<p>The event has been organised by the Bangalore Initiative for Religious Dialogue (BIRD), an organisation of theologically and socially interested people, which has attempted to be a forum for people of different religions to talk things over in times of strife and peace over the last decade.</p>.<p>In a press release, BIRD said Dr Samartha, an ordained priest of the Church of South India and theology teacher from Karnataka was the first director of the inter-faith dialogue programme of the World Council of Churches in Geneva (1970-81). <br /><br />Samartha is known as the ‘Christian prophet of religious pluralism’, who famously declared himself a Hindu by culture, Christian by faith, Indian by citizenship and ecumenical by choice.</p>
<p>The event has been organised by the Bangalore Initiative for Religious Dialogue (BIRD), an organisation of theologically and socially interested people, which has attempted to be a forum for people of different religions to talk things over in times of strife and peace over the last decade.</p>.<p>In a press release, BIRD said Dr Samartha, an ordained priest of the Church of South India and theology teacher from Karnataka was the first director of the inter-faith dialogue programme of the World Council of Churches in Geneva (1970-81). <br /><br />Samartha is known as the ‘Christian prophet of religious pluralism’, who famously declared himself a Hindu by culture, Christian by faith, Indian by citizenship and ecumenical by choice.</p>
