The second peace symposium of this year, based on SGI President Ikeda’s Peace Proposal for 2017, was held in Pune on 19th August 2017.
The symposium was held in SVC Auditorium, Symbiosis University, Pune, and was attended by 535 members and guests.
To discuss the peace proposal, the eminent speakers at the symposium were Dr Vijay Bhatkar, Chancellor- Nalanda University (Padma Bhushan Awardee), Ms. Pratima Kirloskar, President Innovations- Pune Chapter, Promoter Group- Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Founder – 5Fworld, Chairman – Nasscom Foundation and Global Talent Track. The keynote address was delivered by Dr S.B. Mujumdar, Founder & President – Symbiosis Society, Chancellor- Symbiosis International University (Padma Bhushan Awardee).
Speaking first, Dr. Mujumdar said “SGI President Ikeda is described as a philosopher, educator, writer and poet, but to me, he is a dreamer of Peace, and for this single service he has been widely praised.”
Dr. Bhatkar, who is known for being the architect of India’s initiative in supercomputing, said that he was touched by the great philosophy of the Soka Gakkai. He said the depth of thought was reflected in the name of the organization which is ‘Value Creation’. He also deeply thanked BSG for inviting him to the symposium.
Ms. Pratima Kirloskar, spoke about the importance of reinventing oneself and the crucial aspect of having a purpose in life. She further said, “Peace comes from within, from a sense of self pride.”
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan said, “Vision is great, but vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, but vision with action can change the world”. He also shared the story of rescuing the starfish and cherishing one single individual to which all the BSG Members relate to.
The symposium concluded with presentation of mementos to the speakers.
The welcome address was given by BSG Chairperson Mr. Vishesh Gupta and vote of thanks by WD Chief Ms. Rashi Ahuja.
The key highlight of the symposium was the presence of 235 Student guests who were in attendance from different universities heralding the emergence of a new era of transformative Youth. The preparation of the symposium was spearheaded by the youth of Pune whose enthusiasm and hard work ensured the grand success of the event with a large number of guests in attendance.