Jain Spirit 2003 12 No 17

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 10

GLOBAL NEWS
GLOBAL DHARMA CONFERENCE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
H
ISTORY WAS MADE AT 10:00 AM ON 25 JULY 2003 as New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula Lofficially inaugurated the Global Dharma Conference. The spectacular three-day event was the largest ever organised by young people of Indian heritage and brought together over 2000 primarily youth attendees from about 20 countries across the world. The Hindu Students Council (HSC), with over 70 university chapters across the USA, was the primary driver behind such an attempt to introduce the universal concept of dharma to the larger community and initiate dialogue on important global concerns. HSC was aided, amongst others, by Young Jains of America, an active co-sponsor of this inspiring event. World-renowned speakers (including the highly respected Jain teacher Gurudev Chitrabhanu), fulfilling discussion sessions and exciting cultural programming captivated the conference attendees as they engaged with the topic of dharma and interacted with likeminded individuals.
The Friday afternoon session was inaugurated by Pujya Swami Shantandanda of the Chinmaya Mission, who blessed the conference and emphasised the need for such a gathering. A unique attraction of the afternoon was quite appropriately a Diaspora session where youth leaders from five different continents narrated their personal experience with social service work in different communities. Dharmesh Mistry, president of the National Hindu Students Forum UK informed the audience about the role of South-Asian youth in raising awareness on Hindu heritage and spiritual lifestyle in Europe. Saumitra Gokhle, a social activist from the Caribbean, presented a pictorial history of the evolution of different communities in Guyana, Surinam and Trinidad. Gotham Chopra, a young writer and motivational speaker, addressed spirituality in America and the relevance of dharma to the American lifestyle. Moksha Watts, President of the Australian Students Union, spoke on the vibrancy of Indian culture and its appeal in the Australian socio-cultural context. Anand Shah, a Harvard graduate who has been working with tribal communities in India through Indicorps emphasised that "a common belief in the effort to understand ourselves is what brings us together to search for the meaning of dharma. As Indians who live abroad it is essential that we understand what India means to us as individuals and, more importantly, what we mean to India."
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Friday evening activities continued with a plenary session that highlighted the relevance of dharma to various aspects of life. Anjlee Pandya inaugurated the session with a symbolic lighting of the lamp of hope. New Jersey Governor James McGreevey opened the session with an explanation that
Jain Spirit December 2003 February 2004
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"Dharma is the law of the universe, and of life, mind and consciousness." He also said that "you must be the change that you want to see in this world." Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, India's Human Resource Development Minister, similarly urged second generation Indian Americans to utilise their heritage from the east and resources from the west to show a new path to the world: "Principles of dharma will help you to strike the golden balance of your rights and duties." Alternative medicine pioneer Dr. Deepak Chopra echoed these sentiments as he emphasised the close relationship between modern science and spirituality and that it would frankly be irresponsible if "the upholders of dharma do not usher a new age of humanity." Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati - spiritual head of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam and Chairman of the Advisory Council for the conference delivered the keynote address. In his extraordinary message he presented the true meaning, relevance and purpose of dharma today.
Friday night bhangra/raas festivities and a special performance by international pop-star Apache Indian continued until 1:30 a.m., but the conference participants were awake and ready early next morning for an intensive day of workshops, debates and discussions. Leading experts in a variety of fields explored the themes of dharma and self, dharma and family, dharma and society, and dharma and the world as nine different breakout sessions occurred at one time and covered topics ranging from 'Brainwaves of a Yogi' to 'Dharma for Sustainable Development and Good Governance'. Participants found Saturday's parallel sessions especially fulfilling as they were able to interact with speakers and attendees in groups that ranged from as small as ten to as large as three hundred. Among the large number of incredibly rich sessions participants were especially impressed by Kiran Bedi's talk on crime and punishment, Brother Reuben Thuku's views on religion and conflict, Rita Sherma and Anju Bhargava's discussion on dharma and women, Jeffrey Armstrong's ideas on personalities of the Mahabharata, and Subhash Kak and George Sudarshan's understanding of the close relationship between quantum physics and religious realities.
Following the afternoon sessions, an international concert was held where respected artists Zakir Hussain, Shankar and Ginger, and Shivamani played together for the very first time. Their combination of tabla, double violin and percussions absolutely mesmerised the audience as did a performance by STEM dance theatre that explored