Ravi Shankar (spiritual leader)

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji
Born	(1956-05-13) May 13, 1956 Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality	India
Title	Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Website	www.srisri.org

This article is about the spiritual leader. For the Sitar player, see Ravi Shankar.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀ ರವಿಶಂಕರ್; Tamil: ஸ்ரீ ஸ்ரீ ரவிஷங்கர்) is a spiritual and humanitarian leader. He was born on May 13, 1956 in Tamil Nadu, India. He is often referred to by the double-honorific "Sri Sri", Guruji or Gurudeva. He is the founder of the international Art of Living Foundation which aims to relieve stress at an individual level, and to relieve disease and violence at a societal level.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is also a driving force behind the charitable organization, International Association for Human Values, which conducts the "5H" programme.

Biography

Early life

Sri Sri was born to Sri.Venkat Ratnam, a scholar of languages, and Smt.Vishalakshi. His parents named him Shankar since his birthday matched that of the 8th century CE Hindu saint, Adi Shankara. According to his biographies, at the age of four he could recite verses from the Bhagavad Gita . He was said to be often found in deep meditation even at a young age. Some of his followers of the Art of Living movement claim he received an advanced degree in physics at the age of 17.

In 1982, after a ten-day retreat into silence on the banks of the Bhadra river in Shimoga in Karnataka, India, "Sudarshana Kriya" -- a rhythmic breathing exercise -- came to Sri Sri "like a poem, an inspiration". He added, "I learned it and started teaching it." Shankar says that every emotion has a corresponding rhythm in the breath, and believes that regulating breath could help people with their suffering.

In 1982, Sri Sri established the Art of Living, an educational and humanitarian Non-Governmental Organisation that works in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. He founded in 1997 the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to "to foster on a global scale a deeper understanding of the values that unite us as a human community."

Philosophy

Sri Sri emphasizes breath as the link between body and mind and therefore a tool to relax the mind. He also emphasizes service to others, besides meditating. According to him, science and spirituality are linked and consistent. His stated vision is to create a world which is free of stress and violence through acquisition of wisdom, and his programs aim to offer practical tools to accomplish wisdom. In his view, "Truth is spherical rather than linear; so it has to be contradictory." "Anything that is spherical is always contradictory," says Sri Sri.

In 2001, after the "9/11" attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York city, the Art of Living foundation offered courses in stress reduction, free of cost, to New Yorkers. A relief program has been successfully run in Kosovo, for the war ravaged population and the Public Health System , University and UN personnel. The organization also started an operation in Iraq in 2003, aimed at relieving the war-ravaged Iraqi population of stress. A Program was implemented in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2006 teaching to war victims, UN and ngo personnel. In 2007, Sri Sri visited Iraq at the invitation of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, and also met with Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish leaders. He visited Pakistan in 2004 and met with some political and religious leaders there as a part of his efforts to promote global peace. Many volunteers have assisted the tsunami victims and hurricane Katrina victims. There is a Prison SMART (Stress Management And Rehabilitation Techniques) Program assisting prisoners and prison staffs around the world.

Sudarshan Kriya

Main article: Sudarshan Kriya

Sudarshan Kriya is the core component of the Art of Living courses. Persons enrolling for the courses are required to sign non-disclosure agreements, so that specifics of the Sudarshan Kriya technique are not made public . However, some of the starting "asanas" and exercises have been disclosed in a newspaper article .

Sudarshan Kriya is said to infuse the body with energy and harmonize the natural rhythms of the body, mind, and emotions. There have been several independent studies published on the effects of the technique.

The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) offers many programs centered on Sudarshan Kriya, meditation and group-dynamics. The organization teaches Breath Water Sound workshops (or Nav-Chetna Shibirs) in distressed urban and rural areas, and also provides prison programs, free of charge. The fees for other AOLF courses vary from country to country. (In the USA, the regular course fee is $375.) College students are traditionally given discounts. The AOLF sponsors various philanthropic events, at which participants can take courses at reduced prices.

Organizations

The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) is involved in teaching the courses and providing a structure for service projects, while the International Association for Human Values has initiated --under the "5H" program-- community development programs as well as emergency relief support, trauma relief, and assistance to societies ranging from the urban to the tribal level. Other organizations/educational institutions, some of which deal with specialized issues such as rural development, agriculture, and Ayurveda.

• Ved Vignan Mahavidyapeeth
• Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir
• Sri Sri Center for Media Studies
• Sri Sri College for Ayurvedic Science and Research
• Sri Sri Ayurveda
• Sri Sri Mobile Agricultural Initiatives
• Sri Sri Pre-University College
• The Sri Sri Institute of Management Studies
• The Sri Sri School for Performing Arts and Fine Arts
• Sri Sri Rural Development Trust

Honors and awards

Following are some of the awards that Sri Sri Ravishankar has received :

• Doctor of Srini Memorial Award by Srini International Organizations, Nellore, India, 2008
• Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa by Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, 2007
• National Veterans Foundation Award, USA, 2007
• Honorary Doctorate of Science by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India, 2007
• Varshada Kannadiga (Kannadiga of the Year) by ETV, 2007
• Leadership Award for Extraordinary Promotion for World Peace and Harmony by Amity University, 2007
• Sant Shri Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize 2006 by World Peace Centre, Pune
• Doctor of Philosophy (Holistic Medicine) by Open International University for Complementary Medicine, Sri Lanka
• Order of the Pole Star 2006, highest state honour by the President of Mongolia
• Fervent Global Love of Life 2006 by the Cultural and Education Foundation of Human Life, Taiwan
• Peter the Great, First Grade Award, Russian Federation, 2006
• Mongolian Prime Minister's Award, 2006
• Mahavir-Mahatma Award for Contribution to Peace, Times Foundation, India, 2005
• Dara Shikoh National Award for Harmony, New Delhi, 2005
• Global Humanitarian Award, Illinois, USA, 2005
• Member of Martin Luther Collegium of Scholars, 2005
• Bharat Shiromani Award, New Delhi, India, 2004
• Honorary Doctorate of Literature from Kuvempu University, Karnataka, India
• The Illustrious Visitors Award, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
• Phoenix Award, Atlanta, USA, 2002
• Guru Mahatmya Award, Government of Maharashtra, India, 1997
• Title of Yoga Shiromani (Supreme Jewel of Yoga), President of India, 1986

External links

Official sites

• Official website of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
• Art of Living homepage
• Art of Living Youth Programs
• IAHV homepage

Media links

• Video interview on CNN
• A report on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, by Venkatesan Vembu, Daily News & Analysis, 23 April 2006
• An interview with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar