By Gopijan ballab das
Around 300 Pilgrims of Peace of URI Community representing different faiths of the world arrived in Mayapur for their Global Assembly 2008. The Assembly had a formal opening ceremony on 30th November. Following is a report on the Inaugural Ceremony. During this session, ISKCON Mayapur welcomed the guests with cultural entertainment. Young Lakshmi (4 years) delighted everyone with her sweet performance of Manipuri dance.
URI Global Assembly 2008 Inaugural Ceremony Video: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=s6CbBDSJPZs (YT: URI Global Assembly 2008 Inaugural Ceremony Video!) [Click to Show Video]
‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’: URI Global Assembly 2008 Inaugural Ceremony
“History books will note that by the end of November, some people came by beach side in Mumbai to wreak violence while pilgrims from all over the world came to Mayapur in India to stop violence. We can achieve this by outliving them’, addressed Bishop William E. Swing on the Inaugural Ceremony of URI Global Assembly 2008. Global Assembly 2008 was inaugurated in Mayapur with people from all faiths from all over the world lighting the candles for peace. Earlier in the evening, URI Community made an offering to Mother Earth and holy Ganges seeking blessings to build more interfaith communities across the globe. HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami, Co-director of ISKCON Mayapur thanked URI for visiting Mayapur and welcomed them to have more meetings in Mayapur. He briefed about the significance of Mayapur in creating communities based on love and faith as this is the birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who taught everyone to love God and His whole Creation. He welcomed the URI community to stay closer to Nature to appreciate their stay in Mayapur. Charles Gibbs, Director of URI remembered Dr.T.D.Singh ( HH Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami) for his contributions to Interfaith and who desired that URI meeting to happen one day in the holy land of Sri Mayapur. He thanked ISKCON Mayapur for wonderful arrangements. He expressed, ‘Though we are here as pilgrims, we were hosted richly. Hospitality we receive here is extraordinary’.
Read more here: http://www.mayapur.com/main/?q=node/972
Thank you.
Your humble servant
Gopijan ballab das