C20: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future

The theme of India’s G20 Presidency - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth · One Family · One Future” - is drawn from the Maha Upanishad. This theme emphasises on the interconnectedness of all beings in planet Earth and in the wider universe. For India, the G20 Presidency also marks the beginning of ‘Amritkaal’, the 25-year period beginning from the 75th anniversary of its independence on 15 August 2022, leading up to the centenary of its independence, towards a futuristic, prosperous, inclusive and developed society, distinguished by a human-centric approach at its core. The scope for this topic is so huge that it was chosen as one of the 14 working groups under the civilian initiative, C20 and Chinmaya Mission was given the responsibility of being the National Coordinator for this working group. Over 75 national conferences were hosted by the partner organisations - Chinmaya Mission, Vivekananda Kendra, Universal consciousness and ARSP. This has resulted in over 200+ hours of deliberations with subject matter experts on nine sub themes - education, economics, ecology, Dharma, art-culture-literature, sports, media & entertainment, living oneness and earth revering traditions. Chinmaya Mission organised national conferences in 13 cities – Thirupati, Kochi, Imphal, Agartala, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kolkata, Amritsar, Gurugaon, Prayagraj, Mumbai, Port Blair and Bengaluru..As a grand finale to C20 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the international conference was organised at Four Points by Sheraton- Resorts and Convention Center in Mahabalipuram from 27th to 29th May 2023, covering all 9 sub themes, with 14 international speakers and 30 speakers from all across India. Nearly 300 delegates participated in this event.The inauguration on 27th May started with Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri RN Ravi, stressing on the need for collaborative and dedicated action to achieve the spirit of universal oneness. It set the ball rolling for the other panel discussions to follow. In the first session on Dharma, we moved from Buddhism to Sufism to Hinduism all connecting to the Higher Truth which exists within all of us. The second session on ecology and regenerative development, focussed on mindful action and transformative power of individuals, societies and nations in order to restore ecological balance. The day ended with a vibrant concert 3x grammy Awardee Shri Ricky Kej and team, taking the audience on a journey encapsulating the universal vision of interconnectedness. A special edition of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, for which an insightful foreword was penned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, was released on this memorable occasion..On day 2, the third session on art, culture and literature helped draw several parallels on how the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is embedded in our music, dance and ancient texts. The following session on earth revering traditions shattered stereotypes and awakened us to the indigenous wisdom from the Aborigines of Australia to the ethnic groups from rural pockets of India. It reminded us to become rooted and live harmoniously like our tribal communities do. A coffee table book namely Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was launched during this session – a visually captivating journey with proverbs, sayings and quotes from across the world and India and AI generated thought-provoking pictures illustrating the undercurrent of oneness while admiring the beautiful diversity. Next, the speakers under the sub theme of education instigated us to think of how education can be transformative in its approach, outreach, intention and implementation. The incredible panel on Living Oneness connected the dots between heritage conservation and scriptural knowledge. They emphasised on how Bharatiya society has lived in an integrated way in the past and how we must identify with the world around us in every possible way. The beautiful climax to an eventful day was the exclusive concert by the music maestro Shri Illaiyaraja. He created magic through his choiceful selection of melody, elevating the minds of the audience to a trance and silence..The final day started with a discussion on media as a powerful tool in setting the right narrative for people to embrace the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Following that, we had a young and dynamic panel of accomplished sports personalities, who had already surpassed the individual identities, merging with their respective sport and connecting across international borders. The enlightening and concluding session on business and economics gave us an insight on how we can move from the capitalism of markets to a more holistic approach of prosperity and development for all.Shri Gurumurthy wrapped up the international conference with a perfect summary, sowing the seeds for collective action to achieve the goals of One Earth, One Family, One Future, highlighting the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, giving practical examples for the same. The conference was well concluded by Hon’ble Governor of Telangana and Puducherry, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan pointing out how Indians have been the pioneer in integrating the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in our everyday life since time immemorial.The C20 exhibition creatively presented the essence of universal oneness over the 3 days. The highlight was the G20 Golu showcasing the cultural uniqueness of each country, well represented by Chinmaya students in colourful native costumes. The panel of world leaders and thought influencers cutting across time and geography and their statements displayed their unanimity. The cut-outs and displays were specially designed in cardboard material to urge the audience to think green. The VR experience uniquely created for this C20 conclave left each one amused and thoughtful on their way out.