Projects

IHF Projects 2011 – Current

India Harmony Foundation Centres

Organize Seminars

Cultural Shows

“Culture is the greatest tool in building bridges and promoting understanding between communities” says Zafar Saifullah, former Cabinet Secretary, Government of India and Founder President of The India Harmony Foundation. The message behind the Purani Dilli show is that ‘Indians, deep in their hearts, earn for the old days of social harmony’.

The Purani Dilli Show celebrates an era when culture and harmony was at its peak – the time of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. The forty years of his rule saw the meeting of diverse cultures and tradtions in India. By the time Bahadur Shah Zafar came to the throne, most of the territorial empire of the Mughals was gone. Ruling from the ramparts of the Red Fort of Delhi, he presided over a more important conquest – the minds and hearts of the people of Hindustan. Through his patronage of literature, poetry, music and art, accompanied by total fairness and justice in his administration, he brought in the flowering of an unparalleled culture and sense of unity among its people.
More than any other Ruler, he understood the role of culture in promoting universal harmony. This philosopher – king left behind an enormous body of work encompassing the entire spectrum of human emotions ranging from romance to philosophy to pathos. Not only was he a distinguished poet in his own right but he also promoted a court that comprised of the greatest galaxy of poets which, perhaps, the world has known. Zauq, Mir, Dagh, Momin and, of course, the redoubtable Ghalib, were among them.

All forms of art and architecture were encouraged and they blossomed to give his realm and the City of Dilli, in particular, an unrivaled panorama of the highest attainments of the human spirit. The grace, courtesy, manners, music and food of that era live on in the minds and hearts of succeeding generations of, not just Dilliwalas, but of all Indians belonging to diverse faiths and regions. However, the Mutiny and, later, the partition of India could not revive the bonhomie, the tolerance and the resonating culture of music, dance and poetry of that refined period of Delhi’s history.

In the last few months since its inception, IHF has organized six major shows, that showcase the rich multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual fabric of India. In July, we held the The Chishti Harmony Awards 2011. Last year The Chishti Harmony Awards 2010 which we have instituted were presented to Shri Siddharth Vardarajan, Resident Editor of ‘The Hindu’ and Pandit Ghulam Dastagir, an Urdu, Marathi and Sanskrit scholar for his work of translating the Holy Quran to Sanskrit. At all these events held in Delhi & Mumbai, eminent guests from the diplomatic corps, the professions, the political establishment, the civil services, the film industry, corporate heads & other top executives from the corporate world greatly applauded these initiatives and pledged support to the Foundation.

IHF Educational Complex

The Foundation believes that excellent education with a proper inculcation of moral and social values in the children from their earliest stages, holds the key to securing an environment of true communal harmony, respect for each other’s religious beliefs and civic discipline of a very high order. Accordingly, we have decided to set up an iconic educational complex which would serve as a model for replication in other centers throughout India. After very careful deliberation, we have decided that the Mewat Region would be the most appropriate location for this very prestigious complex and have accordingly selected Salamba Village for locating it.

The complex will consist of three distinct segment

a) The first will be a fully residential school from Nursery to Class XII for boys and girls who will be admitted on the basis of merit from across the country, mainly from the under-privileged and economically backward sections of society so that their economic status does not stand in the way of getting the best education along with training and instruction in moral values, respect for all religions, highest civic values and exemplary discipline both in the school and in their homes. Strong emphasis will be laid on sports and games for which excellent coaching will be made available. The complex will have the school, a full-fledged sports stadium and residential facilities for the entire staff on 100% basis.

b) a Teachers’ Training Institute which will provide facilites not only for graduation, post-graduation and even more advanced studies, but also for short term courses and retreats for teachers already employed to retrain themselves in teaching and sharpen their all-round professional skills. This Institute will have a Research Wing also which will be engaged in drawing up syllabi, teaching aids, and other programmes which will add value to the teaching curriculum of this and other schools set up on similar lines in the country; and

c) a Job-oriented Skill Development Centre in the setting up of which the various industrial and commercial units in the catchments area of this institution, will be involved so that trainees after completion of their training can be absorbed by these units straight away. The Centre will accept trainees who do not wish to continue their academic studies after class VII / class X.
This Complex will be located near the Village Salamba, off Delhi-Alwar Highway, Mewat District, twenty five kilometers from Sohna, Gurgaon.

The Complex will greatly benefit the economy and social life of the residents of Salamba as well as of the entire Mewat region which, the only hundred kilometers from the capital city is still extremely backward.

a) The School, College and the Residential sectors in the Complex will provide direct markets for the employment and sale of produce from the lands of region.

b) Opportunities for skilled workers like Hospital attendants, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, ironsmiths, masons, painters, etc. from the skill development centre will get created by corporate sponsors (such as DLF, other builders, paint companies, electrical materials companies, building materials companies and local hospitals schools etc.) who will employ this trained work force on captive contract basis.

c) Above all, the Complex will become a shining beacon of all–India fame in the field of secular education, teachers’ training and skill development which will greatly impact the lives and attitudes of future generations of Haryana residents.

We strongly request support/sponsorship from industrial/business houses as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

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