Gurudev called upon over 2000 interfaith leaders of the world to converge on a single platform to support the International Solar Alliance, to promote generation and usage of solar energy in their institutions, communities and countries.
Day 2: March 12, 2016
Swami Swatantranand Maharaj from Rishikesh, India.
“It is everyone’s duty to speak and support the truth, and to oppose falsehood and ignorance. Unfortunately, today, we get carried away and support injustice or wrong doings, or we remain silent in the face of wrong deeds. And then the same silence becomes our acceptance toward this wrongdoing. We should not shy away from calling out a wrong act as wrong, and we must check the misuse of religion and spirituality wherever we see it. A lamp has no attachment or enmity with anyone. It burns to spread light equally to all everywhere. But the people who hold that lamp in their hands sometimes tend to misuse the lamp for wrong intentions and purposes. This is what I wish to express here today.”
H.H. Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swami is the head of the Sri Adichunchanagiri Math. A graduate from IIT Madras, he renounced the world at a young age.
“Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji has been promulgating the essence of our spiritual traditions and he has been promoting the legacy of our culture. We have accepted globalisation, privatisation, and liberalisation. Centuries ago, our philosophy has accepted and advocated the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The whole globe is one family. Now it has come true and it has been realised through the efforts of Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji.”
Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji is the 24th Pontiff of Sri Suttur Math. He assumed the Peeth at a young age of 29 years and since then has been a part of numerous social service projects.
“This is a unique global event, the first of its kind, where 1000s from 100s of countries have gathered to celebrate the rich and diverse lives and cultures of the world.
I wish the Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, in advance on the occasion of his 60th birthday. With his efforts in organising the World Culture Festival, the misgivings among communities can be effectively dispelled and inter community harmony established.
The WCF has a deeper undercurrent of bringing together diverse cultures and employing them for cultivating peace rather than using it as a tool for conflict.”
Hon. Sherry Rehman is a Senator from Pakistan and Vice President of Pakistan’s Peoples Party. She is a former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States. She is a politician, journalist and diplomat.
“Religion and faith are also part of a civilisational impulse. They do not divide, they do not terrorise, they do not cut, and they do not create poles where people drift apart. They must not put people in boxes. Today’s event is a gathering that unites us in harmony. Cultural interventions are the stories that we tell about each other. We bring the colors of our humanity to this kind of gathering and I hope that Pakistan, India, and all the nations represented here today can take the world into a future of peace, prosperity, and brotherhood. We come here with a message of peace and we hope that we can bring to you all the joys and prosperity that peace alone can bring.”
Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan is the leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka.
“I am delighted to be attending the World Cultural Festival 2016 and the Global Leadership Forum. Today, we are gathered here to focus on the key issues that affect the contemporary world. Our world is diversified with many ethnic groups, religions, and castes. Nevertheless, all of us belong to the human family that inhabits this planet. Thus, irrespective of various divisions, we must cohabit faithfully in order to achieve progress, peace, harmony, and prosperity.
Kindness, understanding, generosity, and compassion are essential components in building a peaceful society. Our goal is to create a world wherein all its inhabitants live peacefully. Peaceful co-existence leads to prosperity. As responsible leaders and opinion makers, we must work hard to achieve this noble goal of peace.”
Hon. Ram Jethmalani is a senior Indian attorney and politician who has served as India's Union Law Minister and as chairman of the Bar Council of India.He is also a member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament).
“We should learn to reduce human suffering as much as we can. That should be the principle object of our existence, and that is the highest religion that I can talk about. Please take care of those who are suffering from pain and who are not as happy as you.”
Hon. Giani Gurbachan Singh is the current and 30th Jathedar of Akal Takth, the highest spokesman of the Sikh community.
“The Art of Living has reached a great milestone and achievement and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has achieved something great and remarkable in a very short span of 35 years. He has united all of humanity. I urge everyone to connect to all of mankind in order to connect to God.”
Rev. Gerald L. Durley is a former Pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church (USA) who is known for his contribution in the empowerment of African Americans.
“I would firstly like to thank God for our mutual love, our friendship, and our diversity. We come tonight as one family from all over the world. We come as one strong bond of brothers and sisters who have made the world a better place – as one people, praying and working together to remove fear, ignorance, and hate and replace them with love, hope, and trust. We are a good people."
H.H. Ven. Dharma Master Hsin Tao is the founder of the Museum of World Religions and the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Foundation. He is renowned for his efforts in inter-faith and international dialogue.
“The Art of Living has benefitted many people, and many people have recovered from physical sickness and also from mental illnesses after undergoing Art of Living courses. So, I think big cities have an urgent need of Art of Living programs, pranayama, and yoga treatment. This is very necessary for modern 21st century society.
Love and compassion combined with wisdom are the key features of all religions. So today, I am very happy to see all religions together. I think if we use this love and compassion along with wisdom, we can treat all the sorrows of the world and solve all the problems as well. So I pray for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji’s continued good health and hope he will continue this campaign all around the world. May all countries with different cultures benefit from this.”
His Eminence Dr Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun is the Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Supreme Iftaa Council, Syrian Arab Republic.
“If we do a DNA test, we will see that we are all descendants of a common mother and father. Our mother is the Earth and our soul goes back to the Almighty. That's why we are all one, we will always be one, and no one can separate us.
“So, may the pigeon of peace fly from India all over the world, because in India is present the messages of God. We will make peace because God himself is peace. In our country, we have dreamed and spoken about the beauty of India and Indian civilization for centuries. That's why I beg God to keep us under His peace and let peace spread among us. From Mecca and Medina, the homeland of all holy prophets, and from Damascus, I salute India and its people. And to all the people over here, I salute you now.”
Mufti Mohammed Saeed Khan, Islamic scholar and founder of the Madani Trust, Pakistan.
“We should all know this for a fact that all the problems and conflicts in this world can be resolved. Ignorance is the greatest problem the world faces today. All the knowledgeable and wise people have said this and today, Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji has also said the same thing. The light of a lamp is only to spread brightness and not to set fire to the surroundings. So once this lamp of love and knowledge is lit, the false veil of negativity and ignorance burns and disappears. And when the veil lifts, then one realizes that everything is made up of the same divinity and there is no other.
This is not the first time this is being said. All noble and wise souls have been saying this for ages past and have been striving to inspire many others to this path of spirituality. Each one of us ought to reflect and go deep within to realize that God dwells within each one of us. We need to promote the message of love and peace more and more.”
Hon. Rajnath Singh is the Home Minister of India and has served as a Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and a Cabinet Minister in the Vajpayee Government.
“The greatest specialty of India’s culture is its broad vision and mindset. The sages and Rishis in India never limited their idea of a ‘family’ to only their own country’s citizens. They considered all the people of the world as their own family and have given the message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
The clear sign and proof of India’s broad vision and understanding is that all major religions and their diverse sects and traditions of the world are found in India alone. No other country in the world can make this claim. It is the message of peace and nonviolence of this great country that Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji is working to spread everywhere in the world. I believe there can be no greater worship and service of Mother India than this. There can be no greater service to humanity today than what Pujya Gurudev is engaged in.”
Hon. Rameshbhai Oza is a Hindu spiritual leader recognized for his social work and spiritual discourses. He is the founder of the Devka Vidyapeeth and Sandipani Vidyaniketan, India.
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam! Because of the World Culture Festival, the 35th anniversary celebrations of The Art of Living Foundation, people from all over the world have gathered here today to showcase the art, culture, and musical traditions of their countries. The whole world appears to have come together here as a One World family. I would take this opportunity to offer my salutations to Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, and congratulate him for this grand occasion.”
Hon. Sushma Swaraj is the Minister of External Affairs of India and a former Supreme Court Lawyer. She is the second woman to be elected as the Minister of External Affairs after Indira Gandhi.
“At this festival, we are witnessing the discourses and speeches of different spiritual leaders who are showering their deep knowledge upon us. Present at the inter faith meet were the Grand Mufti from Syria and the venerable Bishop Gunnar Stalsett, along with Sufi saints and the Shankaracharyas. Someone addresses in Arabic, someone in English, someone conveys their message in Chinese, and someone else in Hindi.
Yet their message is one and the same, regardless of the language. This is why, today, I am reminded of a saying from our scriptures, Ekam sat viprabahudavadanti. It means that there is one truth only, yet the wise and knowledgeable ones express it differently in different words.”
HE Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo is the current Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He also holds a Ph.D in sacred theology - the highest level of Church Postgraduate studies.
“One of the great ways to foster peace and harmony in the world today is through the work done at a person-to-person level. The Art of Living, over three and a half decades, has earned its place as a leader in this important work and I congratulate you for this work. The people gathered here today have such visible joy and serenity, that itself is a testament of this fact.
Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and of course people from the religion I share, Christianity, give an incredible testimony that the Art of Living helps people to get more in whatever faith or tradition they follow. Your work in promoting and fostering international peace within the religions and between the nations of the world based on the interior peace of human beings is to be commended most highly."
H.H. Jagadguru Shri Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Saraswatiji, India
“The credo for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam once raised by India today seems to have become a visible reality in this grand confluence.
There are so many communities and spiritual or religious traditions in the world today, and each of them has their unique significance, beauty, and relevance as per the place, time, and end purpose. When revered and holy spiritual traditions abandon their original purpose and get corrupted by limited political motives or other causes, then it begins to create cracks and divisions in the society as well.
I am extremely happy and moved to see the grand panorama of the World Culture Festival. Till date, I have never seen such a large gathering of mankind in one place.”
Hon. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, New Delhi, India
“It is a matter of great joy and my good fortune to witness so many noble souls and wonderful people from all across the world assembled here today for a grand and great cause. I strongly believe that you have blessed us all by arranging this divine congregation of saints and holy spiritual leaders from different parts of India and the many countries of the world.
The whole world today is looking up to India, and this glimpse of the universality of Indian culture, the founding principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, has become a reality today before us in this august occasion of the World Culture Festival.”
Swami Rambhadracharya is a Hindu religious leader, scholar, author, philosopher, singer, and textual commentator. He is also the founder of Rambhadracharya Handicapped University which provides education to disabled students. He is the founder and head of the Tulsi Peeth in Mathura.
“The Indian culture is the most ancient of all civilizations and cultures and it is this culture that has given the legacy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to the entire world. This cultural festival has clearly shown that the day is not far when India shall once again ascend to the exalted seat of being a Vishvaguru (Guru to the whole world) and shall give the message of peace and harmony to everyone everywhere. I would urge you all to protect, preserve, and take pride in our cultural wealth and legacy, and also to strive to realise that there is but one divinity within all beings everywhere.”