Asian Interfaith Consultation & 50th Anniversary of Temple
Friday, 18th June – Sunday, 20th June

Hon'ble Dr Karan Singh, National President, Int'l Chair, ToU, will chair and deliver the keynote address; Guest of Honour – Dr B K Modi, Chairman, Spice Group

The First Two Plenary Sessions on Education and Interfaith

The distinguished speakers include: Dr Khwaja I. Ahmed; Dr AK Merchant, General Secretary, Temple of Understanding, India; Speakers: Dr Susheela Bhan, President, Institute for Peace Research Association; Dr J S Rajput, former Director, National Council for Educational Research & Training; Prof. Riyaz Punjabi, Vice Chancellor, Kashmir University; Rev. Faraz Malik, President, Interfaith Fellowship (Pakistan); Fr (Dr.) M. D. Thomas, National Director, Commission for Religious Harmony, CBCI; Dr. J Veeraraghavan, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi; Prof. N K Ambasht, former Chairman, National Institute of Open Schooling; Prof. R N K. Bamezai, Vice Chancellor, Mata Vaishnov Devi Universit; Mr. Ajoy Bagchi, Member, Auroville Foundation; Rabbi Ezekiel Malekar; Secretary, Judah Hyam Synanogue

The Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions on Culture & Interfaith
The distinguished speakers will include: Prof. Varun Sahni, Vice Chancellor Jammu University; Mrs. Syeda Imam, Trustee, Rumi Foundation; Prof. (Dr) M M Verma, President, InterFaith Foundation, India;Dr Jyoti Singh, President Dara Sikoh Centre; Mr Manish Seghel, Thinkers Forum; Jalandhar, Mr Karamat Masih, Interfaith Fellowship (Pakistan); Speakers: Dr Lalit Kumar, Secretary, National Foundation for Communal Harmony; Dr. Kiran Walia, Associate Professor, National Council for Educational Research & Training; Sardar Teja Singh, Sikh Scholar, Jammu Tawi.; Mr. Tempa Tsering, Representative, Bureau of H. H. the Dalai Lama in New Delhi; Bishop of a Christian Church in Srinagar; Ven. Lama Doboom Tulku, Director, Tibet House

The Fifth Plenary Session on Environment & Interfaith
The distinguished speakers will include: Prof. Siddiq Wahid, Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science & Technology, Awantipora, Jammu & Kashmir; Mr. Vijay Dhar, Principal, Delhi Public School, Srinagar; Dr. N. K. Gupta, Secretary, Indian Council for Religious Leaders; Dharmacharya Shantum Seth, Buddhist scholar – Ahimsa Trust

Summary and Recommendations of Asian Interfaith Consultation & Vote of thanks

Conference venue:
Delhi Public School, Athwajan, By-pass Chowk, Srinagar 190004, contact person (Mr. Vijay Dhar, 9811040352 / 0194-2467286).

For information contact Dr AK Merchant, General Secretary, Temple of Understanding, India at akmerchant@hotmail.com.

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The Temple of Understanding - India & Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, National Conference, New Delhi - November 2008

November 2008

The Temple of Understanding Chapters, India held a National Conference in October 2008 entitled “The Interfaith Movement – Where Do We Go From Here?” The two day conference was held in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi and was hosted by our Global Chairman, Dr. Karan Singh. The Inaugural Address was given by The Chief Guest, The Honorable Vice-President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari.

The topics covered in the two day Conference were “Education and Social Transformation in the Age of Globalization”; “Contribution of the Interfaith Movement to Governance and Politics” and “India’s Cultural Ethos of Unity in Diversity”. The Moderators and panelists were form a variety of professions and religious backgrounds.

Dr. A. K. Merchant, General Secretary of the Temple of Understanding reported that new chapter had been added to the existing ones at Bangalore, Jalandhar, Mumbai, Patna, New Delhi and Varanasi, namely Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Kolkata. A delegation from India will be attending the Parliament of the World’s Religions gathering in Melbourne, Australia lead by Dr. Karan Singh.

Articles by Dr. Karan Singh