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Since the Art of Living organised the first-ever Art of Living course in 1996, almost
half the population of the country have undergone the Art of Living programme. The magic of the Sudarshan Kriya and
charisma of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have moved thousands of hearts in
Mongolia.
The Art of Living is a household name in
cities like Ulan Bator.
The techniques taught by it have been very popular in this country as they provide a simple and practical means to fulfill their spiritual
needs. Sri Sri has a huge following in the country with the former and current
president and prime minister being ardent followers of the Art of Living.
According to Indian ambassador to Mongolia Gauri Shankar Gupta, there are some
provinces where is up to 15,000 people of a total population of 20,000 have
undergone the Art of Living programmes. “Even remotest parts of the country are
influenced by the Art of Living,” he said.
Recognising his “yeoman service to mankind,”
Sri Sri was conferred the Order of the Pole Star, the highest civilian and
military honour of Mongolia
in 2006. The award was bestowed him by President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar
in Ulan Bator
at a function held in the Presidential Palace on August 24, 2006.
“This is the 800th year of the Mongolian
state and we chose this year to honour Sri Sri Ravi Shankar recognising his
popularity and his role in deepening the relationship between India and
Mongolia," said Tugsjargal Gandhi, Chairperson of the Committee on Social
Policy, Education, Culture and Science which confers the award. “Very few
people had been accorded the rare honour till now,” she added.
Receiving the award given in recognition of
the contribution the Art of Living Foundation has made to the nation, Sri Sri
said, “It (the award) is a honour not to a person but the ancient philosophy
and spiritual tradition of India.”
Sri Sri was also earlier conferred the
Mongolian Prime Minister’s Award for his contribution to the nation during the
Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Art of Living in Bangalore in February 2006.
Sri Sri has visited
Mongolia twice
in the last six years. His first visit in 2001 also received huge response the
people of Mongolia.
During his visit in August 2007, he was
welcomed by several top leaders including the President. Hundreds of admirers
thronged the Changis Khan airport when Sri Sri arrived in
Ulan Bator despite biting cold to give him a
memorable welcome. The admirers, which included many women and children, waited
for hours in freezing temperature to catch a glimpse of the spiritual leader.
Although the distance from the exit of the
airport terminal to his car was less than 50 metres, it took more than an hour
for him to wade through the crowd. Many broke into impromptu song and dance at
the sight of the spiritual leader.
Thousands of people attended his programmes
during the visit, with more than 10,000 people attending the Sudarshan Kriya session
conducted by Sri Sri himself. Sri Sri also held a brief interaction with the
Dalai Lama who was on a visit to
Mongolia at the same time.
Reacting to the overwhelming response of
the people of Mongolia, Sri
Sri said, “The visit has strengthened the long spiritual connection between
India and
Mongolia.”
In addition to offering yoga, meditation
and breathing techniques, the Art of Living has also been conducting social
intervention projects. It has conducted leadership training programmes for
youth from the disadvantaged sections of society. The Art of Living’s globally
acclaimed prison programme is organised regularly in several jails. The
international NGO is also running de-addiction programmes, with a special
initiatives launched for youth addicted to alcohol and other drugs during Sri
Sri visit.
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