Emerging as a modern day prophet of peace and harmony, Shri M, a spiritual guide, social reformer and educationist from Kerala, embarked on a journey on foot across India to spread the message of unity. By Sharang Bhaskaran
Through the history of India, there have been several men and women who have travelled across lands to spread the message of peace and religious harmony. From Guru Nanak to Swami Vivekananda to Gandhi, these men have only wanted to give one message to the world – equality. They have sermonised parity in all forms stressing that it is the basis of all religions. Today, it’s disheartening to see instances of hatred and barbarity around the globe. With world by large consumed by hate spewing people, it seems that we are left with no such men to fall back on to show us that humanity is, after all, the religion we all need to follow. The year-long padayatra, lead by Shri M was one such example of solidarity and unification of the world as a community. It was flagged off from Kanyakumari and was concluded in Srinagar. Traversing the varied landscape of India across 11 states and 7,500 kms covered in 500 days, the walk was aimed at achieving a ‘significantly restored nation fit enough to be bequeathed to our future generations’.
So what brought on the decision to walk across the length of the country for Shri at the age of 67IJ He says that it was not one incident or experience that urged him to embark on this journey, but it was his experiences over several years meeting people from multiple faiths and studying religious texts that prompted him to do something that would show the world that peace and harmony between people and religions is what is essential for society today more than ever. In his travels, he met and interacted with people of all classes, religions and communities. Recounting his experiences, Shri said, “Every city, town and village I visited on my walk, I received so much support and love from the people that I was overwhelmed with happiness.” His decision to go on this walk was met by a lot of skepticism from his family and many of his supporters. “They thought I was mad to do something like this. We did not have any corporate sponsorship or huge media coverage. We kept the journey going with our determination and support of people who donated small sums of money to further our cause,” he added. The walk that started with some 20-odd people grew to over a 100 joining in within less than a month.
Being honoured by chief ministers of the states he visited, Shri and his ‘Walk of Hope’ also saw several politicians joining in too. But he prefers being apolitical and does not aim to promote any party or ideology. “We walk together, not as members of groups or parties or advocates of ideologies, but as humans. We are walking to free society from fear and insecurity, to form an inclusive and participative society where opportunity is given to all, talent and efforts rewarded regardless of caste, religion, language, region or gender,” he explained.
Visiting several Mosques, Temples, Churches and Gurudwaras and meeting men and women of religion, he emphasised on the warmth and love he received from these people — an experience to remember for life. “Meeting all the wonderful people and receiving their love and hospitality, my belief in human goodness has strengthened,” he remarked. Taking a detour from his walk, he even managed to visit the Pope in Rome, who invited Shri for a personal interaction. “I had the unique opportunity to meet and interact with the Pope briefly in March. We discussed religion to a great extent and the interaction with him was enlightening,” he said. The spiritual guide has been invited by organisations and groups from abroad to visit their countries and hold peace walks and lectures in the upcoming months. “The walk has come to an end, but the journey has just begun,” he concluded.