Justice Dalveer Bhandari spoke at the Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice in Mumbai (File)
On his first trip to India
after his re-election to the United Nations top court that was
considered a major triumph for
Indian diplomacy,
Justice Dalveer Bhandari delivered an important message on the link between love and compassion and the rule of law.
"In a world riddled with unimaginable terror, violence and blatant attacks on the rule of law, as well as the human values that underline this, it is imperative, that we focus on the core values of compassion and human resilience that this rule of law aims at protecting these values," he said.
"While you might consider the two to be relatively unrelated, this is not in fact the case. The rule of law aims at protecting such values of humanity, equality, inclusiveness and is in synthesis with the objectives that drive the values of compassion and service to humanity," Justice Bhandari told the gathering at the Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice held in Mumbai on Sunday evening.
Dr Abraham Mathai, who organised the awards, which are an appreciation for social service, told NDTV, "We are living in a global village and when we see refugees whose children do not have basic education, we have a moral duty as a global citizen today to see what we can do to alleviate their plight. That is the reason we had this event and the theme was compassion beyond borders."
Among the awardees were Khalsa Aid who have been instrumental in helping Rohingya refugees from the Rakhine region of Myanmar. Other awardees included Father Tom Uzhunnaalil, Bayat Foundation, Zakat Foundation of India, A21, Isra Aid, Mercy Corps, Hellenic Rescue Team. All these organisations have been known for their work in helping refugees overcome a humanitarian crisis.
Tushar Gandhi, the Mahatma's grandson who spoke to NDTV, said, "In these troubled times we have to be more loud about our assertion of these beliefs and these kind of events provide us with a reaffirmation of our faith that we are responsible for everything that happens and its consequences."
Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who had
spent more than a year in captivity in Yemen but
was later released and won the award this year, said "I ask you to pray for the people suffering in different countries who are at war because of the greed for money and power. Let's pray for peace so that all our brothers and sisters can live in peace. The need of the power is forgive one another and love and care for one another."