New Delhi, India - The thoughts of UPF-India are with our Japanese brothers and sisters who are facing a disaster of a monumental proportions. As we observe them responding to the challenges of safety, shelter, and sustenance, we also see the beauty, discipline, compassion, and resolve of this great people.
UPF-India, the Guild for Service, the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia, and Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti organized an interreligious interfaith evening prayer meeting for the victims of the Japanese disaster at Kriti Mandap, the premises of Gandhi Smriti, on April 11, 2011. H.E. Smt. Gursharan Kaur, wife of the Prime Minister of India H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh, participated in the prayer service. Others included the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi and Chair of Gandhi Smriti Darshan, Smt. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee; Guild of Service Chair, Dr. V. Mohini Giri; and former Ambassador and Vice-Chair of UPF-India, Amb. K.V. Rajan.
Diplomats from Japan and Australia, representatives of various faiths (Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Unificationism), more than 250 people, joined their hands and hearts together for prayer and singing devotional songs. The program concluded with candlelight prayers led by H.E. Smt. Gursharan Kaur.
Gandhi Smriti is a museum in New Delhi dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. A national memorial at the spot where Gandhi's life ended, it is operated by the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, an organization that promotes the life, mission, and thought of Mahatma Gandhi through various socio-educational and cultural programs.