 |
| Rajgopal PV / Photo Credits: Simon Williams |
An Indian activist
said on Wednesday that he expects thousands of people to join his "March
for Justice and Peace", a 9,500-kilometre hike from New Delhi to Geneva
next year.
Rajagopal PV told
reporters in Geneva that he plans to begin his long trek from New Delhi
next October 2nd and should arrive in the Swiss city on September 25th,
2020.
The departure date is
the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, which Rajagopal said "India is
celebrating in a big way" against a backdrop of an intensification of
conflicts around the world.
The 70-year-old
engineer and advocate for the rights of landless peasants in India said
the idea was to cross through Pakistan, Iran and Turkey on the way towards
the Swiss "city of peace".
The aim is to draw
international attention to the links between a growing number of conflicts
around the world and dwindling natural resources.
"If land, forests
and water are taken away from the poor people, then that will lead to
unrest in the society, that unrest will lead to conflict and that conflict
can evolve into large-scale of violence," he said.
"In a world where
conflict is increasing, peace is in great demand, so we thought probably
we can offer the idea of peace-building to the world at large."
Rajagopal acknowledged
that there were many challenges ahead.
He said there could be
problems obtaining visas for the walkers to some of the countries in their
path, and that they may choose to take a boat from Bombay to Greece, and
continue their walk from there.
The man often dubbed
the "New Gandhi" -- a title he says he is uncomfortable with --
said he hoped to get the Dalai Lama and former US president Barack Obama
involved in his cause.
From now until next
October, he said he planned to travel around the world to seek support
from organisations and cities, in the hope that thousands of walkers from
other corners of the globe will also set off on a trek towards Geneva.
Once they arrive in
Geneva, the walkers plan to organise a week of discussions on peace and
non-violence in the city.
Source: Link
