Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urging the rural youth to fight corruption with truth and non-violence
Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh, India
"Fight corruption with truth and non-violent means, we have to come together to root out corruption from India”, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar told a large gathering of youth, who had assembled at the Art of Living International Center for the Yuva Jagruti Sammelan.
The youth, he said, have an important role to play in combating corruption, "The youth have to bring a wave of transformation. We need to stand strong against corruption irrespective of any party or person.“ Gurudev added.
Youth from villages around Bangalore and Ramanagaram had gathered for the event to debate on ways to tackle corruption at the grassroot level. The participants discussed a number of strategies, including the use of Right to Information (RTI) act and proactively follow up on the status of projects and schemes with local officials and elected representatives. The youth also plan to stage street plays to create awareness about the problem of corruption and enlist more supporters for the cause.
The organizers also released a sticker: “I do not take a bribe”. The stickers will be distributed in government offices to discourage officials at village and taluka levels from taking bribes.
The Art of Living has been raising its voice against corruption as an active member of the ‘India Against Corruption’ campaign. The campaign is led by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Baba Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal (RTI pioneer) and others. The movement seeks comprehensive reform of anti-corruption systems in India, through the enactment of a law to set up effective anti-corruption bodies such as the Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta in each state.