3 Gujarat holy cities nominated to green pilgrim cities network

Dwarka, Somnath and Ambaji in Gujarat have been nominated to a new global network of Green Pilgrim Cities. The three cities are sacred for Hindus.

Meeting with Mr. Modi: Mr. Modi speaking. And (L-R): Kusum Vyas, David Cadman, Yogesh Vyas, Emani Kumar & Aditya Nawab (Photos: Living Planet Foundation)

The announcement was made at the Gujarat Chief Minister’s House, Gandhinagar, on Feb 25 during a meeting between Chief Minister Narendra Modi and representatives from the Green Pilgrim Cities Network. The team included Kusum Vyas, for the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), David Cadman, President of International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), Emani Kumar, Executive Director of ICLEI’s South Asia Secretariat and Yogesh Vyas and Aditya Nawab of Living Planet Foundation.

At Gandhinagar: L-R: Emani Kumar, Executive Director of ICLEI – South Asia, Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Kusum Vyas, Consultant, ARC, David Cadman, President ICLEI, Aditya Nawab, Living Planet Foundation, Dr. Yogesh Vyas, Living Planet Foundation.

During the meeting, Modi highlighted some of the green projects already initiated in Gujarat, where work is led by the Yatra Dham Vikas Board. The Board ensures that environmental issues are addressed at every level of policy, especially in the context of local faith and traditional culture.

Innovative concepts such as solar parks and tree planting are being implemented in each of these three cities and could be models for other cities in India and elsewhere.

“Our pilgrim cities will be models of care and respect for the environment that will showcase environmentally sound technologies and practices and in doing so pilgrims, local officials, faith leaders and millions of faithful around the world will be inspired to be part of an unprecedented collaboration to combat climate change and loss of biodiversity,” Modi said. “Gujarat is uniquely positioned to implement green initiatives. ARC is delighted that these three important Hindu cities are joining this pilgrim cities initiative,” Ms Vyas said.

The next steps include a possible conference in Gujarat to highlight the Green Pilgrim Cities initiative and for extensive meetings to be held with the Yatra Dham Vikas Board, which has shown interest in the proposal.

Other pilot Green Pilgrim Cities include Amritsar for Sikhs, Assisi for Catholics, Etchmiadzin for Armenian Orthodox Christians, Haifa for Baha’is, Jerusalem for Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Action plans for each city will be unveiled at the Sacred Land summit in November 2011 at which the Green Pilgrim Cities initiative will be launched.

This event will be hosted by ARC, in Xi’an, the traditional gateway for Daoist pilgrimages to sacred mountains in Central China and for Buddhist pilgrims travelling to India.

It will be supported by the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs and supported by a number of key bodies including the Norwegian Government.

The Green Pilgrim Cities Network

In 2001, more than 60 million Hindu pilgrims attended the Maha Kumbh Mela, a festival held every 144 years in Prayag, Allahabad. This was the largest human gathering in recorded history. Even on any ordinary day of the year, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are on pilgrimage. Every year at least 100 million people become pilgrims, whether for a few hours, days, weeks or even months. Each is undergoing this journey to experience something sacred. It is as if whole cities are on the move, waiting to be transformed.
The Green Pilgrim Cities Network Initiative is facilitated by ARC, in partnership with ICLEI.

ARC has worked with the environmental side of sacred sites and pilgrimage routes for 20 years. In November 2009, in cooperation with the UNDP, it held a major event at Windsor Castle, England. Nine world religions committed themselves to environmental action in what the UN described as “potentially the world’s largest civil society movement on climate change”.

At Windsor, several faith leaders responded enthusiastically to the idea of setting up a global network of green pilgrimage cities of all faiths. The aim is to help faiths green their holy cities according to their own theology and understanding and for pilgrims and pilgrim cities to leave a positive footprint on the earth.

Most faiths have now identified their pilot pilgrim cities. Plans to green these cities will be drawn up by each local faith community, in cooperation with the local authority, mayor or city council; several of these commitments include greening pilgrimage cities and routes.

Several cities have come forward as pilot Green Pilgrim Cities. Plans to green these cities will be drawn up by each local faith community, in cooperation with the local civic authority, starting with the question: “What would your city be like if it were a sustainable green city?”

Faith leaders will commit to work with their own cities and will join a network to share information, support and technical knowledge. The network will engage secular as well as faith partnerships.

THE SECULAR PARTNERS ICLEI:

Founded in 1990, ICLEI provides technical consulting, training, and information services to build capacity, share knowledge, and support local government in the implementation of sustainable development of locally designed. www.iclei.org/

Living Planet Foundation, USA is leading the effort to form a partnership with a working team in Gujarat and help develop the design and implementation of the Green Pilgrim Cities Network initiative in Ambaji, Dwarka and Somnath. http://www.livingplanetfoundation.org/

The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) is an international secular organization founded in 1995 to work with the world’s major religions to help them develop environmental programs based on their own core teachings, beliefs and practices. www.arcworld.org

[ BY KALYANI GIRI ]