26 July 2013 - QA 10

Gurudev, it looks like corruption in India is doing lasting damage to society and the environment. Is it reversible? If yes, then how can expats like me living in the US help in the endeavor to reverse the damage?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you are interested in doing something back home in India, and want to know how to create awareness, how to use your talents to save the largest democracy on the planet, then you should definitely meet with the Art of Living (AOL) volunteers here, they can guide you.
You can do lots of things; create awareness in your hometown, in the villages with the people around you, and make them understand. India is now moving between scams and slums, and the Government wants to retain poverty; so they simply dish out sops to people and buy votes from them.

In the last few months, AOL volunteers have rejuvenated four rivers that were dead; one in Karnataka and three in Maharashtra. The rivers had dried out, and our volunteers worked hard, de-silted, removed all the debris and made these rivers flow again. What the Government couldn't do with millions of dollars, AOL volunteers did as seva with a few thousand dollars. Now, there is water in all these places, and the villagers are so happy. In Karnataka, we have covered about 230 villages, and in Maharashtra about 300-400 villages with these rivers.

On rediff.com, there was an article on how six Yes!+ teachers brought a transformation when the floods hit the Himalayan region. These girls removed the debris, made roads and gave food and other materials to the people who were affected by the worst ever floods.
A lot of things are being done there. The Art of Living is quite active.