BSG celebrates 30th anniversary of Dr. Ikeda's formation of the Education Division

BSG celebrates 30th anniversary of Dr. Ikeda's formation of the Education Division

Bharat Soka Gakkai, the Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai International, celebrated the 30th anniversary of President Ikeda's vist to India in 1992 during the formation of its education division. To mark the occasion a webinar, consisting of esteemed panelists, was conducted where peace, humanistic education, global citizenship and many more ideas were discussed.

Staff ReporterUpdated: Tuesday, February 15, 2022, 10:44 AM IST
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Bharat Soka Gakkai, the Indian affiliate of the Soka Gakkai International, which is a global organisation that seeks to promote the values of peace and justice to all commemorated the 30th anniversary of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda's visit in 1992 to India and the formation of the Education Division in BSG. Dr. Ikeda, who serves as the third president of the Soka Gakkai International, was quoted, appreciated, and celebrated by the panelists present in the Webinar titled 'Creating a Century of Peace by Raising Global Citizens through Humanistic Education’, which was held on Friday.

Padma Bhushan Dr. Shyama Chona (Founder-President of Tamana Association), Ms. Kavita Anand (Founder Director, Adhyayan Quality Education Services), Prof. R.S.S. Mani (Vice-President, ITM Group of Institutions) and Ms. Vandana Jain (Education Division Chief, BSG) were the panelists present in the commemoration which was hosted and attended by Anjana Sharma and BSG Chairperson Vishesh Gupta, respectively.

The webinar started with the idea of being a global citizen through peace and humanistic education. Since the event was a celebration of not just Dr. Ikeda's visit to India and the creation of the Education Division in BSG but also the many noble activities done through the association of Soka Gakkai, short documentary films that took us through the formation of the organization, the struggles of the first two presidents Tsunesaburō Makiguchi and Jōsei Toda, its existence in more than 190 countries, its activities and much more were showcased. "The goal is to teach everyone through each other while having heart-to-heart dialogues and focusing on the goodness of everyone. That's the only way we become better individuals," said BSG Chairperson, Vishesh Gupta while describing the doctrine behind Soka Gakkai in the documentary film.

After the introduction of the panel members and acknowledgment of other attendees, media personnel, etc. another short film highlighted Dr. Ikeda's visit to iconic landmarks of peace in India which includes Raj Ghat, Gandhi Memorial, and many more places of importance where Dr. Ikeda exchanged ideas with students, teachers, political leaders, etc.

When host Anjana Sharma asked the panelists about their own personal journeys and their ideas of humanitarian goals and global education, Dr. Shyama Chona who has been a part of multiple boards and committees which includes UNESCO, has won Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri for her works in Education and Social Service, and has been mentioned in the Limca Book of Record, said that her daughter Tamanannah's birth and the challenges with that led her to the path of spiritualism and need for re-education.

She also prioritised the need for surrendering yourself to succeed in life while also mentioning how Love and Joy bring peace in life. Co-founder of Adhyayan Quality Educational Services, Ms. Kavita Anand said her own experiences with how she witnessed students in the Psychology department worrying about marks rather than knowledge led her to a lifelong quest wherein her priority became to let children ask questions, be confident without having to worry about marks. Prof. RSS Mani, HRD specialist and someone who is a gold medalist in Tata Institute of Social Sciences training development programme has received awards for his work with underprivileged kids made the point that people should not wait for someone else's funds, motivation, push to do something but rather should focus on their own individual social responsibility important.

He also said that the power of humility is next to impossible and urged for care and concern to be considered important. Vandana Jain who leads the Education Division in BSG and has worked in the Soka University of Japan while visiting as a faculty in countries like the USA, India, Vietnam, Thailand, etc. gave various examples of her teaching journey and gave instances of refusing to label children as no good as she believed every child is special as Soka's mantra is to not give up on any student.

On the idea of global citizenship, all the speakers stressed the fact that knowing the languages of different countries, adapting their lifestyle is not enough as having compassion for the human race, building community, and understanding different cultures is also important.

They also prioritised being global but local as everyone is expected to reflect on their own surroundings rather than looking at the west for ideas. Encouraging students, not comparing them as every one of them has unique abilities were some of the gems of wisdom dropped by the panelists to the over 3,000 attendees present.

Before ending the session, Vishesh Gupta thanked the panelists for being a part of the session while also presenting them with a memento. He acknowledged how learning and unlearning were the aims of the session yet synergy was maintained and a constructive discussion on the idea of humanistic, global education and approach was done.

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