By Ganesh Upadhyay

Noida, September 12: The Hindi edition of Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s book “Karuna – Samadhan Ki Shakti” (Hindi) was released at Amity University, Noida, on Friday in the presence of a distinguished gathering of academics, writers, public figures, legal professionals and students.

The event, attended by more than 500 people, featured chief guest Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Kailash Satyarthi, noted author and public intellectual Prof. Purushottam Agrawal, Ved Prakash, Nasira Sharma and Dr Gurinder Singh, Group Vice Chancellor, Amity Universities, among other distinguished personalities.

The book was formally released by the chief guest and panelists, with Sumedha Kailash, Co-founder of the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC), Asmita Satyarthi, CEO, SMGC, and officials of Amity University also joining the release ceremony.

Journalist Sanket Upadhyay moderated the discussion.

Speaking at the event, Satyarthi said the world had successfully globalised trade, markets, information, knowledge, production and distribution, yet many fundamental human problems remained unresolved.

“We have globalised trade, markets, information, knowledge, production and distribution… Yet we face the same problems as 20 years ago. Now we must globalise karuna (compassion), because compassion can solve all problems,” he said.

Satyarthi’s book challenges the conventional perception of compassion as merely a soft emotion. It presents “karuna” as a transformative force that can inspire individuals to move from empathy to action and contribute to solving social problems.

Harivansh said technology was increasingly driving human life while nations competed to achieve economic superpower status. However, he stressed that real progress could not be measured only in terms of technological and economic achievements. Human sensitivity and compassion, he said, had to remain at the centre of development.

Prof. Purushottam Agrawal praised the book for focusing on the individual while continuing to hold larger systems accountable. He said the work did not give social and institutional systems a “clean chit” while examining the individual’s responsibility in bringing about change.

Dr Gurinder Singh highlighted the achievements of Amity University and its expanding academic vision, including its proposed plans to strengthen the institution’s presence and collaborations at the global level. He underlined the importance of combining academic excellence with human values, sensitivity and social responsibility.

A number of eminent personalities attended the function, including Prof. Pradeep Mathur, Prof. Avinash Singh, eminent journalist C.K. Srivastava, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Rakesh Kumar Yadav, senior official of the National Book Trust, Dr Pooran Chand, yoga guru, and Prabhatji of Prabhat Prakashan.

OSD to the Nobel Peace Laureate, Shiv Kumar Sharma, played a key role in ensuring the participation of eminent personalities despite the venue having to be changed at the last hour. His personal efforts helped ensure that the programme continued smoothly and the distinguished gathering remained intact.

Behind the scenes, Faraz Alam, Faiz Ahmad, Raghav Tapriyal, Mohini, Sumit, Ricky, Umesh and Sonu worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the event. Rakesh Senger and Diksha coordinated the programme and welcomed the distinguished guests.

Students of Amity University attended the event in large numbers and listened to Satyarthi and the other speakers discuss compassion, humanity and social transformation.

The book-signing session proved to be one of the major attractions of the programme. Satyarthi personally signed copies for those who approached him, obliging virtually everyone who sought his autograph. His willingness to meet readers individually and spend time with them reflected the humility and accessibility that have become defining aspects of his public life.

The launch of the Hindi edition marks another step in taking Satyarthi’s message of compassion and social transformation to a wider Hindi-speaking audience. The central message of “Karuna – Samadhan Ki Shakti” is that compassion should not remain merely an emotion but must become a force for action and a practical pathway towards addressing humanity’s challenges.

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