Spiritual leaders from six religions, including Cardinal George Alencherry, attended the 12th World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality in Kolkata. Karan Singh, noted scholar, philosopher and politician, delivered the key-note address on the opening day on December 28.

“We live in an age of turmoil,” Singh noted in his speech. According to him, despite technical advancement humanity is lost between a ‘vanishing past’ and an ‘indeterminate future.’

“Climate change and global warming have caused millions of ecological refugees; terrorism has become international, posing global challenges. We all must get our spiritual side together and introspect,” Singh added.

“Faith cannot tie down the illimitable splendor of the divine to one path. To relieve sufferings, gender equality, promoting positive values through education, cherishing our natural environment and nurturing earth and honoring mother nature and enhancing the quality of human consciousness and achieving some-thing higher, should be the goals the goals of the inter-faith movement. We can no longer be different on the basis of religion and the time has come for us to awake, arise and walk boldly towards a confluence or sangam of religion,” he said.