordinator and myself had been to Sri Lanka to meet all concerned and see that the Chapter worked well. A draft constitution was finalized and the secretary was requested to have it registered. But things are not moving as desired. Fresh efforts are being put in to make it very active. As said earlier, Sri Lanka has its own problems due to ethnic conflicts between the original inhabitants and the Tamil migrants. No third party has so far been able to bring about reconciliation. Peace, harmony and development are retarded. It is for this reason that an organization like IARF can get involved and play an effective role.

One of the significant changes in the IARF movement in India is the emergence of the Indian Chapter. Though it has been working for sometime, it did not have set procedures and formalities. In a sense, it was like an ad hoc body representing India. But recently, a new face lift was given to it. A constitution was drafted, adopted and registered. This newly acquired legal status has given fresh impetus, dynamism and direction. It is registered under the society's Act and periodical elections are held. It has a set of office bearers elected by the branches at the Scheduled General Body. Two veterans hold top positions. Mr Punyabratha Roy Chowdhury, former President of IARF International Council, is now the President and Mr C N N Raju, one of the senior members of IARF, is the National Secretary.

BRANCHES

The Indian Chapter consists of the various branches established from time to time. A well coordinated structural and functional relationship exists between the chapter and the branches. Each branch is to have a minimum number of 25 members who are enrolled after payment of the prescribed annual fee or life membership fee. The chapter gets a certain share of these collections to meet its own expenses. Generally, the Chapter does not depend upon the financial support from the Coordinating Council or the International Secretariat. This is a very healthy tendency. When locals pay and become members, this would reflect on their real desire to sever the cause. The Chapter conducts annual conferences and workshops and thus make allowances for people of different faiths and regions to interact among themselves and participate in programs for the spread of interfaith. Currently, there are 42 branches under the Indian Chapter. Though there is heavy concentration of such branches in South India, branches are also found in many other parts of India. It is heartening to note that there is a steady growth in the number of these branches. As awareness of the importance is growing, the demand for opening new branches is on the increase.

Once like-minded persons gather together to form a branch, a formal structure emerges on payment of the prescribed fee, either on an annual basis or on a life membership basis. Each branch will have a President/Chairman and a Secretary. It comes directly under the Chapter. At the time of inauguration of the branch, a brief orientation is given on the structure, functions and aims of IARF, duties and responsibilities of the Chapter and branches, relationship between the Chapter and the branches and so on. Branches play a vital role in the management of the Chapter. Representatives of the branches elect the office bearers of the Indian Chapter every three years. Care is taken to ensure the presence of members of different faiths on the committees.

The Coordinating Council conducts Orientation/Training workshops for the benefit of the members of the branches. Regional as well as National conferences are also held periodically. Such conferences/workshops are essential for various reasons such as establishing personal contacts, sharing knowledge or experiences, strengthening of the attachment to the IARF's philosophy and goals. What is further gratifying is that such meetings are devoid of obtaining any personal gains. In fact, bubbling enthusiasm is witnessed. A major portion of the expenses are borne by the organizers and partly by the participants. Local leaders resort to mobilization of resources, not depending too much on IARF grants. It is true that IARF releases some financial assistance. But this is just a fraction of the total expenses involved in conducting the workshops. Thus, the "self-reliance" approach is gaining momentum.

What is sociologically significant here is that such conferences/workshops are conducted without depending on IARF. In some places such conferences resemble celebrations or festivals. Participation is regardless of religious and cast considerations. Muslim women, too, participate in such conferences. This is no simple achievement, because generally Muslim women remain secluded. Muslim religious leaders share the dias with the Hindus and Christian religious leaders. This has a profound impact on the ordinary people belonging to these religious groups.

MEMBER GROUPS

There are currently 13 member groups in India, 7 in Bangladesh and one in Sri Lanka. Thus, there are 21 member groups. The Coordinating Council of South Asia is the link between them. Member groups have a great role to play implementing the philosophy and goals of IARF. Member groups have not yet come up to the expected standard. Much more has to be done. These member groups have some religious color and affiliation. Therefore, they have to take up the responsibility of correcting the erring social behavior and foul play in the name of religion. There is no link between the various member groups. Each group works in isolation. They do not have interactional opportunities. In the case of the branches, the social situation is different. There is an association. Annual Meetings and conferences are held at selected places. Exchange of views takes place. Above all, there is the India Chapter, which is the apex body coordinating with all branches.

Perhaps it is desirable to have similar associations among all member-groups. They should meet at periodical intervals and exchange their views. They can share their experiences, This will enable member groups to develop primary relationships and their combined efforts will strengthen IARF. Someone has to take the lead.

There should be some linkage between the Chapter and the member groups, or the apex body of member groups, if formed. This will enable the two wings of IARF to have closer understanding and sharing. They can also arrange common programs whenever needed.

YOUNG ADULT PROGRAM (YAP)

The emergence of the concept of a Young Adult Program is one of the most significant developments in the brief history of IARF in India. It was felt desirable to involve and encourage the youngsters in IARF activities so that they could take up the responsibility of managing IARF in due course of time. Secondly, youth power can be identified and harnessed for positive results, to produce and sustain a healthy earth community. Presently, a vast majority of the promoters of IARF are those who have crossed 50 years of age. Even though they are still active, enthusiastic and charismatic, they can not play their role effectively beyond a particular time frame. They have to yield to others, as advanced age becomes a disadvantage for then as well as IARF itself. But they can still play an advisory role. They have to motivate, inspire and guide the youngsters.

It is for this reason that the Young Adult Program (YAP) was launched just after the 1993 congress at Bangalore. YAP was entrusted with its expected role, perhaps on an experimental basis, at the 1996 Congress at Seoul, Korea. All eyes were focussed on it. These youngsters were in the age group on 18 to 35 years. But the majority were still around 30 years old. Much importance was given for enrolment of females, as their role is vital in spreading the ideology of IARF. They were given orientation at Ramakrishna Mission, Calcutta, before leaving for Korea. Specific responsibilities and duties at the Congress were entrusted to them. There was a risk involved. If these youngsters failed to impress, the very movement would have been nipped in the bud. But these youngsters did wonderful work, which caught the attention of IARF leaders and also participants. The result is that the very International Council had great admiration and decided to continue their involvement at the 1999 Congress in Vancouver, Canada. In fact, the YAP training program at Bangalore and subsequently at Leh-Ladakh gained a lot of momentum.

Due credit should do to Mr Amitava Khandait, the YAP Coordinator and his able colleague Mr P.K. Ghosh in conducting the camps at Bangalore and Leh. Of course, this was possible because of the patronage of Rev. Dr. Robert Traer and Mr. S. S. Chakraborty, and Mr R. Mukherji. Further, the coordinating council had the services of Mr Harish Jain, Coordinator. He is a gifted person who has practical social vision, ability to push through programs and decisions. His impressive selfless personality has lent valuable weight to the advancement of the Council.

Promotion of interfaith rests generally on the attitudes of the people involved. A sense of commitment, dedication and realism are the driving force of the interfaith movement. Money need not be a main factor. But certain socio-economic programs to provide relief to the suffering and deprived people would go a long way. Though IARF is not a money-lending agency, it is still committed to help the poor. But it is also laid down that any such help should be coupled with interfaith commitment. Any organization affiliated to IARF in some form or the other should promote interfaith harmony as its primary function and, when it receives some financial assistance, it should manage the grant so that all groups of people practicing different faiths may be involved.

There are channels through which these activities can be undertaken. The concept of a Revolving Fund was introduced to help the member groups and branches take up economic activities. This Revolving Fund is a loan scheme. It carries a reasonable rate of interest. The principal amount and the interest amount are payable as per the schedule of repayment mutually agreed upon. Desirous member groups at branches have to submit a proposal in the prescribed form for consideration by the Coordinating Council at its annual meeting. Feasibility as well as repaying capacity is looked into. If the Council approves the scheme, the loan will be released to the concerned organization.

The very nomenclature of this scheme indicates that the loan amount gets back to the corpus fund along with interest. On the one hand, the principal amount is intact and then it increases because of the interest amount. All possible precautions are undertaken to prevent the misuse of loans. There is no question of deviating from the original terms and conditions laid down for getting a loan. The member groups or the chapter branch has a moral responsibility, besides its legal obligation to ensure proper utilization and repayment.

The interfaith movement has an additional dimension of great importance. Generally, IARF is expected to play its role to promote better understanding of human relationships through appropriate actions with the help of the member groups and branches. But the new dimension introduced since 1990 relates to promotion of economic and social activities. This is subject to the following conditions:

1. The beneficiaries should be poor,
2. They should undertake economic activities that produce income,
3. This income should be sustainable,
4. The beneficiaries should represent different religious groups so that the interfaith dimension is not overlooked,
5. The schemes are for a particular period.

Human resource development is also kept in mind. Some of these activities are:

1. Initial help in main training orphanages or destitute homes,
2. Assistance to training institutions for nurses,
3. Assistance to running educational institutions,
4. Maintenance of hostels for children,
5. Assistance in training hotel workers, etc.

The present rate of interest is 10% for the groups and 12% for the individuals. The procedure for obtaining a loan from the Revolving Fund is very simple. When the procedures and hurdles involved in obtaining Government loans through banks and other financial institutions are examined, horrible experiences surface. Sometimes even a bribe has to be given. As against this hard situation, the Revolving Fund is a real contrast. Absolutely no procedural wrangles and hurdles are encountered. A mere application in the prescribed format with relevant statistical information and documents is adequate. When the Evaluation cell is convinced about the bonafides of the organization and the purpose, the Coordinating council is likely to approve the Program and the financial assistance is released.

The other IARF scheme is called Social Services network grants (SSN) grants). The objects of this scheme are akin to those of Revolving Fund. But there are two major differences. First, SNN grant is not a loan and as such not repayable. Secondly, this can be obtained either from economic activity or social service orientated program. Even to obtain this grant, concerned projects have to send their requests in the prescribed format with all relevant documents. Ultimately, the Coordinating Council has to take a decision on sanctioning this grant.

Quite a number of member groups and Project partners have taken advantage of this scheme. Integrated Family Welfare Unit (IFWU) had the privilege of this scheme on a few occasions. The first program was to help rural women in sericulture (silkworm cultivation). This was introduced in three villages. The Project had a good impact on the people and led to their further progress. Two advantages that the people derived are: child labor was minimized, as the nature of this economic activity requires the involvement of women. Children were involved only in their spare time. Secondly, women used to be employed by landowners for daily wages that were not reasonable. A lot of exploitation was observed. When women became involved in sericulture, they were released from the clutches of the landowners.

An objective critical review of both the Revolving Fund and SSN grants would reveal that there is a need to make these schemes more popular among the member groups and branches. Interested persons have to be trained to submit the applications free from defects, so that the applications can be accepted and placed before the Coordinating Council for approval without much loss of time and correspondence.

There is a tendency to obtaining SSN grants rather than Revolving Fund because the former is freely available, whereas the latter is a loan carrying interest. Human nature is such that when something is available for free it is preferred rather than a loan with interest.

The need for continuing the SSN grants scheme has to be re-examined. So long as this scheme is in vogue, the demand for the Revolving Fund loan will be marginalized. SSN grants will be liquidated unless IARF releases further grants. This, there is no end to the grants. Further, project partners develop the tendency of dependency rather than self-reliance. It is true that the Coordinating Council has been urging the project partners to mobilize internal resources and build up their own funds. In sum, it is desirable to wind up the SNN grants scheme at he earliest date and motivate branches, member groups and project partners to draw on the Revolving Fund in the larger interest of themselves and the Revolving Fund scheme itself.

Once a decision is taken to scrap SNN grants, the need for utilizing the Revolving Fund loan will gain impetus and momentum. Rules governing the Revolving Fund loan scheme will have to be revised so as to make this scheme more useful. Some suggestions, illustrative but not exhaustive are:

1. There should be liberal flow of funds from the IARF secretariat for some time. The corpus fund should be quite sizeable.
2. Procedures for utilizing the loan will have to be simplified and should have a time frame both for utilization and repayment.
3. Loans should be released only for viable project.
4. Applications can be made by member groups, branches of the IARF Chapter, or other NGOs recommended by the IARF member groups or branches.
5. Legal guarantees for recovery of the loan and interest should be well defined and strictly followed.
6. Adequate security from the applicants and also collateral security from the member groups and branches should be obtained.
7. As an incentive, the member groups and branches may be given a small percentage of the interest amount received from the borrowers.
8. Similarly, those taking loans may also be given some incentive out of the interest amount for regular and prompt repayment.
9. Loans should be grated only after a thorough examination of all aspects of loan applications and after obtaining feasibility reports from such persons as decided by the Coordinating Council.
10. Recoveries made from the projects may be kept in a separate account and be treated as local money outside the purview of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) as in India. This should be treated as a Reserve Fund that can be tapped only when the flow of funds from the International Secretariat stops.
11. Whatever is done in the name of the Revolving Fund should be linked to interfaith cooperation.

SUSTAINABILITY

The Coordinating Council in general and the Chairman, Mr S. Chakraborthy in particular, have decided to ensure that the economic assistance that IARF provides is for a temporary period to enable projects to stand on their own. Besides this, it is also expected that the recipient projects motivate the beneficiaries to stand on their own. This concept of sustainability plays a very effective role in the real development of the poor. Otherwise, there is every possibility of developing a tendency to depend forever on external assistance for self-development. This is suicidal and should not be allowed.

The experience of the Integrated Family Welfare Unit in Bangalore, India is presented here by way of illustration. After having received economic assistance for promoting sericulture and also to run the rural hospital (major help comes from the Christian Children's Fund), it was felt desirable to think of self-reliance. A small portion of the income earned by the rural women out of sericulture operation was collected and pooled. Medicine in the rural hospital was not given for free, but the actual cost of medicine was collected. No consultation fee, however, was charged. Similarly, no charges were collected for administering injections etc. This collection gradually helped the organzation to get a sum of one hundred thousand rupees. Another one hundred thousand rupees were donated out of farm income. The total amount of two hundred thousand rupees has now been kept on fixed deposit for five years. It will double in another two years. It is planned to redeposit this amount, that is, as four hundred thousand rupees for another five years, so that it becomes eight hundred thousand rupees. Then this amount will be invested so that the organization gets regular income to run the rural hospital when no more funds are available from any other source.

Women involved in sericulture do not require our assistance now as they are able to reinforce their activities, expand the scope of silk production, and are confident of further progress.

Thus, this short version of the case study of IFWU aimed at sustainability is a very encouraging factor. Whatever help the IARF extended in the initial period has led to positive results.

MY INVOLVMENT IN THE IARF MOVEMENT

Though I have been involved in the promotion of interfaith, communal harmony and peace fo ra pretty long period, all this was in my individual capacity as I developed a strong desire right from school days for such activities. In fact, as a student of high school I resisted the very idea of playing soccer for such teams as based on communal consideration. My upbringing and early socialilization processes had a profound impact on my interpersonal relationships. My playmates and classmates belonged to different religious groups. I really enjoyed this type of composite grouping and cultural setting. I used to invite a few non-Muslim friends to my house for meals whenever we used to celebrate our Muslim festivals. Similarly, my non-Muslim friends used to invite me to their houses for meals whenever they used to have their religious functions. As I was active in the Scout movement, I used to visit Hindu temples, churches and Muslim shrines. All this educated me on the importance of human understanding and harmony. These early influences helped me later on at the college level and also when I got employed in the University to have intensive social interactions and intimate friendships with non-Muslims, too.

However, my involvement in an organized manner in promoting interfaith acitvities was started only in the late 1980's. This was specifically so after 1989 when I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Lucie Meijer and Mr Atkinson, who had come to Bangalore to explore the possibilities of holding the 1993 IARF Congress at Bangalore. One particular evening, I was called to attend a meeting at the city YMCA. I did extend my support to them. It was Mr. C. N. N. Raju, the present National Secretary of the Indian Chapter of the IARF, who introduced me t them. The IARF representatives were impressed with me and early the next morning I had a phone call. Ms. Lucie informed me that I would be invited to participate at the 1990 Congress at Hamburg, Germany. I was thrilled. The seeds of passion for the IARF were sown at Hamburg and by 1993 when the Congress was held at Bangalore in 1993, young saplings of the IARF had taken birth.

The preliminary visit by the Rev. Dr. Robert Traer and his associates to finalize the programs and facilities before the start of 1993 Congress brought me very close to these people. My intensive social interactions with them inspired me to get deeply involved in the IARF activities. I was named one of the coordinators in charge of the Congress at Bangalore.

The post-Congress scenario was a great influencing factor in my life. Khwaja Ghrib Un Nawaz Welfare Centre (KGN) became very active. We applied for membership in the IARF. KGN became an associated member and during 1998 it became a permanent member. Though membership per-se need not be the only motivating factor, it still has its impact on the nature and activities of the KGN. It rather received an impetus to get involved more actively and purposefully.

It was realized that without social action programs the KGN would not make its mark. Two-way approaches had to be kept in mind. On one hand, the philosophy, goals and messages of the IARF had to be propagated by holding meetings, conferences and workshops. This would promote intensive processes to pave the way for better understanding of not only ones own religion, but also that of others. There are deeply rooted prejudices, egotistic tendencies and wrong perceptions about the religion of others, often not realizing that knowledge of one's own religion is totally inadequate and not free from bias. Therefore, the KGN felt that the first step should be to establish a healthy, objective and fair approach for better understanding one's own religion and then the religions of others.

The measures adopted in this regard are:

1. Small group discussions were held with women and female youths, followed by men and male youths.
2. Lectures were given on the significance of New Year's Day, as felt by the members of various religious groups.
3. Lectures were given on the significance of various religious functions and religious leaders. On all these occasions youths and adult women of all major religious groups were present.
4. Efforts were made to educate Muslims about the Islamic spirit of tolerance and inter faith cooperation. The various instances of the Holy Prophet Muhammad's personal life, to promote better understanding, mutual trust, tolerance, forgiveness etc. were highlighted.
5. Respect for leaders of other religions, which is an essential feature of Islam, was stressed time and again in meetings.

It has to be stressed here that, in India, religious issues generally center around the Hindu-Muslim relationship. There is a deeply rooted thinking that Islam promotes violence: Islam is for the protection of Muslims against Hindus; intolerance is the cardinal feature of Islamic culture. But all this is baseless. Islam stands for peace, tolerance, submissiveness, etc. Many Muslims and a large number of Hindus need to be properly educated to remove misconceptions. The KGN is actively involved in this. The task is tough and risky, because hardcore Muslims have to be won over.

More than these theoretical mechanisms, sincere attempts were made to support action programs. In this process, KGN became a pioneering religious group to break the unhelpful and rigid traditions and demolish the walls of social isolation. The following measures were undertaken.

Visits to places of worship. Muslims have their own cultural upbringing that generally secludes them. KGN took steps to motivate Muslim youths to visit Hindu temples. Initially there was some hesitation because of the fear of violating Islamic mandates, for the general understanding is that a Muslim should not visit temples. But the Muslim youths were made to believe that Islam is against idol worship. Visits to temples per-se will not vitiate the Islamic spirit, because no worship is done. Respect to Hindu religious institutions and gods does not offend Islamic ways of life.

With these pre-visit trips, Muslim youths (particularly girls) were able to visit the various temple towns of South India and understand Hindu customs and culture. They were also excited to see the large and gigantic temples. These youths did not feel bad. They realized that in a plural religious society, like India, there is a need to adopt different approaches to have a clear understanding of the religions of others. Their parents, too, did not make adverse comments.

A few religious festivals are observed commonly. Idd-Milad un-Nabi, the Birthday of Holy Prophet Muhammad, is celebrated every year. Muslim. Hindu and Christian boys and girls participate. Deejpavali and Ganesha festivals have great social significance to the Hindus. For non-Hindus, these functions afford opportunities to get interested by participating in them. Muslim boys and girls enjoy lighting deepavali lamps, burning crackers, etc. Muslims youths are also encouraged to participate in Ganesha festivals. Care is taken to ensure that Muslims do not do any sort of worship. This experiment again produced positive results.

Christmas is celebrated by the children, youths and adults on a grand scale. No religious restrictions are imposed. Some well-known Christian leaders are invited besides Muslim and Hindu leaders. This is an occasion for highlighting the unifying force behind this great religion. A dance program is arranged to indicate the significance of Christmas Day. A vast majority of Muslims had no knowledge of the significance of Christmas and how close Christianity is to Islam.

One of the most significant outcomes of all these celebrations is that so far no adverse comments have been received. No Muslim parents raised any hue and cry when their children participated in non-Muslim functions. This would reveal that people are not averse to participate in all religious functions. All that is required is that organizers are careful in planning and executing such religious functions. Religious fundamentalists would be waiting to seize the opportunities at the earliest to created problems, if something went wrong. Religious sentiments are not to be offended. This is what the IARF stands for.

The KGN has decided to institute annual awards for outstanding persons who have lent valuable support to the cause of interfaith harmony, peace and social interaction. The 1997 award was bestowed on Mr. C. S. Gojer, National Director of Christian Children's Fund, India for his efforts to promote social integration through the various programs for the educational, economic, cultural and health advancement of children and their families belonging to Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Generally, benefits offered by the Muslin and Hindu organizations will accrue to members of their own groups. But Christian organizations permit non-Christians also to benefit. It is here that CCF has played a great role. Mr C. S. Gojer is known of this dynamic leadership, always believing in universal brotherhood. A few years ago, there was heavy rain in Bangalore City. Several mud houses of the poor Muslims collapsed. These families were on the road. I rang up Mr Gojer in the early morning and informed him of the situation. He permitted me (I hold a project, Integrated Family Welfare Unit, affiliated to the CCF) to go ahead with relief measures. A large number of Muslim families were helped through the good will of a Christian Organization, while offering assistance.

Again, any people died and houses were raised to the ground because of the earthquake in Maharashtra. Mr Gojer took the lead in releasing several thousands of rupees for rehabilitation of these people belonging to different religious groups. There are many such instances where Mr Gojer has displayed his sterling qualities of humanitarianism.

Besides this, several hundreds of poor Muslim boys and girls are being helped to come up in life. Their parents are also helped for sustainable development. In recognition of all these efforts of Mr C. S. Gojer, the KGN took pride in conferring the first KGN interfaith award on him.

The 1998 award was given to Justice Nittoor Srinivase Rau, former Chief Justice of Karnatake High Court and the First Vigilance Commissioner of India. He is now 96 years old, but very active. He is widely respected by all sections of the society for his commitment to harmony and peace. His very presence is a great source of inspiration. When I mooted the idea of felicitating him, there was spontaneous and wholehearted support from many top Muslims.

This was a very unique function where a Brahmin gentleman was honoured by a Muslim religious organizaton, namely Khwaja Gharib-un-Nawaz Welfare Centre. Many Hindus were also surprised, but were happy. The auditorium where he was felicitated was "jam-packed". Speakers included Justice H.G. Balakrishna, former judge of the High Court and Mr Maqsood-Ali Khan, former Member of Parliament and Minister and now the Chief editor of a popular Urdu daily newspaper. Mr Maqsood Ali Khan was very particular that I should not delay the felicitation program. Mr Veerappa Moily, former Chief Minister presided over the function. Every speaker spoke very highly of Justice Nittoor Srinivas Rau and also appreciated the efforts made to honor him. In my welcome address, I narrated the background o IARF and its commitment to the cause of humanism. This program has a great impact on hundreds of thousands of people because of the coverage by T.V. and newspapers. Though I had initial hesitation, as the KGN was honoring a Brahmin and was unsure how the Muslim community would react, it was gratifying to note that this step was welcomed by all as this was a positive step t bring Muslims and Hindus together. Everyone felt that there should be more instances of this type where people who work for the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and understanding are recognised and awarded by the social organizations.

The name of stalwart in this movement needs t be mentioned. That is the name of Mr Virendra Mohan Trehan, an indutrialist of great reputation. He is deeply committed to the cause of unity. He is the founder and president of the Foundation of Amity and National Solidarity (FANS). He is a driving force for the KGN. He is a great supporter of our cause. KGN is happy to place on record his services.