Talks and Lectures

Prakash Amte is a medical doctor and social worker from Maharashtra, India. The son of the legendary Baba Amte, he and his wife Dr. Mandakini Amte were awarded the Magsaysay Award in 2008, for the Lok Biradari Prakalp. This project seeks to improve health and educational services for tribals in Maharashtra, Andhra and Madhya Pradesh. The project provides health care to about 40000 individuals, annually.

The Foundation for Universal Responsibility had the opportunity to collaborate with the Amtes on their presentation on Bringing Real Development to Real India.

Robert Thurman has dedicated his life to the study and preservation of Tibet’s cultural heritage, and is the first American ordained as a Tibetan monk. Known as “The Dalai Lama’s man in America,” he has made the world aware of the Tibetan situation through his writings, translations of important Buddhist texts and activism. His 45-year friendship with the Dalai Lama makes him a credible voice for Tibet. He is also the author of ‘Why the Dalai Lama Matters’ and ‘Tibet: 50 Years After’.

Dr.John Stanley was senior researcher and Biologist at McGill University, Canada, U.K Health Protection Agency and University of Geneva (Switzerland). Member of the New York Academy of Sciences, Dr Stanley has published over 90 papers in International Scientific Journals.

Scholars and thinkers from backgrounds in various schools of Indian philosophical thoughts were invited to give lectures on their respective schools of thought and their impact on India’s civilizational heritage and contemporary relevance.

List of the distinguished speakers included;

• Acharya Shrivasta Goswami,  Director, Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana
• Elizabeth Brunner
• Dr. K. P. Shankaran, Author &Lecturer
• Dr. Karan Singh, Former Member of Parliament, Government of India
• Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University, Delhi
• Prof. S.R. Bhatt, Chairman, Indian Council of Philosophical Research
• Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Former President, Central Tibet Administration
• Swami Atmapriyananda, Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda

Eminent Scholars and Activists from all walks of life came together in a series of talks to give insights into the various contemporary fields where women are challenged to break ceilings and find their space.

List of the distinguished speakers included;

• Ameeta Mehra, Author of several self-discovery books
• Dr. Syeda Hameed, Former Member, Planning Commission of India
• Farida Vahedi, Member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India
• Pravrajika Subhavrataprana, Senior Sadhvi, Sri Ramakrishna Sarada Mission
• Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswasti, Spiritual Leader
• Sister Inigo Joachim, Congregation of St Anne’s, Chennai
• Swati Chopra, Writer on Spirituality and Religion

A series of film series followed by talks and conversations on the contemporary mystic masters and those of the past.

Some of the great mystics that were covered in this series are;

• Lal Ded
• Milarepa
• Sant Tukaram
• Sri Aurobindo
• St. Francis of Assisi
• Tiru-gnana-sambandar

A monthly talk series that brought together a host of social justice activists and selfless workers of our times to inspire us to live in service to humanity.

Speakers included:

• Aruna Roy, Activist & Founder, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
• Ashraf Patel, Founder Member, Parvah
• Harmala Gupta, president, CanSupport
• Harsh Mander, Director, Centre for Equity Studies
• Ravi Gulati, Founder, Manzil
• Swami Muktinathananda, Former President, Ramakrishna Math and Mission
• Ela Bhatt, Founder, SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association)

Designed to inspire and empower people to participate actively in everyday peacemaking, Peacemakers was a series of lectures by local, regional and global peacemakers.

Distinguished speakers included:

• I.K. Gujral, Former Prime Minister of India
• Arundhati Ghose, Former Member of Union Public Service Commission and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations on ‘Disarmament and Peace’
• Edward Kaufman, Centre for International Development and Conflict Management on ‘Track II Citizenship: Innovative Possibilities for Peace in South Asia’
• Ela Gandhi, Former Member of Parliament, South Africa on ‘The Only Hope for the 21st Century’
• Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck, Former German Ambassador to India on ‘Confidence-Building Measures and Conflict Solutions: European Experience and Possibilities for South Asia’
• Justice J.S. Verma, Former Chief Justice of India
• Mel Duncan and Mary Lou Ott on ‘Third-Party Nonviolent Intervention’
• Philip McDonagh, Former Ambassador of Ireland to India on ‘Finding a Way Forward: Reflections on Making peace in Northern Ireland’
• Jody Williams on Landmines
• Sunila Abeysekera on Women in Sri Lankan Conflict
• Teesta Setalvad, Eminent Journalist and Social Justice Activist on ‘Reconciliation in Areas of Conflict: Possibilities for Building Coexistence and Communal Harmony’

The Sadhana series provided the context to explore the space of the sacred in artistic expression.
To engage with the world of sadhana, the monthly forum provided the context where artists shared experiences of their meditative journey. Musicians, painters, dancers, sculptors and other artists presented both the intellectual and the experiential aspects of the art forms to which they are devoted.

Various Sadhanas covered in the series include;

• Nada Shadhana
• Raga
• Svara Sadhana
• Tibetan Chanting
• Vichitra Veena Sadhana

The popular lecture series, provided a forum for a spectrum of great minds including eminent scientists, religious thinkers, philosophers and artists to share their insights on questions of spirituality, truth and the creeds they live by.
The series was intended to stimulate interdisciplinary and interfaith conversations that would equip people to meet the challenges and the opportunities of the new millennium. Over three years nearly fifty leading thinkers presented their perspectives on the practice and precept of universal responsibility as an important instrument for peace and sustainable living

The Creeds lectures are available in published compilations

Distinguished speakers included: