For most of us a walk would mean taking a few rounds of our apartment complex and social service would be putting up statements supporting a cause on our social media accounts. Sri M, a social activist has started the walk of hope, and aims at covering a distance of 7500 kilometres from Kanyakumari to kashmir. The aim of the walk, the sixty-six year old says is to spread the message of religious tolerance and harmony. “I have seen that religion has been misused by people for selfish reasons. I feel that most religious conflicts are political, rather than religious. In the course of my travel across the country, I want to spread the message of peace and humanism. I have been thinking about such an endeavour for many years now.”
The walk was flagged off in March this year from Kanyakumari and Sri M and his team hope to reach Sringar by April next year. “I feel that by walking you get a better perspective about society, meet more people and learn more.
These experiences do not occur if you travel by car. I talked about this idea with a friend and with the help of some trusts I run, we embarked on the trip. We have about 60 regulars and many others have joined us and walked alongside at specific sections.”
Talking about the trip, he says, “We walk for almost five hours a day and covering 20 kilometres on a daily basis. In the evenings, we take a break and spread our message among the communities. The walk had been very well received and has found support of people and politicians cutting across party and religious lines.”
Born into a Muslim family, Sri M was very keen on spirituality from childhood. “I set out to the Himalayas and found a teacher, when I was very young. I stayed with him for a while before returning and getting a job, getting married and bringing up children. My interest in spirituality remained. The trip is an attempt to rekindle spiritualism and to spread the message of humanism.”
Post the trip, he plans to go into meditation for three months. “I would want to spend some time on my own to think about the trip and reflect on how it had helped me. It is a very important aspect of this trip. If I do not reflect on this journey, all this work will go waste.”
