UPF-India organized four events in commemoration of the International Day of Families.
New Delhi: Government Senior Secondary School, May 10
UPF-India commemorated the UN International Day of Families in collaboration with United Nations for India and Bhutan, Hamari Ummeed by organizing a seminar on theme of the UN International Day of Families-2012, “Ensuring Work Family Balance," at the Government Senior Secondary School in Nangloi on May 10. Around 110 participants from the rural area of Nangloi near New Delhi attended the program. The program began with a children's song, followed by a candle-lighting ceremony by the dignitaries.
Special Remarks of the day were given by Mr. Krishna Adhikari, Secretary General of UPF-India, highlighting the UN's theme for the International Day of Families 2012, "Ensuring Work Family Balance.” His message of Family as the School of Love and Peace was highly appreciated by the dignitaries and the audience.
Then the keynote address was delivered by Mr. Sanjay Tiwari, Consultant of the National Commission for the Protection of Child's Rights. Focusing on children's rights, he enlightened the audience about the resolutions passed in India and by the UN for preserving the rights of children in order to create balance in the family and ensure the protection of the rights of every member of a family.
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The prize to the winners of the painting and essay competitions held on the occasion were also distributed in the program. The prizes consisted of a medal and certificate.
Other remarks were given by Mrs. Nilam Goyal, Councilor for the City of Delhi. She expressed her appreciation and heartfelt gratitude for the initiatives of UPF and the UN in raising awareness of family issues by celebrating the International Day of Families in her zone and worldwide. She stressed the value of pure thoughts as the foundation for a balanced family and urged the audience to reach out beyond the confines of the father-mother-child bonds of the nuclear family to build relationships with all the people with whom we come in contact with a pure motivation, love, affection, and cooperation.
Mr. Varun Pathak, City Coordinator of Delhi Child Help-Line, led an interactive session with children educating them about the Child Help-Line and the Special Juvenile Police Unit that ensures the safety and security of vulnerable children.
A vote of thanks was given by the school principal, Dr. Dhahiya. He expressed support for the UN International Day of Families and stressed that policy changes should be made in order to ensure a balance between professional life and home life. In his remarks he appealed to the young generation to follow the guidance of their parents in order to create balance in the family.
New Delhi: Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, May 18
In affiliation with the UN Information Centre for Bhutan and India, Gandhi Smiriti and Gandhi Darshan, and Guild of Service, UPF organized an observance of the International Day of Families under the theme "Ensuring Work Family Balance" at the Tagore Hall in Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti in Raj Ghat, the historical site and memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
Mr. Krishna Adhikari, Secretary General of UPF-India, welcomed the speakers with warm greetings and introduced them to the audience. Amb. K.V. Rajan, Executive Vice Chairman of UPF-India, during his opening address highlighted the five points in UPF's Statement on Families. Then he invited Dr. Kiran Mehra-Kerpelmann, Director of the UN Information Centre in New Delhi, to deliver special remarks and read the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the International Day of Families. In her address, she described trends of work-family policies and shared her personal testimony of her family life and the challenges she overcame in balancing her work-family commitments.
As a highlight in the program, Ms. Sameena Begam, a housewife from a rural village near Delhi, was invited to share her testimony. She has been living in a mud hut built on public land with her five children after her husband passed away, but she has been able to sustain her family with a very low income and provide the necessary education for her children while overcoming much adversity. With deep emotion, she reached out to the audience with courage and expressed her determination to continue to seek development and balance in her family.
Dr. Mani Mala, Director of Gandhi Smriti and Gandhi Darshan, shared Gandhi-ji's perspective on balance and effective functioning of any system based on self-contemplation. She encouraged the audience to reduce the disparity between rich and poor in India in order to ensure a balanced development in the family, society, and beyond. Amb. K.V. Rajan and Ms. Kiran Mehra conferred Dr. Mani Mala with an Ambassador for Peace certificate on behalf of UPF and its founder.
Additional speakers included the President of Vivekananda Trust, Mr. Debasis Bagchi; Mrs. Urvashi Walia, Director of Universal Peace and Harmony; Prof. Dr. Abha Singh, Director of Psychology and Allied Science at Amity International University; and Dr. Satinder Ragubher, Acting Director of the Amity Institute of Social Science of Amity International University. About 90 people attended the program.
Gangtok, Sikkim: Conference Hall of the Forest Department of the Government of Sikkim, May 13
The Minister for Animal Husbandry Department, Dawcho Lepcha was appointed an Ambassador for Peace by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) during the occasion of International Day of Families, observed today at the Forest Conference Hall, Deorali.
The Minister, during his brief address underlining the need for a change in thinking, said that most of the problems in the world arise due to negative thoughts of the people. Hence, it is high time that a positive mindset should be brought for a positive change. Giving the example of bees, he mentioned that people should also be laborious and creative like them. Minister Lepcha appealed the people to change for betterment of their own, society and the State as a whole.
The Secretary General of UPF-India, Krishna Adhikari, notified that UPF since its establishment has been conducting various activities in the State for which they have been receiving positive feedback. Speaking about today’s occasion Adhikari said, family is the backbone to our joy and happiness; hence, we need to love and respect our family. One should take their parents as their role models for they are the ones who will always be there supporting, motivating and loving us in the best and the worst of situations.
Also addressing the gathering, former Minister G.M. Gurung talking about peace and happiness said that money cannot buy these two, instead it is the good deeds of an individual for him or her to attain both. Further, he mentioned the importance of preserving our rich culture and tradition and also appealed the people to do so.
The Executive member also the Vice Chancellor of ICFAI University, S.G. Tashi, Dean of Sikkim Government College, Tadong, Sudhan Pradhan, Pradumna Shrestha and members of UPF were also present during the programme.
From isikkim.com. Used by permission.
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh Press Club, May 18
UPF-Uttar Pradesh observed the UN International Day of Families at the conference hall of the Press Club of Uttar Pradesh on May 13. Shri Sudesh Pratap Singh, Member of the Planning Commission of India, was the chief guest of the program in which Dr. M.Z. Hussan, Retired Director of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Prof. A.N. Singh, HOD Social Work Department of Lucknow University, were guest speakers.
The program began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Praveen Singh Jadhoun, Uttar Pradesh Chapter Convener, and the other speakers expressed appreciation for the work of UPF on family issues.
All speakers agreed that the Indian family structure and the Indian family ethics are the best models in the world, but because of modern trends this family heritage is under attack. So the in this context, UPF's celebration of the International Day of Families was eye opening for all present.
To read more about UPF observances of the International Day of Families 2012, click here.