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Book Release by Prof K R Narayanan of ‘The World is Yours to Change’,
by Daisaku Ikeda
At the start of the New Year, when the world and India particularly continues to live in an atmosphere of terrorist violence and mistrust between communities, Prof K R Narayanan, the former President of India, released the Hindi-English edition of the path-breaking book, The World is Yours to Change.
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Authored by Dr Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International
(SGI), and published in India by Samskriti, the original edition is a Japanese-English version brought out by the reputed Asahi Press of Japan.
The book release was jointly organised by Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) and Samskriti, yesterday on 2nd January, 2003 at the International Peace Centre in New Delhi. Renowned sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar received the first copy of the book. The SGI, an organisation with 12 million members in 185 countries and territories, is committed to promoting peace, culture and education based on the Buddhist philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof KR Narayanan praised the book as “a New Year gift by Ikeda to the world”. Quoting extensively from the text, Narayanan referred to the book as a practical guide for keeping peace and emphasised that vengeance or taking revenge upon others is not the way to peace. “A great practical statesman from Germany once said, ‘It is not for us to take vengeance on history… you cannot revenge upon history, all you can do is try to prevent the same mistakes from being repeated.’ We in India have to remember this very clearly today… This attempt to take revenge upon history is not only futile, but will make India one of the worst countries in the world.”
Reminiscing about his meetings with Dr Ikeda, he praised the Japanese peace activist stating, “Dr Ikeda has interpreted Gandhi for India because we need Gandhi today in the world, especially in India more than any time before. And I think Dr Ikeda has the right to interpret Gandhiji to us more than anyone else because he has propounded Gandhiji’s ideas for a long time, and spread his message in Japan and the world over, among millions of people.”
Making a request “to disseminate the book widely, teach it in the schools and make it available for the young people,” Narayanan stressed that we have to read this meaningful book over and over again to understand its message of non-violence and love for humanity. The former President ended his speech by congratulating Dr Ikeda on his 75th birthday.
The World is Yours to Change is a compilation of six inspiring essays providing an empowering, proactive approach to creating a culture of peace. What sets it apart is that it is not a mere diagnosis -- it practically explains how to transform enmity to empathy, conflict to coexistence. The book records encounters and impressions of Dr Ikeda with courageous, yet ordinary individuals who have effectively resolved conflict–ridden situations and urges the youth in particular to take a stand for peace.
Distinguished panellists on the dais who spoke on the occasion were Om Thanvi (Editor,
Jansatta), D R Karthikeyan (Former Director General, Human Rights Commission), and Dr Y P Anand (Director, National Gandhi Museum). All the speakers described the book as timely, with much needed wisdom in the present milieu to establish peace.
The International Peace Centre was packed to the brim with the capital’s leading intelligentsia, culturatti and other eminent leaders. Among the dignitaries present who passionately discussed the relevance of the book in the Indian and international context were Tara Bhattacharya (granddaughter of
Gandhiji), Sheila Gujral, Dr Lokesh Chandra, Vasant Sathe, Prof Bipin
Chandra, Dr Kamla Choudhary, former Secretary Culture M.
Vardarajan, columnist and author Kuldip Nayyar, Uma Vasudev, former Indian ambassador to Japan Arjun
Asrani, Ambassador of Lebanon J. Daniel as well as leading artistes Yamini
Krishnamurthy, Uma Sharma and Ustad Asad Ali Khan.
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