Dialogue Among Civilisations

"I deem it a great privilege to be invited to inaugurate the two-day New Delhi Conference on DialogueAmong Civilisations. At the outset I must congratulate our Human Resource Development Minister for taking thisvery timely and much needed initiative. I must also congratulate Director-General, UNESCO, who has providedfull support during all the stages of planning and organising this Dialogue. I extend a warm welcome to allour friends from abroad who have come to participate in this Conference.

In recent years the concept of Dialogue Among Civilisations has caught the imagination of the political,intellectual and cultural elite around the world. The concept itself is not entirely a novel one. After all,the best minds in world history have always championed the idea of dialogue and cooperation among peoples fromdifferent cultural and civilisational backgrounds. The rishis and saints of India, in ancient as wellas modern times, dreamt of a world where all faiths, cultural influences, languages, and intellectual streamsare given an honoured place and integrated to form a symphony of universalism. For example, the Vedas taughtus to accept and assimilate all that is positive and life-promoting from around the world.

Aa no bhadrah ritavo yantu vishwatah

May noble thoughts come to us from all sides. According to me, two factors have worked to provide a newcontext to the concept of Dialogue Among Civilisations. Some years ago, a famous writer put forward a thesisabout the coming "Clash of Civilisations". The thesis was, of course, flawed and baseless. Its mainfault was that it failed to recognize that Civilisations do not – rather, cannot – clash. To be civilizedis to abjure clashes and conflicts, and to try to resolve all disputes and contentious issues throughdialogue. Civilisations are anchored in a common set of values and ideals, which we all share in our commonyearning for human solidarity and in our common aspiration for peace, justice, truth and fellowship. Thus, allCivilisations have a civilizing influence on human beings. That is a part of the very definition of acivilization.

Here we should not confuse between civilization and history. Human history is a tale of clashes andconflicts, as well as of peace and progress. This is true about all countries and all continents. In contrast,when we talk of Civilisations, we are essentially talking of the self-humanizing endeavour of differentsocieties, carried on from generation to generation, through the means of spiritual systems, cultures, art,philosophy, science, agriculture, industry and the daily social activity of ordinary people.

Nevertheless, we should thank the worthy writer who predicted the coming "Clash of Civilisations".The provocative title of his book served to catalyse a worldwide debate that vehemently argued to thecontrary. The future of mankind is not going to be determined by a Conflict Among Civilisations; rather, assome people have beautifully put it, humanity’s future will witness a Concert or a Confluence of Civilisations.

Of course, this will not happen automatically. All of us, and all our coming generations, will have tostrive and struggle for it. I believe that the New Delhi Dialogue Among Civilisations, and similar Dialoguesthat have preceded it, are a part of this earnest striving to build a Better World.

Friends, there is yet another factor that has propelled us into this Dialogue. As we crossed into anew century and a new millennium three years ago, all of us realized that the world we now live in, and theworld that the coming generations will inherit, are fundamentally different from the times past. Trade andtechnology have broken old barriers between countries and cultures. The world has become a Global Village.Some would like to call it a Global Marketplace. More and more countries are witnessing an unprecedentedactivity on the economic front.

Yet, the present situation presents two paradoxes. One is the continuing wide gap between the unmet basic needsof the world’s poor and the more-than-adequately-met wants of the world’s rich. The other is theequally troubling imbalance between the current excessive focus on Man as the Consumer of material goods andservices, and the colossal neglect of the Integral Man who wishes to become a Complete Human Being.

With all the material progress that we have achieved, we acutely realize that there is something precious-- the human element -- lacking in this progress. We feel that, with all the technological advancement, we arestill less than what we can be, less than what human beings have been created for. We aredreaming of the ideal society, a cooperative collective in which all production is geared for meeting all hishuman needs – of the body, mind and soul. A society in which man can experience peace within himself andwitness peace in the world, both of which are today eluding him.

Therefore, troubled by the destruction of the environment and the erosion of traditions, and numbed by thedaily news of violence around the world, the Modern Man is searching for answers. After the horrible wars ofthe last century, the continuing ethnic clashes in some parts of the world, and the emergence in recent timesof terrorism that misuses the name of religion, he is not swayed by claims like -- "My country right orwrong", "My people the greatest in history, " and "My faith the only faith".

And his search for answers is taking him to study the essence of his own faith, culture and civilization,and the faiths, cultures and Civilisations of his fellow human beings in a world that he sees is becomingincreasingly inter-dependent. It is this intensified search for solutions and solace that is behind this newphenomenon called the Dialogue Among Civilisations.

This is a very hopeful sign. The Dialogue Among Civilisations is a broad enough theme to embrace all themajor issues and challenges before mankind today. We need answers on how to create a future without wars andviolence; how to achieve sustainable development, so that industrialization does not become a curse to theenvironment; how to impart a much-needed cultural dimension to development; how to preserve the uniquecultural identity and artistic wealth of nations, especially of small communities, who are genuinely concernedabout the onrush of uniformity in the name of globalisation; and how to advance the cause of human rights,economic justice, gender justice, and a compassionate and caring social order. It has become equally importantto know how our system of education and the mass media can promote positive values in society, especiallyamong children.

I believe that we can get the answers to these questions by broadening, deepening and sustaining theDialogue process. The deeper and broader the dialogue, the greater is the understanding among Civilisationsand nations. The greater the understanding, the stronger is the cooperation and goodwill among nations. Andthe stronger is the cooperation and goodwill among nations, the lesser is the need to spend huge resources onarms and military strategies.

Here I must emphasise that we also need "The Culture of Dialogue" at a national level, so thatcontentious issues can be resolved amicably through talks. Dialogue is an essential part of democracy.Democracy both requires and mandates dialogue. The more a nation can harmonise differences at home, thegreater will be its ability to contribute to a dialogue at the international level.

Distinguished guests and delegates, India’s longstanding experience and ancient tradition of fosteringdialogue among communities, cultures and Civilisations is well recognised. For centuries, India has nurtured amultiplicity of spiritual and cultural traditions. Yet, within this diversity, India has also woven a silkenbond of unity. This is principally because India has protected people’s freedom of thought and faith, whileat the same time encouraging an unbroken tradition of inter-faith dialogue and cooperation.

The meeting points of ancient Trade Routes may lie in other parts of the world, but India has always been ameeting point of Faith Routes. Besides all the faiths that originated here, India welcomed the Jews, SyrianChristians, the Catholics, Zoroastrians, Muslims and people belonging to other religions. We are proud ofIndia’s age-old adherence to the ideal of Sarva Pantha Samabvhava – which means, respect for allfaiths. I suggest that this principle of secularism, which is enshrined in India’s Constitution, should beaccepted by all countries. Tolerance should become a global ideal. This would go a long way in promotingunderstanding, cooperation and peace among peoples belonging to different faiths and cultures.

It is a fitting tribute to India’s longstanding tradition of tolerance that the Zoroastrians, a prominentminority community, are holding an exhibition to herald the celebrations of the 3000^th Year ofZoroastrianism, to coincide with this Conference. They comprise less than 0.01% of our country’s population.Yet, they have made a major contribution to many walks of our national life. The world needs to recognize thegreatness of the Zoroastrian faith and culture, and help in its protection and resurgence. The Government ofIndia has lent full support in organising this exhibition, which will be taken to the other parts of thecountry.

We are very happy that Ministers from around 50 countries and high level official delegations, as well as agalaxy of eminent scholars, scientists and experts have gathered here to take part in the deliberations ofthis Conference. The New Delhi Declaration, which is to be adopted at the concluding session of the Conferencetomorrow, will be an important addition to the ongoing dialogue process.

The learnings from the series of Dialogues Among Civilisations, which have been held so far under the aegisof the UN and other institutions, should be fed into the foreign and domestic policies of member countries.National parliaments and governments should be advised on how to incorporate these learnings in theirlegislations and policy-making. Hence, I look forward to receiving your valuable ideas, suggestions andrecommendations that will act as a roadmap for future efforts at the international and national levels onissues that will figure in your deliberations.

As inheritors of a proud and priceless civilisational legacy ourselves, we in India are prepared to lendour full support to this noble undertaking of Dialogue Among Civilisations. We are prepared to discharge ourresponsibility in demonstrating its beneficial impact among and within countries, cultures and religions. Weare prepared to continue to play our part in promoting tolerance and respect for diversities, within the widergoal of the unity of humankind, as an essential component of sustainable human advancement in the new century.

With these words, I have great pleasure in inaugurating this Conference and wishing it all success."