Awards and Honors: Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

World Venerates Wisdom

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's vision of a violence-free, stress-free society through the reawakening of human values has been recognized and appreciated the world over. Gurudev has been honored for his contribution to humanity in the fields of conflict resolution, peace promotion and for promoting human values. The awards and felicitations bestowed on Gurudev celebrate the causes that he champions as well as his philosophy of a one world family.

Communities from different backgrounds and faiths have joined in Gurudev’s mission of creating a stress-free, violence-free world. When Gurudev was awarded the Culture in Balance Award in October 2009, he said, "I share this award with all those people who stand for a violence-free and stress-free society. This award is not for a person or personality, but for a principle that stands for the ideal of one world family and cultural plurality."

Many countries from around the world have honored Gurudev. A few of the countries include:

• India: ‘Padma Vibhushan’, highest annual civilian award of India, March 26, 2016
• Peru: ‘Diploma de Honor’ by the National Congress of Peru, Lima, June 30, 2015
• Colombia: Highest civilian award, 'Orden de la Democracia Simón Bolívar', Bogota, Colombia, June 24, 2015
• Paraguay: 'National Order of Merito de Comuneros', highest civilian award, Paraguay, September 13, 2012
• Mongolia: Order of the Pole Star, 2006, the highest civilian award, 2006
• India: Title of Yoga Shiromani (Supreme Jewel of Yoga) by the President of India, 1986
• Canada: The Humanitarian Award by the city of Brampton, Ontario, 2006
• Russia: Human of the World Award bestowed by the Academy of National Security of Russia, July 1, 2011

Honorary Doctorates

Gurudev has received 16 doctorates from universities across the globe:

• India: Honorary Doctorate from Sharda University, Delhi, March 4, 2017
• India: Doctorate of Literature (Honoris Causa), Utkal University, Orissa, April 25, 2013
• Paraguay: Doctorate Honoris Causa, Universidad Autonoma de Asuncion of Paraguay, September 13, 2012
• Argentina: Diploma of Honor from the Buenos Aires University, September 6, 2012
• Netherlands: Honorary Doctorate, Nyenrode University, Netherlands, June 15, 2012
• Hungary: Professor Honoris Causa, Szent Istvan University, Budapest, June 24, 2009
• India: Honorary Doctorate, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jalandhar, Punjab, India, November 25, 2019
• India: Honorary Doctorate, Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, November 2, 2019
• Russia: Honorary Doctorate, Ural Federal University, Russia, June 25, 2019
• India: Honorary Doctorate, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, India, February 19, 2019
• India: Honorary Doctorate, Karnavati University, Gujarat, India, December 4, 2018

Read the list of all doctorates>>

Honors Bestowed By Governments Across The World

• Padma Vibhushan – India’s highest annual civilian award, March 26, 2016
• 'Diploma de Honor' by the National Congress of Peru, Lima, June 30, 2015
• ‘Medalla de la Integracion en el Grado de Gran Oficial’ bestowed by The Andean parliament, Peru, June 30, 2015
• Highest civilian award, 'Orden de la Democracia Simón Bolívar', Bogota, Colombia, June 24, 2015
• Highest civilian award 'National Order of Merito de Comuneros, Paraguay, September 13, 2012
• Tiradentes Medal in Rio, the highest honor from Rio de Janeiro State, September 3, 2012
• Mongolian Prime Minister's Award, Mongolia, 2006
• Human of the World Award, (bestowed by the Academy of National Security of Russia), Russia, July 1, 2011
• Title of Yoga Shiromani (Supreme Jewel of Yoga) by the President of India, 1986
• Honored with the title 'Friend of Military Police of Brazil, Brazil, October 2, 2018

See the complete list>>

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Days

While several cities in the US and Canada have also honored Gurudev by declaring a day during his visits to the cities as 'Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Day', some countries have bestowed him the honor of 'Illustrious Visitor'. Washington DC honored his visit to the city in 2007 by marking that week as 'Human Values Week'. He has also been accorded honorary citizenship by some US and Canadian cities. In 2006, during his visit to Jaipur, India, Gurudev was handed the symbolic key to the city by the Mayor of Jaipur.

Read more>>

Other Awards

• Peace Ambassador Award, World Peace and Diplomacy Organization, India, June 6, 2018
• International Leadership Award, Simon Wiesenthal Center, USA, April 17, 2018
• Bharat Gaurav Award, Sanskriti Yuva Sanstha, USA, June 9, 2017
• Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar, Maharashtra State Marathi Patrakar Sangha, India, April 19, 2017
• Dr. Nagendra Singh International Peace Award, India, November 20, 2016
• Humanitarian Award from the Municipality of Lima, Peru, June 30, 2015
• Medalla de la Integracion en el Grado de Gran Oficial, Andean Parliament, Lima, Peru, June 30, 2015
• The Asia Pacific BrandLaureate Award, Kuala Lumpur, March 29, 2015
• Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Prize, USA, April 3, 2013
• Crans Montana Forum Award, Brussels, June 24, 2011
• Culture in Balance Award, Dresden, Germany, October 10, 2009
• Dara Shikoh National Award for Harmony, New Delhi, India, 2005
• National Veterans Foundation Award, USA, 2007
• Geospatial World Award for Societal Impact, Presented Online, October 6, 2020
• ‘Order of St. George’ Award, St. George Orthodox Church, Kottayam, Kerala, India, May 5, 2019
• Basavashree award, Bengaluru, India, May 7, 2017
• “Maharashtra Gaurav” Award, Maharashtra Regional Marwari Youth Association, Maharashtra, India, May 1, 2017

Read more >>

Complete List of All Awards

List Of All Doctorates

1. Honorary Doctorate, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India, March 4, 2017
2. Honorary Doctorate, Desh Bhagat University, Punjab, India, October 21, 2013
3. Doctorate of Literature (Honoris Causa), Utkal University, Orissa, India, April 25, 2013
4. Honorary Doctorate, Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, January 19, 2013
5. Doctorate Honoris Causa, Universidad Autonoma de Asuncion of Paraguay, September 13, 2012
6. Diploma of Honor, Buenos Aires University, September 6, 2012
7. Honoris Causa Doctor, Siglo XXI University Campus, Cordoba, Argentina, September 5, 2012
8. Honorary Doctorate, Nyenrode University, Netherlands, June 15, 2012
9. Honorary Doctorate, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Rajasthan, India, 2012
10. Professor Honoris Causa, Szent Istvan University, Budapest, (Hungary), June 24, 2009
11. Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, Bangalore University, India, 2009
12. Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, Nagarjuna University, India, 2008
13. Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, Maharaja Sayajirao University, India, 2007
14. Doctor of Science, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India, 2007
15. Doctor of Philosophy (Holistic Medicine), Open International University for Complementary Medicine in Sri Lanka, 2006
16. Honorary Doctorate, Kuvempu University, India, 2004

Honors Bestowed By Governments Across The World

1. Padma Vibhushan – India’s highest annual civilian award, March 26, 2016
2. Humanitarian Award from the Municipality of Lima, Peru, June 30, 2015
3. “Medalla de la Integracion en el Grado de Gran Oficial”, Andean Parliament, Lima, Peru, June 30, 2015
4. “Diploma de Honor” by the National Congress of Peru in Lima, June 30, 2015
5. Certificate of Recognition from the California Legislature Assembly, USA, June 30, 2014
6. 'Most Illustrious Guest Award' awarded by the Mayor of Lima, Peru, September 15, 2012
7. Highest civilian award 'National Order of Merito de Comuneros, Paraguay, September 13, 2012
8. Illustrious citizen by the Paraguayan Municipality, September 12, 2012
9. Illustrious guest of the city of Asuncion, Paraguay, September 12, 2012
10. Tiradentes Medal in Rio, the highest honor from Rio de Janeiro State, Sept. 3, 2012
11. Vishwa Chetana award, India, December 19, 2011
12. Human of the World Award, (bestowed by the Academy of National Security of Russia), Russia, July 1, 2011
13. Phoenix Award, Atlanta, USA, 2008
14. Honorary Citizenship and Goodwill Ambassador, Houston, USA, 2008
15. Proclamation of Commendation, New Jersey, 2008
16. Architect of World Peace Award, India, 2008
17. 'Light of East' National Award, India, 2008
18. Honored by United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) for his contributions towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, 2007
19. Honored by the city of Washington DC by proclaiming the week of his visit as 'Human Values Week' in March 2007
20. Leadership Award for Extraordinary Promotion of World Peace and Harmony by Amity University, New Delhi, 2007
21. Honorary Citizenship by City of Baltimore, Canada, 2006
22. Honorary Citizen of the city of Calgary, Canada, 2006
23. Centennial 2006 Medallion by the Legislative Assembly of Calgary, Canada, 2006
24. The Humanitarian Award by the city of Brampton, Ontario, 2006
25. Order of the Pole Star, Mongolia, 2006
26. Peter the Great First Grade Award, Russia, 2006
27. Mongolian Prime Minister's Award, Mongolia, 2006
28. Alberta Legislative Centennial 2006 Medallion, 2006
29. Global Humanitarian Award, Illinois, USA, 2005
30. Bharat Shiromani Award, New Delhi, India, 2004
31. The Illustrious Visitors Award, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
32. Phoenix Award, USA, 2002
33. Guru Mahatmya Award by Government of Maharashtra, India, 1997
34. Nominated to the Advisory Board of Yale Divinity School, USA, 1990
35. Title of Yoga Shiromani (Supreme Jewel of Yoga) by the President of India, 1986
36. Honored with the title 'Friend of Military Police of Brazil, Brazil, October 2, 2018

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Days

1. July 7th, 2018, Detroit, Michigan, USA
2. March 20th, 2017, Austin, Texas, USA
3. October 23rd, 2014, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
4. April 25th, 2010, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA
5. April 23rd, 2010, Milwaukee, USA
6. April 20th, 2010, Denver, USA
7. October 29th, 2008, Irving, Texas, USA
8. July 4th-6th, 2008, Edison, New Jersey, USA
9. July 29th, 2007, Pomona, California, USA
10. March 28th, 2007, Washington DC, USA
11. December 4th, 2006, Regina, Canada
12. November 25th, 2006, Windsor, Canada
13. November 21st, 2006, Surrey, Canada
14. November 21st, 2006, Richmond, Canada
15. September 13th, 2006, Ottawa, Canada
16. September 10th, 2006, Halifax, Canada
17. September 7th, 2006, Edmonton, Canada
18. June 28th, 2002, Chicago, Illinois, USA
19. May 9th, 2002, Beverly Hills, California, USA
20. April 29th, 2002, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
21. January 10th, 2002, Austin, Texas, USA
22. August 26th, 2000, Washington DC, USA
23. June 28th, 2002, Chicago, Illinois, USA
24. May 8th, 2002, Beverley Hills, California, USA
25. January 10th, 2002, Austin, Texas, USA
26. August 26th, 2000, Washington, USA

Human Values Week / Happiness Day

1. Day of Happiness & The Art of Living in Dallas declared in Gurudev's honor - July 3, 2015
2. Day of Happiness in Tampa declared in Gurudev's honor - June 18, 2015
3. Human Values Week in Louisiana – February 23, 2007
4. Human Values Week in Baltimore – March 25-March 31, 2007
5. Human Values Week in Columbia – March, 2007
6. Art of Living Foundation day – in Syracuse – May 7, 2004

Other Awards

1. Peace Ambassador Award, World Peace and Diplomacy Organization, Bengaluru, India, June 6, 2018
2. International Leadership Award, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, USA, April 17, 2018
3. Bharat Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award, Sanksriti Yuva Sanstha, UN Headquarters, New York, USA, June 10, 2017
4. Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar, Maharashtra State Marathi Patrakar Sangha, Pune, India, April 19, 2017
5. Highest award for Human Values & Development by President of Guatemalan National Reserve Bank, Guatemala, December 8, 2016
6. Dr. Nagendra Singh International Peace Award, New Delhi, India, November 20, 2016
7. Acharya Mahapragya Ahimsa Samman, Bangalore, India, September 9, 2016
8. Asia Pacific Brand Laureate Award, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 28, 2015
9. Independent Charities of America Seal of Excellence, California, USA, October, 2013
10. One World Family Award at the first “One World Family Days 2013” Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, September 13, 2013
11. Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel, Morehouse College, Atlanta, USA, April 3, 2013
12. Siddha Shri Award, Belgaum, Karnataka, India, December 2, 2012
13. Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Award, Bangalore, India, October 1, 2012
14. The Sivananda World Peace award, Sivananda Foundation, South Africa, August 26, 2012
15. Citizen Extraordinaire by Rotary International, Bangalore, India, March 27, 2012
16. Award for peace and harmony by the Al-Mustafa University, Delhi, India, March 11, 2012
17. Crans Montana Forum Award, Brussels, June 24, 2011
18. Atmajyoti Award, Delhi, India, September 23, 2010
19. Culture in Balance Award, Dresden, Germany, October 10, 2009
20. The Ball of Peace awarded by The Peace Doves, Norway, June 13, 2009
21. National Veterans Foundation Award, USA, 2007
22. Sant Shri Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize, Pune, India, January 11, 2007
23. The 2006 International Peace Award by ‘For the Love of Children Society of Alberta Canada’, Canada, 2006
24. Dara Shikoh National Award for Harmony, New Delhi, India, 2005
25. Mahavir-Mahatma Award, India, 2005
26. Geospatial World Award for Societal Impact, Presented Online, October 6, 2020
27. ‘Order of St. George’ Award, St. George Orthodox Church, Kottayam, Kerala, India, May 5, 2019
28. Basavashree award, Bengaluru, India, May 7, 2017
29. “Maharashtra Gaurav” Award, Maharashtra Regional Marwari Youth Association, Maharashtra, India, May 1, 2017