Samanvaya: Networking for Harmony

Background

In our world today, divisive social identities, premised on ethnicity/nationalism, ideology/religion and patriarchy/machismo emerge as among the three most resilient and potent challenges in a just and humane society.

Samanvaya means harmony, a walking alongside together, like walking side by side, holding hands, associating and relating with one another. One may have differences, yet one joins one’s head, heart and hands and moves together in harmony pooling resources and exploring together ways and means of living in and promoting harmony.Using a compassionate approach and an out-of-the-box pedagogy, Samanvaya attempts to co-create cosmic compassion and grow by benefiting from each other’s resources, networking and thus reaching out to more people especially the least and the seemingly lost and those on the periphery of society.

The idea was first mooted in 2014 and was accepted and approved by the Jesuit Provincial of South Asia (POSA) in 2015. This tiny initiative, the brainchild of three Jesuits, is of special importance today, because it is actively engaged in promoting alternative narratives, to contest the dangerously engineered communal disharmony, currently almost of epidemic proportions in India. Applying the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) i.e. context, experience, reflection, action, evaluation of life in context, it is aimed at creating a shared collective to build communities of unconditional love and compassion. Under the able direction of Dr (Fr) Prashant Olalekar S.J. its Director since its inception, it presently networks with Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), Lok Raj Sangathan i.e. Empowering the People (LRS), People’s Union for Civil Liberty (PUCL), colleges, social work organizations, NGO’s, priests, religious and enlightened and concerned citizens of India and elsewhere e.g. Ms Orla Hazra who is now living in the US but once lived in India; is still an active member of Samanvaya. Mudita RSCJ is an active core group member of Samanvaya.

Objectives

• To foster peace and harmony for the well being of humanity in an integral, interconnected universe and to build counter-cultural human communities of solidarity and peace.
• To provide a platform for all groups working for communal harmony to network, exchange views collaborate and share Gospel/Indian Constitution values, without being affiliated to any political ideology or party.
• A Professional think-tank to continuously educate people on the dangers of communalism and to recommend/find ways to counter fundamentalism.
• To promote a pluralistic and inclusive society by networking with Church bodies, the media, civil society and other secular forces by promoting the idea of, “Be the change in compassionate action”.
• To spread the ideology of secularism through new forms of alternative media by promoting dialogue and action to better understand and respect varied belief systems and to spread awareness about diversities within communities, syncretic traditions and composite culture.
• To become a resource centre with facilities for study and research.
• To form a broad alliance with civil society organizations to prevent communal conflicts and provide assistance during and in post-conflict situations and to raise consciousness about why, how and by whom communal violence is being organized.
• To conscientise people about the root causes of communal violence which may be due to distorted development, environmental degradation etc. and to take a stand for deprived sections of society and care for Mother Earth, our common home.

Main Activities:

• Educating and conscientising people with the help of counter narratives, films, documentaries, street plays, road shows, seminars, conferences, panel discussions, talks, Peace Days etc., to build communities of harmony by understanding the root causes of violence, the values of the Indian Constitution, Gospel values etc.
• Encouraging inculturation and interreligious dialogue, by visiting different places of worship, to learn about different religions and to build harmony, co-create cosmic compassion, collaborate with the Sacred Mystery and others etc.
• Grounding students and communities in the fundamental context of Deep Time interdependence, creativity and emergence, offering another framework to address the heart breaking experiences of what we see around us.
• Inculcating inclusiveness of all humans and kinship with other species as well as Brother Sun, Sister Moon etc e.g. Exposure to the poor and impoverished creation as our Teachers and learning from them.
• Animating young people through the fundamental context of the Universe Story e.g. Honour’s Course-Awaken to Cosmic Compassion, using the integral wisdoms of science, religion, feminine and tribals, like building a compassion common to all; through art, music, dance etc.
• Promoting spiritual renewal, social justice and ecological sustainability e.g. interfaith prayer services and Masses, Meditation: awareness of our cosmic interconnectedness, simple deeds and actions like observing a minute’s silence for non-violence and harmony on special days or as a daily practice/to take a pledge for non-violence and harmony etc.
• Collaborating /Networking /Organizing /Joining activities / events such as Peace Rallies, awareness programs, public meetings, interactions in schools/ colleges, communities and organizations like AICUF, Heras, AIC, Don Bosco, Archdiocesan Office of Environment (AOE), Archdiocesan Commission for Ecology etc. e.g. Convention on Non-Violence and Harmony at Sophia Bhabha Auditorium open to the general public on talks by eminent citizens, public intellectuals, media personalities, legal luminaries etc. and a cultural program on the theme.
• Sloganeering e.g. “Say Yes to Non-Violence, Justice and Harmony”, Jaago, Utho, Chalo Ahimsa Ki Aur! (Wake up, Arise, Let’s go in the direction of Non-Violence)

Outcomes

• By networking with one another; and through other networks operating on the margins and under the radar, great things happen. Cosmic compassion fuels young people in their work e.g. Stranded Worker’s Action Network (SWAN), started by a small group of young Samanvaya college girls. (For details, see the article in the support documents).
• Personal Transformation e.g. Samanvaya members ask themselves questions like, “How can we keep behaving the way we do, when we are related to the cosmos and all God’s creatures?”
• Building communities based on shared context through conversations, experiences and reflections and not just addressing issues from the same framework.
• Samanvaya is a creative response to the imminent and most important threats to India i.e. the forces of fundamentalism, communalism, violence against minorities etc.
• It has become a hub in Mumbai for collaboration and networking e.g. Sophia, Nirmala Niketan, Sr Xavier’s, St Elizabeth’s Hospital etc.
• Leadership of lay collaborators with religious playing a supportive role is a welcome innovation.
• Social and environmental thrusts are being rejuvenated.
• It is an extension work, an outreach to community and nation building.
• This kind of social involvement gives credibility not only to Catholics in the eyes of the public and intellectuals, but also gives academics its relevance and social grounding.
• It has become a healthy platform to discuss and critique civic and political authority with a view to promote better governance. It promotes constitutional values and seeks to strengthen democracy at all levels and is a force for peace and reconciliation.
• Samanvaya is a gift at this particular stage of Indian and global history. In a relatively short period of time it has lit up sparks of hope and demonstrated the potential it has to fulfill values and thrusts outlined in Chapter 2016, JPIC Document, as well as Pope Frances’ World Peace Day message.

Extra comments : 

Planet is also to be considered a focus of the project 

People being served : Agents of transformation (Educators)

Age group : Adults 26-60, Young people 18-25

Number of participants : 101-250

Project status : Ongoing

Society presence : India

Focus of the project : Peace

JPIC Imperative : Transforming and Being Transformed

UN Sustainable Development Goals : 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 17 Partnerships for the Goals