For peace: Bali to host international spiritual event

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post 

Bali will host an international event this month in which dozens of world-famous spiritual leaders would encourage participants to put their good faith into daily practice. 

The travel agent cum spiritual activist who chairs the event's organizing committee, Sudiarta Indrajaya, said on Friday, "I hope their messages will encourage us to continue practicing good behavior in our day-to-day lives." 

"We should allow this event to provide solid proof for our children that we have done our best to maintain love and peace through pluralism." 

Dubbed as the Echo of Peace, the annual event is scheduled to be held at Bajra Sandhi (Bali People's Struggle Monument) in Renon, Denpasar, on Oct. 12. 

"Last year, more than 13,000 people attended the event. Let us hope more attend this year," Sudiart said. 

International figures like UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus of Pakistan and sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar are among those who have confirmed they would contribute their voice recordings for the event. 

Meanwhile in Indonesia, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, noted spiritualist Gede Prama, Archbishop of Jakarta Cardinal Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja SJ, Hindu leader Ida Pedanda Gunung and Ida Bagus Wiyana were slated to attend. 

Official invitations have been sent to leaders in Jakarta, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the People's Consultative Assembly chairman Hidayat Nur Wahid, but only the House of Representatives' speaker Agung Laksono had confirmed his attendance. 

"We hope they can participate in the event by sending us recorded peace messages if they are not able to attend in person," he said. 

Representatives from foreign embassies were also invited. 

The Echo of Peace event was inspired by a collective prayer session conducted by the then Australian prime minister John Howard held in 2005 for the victims of the 2002 and 2005 terrorist attacks on the resort island. 

Spiritualist Wayan Wisnaya said the event would likely add more charisma to Bali, an island that was already known as one of the world's sanctuaries of peace. 

Wisnaya said, "In the end, I hope all the good intentions, hopes and prayers that manifest through this event will attract more positive energy to not only Bali but also to the whole country so that we can live more peaceful lives."