The Newly Erected HWPL Peace Monument in Hyderabad, India, Became the Trigger for Spreading the Culture of Peace

Hyderabad is a rich cultural city in southern India where northern and southern India’s distinct cultural and linguistic traditions meet. However, it has also experienced tragic horrors of religious conflicts and communal riots among the predominantly Hindu and Muslim population, resulting in the loss of more than 300 lives. To alleviate such a situation and actively develop the culture of peace in a city, the international NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) erected a peace monument in Hyderabad with the cooperation of IPS International, an educational group. The monument was unveiled during the grand annual day event of IPS International at Hari-Hara Kala Bhavan with the presence of a total of 3,000 citizens from 15th to 17th January 2023.

This HWPL peace monument is the third one erected in India after Noida and Rampur, and it is the 18th HWPL peace monument in the world. HWPL and IPS International conducted the unveiling ceremony of the peace monument for three days with different attendees including politicians, educational and religious leaders, journalists, IPS International students, and their parents. The peace monument has the context of “The Declaration of World Peace” engraved, which was declared by Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL in 2013 calling all heads of state, youth, and every global citizen to work collectively for establishing sustainable peace and the cessation of war.

Ms. Diksha Ranjan, Deputy General Director of WARP Office, New Delhi, India Branch of HWPL, said in her speech that “HWPL Peace monument is a catalyst for creating a new peace culture in India, and it is an important international symbol showing us the firm conviction of HWPL for bringing sustainable peace in the world. Through the peace monument unveiling ceremony in Hyderabad, we are inspired to unite one in heart. This solidified zeal for a noble cause will lead us to overcome our differences and work together as one to achieve peace and cessation of hostilities and violence.”

The HWPL peace monument will be placed in the IPS International school branch in Tolikchwi, and HWPL and IPS International plan to utilize it for peace education for students and peace exhibition for citizens in Hyderabad.

Additionally, the HWPL publicity ambassador appointment ceremony took place. HWPL appointed Mr. Syed Illyas Ahmed, the managing director of IPS International, as the HWPL publicity ambassador for further peace activities in Hyderabad. In his speech about the changes that HWPL can bring to Hyderabad, Mr. Syed Illyas Ahmed emphasized that  “I have never gone through such an organization like HWPL, which leads all global leaders and citizens into one for peace. Their approach and peace-realizing ideas like religious discourse searching for the truth, peace education for future generations, and implementation of international law based on the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) are convincing.”

After he received the certificate of the HWPL publicity ambassador, Mr. Syed Illyas Ahmed gratefully presented an honorary appreciation plaque to Chairman Man Hee Lee on the behalf of IPS International. He expressed his admiring heart for Chairman Man Hee Lee by saying that “Peace is not something that comes from begging or pleading, but from putting in an effort. Chairman Man Hee Lee is proving this to the world with his full devotion even at 91 years old. I will do my best to contribute to the realization of the Chairman’s vision of leaving peace as the eternal legacy to the future generations.”

IPS international students and religious leaders working with HWPL expressed their congratulations on the endeavors of HWPL and IPS International for spreading the culture of peace in Hyderabad. IPS international students performed a fan dance on HWPL’s original song “Make a World of Peace.” Also, Mr. Ashish Barua, Founder and President of Peace Initiatives Foundation, and Prof. Dr. C.S.R. Prabhu, Chairman of Vishwa Yoga Vidyapeeth, shared their expectation on the future change of Hyderabad with the peace work by HWPL and IPS International in their special speech.

HWPL and IPS International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for peace cooperation in August 2022. The recent event in January 2023 became the very first fruit that both organizations made together after the MOU. Two organizations are under discussion of the implementation of HWPL peace education in the curriculum of schools of IPS International, and religious interfaith harmony programs for students, citizens, and religious leaders will be held continuously this year online and offline by joint efforts.