The horror of World War II which tore his family apart was enough for a young Daisaku Ikeda to make a bond with peace. Born in Japan to a farmer, he witnessed early deaths in his family and wasn’t expected to live past his teens due to an attack of tuberculosis (a killer disease then). But the man now heads the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), one of the largest and diverse Buddhist organisations in the world having roots in 192 countries.
Dr Radhakrishnan, the Working Chairman of Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and the author of some 60 books on Gandhian principles and related topics, met Ikeda in 1982 when he had gone to Tokyo to deliver a talk on ‘Buddhism for peace through education.’ They met and their vibes instantly matched. For the last 30 years, they have kept in close touch with each other, believing that their respective principles have much in common.
The friendship and mutual respect have seen Radhakrishnan coming out with five books on the Japanese educationist, poet and peace-builder. A sequel to the books, in ten volumes, each touching on a different aspect of Ikeda and his views, will be released here on Thursday. The ten-volume Ikeda study series will be dedicated by poet O N V Kurup at a function to be held at Gandhi Bhavan at 4 pm.
‘’The slender volumes are a study of the man who thinks that a new human revolution is possible when the youth in a country take to transformation. Seventy per cent of his followers are women as he advocates women empowerment in a big way. I have also explored in one of the volumes the factors that link the trio - Gandhiji, Martin Luther King and Ikeda - who stood for peace using their own respective modes,’’ said Radhakrishnan.
The books dwell on Ikeda’s life which is dedicated to world peace, his championing of women power, his take on youth power, humanistic education, how he converts faith into action and his strivings for a human revolution.
The many dialogues that Ikeda and Radhakrishnan have had on world peace have been brought out as books in Japanese and Chinese. The English version is in print and will be out in three months.
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