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SWAMI AGNIVESH
Offices
Held:
Founder-Chairperson
of Bandhua Mukti Morcha (Bonded Labour Liberation Front) since 1981.
President
– Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (World Council of Arya Samaj)
since Sept. 2004.
Former
Chairperson of the United Nations Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of
Slavery (January 1994 to December 2004)
· Former Member of the
Haryana Legislative Assembly (1977–1982). Minister of Education
in Haryana 1979
· Former Vice President - Interntional
Niwano Peace Prize Committee, Tokyo (January 2003 to
2005)
· Member - International Peace Council
(since January 2003)
· Convenor-Sarva Dharma
Sansad (Parliament of All Religions-India) since 5th October 2007.
· Global Trustee of URI – United
Religion Initiative, Co-founder of URI’s Religions for Social Justice
Cooperation Circle, which has been a powerful force for interfaith harmony
and cooperation in India.
Present
Mission:
· Perpetuating the fight against the
Hedonistic Model of Development leading to crass consumerism and mass
poverty, ecological destruction of the Third World in general and India in
particular. Questioning the cultural
imperialism and that of market forces in the name of profits and shareholder
values, negating all higher human and spiritual values.
· Carrying on
anti-liquor movement throughout India – networking with Religious
leaders of all major faiths, Women’s Organizations and social
political activists.
· Strengthening the Arya
Samaj Movement to fight against various forms of casteism, communalism,
religious obscurantism and other social evils.
· Assisting women’s movement with a
view to ensuring their equal participation in all walks of life –
particularly sharing of political and economic power.
· Continuing the fight
against bonded labour and child labour system and child prostitution by
making Right to Minimum Wage & Right to Education Fundamental Rights.
· Anchoring &
organizing debate on religions into the mass media such as Radio and TV.
Struggling against all forms of religious
fundamentalism, bigotry, dogmatism, casteism and all narrow-minded racial
or other such ill feelings between the different sections of society. Striving for
establishing a liberal, egalitarian society based on tolerance and mutual
accommodation
· Social Action
Programmes:
Led a multi Religious Pilgrimage (Delhi to Manoharpur in
Odissa) to the site of the senseless killing of Graham Stewart Staines and
his two little sons in Orissa in the month of March 1999. It comprised
Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist religious leaders,
thinkers and social activists. Prayers were held at Manoharpur and
Narayanpur. The goal of this pilgrimage was to inspire people of India to form
multi-religious initiative for social transformation and nation
building.
· Sustained campaigning
against Female Feticide.
· Pioneered several peace initiatives
along with Late Shrimati Nirmala Deshpande, Asma Jehangir, Kuldeep Nayyar,
Justice Rajendra Sacchar etc. to promote harmony and friendship between
Southeast Asian countries in general and India and Pakistan in
particular.
Social
Actions
Launched
the Anti-Liquor Movement in Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. Led numerous marches
against alcoholism. Introduction of total prohibition in Haryana has been a
significant success. (From 1st July 1996 to 31st March 1998). It was
subsequently withdrawn by the Haryana Government.
· Founded a political
party – Arya Sabha (1970-77). This party has been in the forefront
of struggles for farmers, laborers, women, teachers and students.
· Led a successful
movement of wheat growers for remunerative prices for their produce
(1973-1974).
· Organized a communal amity march from Delhi to Meerut against the massacre
of some 42 Muslim youth by the police and against the VHP led movement on
Ayodhya.
Bonded
Labour and Child Labour
· Spearheaded the movement towards
liberation of bonded labour and child labour throughout the country –
especially in the stone quarries and brick-kilns of Haryana and Rajasthan,
carpet-weaving belt of Mirzaput-Bhadoi (UP), glass-bangle industry of
Firozabad (UP) and in the farm sector of Koddai Kanal (Tamil Nadu),
Chennagiri Taluka of Shimoga District (Karnataka), etc. Approximately 1,75,000 bonded (including several thousand child bonded)
labourers have been released and rehabilitated during the last 20
years.
· Filed many public interest writ
petitions in the Supreme Court of India for the rights of
bonded and child labourers. Bandhua Mukti Morcha Vs Union of India (3 SCC 1984) is a
landmark judgement by the Supreme Court of India.
· Testified before the
Working Group of Contemporary Forms of Slavery at the United Nations Human
Rights Commission in Geneva
(1983-1989).
· Campaigned for the
National Minimum Wage for all unorganised workers. (Nearly 350 million
in India today)
Women’s
Causes
· Led an 18 day long
epochal marathon from Delhi to
Deorala against the Sati (self-immolation by a widow) incident. The Indian Parliament
responded by enacting a Sati Prevention Act 1987.
· Led march from Delhi to Pura Mahadev (Meerut) to challenge the
Shankaracharay of Puri for a public debate against his obscurantists
views on Sati and on women’s right to equality in the Vedas.
· Launched an agitation, along with other
women’s organisations, against large scale female foeticide. This
created conditions for the Government of India to pass a bill
banning the sex determination tests.
· Led a rampant crusade
against Female Feticide throughout the country and especially in Haryana.
Work
for Dalits, Harijans and Backward Classes
· Denial of entry to the Dalits
(Untouchables) into Hindu temples, posed a new
challenge for the struggle of the downtrodden class. As a symbol of this
struggle, led a march to the famous Nathdwara Temple (Udaipur, Rajasthan
1988-1989)
· Conducted extensive
tours throughout the country to promote self-confidence and awareness among
the most vulnerable sections of Indian society.
Awards:
· Anti Slavery International
Award : London 1990
· Freedom and Human Rights Award : Bern, Switzerland 1994
· Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award : New Delhi 2004
· Right Livelihood Award
2004 : Sweden (Alternative
Nobel Prize)
Published
Works:
· Vedic Socialism (Hindi) ; Paradigm of Social Spirituality that is contrary to
Materialistic Paradigm of Communalism and Capitalism.
· Religion Revolution and Marxism (Hindi
and English) ; Comparative study of Marxism and
urge for Social Justice as the common denominator.
· “Rajdharma” – Chief
Editor of this fortnightly (1968-1978)
· “Kranti Dharmi” –
Chief Editor of this monthly (1989-1991)
· Published various articles on national,
social and political issues in leading newspapers and magazines.
· A Book titled – ‘Swami
Agnivesh – Religion, Spirituality, Social Action – New Agenda
for Humanity’ (Compilation of his writings & Social Actions taken
has recently come out of the press).
· Hinduism in the New Age
; Relevance of the ancient Vaidic social philosophies in modern age.
· Swami Dyanand –
Man, Message and Mission; Compilation of essays on Swami Dayanand by a
Muslim, a Sikh and a Christian scholar.
(1) 7-Jantar Mantar Road , New Delhi - 110001 (India )
Phone:- +91-11-23367943 ,
23363221
Fax :-
+91-11-23367946
E-mail: agnivesh70@gmail.com
Skype Id –
agnivesh70
Web: www.swamiagnivesh.com
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