Peacebuilder’s Forum India (PBFI.2) conducted a three-day gathering in Jaipur that was held at the Jain Temple complex of Bhattarakji Ki Nasiyan. Designated as a place of nonviolence, it seemed an appropriate back-drop for a meeting that is advancing and sharing peacebuilding tools for conflict resolution, mediation and dialogue. The anticipated result of these discussions will be for people to join hands in tackling different conflicts in India and globally.

In earlier deliberations of PBFI in South India in May, the main themes were: engaging youth in peacebuilding; taking up communal harmony; and linking peace with the climate crisis. Subsequent to this gathering, PBFI worked on a Manipur peace initiative and started some peace education jointly. These meetings are meant to build on each other to create a strong citizen-based peacebuilding forum the in the country.

This Jaipur meeting is locally organized by the Bharat Seva Sansthan, the Kumarappa Gram Swaraj Santhan, and the National Youth Project (Rajasthan).

THE WAY FORWARD

The meetings of the Peacebuilders Forum held in Madurai in May 2024 and Jaipur in July 2024 had expressed anguish at the year long conflict in Manipur and the horrific ongoing violence between the two communities that had created thousands of internally displaced persons.

Peacebuilders Brother Peter and Nirmala Karuna highlighted their work with displaced Manipuri youth and encouraged greater involvement. At the subsequent Forum meeting, Deben Bachaspatimayum emphasized the role of interfaith dialogue and suggested sending a women’s team to Manipur.

The proposed team included Sumona DasGupta, who had previously conducted independent listening sessions, along with Anuradha Shankar, Kusum Jain, and Nirmala Karuna. The Forum approved this team. They travelled from 15–22 August 2024 to engage with affected communities, document conditions, and develop recommendations for peacebuilding. (For more information, please refer to PBFI.2. for the documentation on the Women’s Mission to Manipur.