Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore and Adjunct Professor at the School of Communication and Information in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), delivered with much earnestness to some 250 members of the audience the tenth Daisaku Ikeda Annual Lecture (DIAL) which centred on the theme, “‘All the World My Home, All the People My Kin’: A Universalist View From Asia.” Chairing the lecture held on 18 December 2010 at SSA HQ was Professor Ang Peng Hwa, Acting Head, Division of Journalism and Publishing of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at NTU.
The title of the lecture “All the World My Home, All the People My Kin” comes from the translation of a line of a Tamil poem from India that dates back more than 2000 years ago. Mr Arun believed that this expression, together with similar expressions in other cultures and languages, reflect the interconnectedness and symbiosis of humanity. In spite of the yearning for unity and harmony, humanity has not made significant progress. Contrastingly, humanity continues to indulge in the foolishness of armed conflicts and wars, and mindlessly plunders the Earth’s limited resources for self-benefit, causing irreversible environmental damages.
The lecture, being the finale of the DIAL series, was eventfully concluded with award presentations and commemorative photo-taking. In appreciation of their friendship and understanding of SGS’s mission and objectives, SSA Chairman Mr Michael Yap presented the SSA Goodwill Award to Mr Arun and Professor Ang, while the SSA Culture Award was presented to Dr Gwee Yee Hean, the Chairperson of the DIAL committee for his tireless efforts in spearheading the DIAL committee for a full decade.