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Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a globally revered spiritual and humanitarian leader. He has spearheaded an unprecedented worldwide movement for a stress-free, violence-free society. Through a myriad of programs and teachings, a network of organizations including the Art of Living and the International Association for Human Values, and a rapidly growing presence across 180 countries, Gurudev has reached an estimated 800 million people. Gurudev has developed unique, impactful programs that empower, equip and transform individuals to tackle challenges at global, national, community and individual levels.

The Beginning

Born in 1956 in Southern India, Gurudev was a gifted child. By the age of four, he 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.

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 center-piece of the Art of Living courses.

Founding the First Organizations

Gurudev founded The Art of Living as an international, non-profit, educational and humanitarian organization. Its educational and self-development programs offer powerful tools to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being. Appealing not only to a specific population, these practices have proven effective globally and at all levels of society.

In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living. In India, Africa and South America, the two sister organizations’ volunteers are spearheading sustainable growth in rural communities, and have already reached out to 70,000 villages.

A Figure of Peace

Gurudev has played vital roles in peace negotiations globally.

From Kashmir, Assam, and Bihar in India, to Colombia, Kosovo, Iraq and Syria, and Cote d’Ivoire, Gurudev’s programs have had documented impact on people involved in armed conflict to pursue the path of peace. In a world beset with escalating violence and conflict, Gurudev is offering another path where individuals find peace within which becomes the wellspring for peace and harmony in society. For instance, thousands of Iraqis have benefitted through trauma relief programs since 2003.

At the national-community level, Gurudev’s programs have sought to address key societal problems.

In the US, for instance, youth empowerment programs are tackling problems of gang violence, drugs and alcohol addiction in inner cities and schools. The celebrated Project Welcome Home Troops has provided life-changing trauma relief for US war veterans, recorded in documentaries.

In India, Gurudev was engaged in finding an amicable settlement to the long-standing Ayodhya conflict in 2001-02 and again from 2017. In recognition of his initiatives, the Supreme Court of India appointed him as one of the three mediators to resolve the dispute. The 500 year old issue finally came to an end in 2019.

He has been working to find a common ground between the ruling and opposition leaders in Venezuela to peacefully end the ongoing social and political crisis in the Latin American country.

Gurudev has pioneered and supported movements to revive ethics in public life such as India Against Corruption and the World Forum for Ethics in Business.

In India, Gurudev has started over 1,262 schools offering free education to the underprivileged in the remotest of areas benefitting over 100,000 children currently equipping them to become productive citizens.

Care for the environment has been one of the greatest areas of activity for the organization spearheaded by Gurudev. 70 rivers and thousands of water bodies in India are currently being revived; the Art of Living volunteers have planted more than 100 million trees in 36 countries and 26 Indian states.

The Art of Living-IAHV Prison Program is helping to rehabilitate prisoners and has reached out to over 8,00,000 prisoners globally. For instance, in Uruguay, the Ministry of Interior has reduced the prison sentence for those prisoners who have taken the Art of Living Prison Program.

Gurudev’s vast global network of volunteers is well known for mobilizing trauma and disaster relief for affected populations around the world such as in Mexico, Haiti, USA, Germany, Canada, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan to name a few.

At the individual level, Gurudev’s self-development programs have helped hundreds of millions around the globe experience stress relief and a state of calm and well being. These programs are rooted in the ancient techniques of Yoga, customized for modern needs, along with Gurudev’s unique offering of Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique that facilitates physical, mental and emotional well-being. Independent medical research from reputed medical institutions has documented the impact of these techniques on the alleviation of depression, reduced cortisol (stress hormone) and strengthened the immune system.

In a world torn apart by religious, social, national and cultural divides, Gurudev’s overarching message is that the world is one family, and that diverse religions, cultures, and traditions are rooted in the same human values of love, compassion, peace, and non-violence. Mirroring this vision, Gurudev convened the historic World Culture Festival 2016. The Festival brought together over 3.75 million people from 155 countries with spectacular performances on a breathtaking 7-acre stage by 36,602 dancers and musicians from around the globe, celebrating the diversity of all faiths and cultures.

Gurudev has been conferred with numerous awards around the globe, including the highest civilian award of Colombia, Mongolia, Paraguay, Suriname and Fiji. The President of India has also bestowed upon him the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s highest annual award for exceptional and distinguished service. He has been conferred 27 Honorary Doctorates globally. Gurudev travels to nearly 40 countries a year, with a simple but powerful message that love and wisdom can prevail over hatred and distress.

Impact in numbers:

Across India

• River Rejuvenation

  • Successfully rejuvenated rivers and their tributaries across 8 states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, impacting 70 water bodies.
  • Constructed 105,050 recharge structures, benefiting 34,500,000 individuals across 20,000 villages.
  • Increased water storage capacity to 25,000,237.136 liters and planted 700,000 trees along river basins.
  • Total area influenced spans 59,000 square kilometers.

• Project JalTara

  • Implemented across Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, covering 201,200 acres of land.
  • Built 60,090 recharge structures and planted 100,000 trees, benefiting 140 villages.

• Natural Farming

  • Trained 3,000,000 farmers across 23 states in natural farming methods, including 115,000 farmers from suicide-prone districts.
  • Established a network of 2,200 trainers nationwide and converted 56,157 acres to climate-resilient agriculture.

• Tree Plantation

  • Planted 100,000,000 trees across 36 countries and 26 Indian states.
  • Planted 3,870,760 Lakshmi Taru (Simarouba glauca) saplings across India, known for their medicinal properties in treating cancer and tumors.
  • Created 250,000 seed balls for natural reforestation.

• Prison Programs

  • Operating in 65 countries globally, with programs in 500 prisons across India.
  • Conducted 487 prison programs in 121 prisons across 20 States/UTs in India during 2024.
  • Transformed the lives of 800,000 inmates and staff through various rehabilitation programs.

• Rural Development

  • Conducted 100,000 cleanliness drives and health and hygiene camps each.
  • Trained 300,000 rural youth since January 2010, benefiting 350,000 rural residents.
  • Reached 574 districts through Youth Leadership Training Program, helping 15,000 youths overcome addiction.
  • Trained 4,000 Panchayat members for good governance across 50 Gram Panchayats.

• Skill Development

  • Trained 420,000 youth in livelihood skills across 500 districts in 23 states and union territories.
  • Operating 119 total skill centers, including 48 development centers, 29 prison centers (Project Srijan), and 42 ITI centers.
  • Upgraded 16 ITI centers across India.
  • Trained 6,700 inmates under Project Srijan across different job roles.

• Renewable Energy

  • Benefited 165,000 individuals through The Light a Home project, distributing 66,000 solar lamps.
  • Established 46 Solar Micro Grids for the Integrated Rural Energy Access Model Village program.
  • Solar electrified 700 villages and 190 schools, while training 5,000 youth leaders as Renewable Energy Technicians.

• Education and Schools

  • Operating 239 schools under the Smart Rural School Program.
  • Running 1,327 free schools in rural, urban, and tribal areas across 22 states.
  • Benefited 100,000 children through free education in 2,032 villages.

• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA)

  • Operating in 20 states, reaching 32,750 participants through drug awareness campaigns.
  • Partnered with Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2023 for conducting awareness campaigns in educational institutions.

• Waste Management

  • Installed 18 waste management plants, processing 300,000 kilograms of waste in NDMC plants in 2024.

• Gaudhan

  • Preserving 20 native cow breeds across facilities.
  • Maintaining 1,500 cows in Bangalore Ashram.
  • Supporting 2,000 cows in gaushalas across India.

• Women Empowerment

  • Reached 111,000 rural women through various initiatives and formed 623 Self-Help Groups.
  • Benefited 115,800 girls through Project Pavitra’s Menstrual Health and Hygiene Workshops across multiple countries.
  • Trained 1,500 women under Project Shakti (1,000 in Mumbai and 500 in Bangalore) in various entrepreneurial skills.
  • Established a network of 5,910 Project Pavitra Trainers.

• Trauma Relief and War Survivors Rehabilitation

  • Helped 150,000 war survivors across Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Balkans, and Afghanistan.
  • Organized 165,000 stress relief workshops, benefiting 5,600,000 people.
  • Europe Emergency Relief efforts:
    • Provided 32,617 meals across 9 European countries
    • Delivered mental health counseling to 22,342 people
    • Engaged 2,183 ground volunteers
    • Housed 5,875 refugees and students at centers and volunteer homes

• Campaigns and Other Initiatives

  • Mobilized 10,600,000 people for Millennium Development Goals and secured 1,000,000 pledges for UNICEF-AOL girl child protection campaign.
  • Sensitized 150,000 people against child marriage and removed 512 tons of waste during Clean Yamuna Campaign.
  • Planted 9,600,000 trees across 19 states and 121 districts during World Environment Day 2024.
  • Reached 45,000 individuals through HIV/AIDS Awareness for Rural Adolescent (HARA) campaign.
  • Treated 25,000 people for drug and alcohol addiction using holistic intervention methodologies.

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Middle East

• In Iraq, 50,000 people have been provided with life skills and trauma relief programs. 4,307 Iraqi women have been provided with vocational training. More than 200 peace ambassadors have been trained to provide trauma relief to those affected.
• 150,000 plus war survivors including child soldiers in Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Krygztan, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and Afghanistan have benefitted from trauma relief programs.

Europe Emergency Relief

• 32,617 meals provided in 9 countries.
• 22,342 people provided with mental health counselling.
• 2,183 volunteers working on ground.
• 5,875 people (refugees, students etc.) housed at Art of Living centers and Volunteer homes

In the United States

• Since 2008, over 120,000 students and more than 2,300 teachers have participated in the YES for Schools program in 225 schools. More than 127,000 students on 101 university campuses have participated in our SKY Campus programs, leading to happy and mindful campus communities
• Over 8,000 veterans and family members have benefited through SKY meditation workshops conducted through the Project Welcome Home Troops program, a restorative mind body resilience program for veterans and military members giving them tools to reduce chronic and post-traumatic stress.
• Since 1992, more than 20,000 inmates, correctional officers and law enforcement staff have experienced the benefits of the PRISON SMART program, that effectively transforms the mindsets, attitudes and behaviors of offenders, thus aiming to break the cycle of violence at the root and reducing reoffending.
• Since 2016, over 5,000 healthcare professionals in more than 20 institutions have benefitted from the Art of Living and IAHV service initiatives.

 

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