The beginning
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was born in 1956, in South India in a family atmosphere imbued with spirituality. Very early on, he showed extraordinary dispositions by reciting certain passages from sacred texts, such as the Bhagavad Gîtâ, by heart, and found meditation more appealing than the games of his comrades. Presented to one of the great Indian saints of the 20th century, Ma Ananda Moyi, she greets in him the Sage he will become . His higher education in Vedic literature was provided by Gandhi's Sanskrit teacher, Sudhakar Chaturvedi , who had refused to teach anyone after the Mahatma's assassination until Ravi was introduced to him. He was then nine years old.
When he makes the decision to go out in front of the world to revive human values there, he is a young scholar of seventeen who has just completed a complete cycle of traditional studies, and another in science. physical. He is then honored with the title of Pandit. Custodian of an in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms of the mind, he begins to share with everyone this age-old wisdom in a direct and very modern style. “ It is refreshing to meet someone like Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ,” testifies the Dalai Lama, “ because he has managed to reconcile his scientific education with his Vedic training to find a path that meets contemporary needs .”
In 1982, he entered a period of fasting and silence for 10 days in Shimoga, a small town in the state of Karnataka. At the end of his retirement, he returns with the secrets of the Sudarshan Kriya technique. Four years later, his teaching was rewarded with the title of Yoga Shiromani - Supreme Yoga Instructor - by the President of India in 1986.
The Art of Living Foundation and IAHV
To provide a framework for the universal action he undertook, he created the Art of Living Foundation in 1981. Twenty-five years later, when its silver jubilee is celebrated with 2.5 million people, in Bangalore, it has become one of the most important NGOs in the world, in terms of number of volunteers, and extends its activity to more than 180 countries. In addition to this already considerable work, in 1997 he founded the International Association for Human Values; another way of working for peace and harmony in societies while respecting differences. Where precariousness, lack of hygiene or lack of education prevail, the Association offers material support. Where dissatisfaction, stress, violence, crime - social illnesses - it provides conflict prevention and resolution programs. Its main tool is the 5H program which it coordinates on delegation from the Foundation.
A figure of peace
Since the early 1980s, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has spent most of his time travelling. Following him requires strong resistance; he rarely sleeps more than two nights in the same place. And hardly spends more than two months a year in India. In 2004 alone, he traveled to 175 cities around the world. Its program: public conferences, advanced courses, meetings with political leaders, spiritual or religious leaders, speeches before prestigious assemblies (United Nations, European Parliament, national parliaments, etc.). His vision: “Vasu deva kutumba kam”, a big global family; its action: to appease, bring together and inspire decision-makers.
Today, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is not only one of India's great spiritual masters, but he is also an essential social figure and one of the founders of the great popular movement against corruption.
