President Ram Baran Yadav gave away a plaque, an award medal, a Nepali cap, a metal Buddha image, and $25,000 each to Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue and former Hiroshima mayor Dr Tadatoshi Akiba in recognition of their advocacy for global peace.[break]
Hailing the two as great advocates of nuclear non-proliferation, reduction of military spending and disarmament, Yadav showered words of respect to what he termed “heroic deeds” of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who brought cities devastated by nuclear bombs 66 years ago back to full life.
Several thousand people, including survivors of atomic bomb disaster Toyokazu Ihara and Kiyomi Iguro, Vice-president Paramananda Jha, ministers, and Japanese ambassador to Nepal attended the ceremony held just a stone´s throw away from the famous Mayadevi temple erected exactly over the spot where Buddha was born over 2,500 years ago.
The temple was specially decorated for the day with the beautiful brick flooring of its compound freshly painted. Entrance fee to the Lumbini compound that houses nearly a dozen monasteries built by as many countries was fully waived off for the day.
In his acceptance speech, Taue said Buddha´s way of living and philosophy of seeking spiritual peace goes beyond religions.
With humility that is characteristic of the Japanese people, he added, “I understand that we are receiving this award because of the way the people of the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima have worked together for many long years in an attempt to abolish nuclear weapons.
“The survivors of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki speak about the physical and mental pain they have suffered in the hope that nobody in the world will ever have to go through such an experience again. The realization of a world without nuclear weapons is the strongest wish of all the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Taue further said.
Dr Akiba recalled the recent devastating earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and said, “Hiroshima offers hope because Hiroshima citizens have been able to reconstruct their city and achieve prosperity.”
The Mayor for Peace movement that the two lead seeks the realization of a nuclear-free world by 2020.
The initiative that started with just 440 member cities 12 years ago has today the participation of over 4,700 mayors and cities across the world. Several cities of nuclear-armed states -- Moscow, London, Paris, Beijing, New Delhi, Rawalpindi, and Jerusalem to name some -- are also members of the initiative.
The prize ceremony was held on the occasion of Buddha´s 2555th birthday. It is believed that Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautam was born, attained enlightenment and died or achieved Nirvana on the same full-moon day.
The award was instituted by the government of Nepal government last year, to be henceforth awarded every five years. This is Nepal´s biggest and the first internationally given award.
It is also the first dedicated international peace award in the name of this greatest messenger of peace, according to Kul Chandra Gautam, chairman of the award selection and management committee and former UN assistant secretary-general.
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