By Fr Elvis Fernandes, SFX –
Pillar (Goa): Followers of seven Faith traditions converged on the Pilar hillock to celebrate their respective festivals on 3 May 2025 at the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, Pilar Goa. Sneh Sangam, which means ‘confluence of love’, a unique Inter religious programme to celebrate the festivals of different religions, was conceptualised by ‘Sadbhav’, an endeavour of the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, Society of Pilar, to foster Inter religious dialogue and solidarity.
The day was marked with sharing about the festivals, prayers, celebration of cultures and a fellowship meal which included food related to the festivals. The day began with the participants being welcomed with kokum sharbat.
Capt. Jehangir Talyerkhan, an experienced Master Mariner and a member of the Parsi community in Goa, spoke about Nowruz which was celebrated on 20 March. Shireen Sidhwa then led the Ashem Vohu and Yatha Ahu Vairyo prayer invoking the blessing of Ahura Mazda the supreme God of the Zoroastrians.
Altaf Shah, administrator of ‘Aashiyan’, a charitable institution supporting poor and orphan girls spoke about the festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr which was celebrated on 31 March. This was followed by a prayer for healing, sadbhav and Sneha led by Rehan Ali, a member of the Students Islamic Organisations of India.
Vedamurti Dnyaneshwar Patil, acting Principal of Swami Brahmanand Mahavidyalaya Tapobhoomi Kundaim Ponda-Goa shared on the festival of Rama Navami which was celebrated on 6 April. This was followed by a recitation of ‘Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah’ the Vedic Mantra from the Rig Veda, by the students from Swami Brahmanand Mahavidyalaya.
Rajesh Chheda, a member from the Jain community, born and brought up in Goa and a CA by profession, spoke on Mahavir Jayanthi celebrated on 10 April. This was followed by the recitation of the Namokar Mantra by Kalpana Shah, President of Goa Jain Samaj and Jayshree Patil.
The festival of Vaisakhi, celebrated by the Sikh Community on 13 April was also part of the festivities. Harpreet Singh, who is actively involved in the religious bodies across India, spoke about Vaisakhi and later recited the Mool Mantra of Sikh Faith. This was followed by sharing on the festival of Easter by Joseph Marcel Fernandes, a former MBA Professor at Christ University, Bangalore. The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, make me a channel of your peace, was sung by Fr. Peter Soares, a veteran missionary in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Kelina Chakma, a member of the Buddhist Faith, spoke about Buddha Purnima which will be celebrated on 12 May. Rupashi Chakma, a graduate from the Delhi University recited the Aham avero homi, the traditional Buddhist blessings and good wishes for the well-being and happiness of all beings.
At the outset of the programme, Fr. Lawrence Fernandes, the director of the Pilar Pilgrim centre welcomed the gathering, Tallulah D’Silva introduced the programme and Fr. Joseph Caji Barreto led a tribute to Pope Francis, an ardent advocate of universal brotherhood, harmony and peace.
The programme ended with a short cultural programme with a song, Yeh Pyar ki Lehre sung by Fr. Elvis Fernandes, the convenor of Sadbhav, and was accompanied by Tabla Maestro Prathamesh Chari. Later Prof. Resham Bhamra presented a poem while Rooshad Patel spoke on the concept of happiness through the teachings of Zarathustra.
The programme was compered by Elaine Coelho and Vansh Naik. Sahil Awasthi proposed the vote of thanks. In the end all the participants joined in the festive lunch, which was overseen by Asim Shaikh, member of the core team of Sadbhav.
Participants expressed their happiness about the event:
Jehangir Khan (Parsi): “Our thoughts are that a confluence like today’s was beautifully curated with respect, inclusiveness, genuine care and thoughtfulness. It was heartening to hear about and understand the wonderful tapestries of our diverse cultures and religions. We thank the organizers for organizing this deeply meaningful gathering and must also compliment them on their fabulous voices, which we had the immense pleasure of hearing!”
Shireen Sidhwa (Parsi): “What a morning! What a wonderful idea for Sneh Sangam to have representatives of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist & Zoroastrian (Parsi) religions gather in one place and speak a bit of themselves. In today’s divisive atmosphere it is so important for each of us to listen to another’s view. Quite strangely, finally it occurred to us that ‘their’ view was nearly identical to ‘our’ view on most communal & religious matters. Need more of the same to unite India”.
Altaf Shah (Muslim): “It was a pleasure being a part of Sneh Sangam. Let us all work unitedly to spread the message of peace and love, it is the need of the hour with so much of hatred and misconceptions, it’s time we take the words of the late pope very seriously and work overtime for peace in the society.
I remember the words of the late Pope Francis who said, “Today Inter faith dialogue is not optional but compulsory”.
Rehan Ali (Muslim): “I really enjoyed being part of the interfaith program. It was amazing to learn about different festivals and hear people share stories from their faiths. The whole atmosphere felt warm, respectful, and welcoming. It’s events like these that truly bring people together. I’m definitely looking forward to being part of more such gatherings”.
Vedmurti Dnyaneshwar Patil (Hindu): “it was a unique experience to be in Pilar for Sneh Sangam. The programme was well organised and provided an opportunity to interact with people from different faith traditions”.
Rajesh Chheda (Jain): “My experience was a transformational one. It is so nice to hear from the people of their respective faith, highlighting the meaning of their festival and that in turn followed by the prayer and its meaning created a profound effect on our mind that we are blessed to have so many different communities and faiths that blend together Like a rainbow. Each one’s positives were shared, and we realise that one common element that went through all of the faiths was the love for humanity and brotherhood, and the welfare of your neighbour. Simple, but noble thoughts, indeed, which today are unfortunately getting cast aside”
Joseph Marcel Fernandes (Christian): “Sneh Sangam was a deeply enlightening programme, as representatives of seven religions shared not just their spiritual traditions but also related customs during prominent festivals. We truly experienced “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” through the sharing of thoughts, feelings and even food. In today’s world of strife and hatred, it was heartening to learn that all religions stressed basic tenets of peace, love and joy.”
Rupashi Chakma (Buddhist): “I am very fortunate to be a part of this harmonious event and meeting with extraordinary people having the same goal of peaceful coexistence with harmony amongst people. To me, Sneh Sangam is like a tree with different sizes of branches but deeply rooted with the same trunk and motto is to spread love, kindness, compassion and tolerance towards all of humanity”.
