Published On: 2019-07-19

 Believe Foundation in association with The Sunday Guardian Foundation and Dr. Raman Bhai Patel Foundation (RBF) hosted the first edition of Gandhi Mandela peace initiative at The Imperial, New Delhi.

This initiative celebrated victory of Love over Hatred and celebrated the 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi and 100 years of Mandela’s inspirational lives. 

The daylong event which culminated in awards witnessed pointed discussions on topics ranging from Youth,Women, Environment, Education, Health, Gender Sensitivity, Arts andCinema with powerful keynotes delivered by thought leaders.

In his address at the first edition of Gandhi Madela Peace Initiative, Dr. Annurag Batra, Chairman and editor-in-chief of BW Businessworld and exchange4media and Founder of Believe Foundation said, “This is a tribute to the thought leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela who worked dedicatedly to promote peace and co-existence throughout their lives.”

 Kartikeya Sharma, Founder & Promoter, iTV Network said “The way Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela's approached social problems were impressive and revolutionary and this event is a great opportunity to profess the teachings of both the iconic leaders.”

“This event marks the coming together of two ideologies that have changed the course of civilizations across the world”, said Tarina Patel of RBF Foundation.

Among various panel discussion held through the day, there was one on environment and sustainability which was attended by Walter Lindner,Hon. German Ambassador of India, Govt. of India; Kartikeya Sharma, Founder and Promoter, iTV Network; Ricky Kej, Grammy Award Winner and Environmentalist; Sudhir Mishra, Environmental Lawyer Committee member of Ministry of Environment and Forest and Devendra Kumar Agarwal, Expert Member, National Green Tribunal. 

The panellists spoke about the teachings of both the iconic leaders who gave messages for peace, mutual co-existence, protect animals and environment and taught us about non-violence, sustainability and life Eco-system. While, Ricky Kej, the Grammy award winning artist said, “Human beings should live life is close to nature to avoid pollution and other problems.”

In another interactive session on Education system in India for which the panellists including Adi Godrej, Chairperson Godrej Group; Ghanshyam Tiwari, SP, Co-founder, Harvard India, Conference;  Kartikeya Sharma, Founder & Promoter, iTV Network; Dr. Aseem Chauhan, Chancellor, Amity University; Dr. MadhuChitkara, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University; Kunwar Shekhar Viendra, Chancellor, Shobhit University, the panellists spoke about the shifting paradigm of traditional education and how teaching processes are evolving with technology and need to look at some new ways to educate children.

In the first year three events will take place in New Delhi, (11th July), Mumbai, (12th July) and Ahmedabad, (13th, July). 

The event will also confer the Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative Awards to Global Leaders. Earlier the Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative Awards Jury 2019 led by Arif Mohammed Khan (Public Intellectual) with participation of Savita Hiremath (Filmmaker), Tarina Patel (Actor), Dr. Annurag Batra (Publisher), Bhuvan Lall (Author) and Manoharan Moses (Journalist) decided to award the following people for their notable contributions to humanity.

The Annual Gandhi Mandela Peace Medal 2019 has been awarded to Thich Nhat Hanh - is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. He is the man Martin Luther King called “An Apostle of peace and nonviolence.”