Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Age, Wife, Family, Biography, Controversy, Facts & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

• At the tender age of five, he and his sister would imitate the puja rituals performed by their grandmother, starting with the creation of a small Shivalinga.

• As per his sister’s account, he had a mischievous and playful nature during his younger years. On a particular day, upon returning from school, both she and Ravi took it upon themselves to empty their father’s suitcase and replace its contents with toys, leaving everyone in his office pleasantly surprised.

• In his school years, he showcased his multitude of talents by actively engaging in various activities such as dance, singing, and theatre. His teachers, recognizing his warm nature, would often seek solace in his comforting presence.

• At the tender age of four, he possessed the remarkable ability to effortlessly recite the entire Bhagwat Geets, an ancient Sanskrit scripture originating from India.

• After immersing himself in a ten-day period of silence in Shimoga in 1982, he emerged with a powerful breathing process known as The Sudarshan Kriya.

• During his early years, he found inspiration in Sudhakar Chaturvedi, a trusted confidant of Mahatma Gandhi. Subsequently, he received guidance and initiation from his revered Guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

• The founder of Art of Living Foundation, established in 1981, and the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), established in 1997, is dedicated to the establishment of a society free from stress and violence.

• Successfully, his Youth Empowerment Programs in the USA are effectively addressing and combatting the issues of drug abuse, alcoholism, and violence among young individuals.

• In India, he has initiated the establishment of over 435 schools, aiming to offer free education to underprivileged children.

• His organization has a primary objective of environmental care. Demonstrating their commitment, his volunteers have planted 71 million trees across 36 countries. Additionally, he is actively involved in the revival of 33 rivers and numerous water bodies in India.

• His program has successfully reached over 700,000 prisoners worldwide, aiming to rehabilitate them.

• The World Culture Festival took place in New Delhi from March 11th to 13th, 2016. This event attracted over 3.75 million participants from 155 countries, and featured a grand celebration of diverse faiths with 36,602 dancers and musicians performing on a 7-acre stage.

• Globally, he has been granted 16 Honorary Doctorates and has been honored with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, in addition to receiving the highest civilian awards from Colombia, Mongolia, and Paraguay.

• He received several prestigious awards including the Bharat Shiromani Award in 2005, the Dr. Nagendra Singh International Peace Award in India in 2016, the Tiradentes Medal (the highest honor from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil), the Sivananda World Peace award in South Africa in August 2012, Honorary Citizenship and Goodwill Ambassador in the USA in 2008, and the Order of the Pole Star in Mongolia in 2006, among many others.

• So far, he has successfully arranged 52,466 hygiene camps, 27,427 medical camps, and 165,000 stress relief camps, benefiting a total of 5.6 million individuals.

• In remote regions of India, his organizations have successfully brought renewable energy to 760 villages. Additionally, they have contributed to the construction of 1,000 biogas plants, 1,200 bore-wells, 16,550 toilets, and 3,819 homes in the country.

• IAHV has successfully administered trauma relief programs to a total of 50,000 individuals, while specifically empowering 4,307 women through vocational training initiatives in Iraq.

• The leaders of the society have imparted natural farming practices to over 2.2 million farmers across 22 States in India.

• The Sri Sri University in Odisha, which was founded in 2009, received the prestigious Best Innovative University Award at the 2017 National Education Excellence Awards.

• Forbes Magazine declared him the 5th most influential leader in India in 2009.

• Some of his well-known literary works include Patanjali Yoga Sutras, God Loves Fun, Celebrating Silence, Ashtavakra Gita, An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker, and several more.
• During his interview on the channel ‘Times Now,’ he openly discussed various aspects of his personality.