World non-violent peace ambassador Rajagopal PV has been awarded the Nivano Peace Prize by the Japanese organization.

The 40th Niwano Peace Prize awarded to World non-violent peace ambassador Mr. Rajagopal P. V. of India, 

Dr. Flaminia Giovanelli

S. Z. MALLICK -MPNN.IN
The 40th Niwano Peace Prize will be awarded to Mr. Rajagopal P. V. of India in recognition
of his extraordinary work in the service of Justice and Peace. Mr. Rajagopal’s actions in favor of the poorest and most marginalized of his country, carried out through peaceful and nonviolent methods, and his struggle for the recognition of the equal human dignity and equal rights of every man and woman, irrespective of cast or gender, inspires great
admiration.

His particular accomplishments that garner the highest esteem include –
negotiating the surrender and facilitating the rehabilitation of gangs, the education of young people in the service of the poor, and, well aware that the primary needs of the poor are water, land, and forests, his commitment to care for the environment.

The presentation ceremony will take place in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, May 11, 2023. In
addition to an award certificate, Mr. Rajagopal P. V. will receive a medal and twenty million
yen. To avoid undue emphasis on any particular religion or region, every year the Peace Foundation solicits nominations from people of recognized intellectual and religious stature around the world. In the nomination process, some 600 people and organizations, representing 125 countries and many religions, are asked to propose candidates. Nominations are rigorously screened by the Niwano Peace Prize Committee, which was set up in May of 2003 on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Niwano Peace Prize. The Committee presently consists of nine religious leaders from various parts of the world, all of whom are involved in movements for peace and inter-religious cooperation.

Here are some comments by members of the Committee on the selection of Mr. Rajagopal P. V. for this year’s award :– Rajagopal uses the Gandhian technique of foot-marches for promoting world peace… He has trained many young men and women in nonviolent social practices. His organization is also dedicated to improving the livelihoods of poor people and farmers in India. He is also addressing the problems of climate change and its impact on the lives of the people, especially the marginalized people. A Gandhian like Rajagopal is deserving of the Niwano Peace Prize. (Dr. Ranjana Mukhopadhyaya) – [His] lifelong commitment and work based on Gandhian principles of ‘satyagraha’ and nonviolent activism. [He] addresses structural violence through multiple types of people’s movements which find unique ways to address their most pressing needs and capacities.

His approach has global vision, yet began in local Indian communities that spread throughout the country. [He]catalyzed and led many foot marches for land and livelihood rights, tribal rights, some of which have led to land being returned and responsive substantial changes in public policy. (Mr. Somboon Chungprampree) – With this world characterized by different forms of violence, new approaches are needed to deal with teaching people about non-violence. Also, as the future lies with young people, it is important to actively involve them into promoting world peace and discourage all the wars that are destroying life and the environment. The ideologies such as those based on Gandhi on peace and non-violence could be the pillar or resuscitation of humanity and living together in harmony. People like Mr. Rajagopal, who is the Founder of Ekta Parishad organization dedicated to Gandhian ideologies of promoting peace and non-violence are key figures that are needed in this world.

He believes that peace and non-violence can be addressed successfully through dialogue. His dedication for world peace made him to organize a year – long nonviolent march covering 12,000 kilometers across ten countries. His activism for peace and justice based on spiritual practice and his focus on young people who are the leaders of the future, can change the present violent nature of this world. His extra strength of not only concentration on his country but spreading his teachings to others globally in the promotion of justice and nonviolence can heal the world. His recognition of the problem of climate change which also affects the lives of people, is also very important as people live in this earth but destroying the environment which results in violent climate changes that kill lots of people, something that could be prevented. He believes that through dialogue the world could work towards the eradication of poverty, encourage social inclusion, act on different ways to deal with climate crisis and halt conflict and violence. (Dr. Nokuzola Mndende) The Niwano Peace Prize The Niwano Peace Foundation established the Niwano Peace Prize to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible. The Foundation hopes in this way both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace.

The 40th Niwano Peace Prize awarded to Mr. Rajagopal P. V. of India

Reason for Selection

Dr. Flaminia Giovanelli says

On behalf of the Niwano Peace Prize Committee I am honored to announce that the 40th Niwano Peace Prize will be awarded to Mr. Rajagopal P. V. of India in recognition of his extraordinary work in the service of Justice and Peace. His actions in favor of the poorest and most marginalized of his country, carried out through peaceful and nonviolent methods, and his struggle for the recognition of the equal human dignity and equal rights of every man and woman, irrespective of caste or gender, inspires great admiration. His particular accomplishments that garner the highest esteem include negotiating the surrender and facilitating the rehabilitation of gangs, the education of young people in the service of the poor, and, well aware that the primary needs of the poor are water, land, and forests, his commitment to care for the environment. Mr. Rajagopal’s work for justice is also carried forward through dialogue with institutions with a view to counteracting the phenomenon of land grabbing, and obtaining, through appropriate land reform, the redistribution of land and the assignment of land ownership.

The means and meaning of spirituality are deeply rooted in all of Mr. Rajagopal’s activities. Being a Gandhian in thinking and action, he strongly believes in a journey of social action that starts from an “inner transformation” and expands to the outer world. This spirituality is matched by Mr. Rajagopal’s very remarkable organizational skills as evidenced by the transition from action carried out in small groups and self-help organizations to the creation of large movements such as Ekta Parishad, which has an active membership of 250,000 landless poor and is capable of mobilizing thousands of participants in national and international marches to call attention to the important problems of our time. Mr. Rajagopal’s biography and curriculum vitae is so rich that one can go over it only in outlines. The child of a Gandhian family, he was born on 6 June 1948 in Kerala State, South India. He uses only his first name in public to avoid being associated with the phenomenon of caste, which is a clear sign of his vision of human equality. He first obtained diploma in traditional art and music from a reputed organization in Kerala, and afterwards a diploma in Agricultural Engineering in a Nai Talim system of education, the Gandhian method of “education for life.” As Mr. Rajagopal himself stated, “it was a long journey, in terms of trying to find what

I really wanted to do. ”What he wanted to do became clear at the beginning of the 1970s when he moved to the Chambal district of Madhya Pradesh. There he found endemic violence, the consequence of injustices and wrongs suffered by the population which had resulted in the growth of gangs (“dacoits”). Mr. Rajagopal along with other senior Gandhian leaders, became a peacemaker, obtaining the surrender and even the rehabilitation of the dacoits. This courageous initiative paved the way for another of great significance that developed during the 1980s: the organization of regional and national youth training programs to promote the concept of non[1]violent action for social change.

Mr. Rajagopal’s commitment to justice and peace in this 20-year period culminated in the establishment of Ekta Parishad (Unity Forum) as an umbrella mass-organization with the mission of non[1]violent activism for securing land and livelihood rights for marginalized communities. Thanks to Ekta Parishad, Mr. Rajagopal’s social activism has taken on a greater national and international visibility through successful land rights marches with the participation of thousands of people. Overall, the movement with the collaboration of other groups, secured land rights for nearly 500,000 families, negotiated a “Forest Rights Act” in 2006-2007, organized highly attended marches in 2007 and 2012, and a new land reform policy was agreed to by the central government and the state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The last and more visionary march through ten countries, from Delhi to the United Nations headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), planned to last a whole year (October 2019 to October 2020), couldn’t be completed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ekta Parishad activists and volunteers, more than 2,000 in number, reacted to the challenge of COVID-19 by delivering home care and health interventions in many Indian rural regions to fight the pandemic.

Mr. Rajagopal’s roots in Gandhian spirituality and philosophy made it natural for him to serve within institutions that maintain the Mahatma’s memory by applying his principles. In 1972 he was Secretary of the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram, in 2005 he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, and today he continues to be the Managing Trustee of the International Gandhian Initiative for Nonviolence and Peace (IGINP). Mr. Rajagopal’s nonviolent social action has also led him to be a man of dialogue with institutions, holding official positions such as Enquiry Commissioner of the Supreme Court on Bonded Labour, and a member of the National Council for Land Reform. His goal is the creation of a ministry and budget for peace and nonviolence. “If you are spending so much money on war, the military, and police, why can’t you spend some money on peace and nonviolence?” he asks.

The inter-religious essence of Mr. Rajagopal’s activism is in bringing together the poor, united in nonviolent protest for their rights, without distinction of religion. The movement’s protest demonstrations take place with the side-by-side participation of peasants of all religious beliefs.

The great movement originated by Mr. Rajagopal’s efforts has for years transcended the borders of his great country, India, as evidenced, for example, by the influence of Ekta Parishad on other continents such as Europe, and the international resonance of the Jai Jagat campaign. The United Nations is also on Mr. Rajagopal’s horizon. He would like to have this leading international body as an ally in his quest for what he calls “a nonviolent economy.”Finally, we think it is highly significant to award Mr. Rajagopal the 40th Niwano Peace Prize in 2022 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that highlighted a downside of our interconnected world and forced us to rethink globalization. Hissocial activism, while addressing the most salient issues of the globalized world, utilizes a closeness to the land and the people, and recovers a place for ethics and justice in development. Mr. Rajagopal ultimately reclaims for the people a way of development that is sustainable and humane.

The Prize is named in honor of the founder and first president of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano. For Niwano, peace was not merely an absence of conflict among nations, but a dynamic harmony in the inner lives of people as well as in our communities, nations and the world. Seeing peace as the goal of Buddhism, Niwano devoted much of the latter half of his life to promoting world peace, especially through inter-religious discussion and cooperation.
Niwano Peace Prize recipients are:
1. Archbishop Hélder P. Câmara (1983)
2. Dr. Homer A. Jack (1984)
3. Mr. Zhao Puchu (1985)
4. Dr. Philip A. Potter (1986)
5. The World Muslim Congress (1987)
6. Rev. Etai Yamada (1989)
7. Mr. Norman Cousins (1990)
8. Dr. Hildegard Goss-Mayr (1991)
9. Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne (1992)
10. Neve Shalom/ Wahat al-Salam (1993)
11. Paulo Evaristo Cardinal Arns (1994)
12. Dr. M. Aram (1995)
13. Ms. Marii K. Hasegawa (1996)
14. The Corrymeela Community (1997)
15. Ven. Maha Ghosananda (1998)
16. The Community of Sant’Egidio (1999)
17. Dr. Kang Won Yong (2000)
18. Rev. Abuna Elias Chacour (2001)
19. Rev. Samuel Ruiz García (2002)
20. Dr. Priscilla Elworthy (2003)
21. The Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative (2004)
22. Dr. Hans Küng (2005)
23. Rabbis for Human Rights (2006)
24. Dharma Master Cheng Yen (2007)
25. His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal (2008)
26. Rev. Canon Gideon Baguma Byamugisha (2009)
27. Ms. Ela Ramesh Bhatt (2010)
28. Mr. Sulak Sivaraksa (2011)
29. Ms. Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez (2012)
30. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Gunnar Stålsett (2013)
31. Ms. Dena Merriam (2014)
32. Pastor Esther Abimiku Ibanga (2015)
33. Centre for Peace Building and Reconciliation (2016)
34. Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan (2017)
35. Adyan Foundation (2018)
36. Dr. John Paul Lederach (2019)
37. Venerable Pomnyun (2020)
38. Venerable Shih Chao-hwei (2021)
39. Father Michael Lapsley, SSM (2022)
The Niwano Peace Foundation
The Niwano Peace Foundation was chartered in 1978 to contribute to the realization of world peace and the enhancement of a culture of peace. The foundation promotes research and other activities based on the spirit of religious principles and serves the cause of peace in such fields as education, science, religion and philosophy. The Foundation’s assets of about 4.4 billion yen makes possible the Niwano Peace Prize and other activities such as grants, research projects, lectures, symposia, and international exchanges. The Niwano Peace Foundation is a government-recognized charitable organization.

Following the footprints of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, the only such Gandhian thinker, Gandhian who dedicated himself to the world society with non-violent facts and has been trying to bind the entire world society in one thread, his works No matter how much it is appreciated, it is less. Your Japan’s oldest organization Nivano has considered the precious works of senior social worker Gandhi-thinker, Gandhian Mr. Rajagopal PV, as this yoga and has increased his respect in the world by awarding him with a priceless gift, Nivano World Peace Prize, for this we The people of India who believe in peace will always be grateful to Nivano Sanstha.