In a significant step towards promoting peace education, the Tagore Institute of Peace Studies (TIPS) was formally launched in Kolkata on Thursday.

Spearheaded by Sitaram Sharma, chairman and member of the executive committee of West Bengal Federation of United Nations Associations, the initiative aims to bridge theory and action in peace building.

Advertisement

Drawing inspiration from his five-decade-long association with the United Nations movement, Sharma said: “Even the UN has established a peace university in Costa Rica. Bengal lacked such an institution, so I decided to start a peace institute here, with the vision that it will one day grow into a full-fledged Peace University.”

The TIPS will offer certificate and diploma courses in conflict resolution, gender issues, diplomacy, and environmental studies, with durations ranging from three and six months to one year. The curriculum emphasises not just academic learning but practical implementation of peace practices in society.

“Peace studies isn’t just about preventing war—it’s also about creating positive peace, i.e, a society that is free from internal violence and promotes sustainable living,” Sharma noted, adding that the institute is committed to mobilising resources to further peace-related research.

The launch event also hosted a round table on “Towards Peace and Conflict Resolution,” featuring distinguished speakers, including ambassador Krishnan Srinivasan IFS (Retd.) former foreign secretary of India, Major General Arun Roye (Retd.), AVSM, VSM, and Prof. Suranjan Das, vice-chancellor of Adamas University and founder chairman of TIPS. The round table highlighted that peace is not merely absence of violence, it’s something more holistic. It was also emphasised that conflict is an inevitable part of our society and will continue to exist. However, as Major General stated, “We must first aim for conflict avoidance, and if avoidance isn’t possible, then we must find a way to terminate it. Peace will follow automatically.”

Named after India’s first Noble laureate and the proponent of peace and fraternity, Rabindranath Tagore, the institute hopes to carry forward his vision of global harmony.