She is currently in Mumbai to launch several projects as part of One Life Alliance, an organisation she set up after the 26/11 attacks changed her life forever.
It is in this city that she lost her husband and daughter but US national Kia Scherr has a special bond with Mumbai. “The smiles here are warm, welcoming and receptive to our mission of educating and inspiring people to counter terrorism through compassion,” says Scherr who shuttles between the US and India in the hope of engaging terror-affected families in dialogue about the need for peace and non-violence.
She is currently in Mumbai to launch several projects as part of One Life Alliance, an organisation she set up after the 26/11 terror attacks changed her life forever. Scherr’s 55-year-old husband Alan and 13-year-old daughter Naomi were killed along with several others when terrorists struck the Trident-Oberoi hotels in Nariman Point three years ago. They were among a group of Americans attending a meditation programme held by spiritual guru Master Charles Cannon. Scherr was at home in the US and had not accompanied them on the trip.
She intends setting up the Indian chapter of her organisation and is working closely with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and several Mumbai-based NGOs. Scherr’s organisation seeks to involve students, teachers, corporate houses and the government in projects aimed at changing the world by “responding with compassion to acts of terror, thus becoming victors over terrorism and not victims.”
“Students from St Andrew’s College will take the One Life Alliance pledge which is a month-long programme that encourages people to slow down, react with compassion, speak the truth, and so on,” Scherr says. The students will then initiate another project with underprivileged children to help them understand spiritualism and clear misconceptions about Islam.
She also plans to set up a self-improvement programme for policemen in the city. “The idea is to inspire the cops to react differently and with compassion in violent or difficult situations.”
On this trip, Scherr will also be promoting “Forgiving the Unforgivable”, a book written by Cannon that chronicles the experiences of survivors of the 26/11 terror attacks.
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