Delhi-based International Human Rights Council (IHRC) recognized a retired archbishop from northeast for his decades of volunteer work among some tribal groups in the country.
On December 9, IHRC awarded Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, Assam with the Ambassador for Peace Award for his peace activism.
"Whatever I had done was no more than my duty — to come to the help of people in difficulty to the extent one can. In all honesty, my contribution was very small," the 83-year-old archbishop told UCA News.
Dedicating the award to the members of his ecumenical Joint Peace Mission Team, Archbishop Menamparampil said, "They risked their lives on occasions to bring relief to the victims of violence and staked everything for peace."
The archbishop said that peace can be made a reality in any circumstances and "Every human being longs for peace. This yearning is buried deep in the heart of even the strongest combatant. Young people are often misled into thinking that force will work where persuasion fails," he said.
The state governors and chief ministers appreciated the contribution of his team in peace making.
The team has resolved some of the inter-ethnic tensions that troubled the northeast population in the country and intervened in at least 10 conflicts to bring justice.
The Christian leader shared that being a peace worker is not an easy ride and "one must be prepared to fail many times."
Many universities in India and abroad are demanding archbishop Menamparampil to deliver speech on issues relating to peace and inter-community understanding.
In the World Congress of Philosophers in Beijing last year, the archbishop said, "The cause of peace must assume greater importance in today's world where divisive forces are multiplying and workers for peace are growing timid."
