Bharat Gaurav Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar- Humanitarian Leader
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitarian leader, a spiritual teacher, and an ambassador of peace. His vision of a stress-free, violence-free society has united millions of people the world over through service projects and the courses of The Art of Living. He is frequently referred to simply as “Sri Sri” or as Guruji or Gurudev.
Born on 13 May 1956 in Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, Southern part of India to Visalakshi Ratnam and R. S. Venkat Ratnam. Gurudev was a gifted child. Gurudev was named “Ravi” (meaning “sun”) because his birth was on a Sunday and “Shankar” after the eighth-century Hindu saint, Adi Shankara because it was also Shankara’s birthday. By the age of four, Gurudev was able to recite the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Sanskrit scripture, and was often found in meditation. He holds degrees in, both, Vedic literature and physics.
Gurudev’s first teacher was Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an Indian Vedic Scholar and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Gurudev holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph’s College of Bangalore University. After graduation, Gurudev travelled with his second teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, giving talks and arranging conferences on Vedic science, and setting up Transcendental Meditation and Ayurveda centers.
In the 1980s, Gurudev initiated a series of practical and experiential courses in spirituality around the globe.
In 1982, Gurudev entered a ten-day period of silence in Shimoga located in the Indian state of Karnataka. The Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique, was born. With time, the Sudarshan Kriya became the centrepiece of the Art of Living courses.
