PEACE STUDIES 2024
The sixth batch of the Certificate Programme in Peace Studies, jointly conducted by the Centre for Peace and Justice, XLRI-Jamshedpur, and LIPI-Kochi, commenced on Saturday, 26 October 2024. Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, delivered the keynote address. “The greatest impediment to effective peace-building today lies in our limited, often myopic, view of violence and non-violence,” Gandhi said. “Too often, we consider violence only in terms of active conflict between people. At other times, we convince ourselves that we are safe simply because there is no immediate conflict. However, the most insidious forms of violence are those rooted in prejudice, thought, and injustice.”
According to Tushar Gandhi, “The time has come to move peace-making efforts beyond academic and intellectual discussions and into society as a working model. We have outstanding academic presentations on peace theory, peace philosophy, and related concepts. However, much like India’s freedom movement before Mohandas Gandhi assumed leadership, peace-building efforts today seem confined to the intellectual sphere, far removed from the places where they are most needed.” Gandhi concluded his address with a warning: “The time has come for us to discuss the current situation and devise actionable strategies to counter hatred and violence. Otherwise, our limited space for dialogue will soon vanish, leaving no room even to speak of peace and non-violence.”
Fr. Dr. Binoy Jacob SJ, the Coordinator, welcomed participants from across the globe and faculty members. Fr. Dr. EP Mathew SJ (Provincial, Kerala Jesuits) and Dr. Parmjyot Singh (Associate Dean, Student Affairs, XLRI-Jamshedpur) offered felicitations. Dr. Jacob Thomas IAS-Retd. (Academic Coordinator, LIPI, and Editor, Pax Lumina) introduced the dynamics of the Peace Studies program. Prof. M.P. Mathai (Dean, LIPI and Adjunct Professor, Gujarat Vidyapith) delivered the keynote address on “Non-violence, Violence, and Peace: Unwinding the Entanglement,” followed by an interactive session.
Binoy Jacob SJ, Coordinator, PRN-JCSA
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