Global Peace Ambassador and Humanitarian Leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has arrived in Guyana for an IStandforPeace public event that would be held at the National Cultural Centre this evening.
That event is part of his global peace campaign across major cities in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Launched at the UN Headquarters in Geneva in April 2022, the IStandforPeace campaign is a call for the silent, positive and rational voices in society to stand and be heard.
The campaign is premised on intentions being the driving force behind purposeful actions, and that resolve to stand for peace would itself empower those overwhelmed by the rising global aggression to channel their energies into peaceful outcomes.
Gurudev, who heads the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association of Human Values, which has a presence in more than 156 countries, says conflict arises when trust and communication break down, and can be prevented if people are mentally strong and their minds are serene and calm.
He notes that rumours often inflame conflicts, and social media has become a source of both information and misinformation.
Gurudev is a global humanitarian, spiritual leader, and peace envoy who has worked tirelessly in the last 40 years to bring peace and well-being into the lives of more than 450 million persons around the world. Standing for Gandhian values of non-violence, and often called the Master of Love, Gurudev has worked with Governments and civil society leaders to progress peace in conflict-stricken areas of Sri Lanka, Iraq, Venezuela, and Colombia, among other countries.
He has also been actively involved in efforts to promote peace and sustainable development in several countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Lebanon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Haiti. He recently proposed the settlement adopted by the Supreme Court in Indian to settle the age-old Ayodhya dispute.
Gurudev, who began his teaching journey with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of the Transcendental Meditation movement before he began the Art of Living, teaches breath-based meditation techniques to calm the mind and to lead to improved health outcomes.
Gurudev has inspired a wave of service activities across the world among 30,000+ instructors, and over one million volunteers who also work tirelessly to bring trauma relief in areas ravaged by stress, tension, and natural disasters.
Volunteers have proactively embraced environmental sustainability by planting more than 36 million trees around the world, and they have rejuvenated thousands of water bodies in India. The event at the NCC will commence at 18:30h.
