Dialogue, hope and strive for a better world

by Gautam Siddharth Monday, Feb. 20, 2006, Bangalore: The message on the third and final day of the celebrations marking 25 years of Art of Living was dialogue, hope, and a pledge to strive for a better world.

President APJ Abdul Kalam had more than a lakh-strong audience stand on their feet and applaud, what would easily rank as one of his most stirring speeches ever. "Life is sacred, celebrate life," said Mr Kalam, quoting Patanjali, and, in true scientific vein, enlisted the three things needed to achieve that: "One, education with value system; two, transform religion into a spiritual force; and, three, economic development for social transformation." President Kalam, while elaborating on how to achieve these goals, went on to strike a unique bond with the people of different nationalities present there, who heartily cheered nearly each line that he spoke, and gave a standing ovation when he was through. Earlier, just before the President arrived, 25 lakh people gathered at Jakkur, participated in the Maha Sudarshan Kriya in pin drop silence. It should give some idea to those not present here as to what was the extent of their involvement in the grand revival on a mass scale of the ancient Indian science of pranic healing. There were professionals - CEOs of leading global conglomerates like World Space's Noah Samarra, Formula One's Brian Ecclestone, German musician and actor Peter Maffay, Dr Michael Nobel of the Nobel Family Society, Sweden, among a galaxy of others. Earlier, the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands described Art of Living as an immense contribution to peace. "It's the beginning for every being and everything. The love that Sri Sri embodies, will prevail and empower humankind." There is a palpable sense of belief that it is possible; the lakhs of people who have turned up in Jakkur Airfield over the past three days, from virtually each and every part of the world, are cheering the messages of love and unity with great gusto. "All is full of love, all around you," sang a girl, Annika, from Europe, waving a Danish flag. This is not a beat generation redux. It's not a trip down memory lane for hippies who made India their happy hunting ground in the 1960s and 70s. This is something new, far away from experiments in psychedelic adventures by rebels with or without a cause. This is realization of yoga, of the fact that the world is one Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. Indeed, the latter mantra has been the thematic chant at both Jakkur and Vishalakshi Mandap, the center of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's ashram. There isn't a nationality that has not made the Sanskrit term his or her own, speaking it in different accents - from Afrikaans to American, from Arabic to Chinese, from Russian to Spanish. The lives of the millions of people present here - as indeed of the millions who could not reach Bangalore -- have been touched by Sri Sri's simple mission towards creating an Earth that is beautiful, inhabited with hearts full of love. Former Prime Minister of France Edith Cresson, the President of Mauritius Aneerood Jugnauth, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Ruud Lubbers, founder-chairman of Advisory Board, Transparency International Peter Eigen, President of Croatia Dr Vesna Pusic, were the visiting dignitaries who spoke apart from a host of others who soaked in the rare atmosphere. The Guru of Joy, as Sri Sri is known, presided over the celebrations with his musical interventions - requests for symphonies - from the nearly 4000 musical artistes gathered here.