The President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam conferring upon Nirmala Deshpande the National Communal Harmony Award 2004, at Vigyan Bhavan on the 2nd of August 2005

Akhil Rharatiya Rachnatmak Samaj, a federation of social activists and voluntary institutions, is working towards propagating the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave since its inception in 1982.

The Samaj has been organizing workshops, peace marches, seminars and conferences for communal harmony, national integration and peace. To spread the message of equal respect for all religions i.e. ‘sarva dharma samabhava’, inter-faith conferences are organized by the Samaj in various religious places and universities which are addressed by religious leaders of different faiths and eminent academicians. One such conference held in Aligarh Muslim University was inaugurated by Dalai Lama while more than hundred peace activists from Pakistan participated for the first time in another such conference organized at Chennai. Building bridges of understanding between communities is part of the regular work undertaken by the Samaj.

The Gandhian activists of the Samaj are ready to plunge into action in every trouble-torn area in the country to restore peace and normalcy. Peace activists of the society reached militancy-ridden Punjab from ‘all parts of India and worked for harmony and peace at great personal risk. The Samaj has taken exemplary steps in promoting communal harmony and peace in the strife torn state of Jammu and Kashmir. During the Gujarat violence in 2002, the Samaj played a major role in reaching out to victims and organized numerous peace marches. The Samaj believes and acts on the Confucian concept of “not cursing the darkness, lighting a candle, whenever and wherever needed.”

Read The President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's speech
Read Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh's speech