The speaker started by individually thanking all the dignitaries sitting beside him. He then spoke of how Revered Prof Dr Vishwanath Karad has worked tirelessly for the past 4 decades to improve pilgrimage centres and to foster close bonds between science and religion. He spoke then of the symbolism of the world peace dome and the significance of the numerous statues and the library below the dome. He spoke of the many individuals who have been conferred by the Philosopher Saint Shree Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize and its significance

The speaker spoke of the significance of the conference and also of the peace dome. He stressed on the importance of peace in this day and age and expressed his desire to see this dome become an eighth wonder of the world, but one dedicated solely to world peace and to humanity. He introduced the chief guest, Shri Arif Mohammad Khan as well as the recipient of the Philosopher Saint Shree Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize 2019, Dr. Karan Singh

The learned doctor spoke at length about the mission behind the conference as well as the award and why the message of peace is so important in this day and age, considering then power which technology possesses and which can be used for extreme destruction. He was grateful top Rev Prof Dr Vishwanath Karad for his dedication to peace and his creation of the world peace dome. He stresses Indian culture is essentially a peaceful one and one that shall soon be exported to the world due to the efforts of Rev Prof Dr Vishwanath Karad and the recipients of the peace prize.

The learned Guru thanked the creator of the world peace dome as well as the thought behind the conference and the award. He stressed that there is no hierarchical difference between religion, science and philosophy and they are but vertices of an equilateral triangle. He stressed that there is nothing more important than peace and then lauded the recipient of this year’s Philosopher Saint Shree Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize, Dr Karan Singh.

The Sadhvi informed the audience that she has been in Indian for 23 years and they have been the best years of her life. She loves India due to its intertwining of spirituality with almost every other activity and then compared MIT, Pune to MIT, Massachusetts. She stated that while the American MIT concentrated only on skill development MIT, Pune concentrated on the holistic development of its students including their spiritual development. She believes this makes it an even better MIT than the one in America. She hope to see more of such conferences and wished everyone peace.

His holiness started by reciting of a Shloka. He then spoke about the virtue of Indian culture which is holistic and all encompassing. The quote, ‘Vasudaiv Kutumbakam’ means ‘the world as one family’. He spoke of its elegance and how it is a message which must be carried all across the globe. He also stresses that one must imbibe the message of ‘Vasudaiv Kutumbakam’ within or psyche and though we may live in the pursuit of more, we must not forget to keep some aside for the collective good.

The learned doctor spoke at length about the Gita. He stated that it constitutes barely 700 stanzas within the voluminous Mahabharata is akin to the Pole star. He then spoke of the basic tenets of the Gita which stresses on the execution of one’s duty and to never fear for God is always around. He said that there is still music playing from the flute of Lord Krishna but we cannot hear it anymore due to the cacophony of politics, media and corruption. He ended his speech by quoting his favourite verse from the Gita.

The chief guest spoke eloquently of the greatness of Indian civilization, which in his opinion, is solely due to the reverence for knowledge that the average Indian has. He speaks then of the importance of knowledge and the importance of education. He is very happy that Dr Karan Singh has earned this award not due to him being a scion from a royal; house, but rather due to his immense mastery of the Upanishads, of knowledge itself. He stressed that divinity resides in each and every one of us and as such we must look to collective aid and help.