President Confers National Communal Harmony Awards
6President Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred National Communal Harmony Awards to Shri Khamliana, Shri Md. Abdul Bari and The Foundation for Amity & National Solidarity here today. Vice President Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh were also present on the occasion.
In his welcome address, Union Home Minister Shri Sushikumar Shinde said that the tradition of communal harmony, tolerance and mutual respect has always been the distinguishing features of our civilization and polity. He said, "Democracy can prosper and flourish only with strict adherence to secularism. I personally feel that the noblest of all religions is the religion of humanity". Shri Shinde said that National Communal Harmony Awards recognize the important and useful work done by individuals and organizations to spread the message of peace, love, goodwill and universal brotherhood for promoting harmony in the society and strengthening national integration. The Home Minister said that every citizen of our country has a right to live with his or her individual faith, yet keep the identity of being Indian supreme and above all other considerations. Let us pledge to uphold this right, the Minister added.
Shri Khamliana, a resident of Aizawl , is the Founder President of the Mizoram Youth Club which was established in 1990 and has nine branches all over the State. The Youth Club is a reputed and renowned organization in the State and has done exemplary work in diverse fields including extending support for rehabilitation of drug addicts, victims of AIDs and other similarly affected people. Shri Khamliana has conducted AIDS awareness and anti-drugs campaigns all over Mizoram. The defining feature of the immensely commendable work that Shri Khamliana is doing is that he is actively engaged at the grass-root level with the youth in the State. He has organized several musical concerts, essay competitions and cultural exchange programmes to promote national integration and unity. Shri Khamliana has published six books in regional languages covering themes like raising awareness about the ill-effects of addiction to drugs, the imperative need to promote national integration and communal harmony for ensuring peace, prosperity and development of a strong and vibrant society.
Shri Md. Abdul Bari, from Bhadrak, Odisha is the President of the Bhadrak Muslim Jamat. He is a known social activist who has been working towards maintaining communal harmony in the area. No major communal incident has taken place in Bhadrak district since 1993. Shri Bari has selflessly helped the police and local administration to maintain peace, unity and harmony in the district. He has received commendation and recognition from the Government as well as social organizations for his noble and selfless work. The personal example set by Shri Abdul Bari and his meritorious and creditable services to the society have inspired the present generation to promote an atmosphere of peace and harmony amongst the different religious communities residing in the district.
The Foundation for Amity & National Solidarity (FANS) is a non-political, non-partisan, social organization based in Delhi which works to spread and promote amity and communal harmony in the country. Established in 1984, the Foundation in its 28 years of service to the nation has organized more than 400 events comprising of Seminars, Workshops, Inter-religious meets, Symposia, Declamation Contests, Youth Camps, Sadbhavana Sabhas and Peace Marches all over the country. The Foundation has successfully conducted four Regional Children camps and 14 All India Inter University National Integration Youth Camps in different parts of the country. The Foundation regularly organizes inter-faith meetings and conferences. Eminent scholars and religious leaders from different faiths share the same platform to spread the message of peace, tolerance and mutual respect. The Foundation has conducted similar activities in other countries including USA, Canada, Thailand etc.