Violence, Loss, Grief – Need for Public Actions?

On the International Peace Day, i.e. September 21, 2016, Martha Farrell Foundation (MFF) in collaboration with PRIA organised a roundtable in which 35 people participated to reflect upon grief, loss and recovery, particularly in the aftermath of acts of terrorism where civilians and bystanders lose their lives indiscriminately or loved ones disappear in areas that witness everyday militarism.  

The discussions at the Roundtable were moderated by Dr. Sumona Dasgupta, senior fellow at PRIA, in a manner that allowed for free-flowing discussions. The stories that were shared centred primarily on sharing of personal stories of having lost a loved one or of having survived catastrophic attacks, and of processes of their inner transformation towards healing, restoration and peace.

The personal stories then moved to a sharing of restorative work that ranged from disarmament movements, setting up of social enterprises and creating spaces for dialogue, all aimed at  stopping violence and death by mobilizing those who are the most vulnerable – young people and women. Moving on has been a difficult journey and as one speaker poignantly said, “We can do nothing about the pain and grief that come our way; but what we have a choice about is whether we choose to suffer or not.”

Lalita Ramdas, governing board member of PRIA and a peace activist herself, shared: “I heard this very powerful voice within me telling me that the manner in which Martha lost her life was sending us a strong message. We needed to break out of our conventional, and in many ways, comfortable, styles of working, and strike out on the roads less travelled – the roads that Martha herself chose to travel. Why else would someone choose the option of making the long journey to Afghanistan, knowing that there was always a likelihood of violence? But that in one sense is typically who Martha was and what she exemplified – always ready to face adversity and the toughest unexplored challenges – both at the personal, societal and political level.”