By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The cycle rally of Jamia Millia Islamia students, set off with the theme of Dilon ko Jodo on February 6 in Pushkar of Rajasthan, reached the university in the National Capital today to find union ministers, vice chancellor, teachers and students standing in hot sun to welcome the cyclists – the messengers of peace.
The unique cycle rally for peace, the brainchild of Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung, started its journey from Lord Brahma’s Temple in Pushkar on February 6, paid homage at the tombs of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti at Ajmer and after covering 442 km, returned to Delhi today. Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed, Jamia VC Najeeb Jung and teachers and students greeted them with flowers.
“Our motto was to spread message of peace. By taking out this cycle rally we wanted to tell people we are serious about peace,” said Rabia who was among the 25 cyclists. Mohd Salman, another cyclist said: “All religions should co-exist. There should be peace and communal harmony.”
The rally, in the words of Mr Jung, “is a demonstration by students of Jamia of their commitment to national integration, peace and solidarity”.
The rally, whose participants — students of the university drawn from all parts of India — stood for University’s ideals of peace, communal harmony and religious pluralism.
Following the felicitation of the students, Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid inaugurated ‘Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research’ being set up on Jamia Millia Islamia campus in partnership with ‘Save the Children’ to address the challenges to the holistic development of young children, particularly those adversely impacted by natural disasters.