Gurudev, who was conferred the Padma Vibhushan this year, began the Art of Living 35 years ago as an international, non-profit, educational and humanitarian organisation and has followers in over 150 countries
Spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, known for his social interventions, will be the guest speaker at the Express Adda in Delhi on Monday.
Gurudev, who was conferred the Padma Vibhushan this year, began the Art of Living 35 years ago as an international, non-profit, educational and humanitarian organisation and has followers in over 150 countries, including top political leaders.
He has been called upon on several occasions to mediate in social and political situations, too. Last December, Nepal’s political leadership reached out to him to request the NDA government to resolve the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
He has also held talks with insurgent groups in the North-east and with rebel Naxalite leaders.
Sri Sri’s programmes have also assisted victims of natural disasters, survivors of terror attacks and children from marginalised communities in conflict. He has visited relief camps in Iraq and engaged in talks with leaders of the Colombian guerrilla movement FARC last year.
Recently, during a visit to Pune, he met Trupti Desai, the leader of Bhumata Brigade, the group that is agitating for equal rights for women at the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra. While he advocated equal rights for men and women at the shrine, Gurudev offered that both men and women be disallowed from entering the inner sanctum as the platform, slippery from the excess oil being poured by devotees, was unsafe for all.
In 2014, the spiritual leader was also among The Indian Express’s most powerful Indians.
At the Express Adda, Gurudev will be in conversation with Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express, and Prasoon Joshi, lyricist and chairman, Asia Pacific, CEO & CCO, India, McCann Worldgroup.
The Express Adda, which features people at the centre of change, is a series of interactions conducted by The Indian Express Group. In the past, it has invited actor Shah Rukh Khan, world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and, most recently, Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Courtsey : The Indian Express