Dear friends,
Today is the 91st birth anniversary of my father, Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya. He was the Vice President of Somaiya Vidyavihar from 1959 until 2010 when he passed away.
There are many things I learned from him. One thing I would like to remember today, is his efforts at reaching out and engaging in dialogue.
Once, when he had invited people with completely different points of view and opinions from ours, I asked him as to why he invited such people.
And he replied: " How else will we achieve change if we do not engage with people we do not agree with or think differently ? "
I did not agree with him then, but the more I have thought about his, the more I see how right he was. We either close our ears to opinions and views of those we do not agree with, or worse, try to shut them up. We do not engage in meaningful dialogue. We see this everywhere in the world, as the world grows more intolerant.
His message was of a more inclusive world, that respected others and tried to achieve a common understanding based on dialogue.
Samir
