Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Reiterates The Message Of​ ​Faith, Co-existence & Happiness As World Culture Festival​ ​Draws To A Close

NEW DELHI, March 13, 2016: The curtains came down today on the World​ ​Cultural Festival, the World’s largest celebration of cultural and spiritual integration,​ ​with more than 12 lakh people singing the “Vande Mataram” in one voice.​ ​​T​he World Culture Festival was a musical and cultural ode to the spirit of humanity,​ ​teamwork and the diverse traditions that bind citizens of the world into a ‘One World​ ​Family’- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar thanked all those who came for the festival and made it a​ ​resounding success. He said “To all of you, who have come from nearby and faraway​ ​destinations, from different faiths and nationalities, a heartfelt thank you. It’s your faith, love and compassion that have enabled the teams at Art of Living to present the biggest​ ​and the happiest family get-together – The World Culture Festival. I am delighted to see​ ​the confluence of great spiritual and religious leaders, politicians, peace-makers and​ ​artists who have joined us for this festival of music and dance. On the last day of WCF, I​ ​have a simple message to all of you – do remember that we are all Vishwa-maanav: we​ ​are world citizens first. Together, we all form a global family, and must spread the​ ​message of peace, harmony and human values.”

The World Culture Festival has, over the last three days, hosted meaningful discourses on​ ​faith, peace, co-existence and collaboration. Political, business, spiritual and other​ ​thought leaders shared insights on how we could bring about happy co-existence in all​ ​sections of society.

Leaders present on the concluding day of the path-breaking event were Hon. Shri Arun​ ​Jaitley, Minister of Finance, India; Hon. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, India;​ ​Hon. Chandra Babu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, India; Hon. Ravi Shankar​ ​Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, India; Hon. Lal​ ​Krishna Advani, Former Deputy Prime Minister of India and Hon. Venkaiah Naidu,​ ​Minister for Urban Development, India. Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Hon. Speaker, Lok​ ​Sabha, India and Hon. Amit Shah, President of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The international dignitaries who participated in the ceremony were Hon. Dr. Shri BirenSikder State Minister for Youth & Sports, Government of People's Republic of​ ​Bangladesh; Hon. Carla Bacigalupo Minister of Justice, Paraguay and H.E. Olusegun​ ​Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria among others.

One of the highlights of the day was ‘Cosmic Rhythm’, where over 4600 artists presented​ ​a performance comprising 30 dance forms, followed by a soulful rendition of Rabindra​ ​Sangeet by 1000 singers.

The traditional colors of India were showcased in the form of folk performances from​ ​Assam (Bihu), Rajasthan (Ghoomar) and Andhra Pradesh (Kuchipudi) among others. The​ ​international performances were led by Pakistani Sufi dancers, expressing the desire of​ ​unification with the almighty; and the Tango dance by Argentinian performers.​ ​The World Culture Festival beautifully underscored the human desire for peace, for unity​ ​and happiness despite the diversity of thoughts, cultures, art and languages.