The Department of Inter-Religious Studies (DIRS), based in St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, was begun by the Bombay Province Jesuits to highlight the need for good relations between the practitioners of different faiths. India is blessed with a wide variety of cultures and religions, many of which are unique and novel within the larger world of cultural and religious experience.

However, this has often been a mixed blessing, because both cultural and religious identity have been a source of much conflict in the history of the subcontinent. Instead of celebrating diversity, what has sometimes arisen in different times is suspicion of, and even hostility towards others of different cultural and religious backgrounds.

We need much more inter-cultural and inter-religious engagement and conversation, to offset such suspicion and hostility. More positively, such types of engagement will hopefully create conditions for a better mutual understanding and even a mutual influencing of each other's traditions.

The aim of the DIRS is to create wholesome conditions for such interaction and exchange to take place – on campus and beyond. While the primary aim of the Department – as it is based in a college setting – is to provide a scholarly introduction to, and study of various traditions, several popular exercises towards cultivating peace and justice values have also been undertaken, especially in recent times, by students who are more closely associated with the DIRS.

The young speak a different language from senior generations, aided by novel information and communication technologies, and inspired by different needs and interests. Several initiatives have been led by the DIRS students to invite College students to engage in extracurricular activities which foster greater peace, understanding, empathy and generosity. The DIRS, in collaboration with the Honours' Programme in the College, has designed and executed numerous courses which have added much value to the integral growth of students on campus.

The DIRS runs a Diploma course in "Inter-Religious Studies". This fully online course for 2024-2025 is offered to the general public, besides students. The course has eight modules, which interested people could audit, apart from the Diploma. Some of these modules are also offered as Honours' programmes. The DIRS also runs another Diploma course in "Comparative and Applied Ethics". For the academic year 2024-2025, this too is an online course, offered to students and the general public. There are three annual public lectures organized by the DIRS: "The Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture", "The Gandhi Lecture" and "The Ambedkar Lecture". The DIRS also brings out an annually published student research journal.

This combination of Diploma and Honours courses, public lectures, research journal and numerous student activities and exercises will hopefully contribute towards a better development of universal or "cosmic compassion" on and beyond the campus, which is the primary goal of the DIRS.