The Human Cohesion Project — 2 March 2025
Rukmini Iyer
Leadership Facilitator & Coach | Peacebuilder | Board Member | Vital Voices Fellow | Rotary Peace Fellow | Ashoka Changemakers Awardee
As Ramadan begins, so does another year (the sixth one!) of The Human Cohesion Project — a space where faith is explored as a bridge rather than a boundary, where religion is engaged with contextually and syncretically, not as doctrine but as a living conversation with the world. These daily reflections are not written as a practitioner of Islam, but as a peacebuilder, rooted in inter-religious dialogue. My invitation is not to offer theological interpretations, but to engage with faith as a means of inner and outer transformation.
Ramadan, with its rhythm of fasting, contemplation, and restraint, is an opportunity to explore what it means to pause, recalibrate, and realign.
The Quran (2:183) states:
“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain Taqwa (consciousness of God).”
Fasting is not unique to Islam; across traditions, it appears as a spiritual discipline. In Hinduism, Upavasa (fasting) is practised periodically for self-purification. In Christianity, Lent is a time of fasting and reflection. Buddhist monks engage in intermittent fasting as part of their mindfulness practice. The deeper essence of fasting is the same: to cleanse, to pause, to return.
But what if fasting is not only about sustenance? What if it is an invitation to fast from what weighs us down internally — overthinking, judgement, impatience? The wisdom of restraint is universal. The ability to hold back, to withhold reaction, to delay gratification — these are the unseen disciplines that shape character.
In a world that demands urgency, fasting teaches us the sacredness of waiting. In a time of endless consumption, it reminds us that less can be more. Today, as fasting begins, perhaps the real hunger we are meant to address is not of the stomach, but of the soul.
What might you fast from today — not just in body, but in mind and heart?
Ramadan Kareem. May this be a month of renewal.
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