The Golden Rule: Anthology of Bilingual Short Stories About Interfaith

[Information found here updated on 5 November 2003]

Integrity, accountability, love, compassion, respect, justice, freedom, service, environment protection, unity, peace, gender equality, moderation.

Which religion do you think gives importance to all the above? If you named only one religion - sorry, you are no where near to understanding interfaith; not to mention unable to write stories about The Golden Rule.

But if you think you are the right person to write short stories about The Golden Rule in Bahasa Malaysia and/or English Language, read on. Your contribution is needed to make this project a success.

[Promo]

On 28 February 2003, I had the opportunity to meet Peter Schier, representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Malaysia. (He's a German, by the way.) We met at the Shah's Village in Petaling Jaya just before the opening of "Bengkel Penulis Muda: Kursus Kewartawanan" organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD).

"Treat others as you would like to be treated," he quoted; adding: "That is THE GOLDEN RULE  which is found in the scriptures of the major faiths. It is the fundamental moral principle on earth. Let's practise it to make the world a better place!"

Peter (as I called him - since I couldn't pronounce his surname) already has a plan to publish an anthology of bilingual short stories where the themes are based on The Golden Rule. So, we sat and discussed over it in detail.

This is the outcome: Each story should be around 2000 words. It should be written in a creative way. It should be told in simple language so to make sure everyone would understand the content easily.

Peter asked me to come up with a list of around 15 writers who can write well in Bahasa Malaysia and/or English Language. Being able to write well in both would be a plus point. If not, you'd need to find someone to do the translation.

The interested writer must have faith in interfaith and should be able to write creatively about The Golden Rule. For details about interfaith, visit the Malaysian Interfaith Network (MIN) website. You can also get information about major religions from the BBC site.

The writers involved in this project should be from different races, different religions and different background - which also given weight to the whole idea of interfaith and The Golden Rule. Prejudice and such writers are definitely not welcome.

You can choose to write stories for children, young adults and adults. Choose a theme close to heart. Write based on your personal experience - like the Chicken Soup for the Soul stories. 

This is your chance to let others know what you think should be done to create a united nation ("Bangsa Malaysia") - where people understand and respect each other's religion and way of life.

Interested? Get in touch. Only 15 writers needed. First come first served. Oh, by the way, my name is Uthaya Sankar SB and you can contact me via [email protected] or [email protected] or 013-3913278.

A workshop will be organized for the 15 writers on 22 November 2003 (Saturday), 10:00 am at The Pure Life Society, Jalan Puchong. Prior to the workshop, writers are requested to submit their stories by e-mail to everyone involved in this project. During the workshop, these stories will be discussed. It's going to be a great experience, I believe.

First published in Kavya, March 2003

PS: Click HERE for more info about interfaith (in Bahasa Malaysia)