A young musician and follower of the ancient Indian musical tradition of Dhrupad, Mrunali Desai, performed on the Rudra Veena at Yuva Sadbhav 2026, held on 7 August at the Pilar Pilgrim Centre. She was accompanied on the Jori by Kaushal Joshi. Mrunali Desai is a disciple of Vidushi Jyoti Hegde, one of the leading maestros of the Rudra Veena from the Khandarbani tradition. Ms. Desai explored Raag Bhimpalasi and offered participants a contemplative and enriching experience. It was a beautiful transition from dialogue to meditative and reflective moments.
Earlier in the morning, over ninety students belonging to diverse faiths from eight colleges and one university registered for Yuva Sadbhav 2026 and engaged in dialogue on the theme “When Faith Goes Viral: Youth and Faith in the Digital Age,” promoting mutual understanding, friendship, trust, and harmony.
Gayathri Rao, Counsellor and member of the Goa Mediation and Reconciliation Centre, facilitated an interactive session on “Conflict Resolution.” The session focused on stereotypes, misinformation, prejudice, and digital communication, while developing skills of empathy, active listening, and peaceful conflict resolution. Reflecting on the session, Sahil Awasthi, a student of Fr. Agnel College, said, “Listening and empathy are the key to peace and harmony. We need dialogue to resolve our conflicts.”
Jisha Ponnachan, Assistant Professor at Fr. Agnel College, Pilar, facilitated a session exploring diverse perspectives on faith through a creative activity titled “Four Corners.” Participants expressed their opinions by standing in front of one of the four statements and then spoke with others about why they had chosen their corner.
After lunch, Asim Shaikh, a member of Sadbhav, provided a safe and non-judgemental platform for participants to raise questions about faith, religion, spirituality, misconceptions, and interfaith relationships in a session titled “Ask Without Fear – Anonymous Question Box.”
Marisa Mabel Rodrigues from Nirmala Institute of Education said, “It was nice to see people from different places, different colleges, and different backgrounds share their honest thoughts and opinions. I loved hearing about topics that felt like taboos in society.” She further added, “I would be a different me, a changed me, a better person than how I entered – a more whole me.”
Summing up his experiences at Yuva Sadbhav, Mohammad Shahil Fardhan from St. Aloysius (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, expressed, “I gained knowledge and learnt that kindness and understanding can solve many problems.”
At the outset of Yuva Sadbhav 2026, Prof. Annie Rajan, Principal of Fr. Agnel College, Pilar, addressed the participants, while Rev. Dr. Elvis Fernandes, the Convenor of Sadbhav, welcomed them and explained the purpose of Yuva Sadbhav. He said, “Yuva Sadbhav is not another competitive event; rather, it is an endeavour to bring young people from different faiths and beliefs together to dialogue and promote mutual understanding and respect.”
The celebrations concluded with a Valedictory Session, Vote of Thanks, and fellowship tea. Ms. Janessa D’Mello acknowledged the contributions of all partners, volunteers, facilitators, performers, and attendees. The entire programme was meaningfully compered by Jisha Ponnachan.
Yuva Sadbhav was organised by Sadbhav, an initiative of the Society of Pilar, in collaboration with Fr. Agnel College of Arts & Commerce, Pilar.
FR. ELVIS FERNANDES, SFX
