Religious peace begins with a grassroots effort, and one organization in India is building itself with this basis.

The Confederation of Voluntary Associations began doing work in 1991 but did not become an official organization until 1995.

In the aftermath of the worst riots Hyderabad has ever experienced in 1990, several groups joined forces to promote peace between Hindus and Muslims. They went into the individual communities, including slums, to do so.

“We realized just talking about communal harmony is not going to help,” said Ali Azghar, executive secretary of COVA. “We need to get in there and address the issues.”

The groups visualized long-term efforts, so they eventually formed COVA. Azghar said COVA works across community lines to improve the communal situation.

“This whole communal conflict, the root cause of that was no interaction between the two groups,” he said.

To promote communal harmony, individual networks affiliated with COVA work within communities to improve inter-religious relations. Azghar stresses that COVA aims to spread ideology, not its name.

“COVA just does handholding for two to three years, then the organization becomes independent,” he said.

“Once these networks become strong and independent, that will be the time for COVA to withdraw itself from the area.”

Sixteen networks, two organizations, and one trust currently comprise COVA. COVA believes its strategies have worked in the Old City of Hyderabad, so now it has expanded into 10 districts in the state of Andhra Pradesh, as well as starting networks in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat. COVA would like to extend its efforts to every state in India and possibly globally.

Other than working within the communities, the networks and organizations of COVA sponsor other activities and events to promote peace, including lectures, seminars, workshops and training programs. COVA organizes programs for children, youth and women.

Programs for children are conducted for those in formal schools and for those who do not attend school.

The Youth Training Resource and Activity Center targets people of ages 16 to 30.

It encourages, among other things, leadership training, community development programs and career advancement programs for youth.

The Women’s Program in COVA is organized in two ways: economic empowerment and community development.

COVA does much of its work with Muslim communities but encourages harmony among all religions.

The confederation is in the process of forming a national organization of religious groups that not only includes Hindus and Muslims, but also Sikhs, Christians and others.

“Most religious groups are being appropriated by right wing forces,” Azghar said. “Before they lose their secular identity, we’re trying to get them in the network.”