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On October 26, in New Delhi, India, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada met with Dr. Lokesh Chandra, director of the International Academy of Indian Culture, and Professor Nirmala Sharma, vice director of the academy. Dr. Chandra is a renowned Buddhist scholar who had a long-standing friendship with President Daisaku Ikeda. The two co-authored the dialogue Buddhism―A Way of Values: A Dialogue on Valorisation Across Time and Space published in Japanese in 2002.

President Harada expressed deep gratitude for Dr. Chandra's many years of dedication to cultural and academic exchange and his research on the Lotus Sutra. Dr. Chandra commended the Soka Gakkai for its contribution to preserving Buddhist culture in an era dominated by science and technology.    

Read The Guiding Light of the Lotus Sutra: A Conversation with Lokesh Chandra.

On October 25, Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) leaders from across the country attended a meeting at the organization’s headquarters in New Delhi, India. During the meeting, the appointment of Vinay Jain as BSG chairperson and Sujata Mankotia as BSG women’s leader was announced. The meeting was attended by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada, SGI General Director Yoshiki Tanigawa and SGI Women’s Leader Masami Nasu.

On October 8, the Women, Faith, and Climate Network (WFCN) and the Soka Gakkai Women’s Peace Committee (WPC) cohosted an online forum titled “Kitchen Talk: The nexus of climate and conflict,” attended by some 500 people. Following opening remarks by WPC Chair Miyuki Hashiguchi, two Soka Gakkai members reported on their local initiatives. One had created a version of Farm to School, connecting local farmers with schools in Iwaki City. Today, five of the seven school lunch centers there receive locally grown produce. The other member runs an eco-friendly coffee shop. In her presentation, Meryne Warah, a WFCN Steering Group member and the Global Program Director of GreenFaith, shared how Christian and Muslim women in Ghana had joined with traditional women’s leaders to raise issues affecting their communities and bring change, illustrating that women of faith are uniquely positioned to work for climate solutions in their local communities.

On October 3, the Soka Gakkai Côte d'Ivoire Peace Center opened in Abidjan. The new center is one of the largest Soka Gakkai facilities in Africa. Members from 12 African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Ghana and Togo attended the opening ceremony. General Director Pierre Veh called on participants to engage in dialogue to foster friendship with others.