On the 6th of August, the Coimbatore Peace Festival was held in Coimbatore City gathering 1300 children and youth from 79 institutions. The Festival, which focused on issues such as ending poverty, building peace and transforming the world, was organized and run by the Youth Section of Shanti Ashram with Arigatou International (GNRC) participating as a knowledge partner. The Coimbatore Peace Festival was conducted following the guiding principles of respect for the sacredness of different religions, cultures and civilizations and interfaith cooperation for social cohesion and development; it stressed the need for piloting peace building initiatives at the local, national and international levels and working with youth as active participants in peace building.
