Sri Sri speaks about the Current situation in Iraq

As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar leaves for his third tour of strife torn Iraq which is reeling under the onslaught of the ISIS, here are few excerpts from the spiritual leader on his mission to bring peace to Iraq.

Q: What can be done to bring the hostages back to their family?

Sri Sri: I would like this question to be kept alive till the last hostage comes back. There is no one answer. There can be multiple answers and each answer could be a way to bring them back. By putting sense into those people who are keeping people hostage, by invoking compassion in them, or even going to the extent of punishing them through legal or international laws, we should see that they are brought back.  There could be many ways. We can't have one way for that. We should explore all avenues.


Q: How can the sunis and the shias work in Iraq together?

Sri Sri: They should take example from India. Here Shias, Sunis, Ahmedias, sufis everyone works together. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains everyone works together. We need to give them this mutli-culturalism, this way of multi-religious coexistence. In fact, they were together for centuries. This disaster has happened only in the recent years, that too due to the political and ulterior motives of a few people. 

Q: What makes the ISIS such extremists?

Sri Sri: Well, I really don't know. I think the Islamist scholars should answer this question. They should see where they have gone wrong, in what way they have misunderstood their own religion. They should come up and say this. I would invite all good-hearted people on the planet, especially from the Islamic world who know that these people are doing wrong. Put sense in the hearts and minds of these people. The scholars should stand up and say that their interpretation of the holy scripture is absolutely wrong. They must bring this clear message to the people. Perhaps that can help in some way.


Q: What can concerned people around the world do to help the beleaguered Yazidi community preserve its ancient spiritual heritage? 

Sri Sri: They should digitize all their ancient scriptures and make videos of their way of life. Nobody knows what they do when a child is born. Nobody knows how they get married. And what are the basic precepts of this religion. No one has even heard about this religion till the recent genocide. The world community should make a documentary about them, create more awareness about the existence of the community, and give all sorts of possible support to the community in the manner of education, safety and security, and help the community grow economically while at the same time preserving their religious identity. Like what has happened with the Parsis. When the Parsis were thrown out of Iran, they found a home in India. They have preserved their culture, their tradition, and their language. They have kept everything intact. The kings of India in those days gave full protection for Parsis to practice their religion and to preserve it. Similarly, anyone should not try to convert the Yazidis. In fact they should help them to preserve their culture, religion, and identity.

Q: How can enemies be taught to treat each other as brothers?

Sri Sri: Yes. This needs a lot of skill. It needs a lot of patience and perseverance. First of all, the enemies should be asked to come for a dialogue. It can happen only through a person who does not take sides. When they know there is someone who does not take sides, who can mediate. Then it needs a lot of communication skills in bringing people together to sit and talk. Mistrust and miscommunication can be cleared through dialogue. Dialogue should never be given up or stopped.

Q: What are the factors that brings around war, when all religions talk about peace? 

Sri Sri: 1. Religion not for religion's sake but for political ulterior motives. People use religion, caste, language, and other identities to further their own cause. Many times it is more political and with more vested interests than just religion.
2. At other times, it is mistrust or misinterpretation of religion.


Q: The end of this war will give rise to a lot of trauma-relief work in Iraq. How do you see India as a country contributing to this need?

Sri Sri: India has a load of wealth and wisdom in yoga, meditation, ayurveda and cultural roots which It can share with the people there. In fact this is something that we have not done well in the past. If we had spread the fragrance of peace and multi-culturalism that India has been nourishing and enjoying for the past decades and centuries to Middle East; If we had been a little proactive in instilling and planting this thought of peace and non-violence in the hearts and minds of people around the world, perhaps people would not get into the violent rage that they are getting into today. Not that there is no violence in India. There is violence in India too, but these are the people who have not had any sense of India's core values of non-violence. People in India also who have moved away from the idea of the non-violence, dharma, knowledge, wisdom, and the technology of experiencing the inner strength, they are involved in violence. But it is minuscule compared to what is happening in the world. So we wish that the ISIS ideology does not filter into the Indian minds and they do not create disturbances here also. We have to be watchful for this. People here who have believed in non-violence and peaceful coexistence should not remain by themselves. They should go and plant this knowledge wherever it is needed, especially in the conflict zones.

2000 Farmers gather to focus on 'Natural Resources Management' in Farming

Bengaluru, Nov 16, 2014: Entrepreneurial zeal, a zest to know more and a passion for perfection: This might sound like a corporate conference. Yet it was the flavor of an agricultural meet with 2,000 farmers from various states of India. Farmers, most of whom have dedicated themselves to the soil for over four decades, discussed  "Natural Resources Management in Farming' and model village training at a 3-day meet organized by the Sri Sri Institute of Agricultural Sciences & Technology Trust (SSIAST).

While inaugurating the meet, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living, said, “We need to make ‘kisan sangh’ (farmers' meet) in every village. More and more farmers need to adopt and implement the techniques of Natural Farming. Our earth has plenty for everyone. We only have to manage its resources well. Chemical-free farming is a new hope to the farmers in India and we will work with vigor to spread this knowledge.”

Held at The Art of Living International Center, the meet focused on the importance of saving indigenous cows, using natural ways of farming and chemical-free farming.

Simple and easy-to-practice tips like use of cow dung for manure, urine as pesticide were also given by experts. “Our philosophy is to promote farming techniques that are beneficial to the farmer, the consumer and the land. Natural farming or chemical-free farming can achieve these objectives. Along with the skills and knowledge we impart, here they can share leanings and challenges with each other too. We are creating a 'Kisan Sangh', an association to also market this organic produce,” shared Dr. Muley, Chairman, SSIAST. Incidentally 20 lakh farmers have already been trained by the SSIAST.

The meet provided an excellent platform for experts to come and share their experiences with the farmers. Chandrashekhar Bachelor, Agriculture Trainer with SSIAST from Chattisgarh shared his success story of converting infertile land into fertile by mixed cropping on a small scale with different crops, like, mango, papaya, and Kaju (cashew nuts). “We have stopped the production of alcohol from mahuwa flowers  in Koi village, Korba, Chhattisgarh which is heavily grown in the state. Instead we now make laddus (sweets) out of it. This is very popular now. We are working on 18 more villages and have empowered many farmers to grow organically.”

Vouching for the benefits of organic farming, Kehsav Vyas, a farmer from Madhya Pradesh said,” We are spending very less and earning much more. In modern farming, production reduces every year, while production increases with organic farming. I also grow sugarcane and make jaggery (gur) from the organic produce. I was fortunate that The Art of Living bought the entire jaggery produce.”

The Art of Living is also helping farmers by creating organic product markets. This method removes the middlemen and allows the farmers to earn more. 

The Sri Sri Institute of Agricultural Sciences & Technology Trust is established with the main objective to provide opportunities in education, research and extension in different branches of agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and animal sciences, agricultural engineering, home sciences, forestry, co-operation and agribusiness and other allied fields.

Art of Living and IAHV step up relief work in Sinjar in Iraq: Sri Sri to visit Relief Camps

Art of Living and IAHV step up relief work in Sinjar in Iraq

Sri Sri to visit the relief camps on 19^th-20^th November

Bangalore. November 7 2014: The International Association for Human Values, a sister concern of The Art of living along with few NGO’s in Iraq have collected 110 tonnes of food supplies to be delivered to Yazidi refugees on Sinjar mountains. So far the volunteers of the organization have air lifted One and a half ton of relief material to be distributed in the relief camps. Meanwhile, the airlifting of relief material continues. 

The Art of living Founder , Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had earlier called on Governments of Europe, America and India to save the thousands of Yazidis trapped in the Sinjar Mountains In Iraq. “America has heeded to our call of help and yesterday they obliged with two helicopters to airlift One and a half tonnes of food grains. We still have several tonnes of food grains waiting to be lifted to the people trapped in the Sinjar mountains,”shared Sri Sri.

Sri Sri will be visiting the relief camps where IAHV will also hold a conference in the Kurdish capital of Erbil on November 20th titled "Protecting Women and Bringing Stability and Peace". Thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Kurdish Shias are languishing in camps in Erbil, Duhok and Khazir. 

 Appealing for generous contribution, Mawahib Shibani, Program Director, IAHV, for Iraq said, “Currently, the people in the relief camps lack basic items for survival, such as food, clothing and hygienic kits. They are in a very poor psychological state. We have proposed the establishment of an integrated educational program in the province to help the Yazidis students at the Camp and outside it, therefore we need stationery for the students. We have also proposed setting up of toilets and bathrooms. We also plan to provide basic foodstuff to the Camp periodically.” 

Since the early stages of the ISIS insurgence in Iraq, over 1.5 million Iraqis have been internally displaced or forced to flee across borders for their safety. The Art of Living and International Association For Human Values of The Art of Living has been working to bring relief to refugees and internally displaced people (IDP). From its base in Erbil, the team has brought relief in the form of food, water and hygiene products to 5 different camps, each camp sheltering 550 Iraqi families. IAHV has reached more than 2,000 families.

Art of living work in Iraq: The Art of Living made a commitment to spread the message of peace and non-violence in Iraq. Since September 2003 when Art of Living began trauma relief initiatives, around 10,000 people from Iraq have found relief from the stress-elimination breathing techniques.

 Adding momentum to the initiatives, and with an aim of healing the wounds of war, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visited Iraq from May 21 to May 24, 2007 with his message of peace and non-violence. It was for the first time that an Indian spiritual leader was officially invited by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

 Sri Sri signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Youth Ministry under which The Art of Living offered special leadership programs for Iraqi youth.  Along with Mr. Sayed Abdallah Al Musawi, a leading Iraqi religious leader, he distributed certificates to women who have completed training in tailoring skills at the Art of Living’s Women Empowerment Center in Baghdad. The center has been empowering hundreds of Iraqi women providing them financial independence through vocational training.

Despite volatile conditions, Sri Sri visited the country for the second time in less than two years, reaffirming his commitment to rebuild Iraq and galvanize people to work towards a stress-free and violence-free Iraq.55 Iraqi youth were sent by the government of Iraq for a month-long training conducted by the Art of Living Foundation from August to September 2007.699 women survivors of violence in Baghdad and 240 in Kurdistan received training to relieve stress and trauma and skills to cope with life’s challenges under the Al Azhar Program.224 women have received vocational training in tailoring and 117 in computers. 33 women have been trained by IAHV and USAID on applying for jobs through Foras and to find placement with 400 private companies.

To donate relief/support please visit www.iahv.org

www.artofliving.org

Relief Work for Yazidis, Shias and Christians in Iraq

Yazidis are an ancient community on the verge of extinction. Several members of this community visited me here in the US and pleaded for help to rescue the people from the ISIS onslaught. Christians, Yazidis and Kurdish Shias are languishing in camps that have very little amenities, in Erbil, Duhok and Khazir. Art of Living has rescued and rehabilitated a 15 year old girl victim of gang-rape and we are rescuing many other women who are trapped and are being sold by ISIS for as little as $10. Food, water and other basic needs are being distributed in the camps. I have planned to visit these relief camps soon. 

I would also like to invite anyone who speaks the Kurdish or Arabic language and who’d like to help to contact my secretariat (Vishal Merani vishal.merani@artofliving.org).

7000 Yazidi girls from ages 9-35 years have been taken captive by the ISIS. Words cannot express the courage and conviction with which our volunteers have traveled to the Sinjar Mountains to rescue people who are trapped there.

Yazidis who were a community of 23 mi have been reduced to 1 mi over the years. This is the one of the worst genocides of the 21st century. Thousands are trapped in the mountains with no food or water. Art of Living is engaged in relief work. I urge the governments of Europe, America and India to save the thousands of Yazidis trapped in the Sinjar Mountains.

- by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

YES workshop at SOS Children’s Village, Faridabad

A YES workshop was conducted at SOS Children’s Village at Faridabad in July ‘2014

The workshop was coordinated by Prof. Nita Verma and taken by Ms. Archana Vaidya  and Ms. Himanshi Gupta. 

The feedback of the management and experiences of the students is shared along with some pictures.

Vadodara Flood Relief

Volunteers, mostly youth and women, from the Art of Living, Vadodara chapter are working in association with the Municipal Commissioners team to help in the preparation and distribution of food packets to people affected by the floods in Vadodara. 

More than 6000 packets consisting of biscuits,wafers, sev mamra and water pouches were packed and handed over to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation team for distribution in the past two days. 

Dry food items were specifically requested for by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation as they are easier to handle and distribute.

Picture: Vadodara Municipal Seva Sadan Truck with packets filled by Art of Living volunteers.

Flood Relief in Tinsukia Assam

REPORT ON FLOOD RELIEF CAMP AT RURAL VILLAGES IN TINSUKIA, ASSAM

Shared by Mousumi Sharma

As a teacher & volunteer of The Art of Living organisation Myself, Mousumi Sharma Borpuzary & Dabokr bora visited Mirigoan, Garaki, and Tangabari  on January 2014 as a part of the survey for the Rural Electrification under the “Light a Home” Project. We found that the people of the area are worst affected by floods & the area seems to be much backward in all respect. The Transportation seems to be very difficult for the villagers like crossing the river and walking long distances to reach their homes. During rainy season it was worse .We conducted various stress relief camps like Nava Chetana Shivir ,Rural Happiness program and constantly interacted with them and they felt relieved from their problems.

The villages are now under our first priority in the rural electrification program and will be fulfilled by the end of September 2014.

 Recently we came to know that they are worst affected by the flood. Taking Notice of this we visited them last Saturday, 6^th September 2014 and distributed clothes and essentials to more than 300 flood affected families. The Art of Living teacher, Mr Ranjan Gogoi and some other volunteers accompanied me.

I’m really grateful to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji for giving me an opportunity and providing me with all his blessings so that I’m able to serve these people. Our volunteers and teachers are so dynamic that we’re able to take care of these situations.

-- 

TESTIMONIALS of Villagers 

Mr Subhas Das: A villager from Tangabari village, expressed his gratitude to Sri Sri, for the kindness and the support he is showering on the villagers. He also told us that after completing the AOL course he feels much relaxed of the pain &sufferings of his life.

Mrs Sandhaya Rani Navasudra from Mirigoan village says much of her illness started reducing after completion of the course and regular Sadhna.

Mrs Runusarkar from Mirigoan said that even the government is not much interested in their problems. But the Art of Living is taking the responsibility of them and she added that she could not find words to convey her gratitude. She was also suffering from chronic stomach problem last 20 years and after the AOL course she is completely alright now.

Mr Ajay Mura Garaki  was a depression patient from a long time & after completing the course he is feeling relaxed & is able to sleep properly now.

Mr Kishore of Mirigoan was a angry young man but after completing the course he is feeling relaxed said if he had done this course earlier it would have been better for him.

Sri Sri University celebrates Convocation

03 SEPTEMBER, 2014, BHUBHANESHWAR. The Art of Living’s Sri Sri University today celebrated the graduation-day ceremony of the pilot batch of graduates of the MBA Programme 2012-2014 at the Mayfair Convention Centre in Bhubaneswar,  in the presence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Sri Sri University and the Art of Living Foundation, and the chief guest the Honourable Chief Minister, Odisha, Mr. Naveen Patnaik.

Addressing the distinguished invitees and students, Sri Sri said,“One of the main purposes behind setting up this university is to provide the best of the East and the West. But science when clogged with prejudice then science slows down and spirituality when clogged with superstition loses its utility. We need to break spirituality of superstition and science of prejudice. Universities are there to create a vibrant, open mind to respond to questioning and open up to new learning.”  

The chief guest, Mr. Patnaik, delivering the Convocation Address, emphasized and said, “Over the past years of existence Sri Sri University has established itself as a promising and excellent institute,



Some Coverages for the event in various newspapers across the country.

Mental Health Matters : Jamaica

News from Jamaica

 “Past is dead. Future is unknown. Where is life? Life is happening right NOW”.

On August 12th, 2014 the Art of Living Foundation Jamaica and The Ministry of Youth and Culture organised a one day introductory seminar for youth: Mental Health Matters. The seminar was attended by 50 youth leaders from various schools and homes and for the first time were exposed to breathing, yoga and meditation. Their response and experience of this workshop was such that the Ministry of Youth on the same day issued a press release confirming a roll out of Art of Living Youth Empowerment Seminars to more schools. The Student council youth leaders participating on this workshop personally were motivated and geared to become ambassadors of Art of Living and take them to all the schools and universities in Jamaica.

The session was conducted by Mr. Dushyant Savadia, an International Program Director with The Art of Living Foundation.

Mental health is not just an absence of a mental disorder, but also a psychological well being of a person, which largely depends on the state of mind, which in its turn determines the quality of life. That is why it is highly important to teach youngsters how to handle their mind, not letting it to scatter all over the place, to regret or to daydream 24/7. The importance of the present moment was emphasised by Mr. Savadia numerous times: “Past is dead. Future is unknown. Where is life? Life is happening right NOW”.

Seminar attendants got to know powerful breathing techniques, that enabled them to relax and de-stress. Participants also got the experience of Sun Salutations, strengthening exercises to achieve a better co-ordination between mind and body. Moreover, youngsters got an experience of meditation, which is a very powerful yet effortless technique that allows the mind to take a break and relax completely. Highly charged with the wisdom and benefits of breathing techniques and meditation taught in the seminar, students vowed to practice at home and incorporatethese in their daily lives and prolong the benefits of the seminar.

The feedback of the participants was highly positive and many of them said that they were  feeling much calmer and more peaceful, willing to learn more breathing and meditation technique themselves and bring this knowledge to their peers.

Similar event took place in Doctor’s Cave Beach Club House in Montego Bay, where the session was conducted by the local Art of Living Teacher - VandanaChandiramani.

Art of Living Jamaica will continue the collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Culture to bring this valuable knowledge to the youth across the country. Inspired by this event, the Ministry of Youth has issued a press release that they will be engaging Art of Living workshops to more and more youths in schools and universities.

ART OF LIVING ACTIVITIES IN JAMAICA

In Jamaica the AOLF has been active for the past 2 years; and has worked with the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Youth and Culture. Art of Living Jamaica has successfully carried out a series of stress-management and rehabilitation programs for inmates at various prisons in Kingston. Courses have reached out to at-risk youth, teachers, farmers, inner-city communities, corporate and senior management staff of the Ministry of National Security. Our service initiatives and stress-management courses have benefited thousands in Jamaica, bringing a positive change.

IAHV UK Joins 10K run to Promote Human Values

Media coverage about this years London 10K Run - a team of Volunteers from across the UK ran the British 10K in London to raise money for various IAHV projects.

Read more here: pages 20 - 21:

http://asianlite.co.uk/digitaledition/03%20August%202014/

Rapid Fire with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Rapid Fire with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Source: 
http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/exclusive-sri-sri-ravi-shankar-speaks-out/20140807.htm

Israel-Palestine: The Only Way to Resolve Conflict

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's article on Solving the Israel Palestine Conflict on Speaking Tree

http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-articles/new-age/israelpalestine-the-only-way-to-resolve-conflict

Conversation with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

A Conversation With... Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Humanitarian Leader, Spiritual Teacher and Ambassador of Peace
Interviewed by Eden Kozlowski, Meditation Editor on ATH

www.allthingshealing.com/Meditation/A-Conversation-With-Sri-Sri-Ravi-Shankar/16225#.U-HcYfmSzuK

A New Hope: Education for the Underprivileged

Sri Sri Seva Mandir Project has been initiated by volunteers in four districts in Andhra Pradesh - Guntur, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Kurnool.

Why the Project was initiated:

The inspiration to start the project came as a result of wanting to address situations arising in the following four categories

a) Naxals forcing parents to join and get trained for Guerrilla Warfare so once both the parents leave the kids , no one was there to take care of them.

b) Fathers would force children into child labour and use the money so earned to drink alcohol

c) Usually girl child is considered a burden and married of at age of 15 or 16

d) Socio Economic Factors. Education for Kindergarten in Andhra Pradesh is expensive so sending children for education was a huge financial burden for the parents. So they were sent to work to support the family financially from a Young Age

The Free School project was started so that disadvantaged children could get the opportunity to study in an environment which provided both advanced technology and spirituality too. 

Simultaneous Teacher Training happened as teachers were selected as young students and were encouraged to complete their B.Ed. through distance education, later to be absorbed in the same school;

This motivated the teachers to give their best and ensured quality in the education being imparted. Coaches trained at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) come on weekend and also week days to train in games like Carrom, Chess ,Volleyball etc.

The teachers are also encouraged to do Advanced level courses of the Art of Living thereby learning Meditation and breathing techniques. This enables all round growth of the teachers which has a direct impact on the quality of their teaching and values they impart to the children. In Hyderabad school, they have advanced learning concepts

More than 500 kids have benefited from the project in the past 5 years.

Empowering Rural Women in Rajasthan

It all began with a Rural Art of Living Happiness Program of 16 women in Tirol Village, Tehsil Gogunda in Rajasthan. The Program was organised by Dinesh Sharma ji , with Sunita Rathore ji as the faculty. .

Another Happiness Program was conducted soon in Nandeshma (near Tirol).

The women who did the program belong to a tribal area, far away from the city. Their  travelling to the city for employment was nearly impossible and the only means of income for their family was  farming . 

Therefore, the faculty and organizers  decided to help them by enhancing their best talent - Stitching. The material needed for stitching was arranged through the contribution of volunteers from the Art of Living family. 

The stitching training was given by another volunteer - Jyoti Jhala ji from Udaipur. 

Once in every month two women from the group visit the city for training and material , and then forward the same to other ladies of the village.  Once in two months , Art of Living faculty Sunita Rathore ji and Trainer Jyoti Jhala ji  visit the village for follow-up and enquiry of the work .

The items being made include Guru puja vastra , Dupattas(Chunnis), Greeting Envelopes , Bags , Bandhanwaar etc.

All those interested in buying the products may contact Sunita Rathore ji  on sunita.rathore44@yahoo.com Sunita ji is also the YLTP Coordinator in Rajasthan.

About YLTP 
Inspired by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's vision, the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) was established in August 1999.
Not only does the Youth Leadership Training Program focus on personal development and communication skills. Through stress-reducing breathing techniques, individuals find inner peace and communities to come together in a spirit of service. Participants are inspired to volunteer for rural projects, and the fruits of the seeds sown in the classroom can be experienced by the community as a whole.

Flood Relief in Namkhana - West Bengal

Relief materials given to the Moushuni Gram Panchayat by Art of Living volunteers from Kolkatta.