Biography of Gurudev!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri is an humanitarian leader and spiritual teacher. Gurudev was born on 13 May,1956. Literally, he was a god gifted child. He is a brother of Bhanumathi Narasimhan. Gurudev was named as "Ravi". At the age of four he had read the Bhagavad Gita. Since childhood he was very intelligent and obedient child.

Childhood Picture of Gurudev

Guruji always used to say that he will travel the whole world and his friends used laugh at him. They always teased him and laugh at him. Instead of inducing him they used to demotivate guruji. But guruji don't respond or get angry at their friends because he believe in god and himself that one day he will travel the entire world.

                     

Ravi Shankar's first teacher was Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an Indian Vedic Scholar and had a long cooperation with Mahatma Gandhi. He holds degrees in  both, Vedic literature and physics. 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 centres.

Sri Sri revealed a powerful breathing technique called "Sudarshan Kriya". After ten days period of silence on the banks of the Bhadra river in Shimoga district located in Indian state of Karnataka he founded this technique. Breathing is the crucial and first act of our life. Sudarshan kriya eliminates stress, negative thoughts and emotions, depression, frustration. It keeps our mind calm, feel relax, our body gets completely energized, stay focused. Sudarshan Kriya is the unrevealed secret to health, happiness, peace and an insight of life beyond!

Sri Sri founded the Art of Living as an international, non-profit, educational and humanitarian organization. Gurudev held the first Art of Living course in Switzerland in 1983. In 1986, he travelled to Apple Valley, California in the US to conduct the first course to be held in North America. Slowly, it had spread all over the country and then the entire world. His just vision is to give people a stress free, peaceful and a happy life. 

Gurudev shared his knowledge to each and every person. He never discriminated against any religion, caste or gender. He always treats everyone equally. All the programs are remarkable and incredible and had a great impact on everyone's life. Peoples can see drastic changes in themselves. In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) that aims to give a peaceful and stress-free life.

In India, Africa and South America, the two sister organizations volunteers are spearheading sustainable growth in rural communities, and have already reached out to 40,212 villages. His Youth Empowerment programs in USA are tackling the problems of drugs, alcohol and violence of youth successfully. In India, Sri Sri has started 702 schools offering free education to the underprivileged in the remotest of areas benefiting over 70,000 children currently equipping them to become productive citizens. 

Care for the government has been one of the greatest areas of activity for the organization spearheaded by Gurudev. 43 rivers and thousands of water bodies in India are currently being revived; the Art of Living volunteers have planted 81 million trees in 36 countries. More than 249,408 rural youth have been trained in leadership program who reached out with various development projects in 70,000 villages.

His work has touched the lives of millions of people around the world, going beyond the barriers of race, nationality and religion with the message of a "One-World Family".