Thiruvananthapuram: Social reformer and spiritual guide Sri M’s 16-month ‘Walk of Hope’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir received a huge endorsement from Pope Francis with the Pontiff exuding robust hope that such a mission to promote inter-faith harmony would ensure ‘a strong and vibrant future for India’.
The endorsement for the ‘padayatra’ came when Sri M met the Pope during a meeting at the Vatican in Rome on Friday.
The Head of the Roman Catholic Church wished the padayatra all success and congratulated Sri M for the endeavor undertaken to ‘ensure a strong and vibrant future for India’.
Speaking about his meeting with the Pope, Sri M said His Holiness Pope Francis blessed the Walk of Hope initiative, which stands for promotion of peace. “Pope Francis mentioned in his Day's Address that this is the year of mercy, and that every saint has a past and every sinner a future, and that Jesus came for the sinners and welcomed them as his own,” he noted.
On the occasion, the spiritual guide presented a personal note to the Pope Francis, conveying the primary objective of the Walk of Hope 2015-16, and sought his blessings on behalf of the padaytris, currently on a mission to promote peace, hope and harmony from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
“We seek your blessings to work for peace and humanity which is so dear to your heart, and to save this world torn by war and suffering,” the letter mentioned.
“Pope Francis has consistently spoken for the global cause of interfaith harmony and respect for everyone’s religion in the public sphere. He extended his full encouragement and support for the padayatra,” said the 67-year-old social reformer, who is spearheading the ‘Walk of Hope’ — a 7,500-km pan-India padyatra through 11 Indian states.
Through his endorsement, the Pope has joined the pantheon of Indian leaders and celebrities who have lent their weight behind the noble mission. Sri M has had earlier met president Pranab Mukherjee, vice president Hamid Ansari, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his predecessor Sheila Dixit, chief ministers of various states, some union ministers and jurists, besides leaders of various religious and social organisations.
Flagged off by former union minister Dr. Karan Singh, MP, on January 12 last year from Kanyakumari, the mission, launched by Manav Ekta Mission, intends to reach out to 10 million fellow Indians. The padayatra will conclude in Srinagar in early May.
It has so far covered 6,450 km in 458 days through 10 Indian states and is currently in Pathankot, Punjab. It is expected to arrive in Jammu on April 19. Accompanied by a diverse assembly of responsible citizens, the padayatra has by now visited places of worship of Baha'is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Jews, Sikhs and Zoroastrians along the route.
En route, it is also organising ‘Nirahar Satyagrahas’ — a proclamation against terrorism and communal violence and a call for interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution and prevention of religious clashes. The first satyagraha was held at Pune on July 5, the second in Ahmedabad on September 6, the third in Bhopal on October 20, the fourth at Varanasi on December 18, 2015, and the fifth at JantarMantar, New Delhi on February 25 and 26 this year.
The main objectives of Walk of Hope are interfaith harmony, equality for all, sustainable living, women empowerment, community health, education and youth development.
Born in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram as Mumtaz Ali Khan, he was initiated into spiritualism under the tutelage of Maheshwarnath Baba in the Himalayas at the age 19, but known to most as Sri M, he has been on this unique mission since January 2015.His autobiography, ‘Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A Yogi’s Autobiography’, is a best-seller.,
Details of the Walk of Hope are available at www.walkofhope.in
