Awards for Service to Humanity
The Association for Communal Harmony in Asia held its annual Awards Night on Dec. 4th in Portland, OR. The association invites recommendations for two kinds of awards. One is the “Make A Difference” award. This award is intended for individuals who have made a significant positive impact on their communities. The other award is the “Star Award,” for individuals who have made significant contributions to the cause of peace and harmony around the world.
Since ACHA works primarily with South Asians, most of the “Make A Difference” awardees are immigrants to the USA. Each awardee spoke about his/her motivation in making such efforts toward social betterment in their locales. Typically, they expressed how grateful they were for the opportunity to progress in life by coming to the USA, and they wanted others to have the same opportunity in their lives. Their community service reached out beyond family and ethnicity to a dedication on behalf of all people.
The three recipients of the “Star Award” were all from India (Sundeep Waslekar and Ram Punyani) and Pakistan (A.H. Nayyar). They are peace activists who have spent a lifetime working for peace and understanding in the volatile context of Hindu/Muslim and India/Pakistan conflicts. They have relentlessly pursued peace against great odds and at great personal sacrifice.
ACHA is an organization devoted to promoting mutual respect among the diverse communities of South Asia, both in that region of the world and among immigrants to the USA. All the world knows the headlines of the perpetrators of conflict and disharmony. This effort attempts to highlight the many positive efforts across communal lines, as an inspiration and encouragement to all people everywhere.
For regular features on such peacemaking efforts, one can access the ACHA web site www.asiapeace.org For further information on ACHA, one should contact the Executive Director Dr. Pritam K. Rohila at asiapeace@comcast.net