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Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) had the privilege to once again host distinguished Gandhian scholar and peace activist, Prof Dr. N. Radhakrishnan from Kerala, India from July 27 to 29, 2008. Prof Radhakrishnan’s previous visit to Malaysia was in 2006.
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Audience at Selangor Culture Centre
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Prof Radhakrishnan, the Chairman of the Indian Council of Gandhian Studies was here in Malaysia to speak at an international conference on “Religion and the Quest for Global Justice and Peace” organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur from July 24 to 26, 2008. During his brief visit, he gave three public lectures – two in the Klang Valley and one in Melaka. He also held dialogues with representatives of SGM in Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Johor, and a group of teachers from Tadika Seri Soka, Cheras.
On the morning of July 27, he gave a lecture entitled ‘Peace through Engaged Humanism: A Time for Dialogue’ to about 350 people at the SGM Selangor Culture Centre, Klang. The chairman of the lecture was Dr Ismail Noor, the acting chairman of the Malaysian Interfaith Network. In his lecture, Prof Radhakrishnan talked about the importance of religious values, and the need to engage religion as instruments for human happiness. He highlighted the need for ‘human revolution’ – for peace to start from the individual. He is a strong supporter of dialogue initiatives, such as those carried out by SGI President Ikeda as he deemed them as crucial in building bridges and broadening the understanding of the humanistic values inherent in religious traditions.
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Lecture at Selangor (left) and Kuala Lumpur (right)
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Later in the evening, Prof Radhakrishnan gave his second public lecture at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, Kuala Lumpur on ‘Leadership Lessons from Gandhi, King and Ikeda’. Stressing again that religious values were relevant to the global situation, he told the crowd of 300 people that the three personalities of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and Daisaku Ikeda were great leaders who obtained their inspiration from religious traditions. Commenting on the current global situation, he is saddened by the lack of humanistic principles in society, especially by those in power – and said that Gandhi, King and Ikeda provided the moral leadership much needed in today’s society. The lecture was chaired by retired Court of Appeal judge Dato Mahadev Shankar.
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Lecture at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM (Kuala Lumpur)
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On the following day, July 28, Prof Radhakrisnan travelled to Melaka to give a lecture at the Multimedia University (MMU)’s Melaka campus. The lecture entitled “Is Non-Violence Practical in Today’s World” was co-organised by SGM Melaka and the Indian Cultural Society of MMU. In his lecture, he impressed upon the crowd that non-violence was an attitude towards life. The purpose of living, according to Prof Radhakrishnan is to enjoy a fulfilling and humane existence – and that purpose will not be met in a violent human society. He firmly believes that non-violence is the only viable option. He also talked about the important role of parents and the home as a source for nurturing the values of non-violence among the children and youth.
Prof Radhakrishnan has authored or edited more than fifty books, including several books and monographs on SGI President Daisaku Ikeda whom he first met in the 1980s. He has lectured or organised courses on Gandhi, peace movements, human rights in over thirty universities all over the world. He is also founder of several educational institutions including the Ikeda Centre for Value Creation in Kerala, India.
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