The Conference is over – The Challenge continues

A Report on the World Conference on Unity of Man, held 3–6 February 1974, in Delhi, under the sponsorship of Kirpal Singh

From every point of view the recent World Conference on Unity of Man was a tremendous success. First of all, it was unique – the first of its kind, as Master said, since the time of Ashoka. While conferences at the level of religions have been held many times and many places, this was the only time in modern history that men had been brought together at the level of man – no labels interfering.

Second, the participation was truly encouraging. Really top-level religious, social and political leaders from India and abroad put their shoulders to the wheel and worked together humbly and lovingly to make the Conference a success. Religious leaders who came and blessed us all include the Venerable Nichidatsu Fuji, Buddhist leader from Japan; Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, the distinguished Sufi mystic and head of the International Order of Sufis; Yogi Bhajan, head of the Sikh Dharma Brotherhood and the Healthy Happy Holy Organisation (3HO); Acharya Sri Tulsi Ji, well-known Jain leader and sponsor of the Anuvart movement, dedicated to promoting the non-violent, vegetarian way of life; Swami Ved Vyasanand, of the Gita Ashram, Hardwar, head of 50,000 sadhus; His Grace Dr Angelo Fernandes, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Delhi; Muni Sushil Kumar Ji, Jain leader; Lama Kushak Bakula, Head Lama, Ladakh; Rev. James McWhirter, Editor of the Anglican monthly, ‘Everyman’; Mufti Atiqul Rehman, well-known Muslim leader; Swami Chetanand Chidakash, head of the Swami Hem Raj Mission, and many many others.

Social leaders participating included Kaka Sahib Kalelkar, Raja Mahendra Pratap, Pundit Sunder Lal, and others; all veterans of the Gandhi revolutionary movement who paid for their convictions with many years of their lives.

But perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Conference to a foreign observer was, as Reno Sirrine mentioned in his opening talk, the astonishing degree to which the upper levels of the Indian Government participated. The Conference was opened by the Vice-President of India, Dr G.S. Pathak; the Peace Conference – the second session of the Conference as a whole – was inaugurated by the Defense Minister, Sri Jagjivan Ram; the Open – principal – Session featured an address by the Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi; and the Closing Session was addressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sri Swaran Singh. Srimati Sarojini Mahishi, the Minister of Civil Aviation, addressed the inaugural session, and Dr Karan Singh, the Minister of Health and Family Planning, opened the panel conference on religious unity. In addition to these, many other Ministers of the Union of India, Members of Parliament, and state officials addressed the Conference or took part in the panel discussion. Truly it seems a hopeful sign that so many really high officials of the government of the second-largest nation in the world were willing to appear at the Conference under the sponsorship of our Master and speak in such idealistic terms. As Reno Sirrine commented, hopefully some of that dedication to Unity would wash over to America.

The third really encouraging thing was the amount of popular support the Conference generated. Attendance at most of the sessions was about 50,000 and the gigantic procession which opened the Conference inched slowly through streets jam-packed with interested and cheering people. What a feeling of participating in a movement that meant something was generated  by marching in that procession! Almost a mile long, it moved for more than two miles – from the Gandhi Grounds to the Ramlila Grounds – led by an elephant, with the Master riding most of the distance in an open car with Yogi Bhajan, Mr Khanna, and Mr Sirrine, throwing flowers to the people as he passed by. Behind His car marched the delegations from various countries – Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malta, Nigeria, Thailand, and the United States were all represented at the Conference by delegations of varying sizes; altogether about 2,000 delegates – including those from India – attended.

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In retrospect, the predominant emotion associated with the Conference is joy: joy that at this particular time in which mankind is suffering so terribly, in so many ways, so many people had the ability to see that the cause of that suffering is the separation of man from man, and the willingness to try to do something to end that separation; joy that so many leaders of really great stature in all spheres of life were ready and willing to join forces with our Master; and joy above all that there is such a great and beautiful Spiritual Leader in the world today Who loves us and cares about us, and Who is able to command the respect and Love of great men as well as you and I.

At the first Satsang held after the Conference, Master made the following comments:

The Conference is over, and the loving efforts of all of you, of one label or another, are appreciated; God takes work from everybody. I think this Conference was the first of its kind held since the time of Ashoka. Other conferences have been held at the level of religions; this was at the level of man.

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We have thanks for all who helped; many who came could not find time to speak, because there were so many and such a short time it was not possible. They won’t mind.

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The question now before us, in connection with the ‘Unity of Man’ is this: We should live up to it. And explain to others so that they also may realise this Unity. If we do that, the Conference will not be over without any fruit. And that fruit will come up if we all lay our heads together and find out ways and means to make the purpose for which this Conference was held to be effective.

And that is the continuing challenge before us all; in that sense, the Conference will never end. Each time we see God working through our neighbour, our enemy, our brother; each time we resist the temptation to consider our welfare ahead of our brother or sister human; each time we see that whatever human being is in front of us is not meant for our pleasure or gain or exploitation, but is a child of God – the work of the Conference will be carried on that much further. And if, through laying our heads together, really imaginative solutions are discovered that will help alleviate man’s suffering and reduce his separation, so much the better.

Russell Perkins