Walk of Hope to address crucial areas of social co-existence in India

Walk of Hope: A padayatra for peace & harmony by the Manav Ekta Mission–from Kanyakumari to Kashmir

The term Walk of Hope was in news in the third week of February 2016. It came into news as it reached the national capital, New Delhi after covering a distance of 5400 kilometers in 374 days.

During these 374 days, the padyatra for peace and harmony passed through the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

The padayatra will traverse Delhi-NCR from 13 February to 4 March 2016 and will cover 130 kms through the state. After Delhi, the Walk will cover the states of Haryana, Punjab and reach Srinagar, Kashmir in May 2016.

Walk of Hope 2015-16 was started by the Manav Ekta Mission on 12 January 2015 under Sri M (born Mumtaz Ali Khan).

The padyatra that kick started on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is an ambitious walk that plans to cover 7500 km via 11 States and 86 districts over 500 days. Vivekanand undertook a similar journey to connect with the people and spread the message of communal harmony.

Objective of the Walk of Hope 2015-16
The walk wants to address the six crucial areas of social co-existence in India that will help us achieve lasting peace and harmony.

The crucial areas are
• Interfaith Harmony– Initiatives that promote and nurture interfaith unity, harmony and the message of oneness.
• Equality for All– It wants to enable equality for all, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language and gender.
• Sustainable Living– Activities inspiring harmony with nature to energise our immediate eco-systems.
• Women Empowerment– Programs that engender empowerment and safety of women and their safety.
• Community Health– Propagating effective community awareness programs to improve sanitation and primary healthcare thus create a positive influence on personal and societal health and hygiene.
• Education & Youth Development– It aims to spread education in the lower strata of society and to empower youth through education across the nation.

Besides, the walk aims at connecting with 10 million Indians and spread the message of interfaith harmony. In its interactions with people, it seeks to explore the root cause of intolerance and divisiveness, and seeks a solution to restore the innate spirituality of the nation.