THE unveiling of the 20th Sivananda Peace Pillar - a historic four-ton granite monument inscribed with prayers from the world’s major religions - will take place in Umkomaas, on the KZN south coast, on Saturday.
Standing tall at 3.5 meters high, this heritage monument is the brainchild of Prince Ishwar Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu, founder and president of the Sivananda World Peace Foundation.
The unveiling ceremony will take place at the Umkomaas Hindu Society, in Craigieburn, and will be attended by KZN Premier Thamsaqa Ntuli, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Narend Singh, and other religious and community leaders. Musical performances by Yovani Naidoo and her troupe will add to the ceremony’s cultural significance.
“The Sivananda Peace Pillars are a beacon of unity in diversity. They are a source of inspiration and a reminder that peace and love should transcend our human limitations. The Sivananda Peace Pillar is a source of inspiration. As there are many challenges globally, peace and unity are crucial. Political and social stability are a sign of a united global community and we must work hard at preserving the peace amongst all our citizens. This initiative is a tribute to Swami Sivananda, founder of the Divine Life Society Worldwide, and his disciple Swami Sahajananda,” said Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu.
“We are living in extremely difficult times and turmoil in the world, and with the raging war between Israel and the Middle-East enclaves of Palestine, the Gaza Strip, and now in Lebanon, we need peace and we have to pray for peace. The erection of another peace pillar in Umkomaas is a symbolic move to send a strong message both at home and abroad that the world’s people must give peace a chance. Wars destroy our humanity and human lives and dignity. Through the peace pillars we aim to promote peace and work towards ending the vicious cycle of violence and crime that continues to hit hard at the ordinary people and including impoverished and jobless communities living in rural areas.”
This is the 20th Sivananda Peace pillar to be erected in KwaZulu-Natal and in South Africa at large, he said.
“Peace Pillars have already been unveiled in KwaDukuza, Empangeni, Phoenix, Tongaat, Hluhluwe, Drakensberg, Richards Bay, Ulundi, Gingindlovu, Pietermaritzburg, Greytown, Durban and Ladysmith. The first one was erected in the Empangeni museum in 2009,” added Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu.
“When I presented our honorable former president Nelson Mandela, who himself was a symbol of peace, with a replica Peace Pillar in Houghton, Gauteng, for his 92nd birthday, he remarked to me that the pillars would go a long way in promoting peace in our country.”
He added that the unveiling of this peace pillar in Umkomaas would also be an event to recognise one of the town’s late pioneering community and spiritual leader, SR Padayachie, a foremost disciple of Swami Sivananda, who was credited locally for launching the Divine Life Society of South Africa, a renowned socio-religious movement that has delivered many education, community and social projects in KZN.
In a booklet published by Swami Sahajananda in 1948, the iconic Indian spiritual leader wrote: “If the Divine mission is flourishing today, it is due to the untiring efforts of father Padayachie, as he is affectionately known”.
The next port of call for erecting the 21st Sivananda Peace Pillar will be Port Shepstone later this year.