5-yr-old Ajmer girl participates in 'Water for All' conference

A total of seven young representatives, including a 5-year-old Ajmer girl participated in the 'Water for All' conference held recently at the Peace Palace in the Netherlands. The conference was organised by Living Peace Projects Foundation.

Besides participants from the business community, others who entered an interactive dialogue with spiritual leaders on water, were the youngsters, who voiced their concern to protect water bodies from pollution and ensure clean water provision for all in the world.

Aged between 5 and 25 years, the participants entered into interactive dialogue to share their perspective on the importance of water.

Speaking on the occasion, Samar Chisty from Ajmer, aged 5, said "If you save water, water will save you."

Samar is the daughter of Syed Salman Chisty, spiritual head of Ajmer Sharif Dargah and chairman of Chisty Foundation.

Prubleen Kaur Bhogal from Birmingham, 16, said, "Sacred water is a tangible connection to my Gurus."

Prableen is grand-daughter of Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha UK, who is the first British Sikh to be awarded the official title of 'Bhai Sahib' by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, SGPC, Amritsar.

Erik de Baedts, the Director of the Peace Palace, the Hague, received the first copy of the educational "Water Springs", a special book which the spiritual leaders have worked on together.

Mila Mohan, 13, the daughter of Brahmarishi Mohanji, a humanitarian, addressing the gathering, said, "This book has to be in every library."

The other youngsters who participated in the conference included Viviana Franco Hernandez, Environmental Engineer, Netherlands; Abidemi Tolulope Kuye, Engineer, water purification, Nigeria; Jorn Beltman, designer and building engineer; Mohamad Al Jounde, International Children's Peace Prize Winner 2017.

The 'Water for All' ceremony witnessed water from 18 sacred sources being brought and merged together, representing the oneness of spirituality, creation and humanity.

Afterwards, the merged water was used to create exquisite glass water jewel pendants, to wear as a symbol of solidarity with the mission.

These 18 water sources included rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Brahmaputra, Indus, Sutlej, Karnali, Imeq, Mississippi, Rhine, Jordan, Lake Manasarovar, Kali Bein, Nile, Amazon, Water Spring Ajmer Sharif, Water Spring Mekka and Nakki Lake.

The conference concluded after the spiritual leaders gave a call to act and express commitment towards the cause.

The very first 'Water for All' ceremony took place in Assisi, Italy, in June 2018, which was immediately preceded by a visit to Greenland, to witness the melting of the ancient glaciers, sacred to the native population.

Other events included a trip to the Kumbh Mela in February 2019, and Palpung Sherabling Monastery, Himachal Pradesh, in February 2020.