The record behind this prize is specific.

In Colombia, Gurudev’s engagement contributed to a unilateral FARC ceasefire in 2015 and, a year later, a bilateral one, which helped halt a conflict that had displaced seven million people and claimed more than 220,000 lives. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos acknowledged the role directly: “Thank you for everything you have done for the peace process. Your help is very useful and your spiritual guidance is so important.” And as Congressman Losada put it, “Without you, Gurudev, peace in our country would not have been possible. 

In Sri Lanka, Gurudev spent nearly a decade mediating between the LTTE and the government, pairing traditional diplomacy with emotional healing to open pathways between Tamil and Sinhalese communities scarred by 26 years of civil war.

In Ayodhya, appointed by India’s Supreme Court to a mediation panel, Gurudev convened more than 1,200 stakeholders over nine months to build the foundation for a peaceful end to a 500-year dispute.

In dialogues still underway around the world, the approach holds: attend not only to the external conditions of conflict, but to the mental and emotional lives of the people inside it, at both the levels of leadership and everyday people affected by violence.