A REPORT
SADBHAVANA YATRA 2005

Multiple religions, denominations, languages and cultures in India is like a beautiful rainbow in the sky. Any attempt to bring uniformity will deprive the beauty of this great country. Living in harmony and peace with people of other creeds, castes and languages is the social foundation of this nation.
This was the message communicated repeatedly through dramas, songs and talks all through the Sadbhavana Yatra, the 33 days' campaign for peace and harmony which began on 8th Nov 2005 at Varanasi and concluded at Varanasi itself on 10th Dec 2005.

Eight artistes, and three others committed to bring a change in the attitudes of prejudice, ill will and suspicion about people of other communities, set out in a vehicle TemoTrax Toofan covering a distance of 3200 kilo meters for this pilgrimage from Kashi to Kurukshetra, ie from the cultural and religious capital of India to the battlefield of the mythological times. They visited 46 towns and cities and a few villages too, giving the message of harmony and peace through cultural programmes of songs, dramas and speeches. Posters depicting the need of communal harmony with beautiful poetry written in Hindi, banners with slogans on plurality of Indian religions were exhibited all along the campaign. The posters were gifted by Kala Commune, a group of artistes living in Varansi as a community.

There were basically two types ofprogrammes:
1. Conscietising students of schools and colleges: Most of the days, the morning hours were spent in communicating to school and college children through street plays and songs on the this theme and also on various other social issues of the country. Children became aware of the social situation and during the discussion that followed discussed the matter in detail and took resolutions to make friendship with children belonging to other religious and regional communities. Some of the students signed a resolution paper and returned to us making a commitment to this campaign for peace and harmony in their neighbourhood.

Intermediate and High school students of Allahabad, Khaga, Fatehpur, Kanpur (Hindu, Muslim and Christian schools), Agra, Mathura, Bilari and Huttut villages in Jyotiba Phule Nagar and Moradabad districts, Shahjahanpur, Unchaulia, Barabanki, Faizabad, Shahganj and Jaunpur of Uttar Pradesh actively participated in the programme. Some students of Delhu and Haryana states namely, Kherakhurd, Sonepat, Panipat, Samalkha, Karnal and Neelokhedi also took active participation and pledged their commitment to the cause of communal harmony. More than 4000 students of seven schools in Sardhana town in Meerut district had a rally along with us on 25th November, the concluding day of the Communal Harmony week announced by the Central Government. There were also programmes in the colleges and universities of Agra, Kurukshetra and Meerut.

1. St.Mary's Inter College, Allahabad
2. St. Joseph's Semianry, Allahabad
3. St.Mary's School, Khaga
4. St. John's School, Fatehpur
5. St.Aloysious College, Kanpur
6. Mahesh Prasad Inter College, Kanpur
7. Islamia Higher Seconmdary School, Kanpur
8. Masih Vidyapeeth, Etmadpur
9. St.Peter's College, Agra
10. Agra University
11. Sacred Heart School, Mathura
12. St.Paul's School, Mathura
13. St. John's School, Kherakhrd, Delhi
14. Vidya Jyoti, Delhi
15. Holy Child School, Sonepat
16. Bal Shiksha Vidyalay, Samalkha
17. St. Theresa's School, Karnal
18. Govt. High School, Neelokhedi
19. Arya Boy's High School, Panipat
20. Arya Girl's High School, Panipat
21. St. Charles. Inter College, Sardhana (UP)
22. St. Joseph;s Degree College, Sardhana
23. IMS Gyanodaya, Sardhana
24. Kuakhera High School, Kuakhera, Jyotiba Phule Nagar
25. R.S. Convent School, Aarikhera, Moradabad
26. Janta Inter College, Bilari, Moradabad
27. Bilari Girl's Junior High School, Bilari, Moradabad
28. St.Patrick's High School, Huttut, Padua Puram, Moradabad
29. Holy Angel's School, Shahjahanpur
30. Prabhalaya Convent School, Unchaulia, Lakhimpur Kheri Dist
31. BCM Nursing School, Khairabad, Sitapur
32. Anand Bhavan School, Barabanki
33. St. Mary's School, Faizabad
34. Canossa Convent Inter College, Faizabad
35. St. Thomas Inter College, Shahganj, Dist Jaunpur