Once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, spiritual guru and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says though a court verdict on the Ayodhya issue seems inevitable, it is not sufficient for enduring peace unless there is give-and-take. The guru terms the CWG mess an “unpardonable” and says matters flared up in Kashmir after the present state government came to power. Excerpts from an interview with Vivek Sinha:
The country is awaiting the Ayodya verdict. Can a court verdict in a matter of faith lead to a lasting solution?
When the talks broke down between the two groups, they had no other recourse than to go to court. Several attempts were made, but there was adamancy and lack of trust between the two parties. Court had to play a role. For any talks to succeed, there should be a give-and-take. It cannot happen by tu-tu-main-main. Political parties must stay away and let religious leaders decide the issue. Read More
World spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said that India has been put to shame by the collapse of the foot over-bridge at the venue of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.
“Around Rs 75,000 crore has been spent to build infrastructure for the CWG, but the collapse of the foot over-bridge has put the country to shame”, he said, while addressing his disciples at the Anandotsav 2010 at the Colva beach on Saturday.
Saying there is a difference in education and qualification, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said “may be those engineers, who were responsible for building the foot over-bridge had no education, but only qualification”. Read More
World Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Saturday literally took Colva by storm with thousands of his followers thronging the beach to participate in Anandotsav 2010 even as he called upon the people to resolve to build a world free from corruption, violence and tension.
Addressing a strong 4000-plus congregation at the Colva beach, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar underscored the need to build an University incorporating good things and values from the East and West to churn out a better and complete human being, saying work was already underway in that direction in Orissa.
Stating that the country is plagued by the ills of caste and creed, Ravi Shankar said all human beings are one family and called upon the people to join hands in removing all caste barriers. Read More
Message from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the occasion of the United Nations International Peace Day, 21 September 2010
We are so fortunate that we have been able to find some peace within ourselves. Now, we have a challenge to reach out to all those who are not at peace with themselves as well as to those countries and parts of the world where there is conflict.
We all have the responsibility of bringing peace to every nook and corner of the world. Unless every member of our global family is peaceful, our peace is incomplete.
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New Delhi: Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today appealed to Hindus and Muslims to maintain peace and harmony after the court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit to be delivered on September 24.
"People should maintain peace and harmony after the September 24 verdict. They should restrain themselves from indulging in any form of communal hatred," Ravi Shankar said on the sidelines of a function to announce an inter-faith summit aimed at removing HIV/AIDS related stigma. Read More
New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) In a bid to eliminate stigma and discrimination related to HIV and AIDS, religious heads from across the country will take part in a summit, ‘Faith in Action’, to spread awareness and bust myths about the disease.
The summit, slated for Sep 27-28 in Bangalore, aims at providing a platform for interaction and learning among religious leaders to make people aware about the myths and realities associated with HIV.
The inter-faith meet, jointly organised by the Art of Living Foundation and NGOs working for the welfare of HIV positive people, will be attended by over 300 religious leaders of different faiths and people suffering from AIDS and those who are HIV positive.
“Education is the key in spreading awareness, eradicating the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, and in taking concrete steps to help those already infected and affected by the disease. We aim to create a stronger and more humane voice and a conclusive action agenda,” Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said in a statement.
India has nearly 2.5 million HIV positive people. Read more
As the national capital gears up to host the Commonwealth Games next month, citizens, NGOs and students today undertook cleaning drives and sanitation awareness campaigns in various parts of the city.
A large number of citizens, members of NGOs, market associations, resident welfare associations and students gathered on Parliament Street to mark the 'Clean Delhi Day' under the aegis of Art of Living Foundation of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
During the drive, part of an ongoing campaign called 'Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna', over 200 truckloads of garbage were removed by citizens. "Over 75,000 children from 432 schools and 6000 students from 30 colleges took part in it," said Rahul Gautam, 'Clean Delhi NCR' campaign coordinator.
Mayor of Delhi Prithvi Raj Sawhney, NDMC Chairman Parimal Rai and MCD Commissioner K S Mehra were present. The Mayor said cleaning the city and spreading mass awareness about health and hygiene were important issues and the civic agency will continue to support such efforts.
On display was a exhibition showcasing the streets of Delhi before and after the drive and pledge boards stretching for almost one kilometre, with signatures by school children and citizens calling for a clean and green Delhi.
Under the drive, Art of Living will also be installing 200 pairs of dustbins (biodegradable and non-biodegradable) in 41 sites in the city.
The Foundation will empower 10 children per participating school as 'clean Delhi champions', who will be given identity cards from MCD, to make Delhi a no-litter zone.
A mass cleaning drive will also be held on the Trilokpuri slums tomorrow as part of the Foundation's integrated community transform programme. Read More
I remember thinking what a terrible example I was of “sweet silence”.
I’ve read countless books on how important it is to silence the mind because living in a world surrounded by noise and constant stress can overtax our bodies and drain our creative energies.
In the midst of a manic film schedule, I was intrigued by the impending visit of a famous Indian guru called Sri Ravi Shankar (also referred to as Guruji). Read More from The Star
Janamashtami celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Ashtami is significant as it indicates a perfect balance between the seen and the unseen aspects of reality; the visible material world and the invisible spiritual realm.
Krishna’s birth on Ashtami signifies his mastery of both the spiritual and material worlds. He is a great teacher and a spiritual inspiration as well as the consummate politician. On one hand, he is Yogeshwara (the Lord of Yogas — the state to which every yogi aspires) while on the other, he is a thief.
The unique quality of Krishna is that he is at once more pious than the saints and yet a thorough mischief-monger! His behaviour is a perfect balance of the extremes — perhaps this is why the personality of Krishna is so difficult to fathom. The avdhoot is oblivious to the world outside and a materialistic person, a politician or a king is oblivious to the spiritual world. But Krishna is both Dwarkadheesh and Yogeshwar. Read more from DNA
I believe that the starting point for leaders is the boardroom, the office. To create an atmosphere of celebration, you need the right attitude, and you have to bring in that attitude yourself. This may require some form of teamwork. An atmosphere of celebration, of trust, cooperation and a sense of belonging, all have to come. I have no doubt that there is a willingness among people to refresh themselves; they just need to have it put in front of them in an effective, viable way. They need to be given the opportunity.
A business will not last if it focuses only on productivity and net result. The company ultimately suffers because the creativity, the strength and the sense of belonging will ebb away. Similarly, the military “command and control” system no longer works. Only inspiration and motivation are effective tools. For that, one can apply some of the ancient principles from different parts of the world in the workplace, to make the work more enjoyable.
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