Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Take the lead if you have passion for people, society’

Chennai: Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who mastered the Art of Living, urged Gen Y to enter into the country's political scene and 'make the change' in a conference on Wednesday.

Present in The New Indian Express ThinkEdu Conclave, the spiritual guru said, "Politicians are not some special class or species who have come from another planet. They are one among you, among us. So, one of you must take the lead. If you have the passion for people and service to society, you must come."

Discussing among the gathering of curious students and academics on the wrong way politicians view their 'jobs' in today's time, he said, "Unfortunately in this country and everywhere else in the world, politics is no longer a service, it has lost its sheen and respect, which it had during the time of Kamaraj and Mahatma Gandhi and a few generations before us. That needs to be set right." He exhorted the youth to make that change, en masse. "Not one or two persons can do it, but all of you collectively can. Youth of this country have the power to bring change. So you need to ask politicians whether they're here for service or business."

He also spoke on the country's ever burning issue of Corruption. Calling it a debilitating factor that took a toll not only on politics but also impacted several spheres, he held corruption responsible for obstructing a nation's progress.

"Corruption has entered every field. One of the biggest reasons is the lack of education. It should create a sense of belonging. The sense of belonging is the only way to combat corruption. Corruption begins where this sense of belonging ends and to create this, education must be attuned to human values," he said and added, "Whether religion should be taught in schools or not is secondary. Students should be taught ethics and values first. That is essential."

Claiming 'yoga' and 'ayurveda' of being mediums to imbibing ethics necessary for an education with sound knowledge, Ravi Shankar said yoga should be mandatory in schools and colleges and imparted as an art.

The guru was further interrogated upon whether these practices, innately related with 'Hindu', give it a political colour, seeing the political repercussions on Yoga Day. He replied, "Just because Yoga or Ayurveda are part of Hinduism, it doesn't mean that it won't work for a non-Hindu. We are global citizens today and education has no boundaries."

He emphasised that one should choose values and ethics without thinking twice, adding that many of the ethical and value-centric practices have their roots in Hindu culture. Despite that, they follow a scientific trajectory which proves the fact that religion and science could co-exist peacefully. (With inputs from The New Indian Express, Image Source: vishwagujarat.com)