Spirit of Service

A dream to break down religious and cultural barriers, to rise above such obstacles and to understand the spirit of serving, over 250 youth came together at the University of Western Sydney, Parramatta on Saturday, 14th June 2008.

The Hindu & Muslim master of ceremonies both welcomed the eager audience, as they explained the uniqueness of the night since it was "the first interfaith event between the two traditions as well as organised primarily by the youth". The reason for the theme of the night was explained, pointing out that "the basic tenet of our faith is love which shows itself in the form of service, service of humanity."

The opening address was given by the Hon Laurie Ferguson, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, who welcomed such an initiative by Affinity and Sai Sathya Y-Net, pointing out that this event was recognised internationally. Hon Laurie Ferguson reflected on his personal relationship with Affinity and explained how he welcomed this event; "I am pleased with the efforts of Affinity because they have reached out beyond the Abrahamic faiths".

The keynote speaker, Mr. Shane Phillips, CEO, from the Tribal Warriors Association, who was in hospital earlier that day due to a viral infection, did not disappoint the audience by delivering his keynote speech under such circumstances. Shane Phillips shared some of his wonderful experiences with the Tribal Warriors Association, an association formed to train Aboriginal Maritimes. Mr. Phillips explained how the key to success was to "keep things simple and be focused".

The keynote speakers was followed by three youthful, vibrant speakers talking about what spirit of service means from their faith perspective; Mr Shiva Gounden approached the topic from a Hindu perspective, Sadiq Ansari from a Muslim perspective, and Leonard Fung from a Buddhist perspective. All speakers emphasised the importance of serving others and the many benefits one receives from serving others such as "learning so much", "witnessing inspirations" and "feeling better".

After a tea and coffee break it was now time for a different type of interaction, a different type of dialogue. The Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist performances mesmerised the audience with their beauty, power and ability to affect the soul in a different manner.

The performances were followed by the sharing of a different type of interaction that had taken place; the reflections of Makiz Ansari, director of Affinity Intercultural Foundation and Riona Moodley, the NSW Youth Leader of Sai Sathya Y-Net on the “Hindu Muslim” home encounters which they had participated in for three months leading up to the event.

The audience were given snippets of the encounters on the screen, enabling them to have a feel for the type of discussions that took place. As the night was drawing to an end, Mr. Kolitha Wickramage reflected on the night, explaining that "Sai Sathya Y-Net and Affinity were more than partners in a conference, they are partners in a relationship."

Mr. Mehmet Saral, President of Affinity Intercultural Foundation, followed with the closing speech, thanking all the speakers for their inspirational talks and officially donating the proceedings of the night, $1000, to Feza Foundation for their Myanmar Human Appeal. The evening’s success was evident by the many positive comments received;

Mr. Dhrur Saxena, a University Mathematics student, remarked, “I am amazed at how many people are open to interfaith dialogue", explaining how he learnt a lot and that he was "inspired by the speakers who were talking from the heart."

Ms. Riona Moodley felt that "the most important part of the night is bringing people together, taking away the labels and promoting oneness."