Ravi Shankar (spiritual leader)

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Pranab Mukherjee, presenting the Padma Vibhushan to Shankar at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

Ravi Shankar (born 13 May 1956) is an Indian guru<ref name="Suar 2015">Template:Cite web</ref> and spiritual leader. He is also referred to as Sri Sri or Gurudev.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Salkin">Template:Cite journal</ref> From around the mid 1970s, he worked as an apprentice under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation. In 1981, he founded the Art of Living Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Life

He was born on 13 May 1956 in Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, to Vishalakshi and R.S.Venkat Ratnam. He was named "Ravi" (an Indian name which means "sun") because his birth was on a Sunday, and "Shankar" after the eighth-century Hindu saint, Adi Shankara, whose birthday was the same day as Shankar's.<ref name=nytimesbliss>Template:Cite news</ref>

His first teacher was Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an Indian Vedic Scholar and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.<ref name="journalofdharma">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He completed his graduation in Physics from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore in 1973.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After graduation, he travelled with his second teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi,<ref name="ToI-Yogi-cremated">Template:Cite news</ref> giving talks and arranging conferences on Vedic science, and setting up Transcendental Meditation and Ayurveda centers.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfnp

In the 1980s, he initiated a series of practical and experiential courses in spirituality around the globe. He says that his rhythmic breathing practice, Sudarshan Kriya, came to him in 1982, "like a poem, an inspiration", after a ten-day period of silence on the banks of the Bhadra River in Shivamogga, in the state of Karnataka, adding, "I learned it and started teaching it".<ref name=RD>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1983, he held the first Art of Living course in Switzerland. In 1986, he travelled to Apple Valley, California, in the US to conduct the first course to be held in North America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Philosophy and teachings

Spirituality

He believes spirituality is that which enhances human values such as love, compassion and enthusiasm. It is not limited to any one religion or culture. Hence it is open to all people. According to him, the spiritual bond we share as part of the human family is more important than nationality, gender, religion, profession, or other identities that separate us.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

According to him, science and spirituality are linked and compatible, both springing from the urge to know. The question, "Who am I?" leads to spirituality; the question, "What is this?" leads to science. Emphasizing that joy is only available in the present moment, his stated vision is to create a world free of stress and violence. His programs are said to offer practical tools to help accomplish this.Template:Citation needed He sees breath as the link between body and mind, and a tool to relax the mind, emphasising the importance of both meditation/spiritual practice and service to others. In his view, "Truth is spherical rather than linear; so it has to be contradictory."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Peace and humanitarian work

Pakistan

He visited Pakistan in 2004 on a goodwill mission<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and again in 2012 when he inaugurated Art of Living centers in Islamabad and Karachi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Islamabad center was burned down by armed men in March 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Iraq

During his visits to Iraq, at the invitation of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, in 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and again in 2008,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he met with political and religious leaders to promote global peace. In November 2014, Shankar visited the relief camps in Erbil, Iraq. He also hosted a conference to address the dire condition of Yazidis and other non-Muslims in the region.<ref name=huff-erbil-conf>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Colombia and FARC

In June 2015, Shankar met with the delegations of Colombian government and the FARC who were negotiating the resolution to Colombian conflict in Havana. He urged FARC leaders to follow the Gandhian principle of non-violence to attain their political objectives and social justice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For his efforts, Colombia's House of Representatives awarded him the Simón Bolívar Order of Democracy, Knight Cross grade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Venezuela

In 2019, Shankar met with Venezuelan leaders from both sides to encourage dialogue, end the political conflict and restore peace and stability in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kashmir, India

The South Asian Forum for Peace was launched in November 2016 at a conference titled "Kashmir Back to Paradise" in Jammu. According to Shankar, 90% of people in Kashmir want peace but are neglected. He added, "The solution to the Kashmir problem can only come from the Kashmiris". This forum is intended to bring together eight South Asian countries to cooperate in areas such as entrepreneurship, skill development, cultural exchange, educational partnerships and women's empowerment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Northeast India

68 militants from 11 militant outfits surrendered to the government in Manipur on the eve of India's 71st Independence Day in August 2017. The Chief Minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, lauded Shankar for his efforts in making this happen and "bringing peace in troubled areas". Shankar organization has been working in Manipur for the last 15 years.<ref name="statesman">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="india today">Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2017, at the "Strength in Diversity – North East Indigenous People's Conference", Shankar claimed that another 500 militants were waiting to "lay down weapons and join the peace process". The conference was attended by representatives from 67 rebel outfits from the Northeast. Expressing his willingness to facilitate the peaceful transition of any rebel group wanting to join the mainstream, Shankar claimed that his organization has been working for this for the last 10–12 years and "will continue to work until the last gun is laid down".<ref name="nie">Template:Cite news</ref> Former ULFA General Secretary, Anup Chetia, who was also the convenor of the conference, appreciated Shankar's interest and efforts for peace in the region.<ref name="NorthEast India24">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Arunachal24.in">Template:Cite news</ref>

Ayodhya Ram Mandir dispute

Shankar's efforts at mediation in the Ayodhya dispute in 2017 received a mixed response from both Hindu and Muslim leaders. Based on Supreme Court of India's suggestion for an out-of-court settlement,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he proposed a mutual compromise where both communities "gift" neighbouring pieces of land to each other. This proposal was met with a lot of skepticism and resistance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2019, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of India to a 3-member mediation committee tasked with finding a resolution for the case in 8 weeks.<ref name="theweek">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="TOI">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="BS">Template:Cite news</ref> In its final verdict, the Supreme Court of India assigned the disputed land to a trust for building a temple and an alternate piece of land nearby to build a mosque.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Interfaith dialogue

Shankar is involved in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Through interfaith summits in 2008 and 2010, he has been engaging faith-based leaders for collective action against HIV.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In July 2013 at a meeting in UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva, issues including HIV prevention, gender based violence, stigma and discrimination were discussed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Prison program

In 1992, he started a prison programme<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to rehabilitate prison inmates and help them reintegrate into society.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards and recognition

In 2009, Ravi Shankar was named by Forbes magazine as the fifth most powerful leader in India.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Criticism

Template:Criticism section In 2012, Shankar, while attending a function in Jaipur, claimed that some Indian government schools are breeding grounds for Naxalism, a movement of militant communist groups in India declared to be terrorist organisations. "All government schools and colleges should be privatised. The government should not run any school. It's often found that children from government schools get into Naxalism and violence. Children from private schools don't get into this," he was quoted as saying by media reports, his comments were condemned by educationists and ministers as "unfortunate, illogical", and termed it as a "bizarre logic for privatisation" <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later, he issued a clarification that he didn't mean that all government schools breed Naxalism. More clarification followed on his Twitter account: "I specifically referred to sick government schools in Naxal affected areas. Many who have turned to Naxalism have come from these schools. I did not say all Govt schools (where lakhs study) breed Naxalism. Great talents have emerged from these schools & I would never generalize."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2018, he faced criticism from political leaders for his commentary, where he said, India will turn into Syria if the Ram temple issue is not resolved soon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Bibliography

See also

References

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Bibliography

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