Along with my friends Mr. M.K.K. Nair, and Justice P.K. Shamsuddin, a dream was coming true in Kochi, Kerala, India, in November 1981. It was the homecoming or meeting of interfaith families of India with interfaith friends from abroad, for five days, around our concern for humanity. In Samartha, I found a fellow pilgrim who had this deep concern for the wounded humanity, torn apart by many conflicts. Inter-religious conflicts labelled, as "communal conflicts" were uppermost in our thoughts, in the background of the reported conversion of a village in South India to Islam.

Presenting his paper on "Religion and Human Welfare", Samartha made an impartial plea to the participants of the Meeting to make a soul-search into the causes of conflicts, that we too as believers are responsible. His appeal was not to treat the symptoms of the disease but the causes thereof. He reminded us fellow-pilgrims that too often we are part of the problem instead of being part of the solution. "Too often, religious communities themselves are part of the problem. Unless this is recognised they cannot provide any answer to the problem." (Religion and Life edited by Fr. Albert Nambiaparambil cmi, p.33)

Samartha reminded us of violent, oppressive structures that play the hide and seek game within these eruptions, known as communal conflicts. Hear his warnings: "Preaching sermons on salvation or peace or moksha is of little use to starving and oppressed people of our country or elsewhere"(ibidem, p.33).

The talk of the day is that of "globalisation’, of being in a global village. Samartha looks at the birth and growth of religions that are now linked together in this global village. He reminds us about the heritage that we claim adherence to, that "religions have originated and developed very much in isolation from each other." He is not failing in his duty to point to the difficulties of living together, that interfaith living together in our global village creates anxiety, insecurity and fear.

Stanley Samartha lived this difficult path of interfaith pilgrimage. In spite of his failing health, he responded to this request to be with us. He supported us in this our pilgrimage.

I met him a few more times in his home in Bangalore to seek his guidance. He has left us this challenge to walk in the difficult path of interfaith dialogue. Back in 1981, the fear of 'hidden agenda' was present among many dialogue partners. This fear continues to play the same game, may be with political overtones, at the new dawn of the new millennium. His admonition to us would be that of facing squarely these challenges in openness that elicits openness.