Action Days Reports from Pune and Chennai, India
Day one of Campaign Nonviolence Action Days is complete, and reports are already coming in from organizers in India. On the International Day of Peace, these organizers are working to make their communities more peaceful by addressing issues of safety and cultural expressions of peace. Read below for more details, and be sure to check out the other events still to come.
From Pune, India, Smita Vikhankar with RC Pune Hillside shares that their Celebrate Peace and Traffic Awareness event had about 25 people attending, writing, “Our unique project of RC Pune Hillside, RID 3131—honoring people that followed traffic rules and distributing beautiful cards on Peace and traffic awareness—experienced appreciative and gratitude reactions from the public. A sense of satisfaction at the end of day. There was a trigger of thought of civic sense bring in much needed peace in the city. This is much required with growing congestion and anger and temperaments flaring in the young generation. More than 1500 people were given individual cards on traffic and peace messages at 4 different prominent signals.”
Vasanthi Ranganathan in Chennai, India is helping to organize nearly a dozen actions this year. About one called "International Webinar on Expressions of Peace: Culture, Art and Dialogue," she says: “The webinar started and concluded on time. Peace fellow and Rotary peace activator, shared her work and mentioned many things that can be youth led. She also offered to share by leaving her ID. Dr. Phill Gittins World beyond war, Rotary peace activator, message on the devastations of war and importance of spend on peace related interventions was well received. MGR Janaki college put together voices of peace from various youth, mimes, songs and dances on peace. Dr. Kumar Rajendiran, a humanitarian activist, chair person of the college and Rotaract chair RID3234 promised to lead youth teams further. In my opinion, the Nepal summit where we had an opportunity to meet each other physically paved the way for meaningful interventions in peace. My focus has always been youth and education. In gratitude to Rotary International & IEP combine for developing Rotary peace activators, to the college for helping to access generations of youth and Pace e been for helping us be a part of the non violence campaign beginning today, 21.9.24.”