The political landscape of Uttar Pradesh (UP), an Indian state, is brimming with a new vibrant energy after the senior bureaucrats of the UP government underwent a 3-day yoga program conducted by the Art of living. Inspired by humanitarian leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Chief Minister of UP, Akhilesh Yadav, is all set to take his state to newer heights of development with renewed vigor.
Learning the Art
In the bustling city of Lucknow, it was indeed an unusual sight. Seated in deep meditation, many significant political leaders were ensconced in a serene silence. It was a different type of workshop. The training workshop, which combined yoga and special breathing techniques, saw the senior bureaucrats feeling rejuvenated, healthy, and empowered with a vision to deal with the everyday challenges of life and politics. Expressing his joy on the occasion, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, “There is no program that can parallel the excellent leadership program that I just went through.”
On Being a Successful Leader
Sharing her experience on imparting the three-day training, leadership coach Rajita Kulkarni says, “Leaders from any field, whether it is politics, business, academics or others need to excel in order to succeed in their missions. Often, lack of personal skills, stress, lack of energy, inability to collaborate with others, dysfunctional teams, inability to inspire have proven to be roadblocks to leadership success. In politics, more than any other field, getting skills to overcome these challenges can empower leaders to contribute to society and create better public value. This, in turn, can enhance the quality of governance and the socio-economic parameters of development. A political leader, who has good values, is well connected with his people and has a big vision for his country, can change the destiny of his nation!"
The Ultimate Experience
Through very effective and introspective exercises, interactive team processes, yoga, and pranayama, the IAS, IPS, and IAF officers of the government experienced a deep relaxation and felt absolutely stress free and calm from within. “The techniques were very energizing; it can help people become a better human being through the power of positive thinking,” revealed Chandra Prakash, Senior IAS Officer, UP Government.
“As officers, we often lead a very stressful life. But the Art of Living has provided us with the secret of being happy,” added Eva Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests.
Customizing the Workshop
Apart from imparting training on yoga and meditation, the workshop was customized to the specific goals or challenges that senior officers encounter while working towards the betterment of Uttar Pradesh.
Ms. Kulkarni continues, “Every day of the program was outstanding. The commitment, sincerity to learn, and active participation of these leaders was very heartening and inspiring. In fact, on the last day, they came up with exceptional plans for state development. And even if a portion of this is achieved, Uttar Pradesh will be catapulted into the league of some of the most progressive places in India and the world.”
Gurudev’s Vision of Politics
The program culminated in a special session conducted by spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Gurudev aims at creating visionary leaders who have sound human values, a strong sense of community, and a spiritual bent of mind. He is ceaselessly working towards bringing spiritual values to politics, particularly in India. The humanitarian leader shares, “Devoid of spirituality, politics breeds corruption. We have to end the politics of hate and mistrust. True politics is to care for all people, regardless of differences in caste, religion, ideology, or language. Often, political parties come together because of common enemies rather than common goals. Much time is wasted in mudslinging and in undoing the work of others. India will shine truly when political parties complement and honor one another. While the goal of politics is to bring good governance and increase the material comfort of people, the aim of spirituality is to boost morality and human values. Both need to go hand in hand.”
Envisioning a New Role
It remains to be seen how the Uttar Pradesh Government will implement its plan of action in the days to come. As a first move, Director General of Medical Education VN Tripathi is already thinking of designing a yoga curriculum in the state-owned medical hospitals. Violent clashes between the relatives of patients and the hospital doctors have been reported throughout Uttar Pradesh in the recent past. “The yoga curriculum will go a long way in bringing down stress levels in overworked medicos,” states the Director General and signs off.
