Students walk for peace in Mysore

(September 4, 2009) Hundreds of school children walked through the streets of Mysore, in southern India’s Karnataka state, shouting slogans on peace and harmony in their city, which recently witnessed violent Hindu-Muslim clashes. The Sept. 1 rally was jointly organized by the Mysore City Police, the Alert Citizens Team and the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, an inter-religious group. Students from schools managed by Christians, Hindus and Muslims joined the march stressing the need for peace and harmony among various religious communities. They wore the symbol of a dove symbolizing peace and harmony. The students carried placards showing slogans such as “Humanity is essential than caste and creed,” “Unity is strength,” “Self introspection leads to truth” and “Indian first, then religion.” Some slogans directly spoke against roots of violence, when they said slogans such as nature has not created discrimination, enmity is evil, be united, do not quarrel, wash your mind of ignorance; energy lies in friendship and avoid fighting. They also exhibited photographs of the people affected by communal riots and peace marches for establishing peace and communal harmony.