Art of Living is giving healing touches to bruised people amid ongoing wars

Twelve years old Ibrahim was in the backyard when the Daesh shot two of his brothers dead in front of him in Syria. Ibrahim escaped ISIS, but the memory of the incident left him traumatized and sleepless.

He began to look forward to a few minutes of meditative silence with his Art of Living teacher. In an act of fateful irony, Ibrahim learned lessons of peace in the heart of century’s deadliest conflict. The teacher shares another incident of an 11-year-old child, who was entrusted with the job of carrying weapons during the conflict. “He would draw Kalashnikovs when asked to remember favorite things and happy moments.” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-founded The Art of Living is working on a war footing to heal the trauma of over 5000 such children who have been a casualty of hate and violence for years.

Recently, Sri Sri received the Gandhi Peace Pilgrim prize at Martin Luther King Jr. Center in November this year for ‘his outstanding service and contribution to humanity…’ Few know that in September 2016, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar organized a forgiveness meeting between FARC leaders and the families of 12 deputies who were kidnapped, held captive and killed by the FARC. There had been a 52-year-old bloody conflict between the FARC rebels and Columbian government claiming 250,000 lives on both sides. At the end of the meeting, in a solemn gesture, the former guerrillas and family of the slain deputies held each other’s hands together and prayed.

In 2014, Sri Sri was one of the very few global leaders to draw attention to the Yezidi genocide and send help, rescuing and rehabilitating almost 2500 Yezidi women captured by the ISIS. Sri Sri’s philosophy is based on spiritual humanism, which draws people across identities, religious and cultural lines to him.

When tension in Iraq soared in 2008, Sri Sri met leaders on all sides (Shia, Sunni and Kurds among others). Peace observers say, he is one of the very few world leaders to have been able to do that, at the time. FARC rebel leader Ivan Marquez said, “His teachings are essential to achieve stable and long lasting peace.”

Last year, Sri Sri launched the worldwide ‘I Stand for Peace’ campaign as a response to the ubiquitous helplessness felt by people in the post-pandemic world-braving the consequences of several global conflicts, upended economic order, the dark and lingering mental health impact of the pandemic.

“People come together when there is a crisis, when they feel threatened or when they are wise. I have a question - can people not come together for something that is positive, something that can create harmony within society?” Sri Sri asked in his address at the UN.

From saving and rejuvenating 70 rivers/tributaries that existed only on papers; to reaching out to communities living under fear of conflict and violence, to starting nationwide campaign against the menace of drugs; feeding millions during the pandemic, running daily meditations and trauma relief workshops for millions; providing medicines; rehabilitating and changing the lives of eight lakh prison inmates across the globe, Sri Sri has worked tirelessly to alleviate human suffering.

In July this year, Sri Sri was decorated with Suriname's highest civilian honor, the Grand Cordon - honorary order of the yellow star but to me, his true award is the smiles on the face of millions of his followers, whose lives he has changed, lives that breathe easier, some of whom have survived the worst human experiences-rapes, war, abuses, blasts, drought, depression, natural disasters.

(The author is Country Director, The Art of Living, Middle-East)