SHILLONG: As part of its year-long Golden Jubilee celebration, the Church of Jesus Christ Shillong observed the International Day of Peace at Malki ground here on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, Home Minister Roshan Warjri emphasized on the need to understand that true and lasting peace can exist only when we learn to co-exist and appreciate each other’s differences.
“This is true for our city and anywhere else in the world,” she said.
Environmentalist and columnist Naba Bhatacharjee said that one of the greatest factors that endangers peace is intolerance.
He further stated that in a city like Shillong where people of different cultures and religions co-exist, there is a need to learn to tolerate and understand the differences.
While expressing his gratitude to the Church for organizing the function, he pointed out that both Christianity and Hinduism promote tolerance in their basic teachings.
Addressing the gathering, Ps Hunlang Chyne, president of the Assembly Church of Jesus Christ India said that in line with the jubilee theme, which is freedom in its spiritual sense, freedom, justice and peace have to work together if sustainable peace and development is to be achieved. He appealed to the government to strive for economic justice whereby the poor and under privileged are uplifted and opportunities for the future can be created.