NEW DELHI/ BENGALURU | Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia on Sunday visited the Art of Living Ashram in Bengaluru and sought the blessings of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji. The leaders joined the celebrations marking 45 years of the Art of Living Foundation’s service to humanity, offered prayers for the progress, prosperity and peace of Punjab and the entire country, and discussed the strengthening of social welfare, education, mental peace and communal harmony.
The spiritual gathering also provided an opportunity for the three leaders to reflect on the transformative role of meditation and spirituality in individual and social life. Arvind Kejriwal shared his personal journey with Gurudev and Sudarshan Kriya, and spoke about the need to take meditation into classrooms and make it an integral part of the development of young people.
Addressing the gathering, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that his association with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji goes back more than two decades and that he considers himself extremely fortunate to have received his love and trust over the years. “I have visited this Ashram perhaps for the third or fourth time. I had also come here twice as Chief Minister. For more than 20 years, I have personally received immense love and trust from Guruji, and I consider myself very fortunate for that,” he said.
Congratulating Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji and all members of the Art of Living on completing 45 years of service to humanity, Arvind Kejriwal said that the organisation had made a profound contribution to society. “I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Guruji and all the members of the Art of Living. I congratulate all of you on completing 45 years of service to humanity,” he said.
Arvind Kejriwal said, “Last week, I also learnt Sudarshan Kriya. False allegations were levelled against us and we were sent to Tihar Jail. But there was one silver lining to that experience—Manish Sisodia learnt Sudarshan Kriya while he was in Tihar. After coming out, he inspired me as well. He told me that the experience was wonderful, and that inspired me to learn it too.”
Sharing his personal experience of Gurudev’s guidance, Arvind Kejriwal said that his association with the Art of Living had benefited him at both the physical and spiritual levels. “These days I am also undergoing osteopathic treatment. In the presence of Guruji, we have benefited considerably at the physical and health level, and at the spiritual level the benefit has been immense. When you come into Guruji’s presence, he does not take anything from you; he only keeps giving, giving and giving,” he said.
Arvind Kejriwal expressed hope that the love and blessings of Gurudev would continue to guide them throughout their lives. “I hope that your love and blessings will continue to be with us throughout our lives. We cannot give you anything in return; we will simply continue to ask for your blessings and receive from you,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann described his meeting with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji as a divine experience and said that it was a privilege to address the large gathering of devotees at the Ashram. “Meeting Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji was a divine experience for me. It was a great honour to address this large gathering of devotees and spend time meditating in the peaceful and serene surroundings of the Ashram. The experience has filled me with a deep sense of spiritual peace and inner tranquillity,” he said.
The Punjab CM said that Punjab’s historical and civilisational identity has always been deeply connected with the larger national ethos and its people have repeatedly stood at the forefront of the nation’s defence. “Since time immemorial, Punjab, the land of five rivers, has had the honour of being the jewel in the crown of our great nation and the proud flag-bearer of its centuries-old civilisation. Punjab has justifiably been known as the ‘Sword Arm of the country’, as its brave people have always stood as defenders of the nation against both external and internal threats,” he said.
He said, “Having weathered many storms over thousands of years, the land of Punjab has retained its resolute, resilient and sturdy character. Another riveting characteristic of the State is its truly secular character, which is deeply embedded in its psyche and forms an integral part of its cultural ethos.”
Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Apart from making overall progress in development-oriented sectors, one of the missions of the State Government is to further strengthen social, moral, ethical and national values, especially among our youth. It is imperative that we nurture these values in the younger generation.”
Lauding Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji for his continued efforts to inspire young people, the Punjab CM said that his teachings and guidance could play an important role in strengthening the values of harmony and brotherhood. “Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji has continuously worked in this direction by motivating and inspiring the youth through his spiritually enlightened teachings and learned intellectual guidance. I hope that such an embodiment of holiness will continue to show the path to people through his wisdom and blessings,” he said.
Bhagwant Singh Mann also emphasised the importance of communal harmony, peaceful coexistence, social equality and universal brotherhood. “It is imperative to strengthen the ethos of communal harmony, peaceful coexistence, social equality and universal brotherhood. These values have woven our society into one large family, and strengthening them is essential for building a peaceful, progressive and united society,” said Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia expressed gratitude to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji, saying that he considered himself and everyone present at the gathering fortunate to have the guidance and blessings of such a spiritual master.
Recalling his long association with the teachings of Gurudev, Manish Sisodia said, “From 2008 onwards, for a long time, I could not learn Sudarshan Kriya. I used to listen to Gurudev’s videos, and my wife and I would listen every morning to the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra as explained by Gurudev. But somehow, the opportunity to learn Sudarshan Kriya did not arise.”
Manish Sisodia said that he came to see his difficult period in jail in a different light after discovering meditation and Gurudev’s teachings there. “They say that God has arranged everything according to His own plan. Perhaps I was sent to jail to learn Sudarshan Kriya. I had not done anything wrong that warranted going to jail. Perhaps the books I read there and the meditation I learnt there were the reason I had to go through that experience,” said Manish Sisodia.
He recalled that meditation helped him deal with the hardships of imprisonment and that Art of Living teachers encouraged him to learn Sudarshan Kriya. “I had been practising meditation even before that. When I went to jail, I felt that the meditation practices I had learnt would help me deal with the hardship. The Art of Living teachers who came there encouraged me to learn Sudarshan Kriya,” he said.
Manish Sisodia said that discovering Gurudev’s book The Silence of the Mind in the jail library further deepened his spiritual journey. “I found Gurudev’s book The Silence of the Mind in the jail library. I read it and my interest grew further. Slowly, more books came to me—the Ashtavakra Gita, the Upanishads and many other works. Then I learnt Kriya and practised it extensively, along with meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices,” he said.
Manish Sisodia said that these practices and Gurudev’s teachings provided him immense mental and inner strength during the 18 months he spent in jail. “I can say with complete conviction that if I had not found Sudarshan Kriya there, and if I had not had Gurudev’s discourses and many of his books as a source of strength, perhaps I would not have been able to spend those 18 months in jail with the same mental and inner strength,” he said.
Taking the discussion from personal transformation to education and society, Manish Sisodia stated that meditation should become an integral part of formal education across the country. “Arvind Ji and all of us have been practising meditation for a long time. We believe that meditation should come into the country’s formal classrooms along with other classes. We had experimented with this in Delhi, and Gurudev had also blessed that initiative. We started classes for happiness and well-being,” he said.
Highlighting the experience in Punjab, Manish Sisodia pointed out that meditation had been incorporated into the daily routine of schoolchildren across the State. “In all the schools of Punjab, the first period is a meditation period. Twenty-five to thirty children sit in the classroom along with their teachers, meditate together and begin their day with meditation. The results have been tremendous,” he said.
Manish Sisodia said that the practice was helping students develop greater confidence, mental preparedness and productivity. “When Gurudev speaks to children, they may appear like ordinary children sitting in a classroom, but their confidence level is different. Whatever family background they come from and whatever circumstances they come out of, their entire day becomes more productive,” said Manish Sisodia.
He said that the larger national vision should be to ensure that every child gets the opportunity to develop inner strength and mental well-being alongside academic education. “From this very sacred stage, blessed by the Guru, I want to imagine an India where every child, from nursery onwards and at least up to Class XII, receives not only formal education but also the opportunity to learn meditation and develop inner strength,” said Manish Sisodia.
The three leaders also expressed appreciation for the Art of Living Foundation’s wider service-oriented initiatives. The visit coincided with the organisation’s 45th year, and the leaders conveyed their greetings to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji and acknowledged its work in areas including support for farmers and de-addiction.
The leaders offered prayers for the progress, prosperity and peace of Punjab and the entire country and reiterated the importance of spirituality, education, social welfare, mental well-being, communal harmony and universal brotherhood in building a stronger and more compassionate society.
