A Bright Future for Indian Farmers: Celebrating the Kisan Samruddhi Mahotsav with Art of Living

 

Infused with enthusiasm, vigor and the hope of a better economic future, over 1000 farmers from all over India arrived to attend the three-day Kisan Mahotsav at The Art of Living International Center in the presence of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

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March 5, 2022,
Bengaluru, India

Infused with enthusiasm, vigor and the hope of a better economic future, over 1000 farmers from all over India arrived to attend the three-day Kisan Mahotsav at The Art of Living International Center in the presence of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The other dignitaries present at the inaugural event included Union Minister of Water Resources, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor, State of Karnataka and other dignitaries.

Addressing the diverse cohorts of farmers here, Union Minister of Water Resources, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared his visions and optimistic outlook about the unprecedented power that lay within the Indian farmers in their ability to grow premium quality produce.

“Whatever is edible in the world is possible to be grown in India given the geographical variability. We need to move towards transforming our agricultural model into an export-oriented one to capture the global market with great success,” he said.

Lauding the Art of Living’s scalable community-based model of river rejuvenation, utilisation of water resources and natural farming, he said that this model must be implemented as the model practice across the country,

“We do not need to go outside India to learn how to pump our water resources, we must look inwards, at organisations like the Art of Living that are setting an excellent model not just in their local areas rather across the country. This is the model we must learn from,” he remarked.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar congratulated them heartily and reinforced the commitment of Art of Living and the government of India in uplifting the farmers of our country.

“India is the country of Krishi (farmers)…the country is ready to do anything for the farmers, even our Prime Minister has expressed this repeatedly. He feels the pain of the farmers, he is aware of their challenges, and he is willing to work for their development,”

The said farmers have been the beneficiaries of the Art of Living’s initiatives in the areas of sustainable agriculture, river rejuvenation, watershed development, agroforestry, social forestry, among others.

Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor, State of Karnataka, joined in to congratulate the farmers in their ability to work with the Art of Living in making their agricultural communities sustainable, underlining how immersive participation in innovative policies can yield great success.

“If farmers also participate in the policies of the government, then success is guaranteed,” adding how farmers must also fully utilise the welfare programs that are being run by the government.

The farmers who have reached the centre also shared their personal anecdotes of the transformation that the Art of Living’s natural farming have brought in their regions, making their livelihood sustainable and boosting the strength of their communities.

1,200 farmers attended the Kisan Samruddhi Mahotsav at the @BangaloreAshram. The event was inaugurated by the Hon. Governor Of Karnataka @TCGEHLOT, Hon. Minister of Jal Shakti @gssjodhpur & other dignitaries. pic.twitter.com/3s1UxJaytY

— Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) March 7, 2022

.@ArtofLiving River Rejuvenation project has revived 48 rivers across the country. As a result, the income of farmers living along their banks has tripled. Many of them took a flight for the first time in their lives to come to the @BangaloreAshram to share their success stories.

— Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) March 7, 2022

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with Suryadatta National Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

On this occasion, Gurudev was conferred upon by the Suryadatta National Lifetime Achievement award 2022 in recognition of his unending contribution to humanity, peace and spirituality.

About Kisan Samruddhi Mahotsava

Kisan Samruddhi Mahotsava is an initiative aiming to provide farmers with a wealth of information that they can use to optimize crop production with best practices in natural farming, understanding emerging technologies and multiple ways to generate income, and learning different ways to expand avenues to tap into the global market. It is an effort to help Indian cultivators improve their skill sets in natural farming, agro-biodiversity with indigenous seeds, financial literacy, social media marketing and understanding of global market opportunities with an aim to achieve financial security and abundance.

During the festival, the Art of Living Social Projects team will conduct comprehensive training sessions for farmers. Some of the noteworthy agenda includes
• -training in regenerative agricultural practices,

• -securing food and nutrition through natural farming,

• -training in water sensitive and climate resilient agriculture, and

• -use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance crop production,

• -internet of things combined with big data, among others.

sharing testimonials and practical know-how by farmers who are already reaping the benefits of using social media for marketing.

In addition, the farmers will attend The Art of Living’s signature Happiness program, where they will learn the globally-established powerful breathing technique-Sudarshan Kriya, and other pranayamas, meditation and life skills.

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