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Dear ones,

Download the all new Calendar for February 2016 with beautiful picture of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, by visiting the Art of Living Universe website: www.aoluniverse.org/SriSriCalendars. Available in 3 different screen resolution size.

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‘Njana Kshethram’ to Be Launched

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The Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will launch the third ‘Njana Kshethram’ in Ernakulam district at Varapetty in Kothamangalam on Sunday.

By far the biggest in the State, the new ‘Njana Kshethram’, which spreads over more than 10,000 sq. ft has been built at an investment of close to Rs.2 crore drawn as donation from the followers of Art of Living.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, A.S. Sudheer Babu, secretary, Kerala Apex Body of Art of Living, said the new facility was home to a large collection of mural paintings. The facility will host sessions of yoga, pranayama, etc., held under the Art of Living. The inaugural function will be followed by a ‘maha satsang’ to be attended by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The other two temples in the district are in Aluva and Tripunithura. The new facility is the 79th out of the proposed 108 ‘Njana Kshethrams’.

Source: The Hindu

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Art of Negotiations: Sri Sri Leads Talks to Solve Temple Tangle

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Two meetings between Shani Shingnapur top shots and Art of Living guru in Bengaluru.

Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emerged as the mediator-in-chief in the Shani Shingnapur stalemate even as both the traditionalists and the liberals hardened their positions on allowing women into the temple's sanctum sanctorum.

Temple trustees — who have fought for years to preserve the temple's tradition of not allowing women into close proximity of the deity — held a series of meetings with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bengaluru on Friday to break the deadlock.

According to a source present at the meetings, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar proposed two solutions:

1. Allow both men and women into the temple's sanctum sanctorum, just like it is done at Kashi Vishwanath temple, one of the holiest Hindu shrines.
2. Follow the Tirupati-Balaji template, where the sanctum sanctorum is out of bounds for both men and women.

While both solutions have been suggested earlier also, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's intervention means the state's political establishment has decided to move towards a resolution instead of stalling for more time. Also, given Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's rapport with some of the most senior Union government leaders, it is clear the initiative has the approval of the Centre, too.
The state government itself has shown no urgency to engage with the temple's trustees, who said they were taken aback by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's tweet, saying Indian culture supports gender-neutral access to temples and shrines.

A senior trustee said he and his colleagues camped in Mumbai for two days after a march on Wednesday, led by Pune activist Trupti Desai, was stopped 70 km from Shingnapur town, but were not granted audience. He, however, refused to reveal who and how they were put in touch with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

The source present at the Bangalore meetings said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has agreed to visit Shani Shingnapur next week to hold a dialogue with the town's residents, who are dead against opening the temple's sanctum sanctorum to women. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has a previously scheduled programme at Balewadi and Alandi in Pune on February 7. He is likely to squeeze in a visit to Shani Shingnapur during the visit.

Apart from tradition, their opposition stems also from the town's economy, which is intractably linked to the temple. Currently, the temple trust allows men to enter the sanctum sanctorum and perform a brief 'aarti' if they pay Rs 11,000 for the access. The hundreds of shops in the town thrive on the oil and other pooja material devotees buy from them for the aarti.

Trustees said their hand has been forced by the protesters and the support they have won in the government on the one side and, on the other, by the rising tempers in the town. "Our fear is that some protesters will try to force entry into the temple at some point and there will be a clash. The consequences could be serious," said a trustee seeking anonymity.

The Nationalist Congress Party, which controls the shrine (the party has nine nominees on the trust), also seems to favour opening its sanctum sanctorum to women. Member of Parliament and party president Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule has said the issue should be resolved through talks.

Trupti Desai has already made it clear that Wednesday's march was not her group's last attempt to storm the temple. She told Mirror on Friday: "I have given a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and he has promised to look into the matter. I will wait for eight days and will then try to approach him again if the situation doesn't change. The last resort, of course, is force," she said.

Meanwhile, a PIL filed by Dr Vasudha Pawar at the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday has further racheted up the pressure on the government and the shrine's trust. In a preliminary hearing before the admission of the PIL, justice s R M Borde and K I S Cheema issued notices to the state government, the central government and the state government's social justice department. The next hearing is scheduled for February 16.

Source: Pune Mirror

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Announces 3 Day 'Grand' World Culture Festival

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The Art of Living, a global movement founded by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, has announced the dates for the World Culture Festival.

To be held between March 11-13, 2016, the festival will bring together people from different cultures, nations, and faiths as a one world family in a resounding message of peace.

Speaking on this grand celebration, World Culture Festival 2016, Art of Living founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, "We are a part of one humanity and we express ourselves differently through music, art and food. Celebrating our diverse cultures binds us together and expands our perspectives. The World Culture Festival emphasizes on co-existence, demonstrating the power of peace by bringing millions of people together. It is an opportunity for world leaders from cultural, social, political, business fields to come together to rekindle human values in the pursuit of happiness and peace."

The 3-day grand festival will have a massive 7-acre stage to seat thousands of artists, dignitaries and guests with an objective to bring a wide variety of music, dance and other art forms from India and across the globe on one platform and keep it alive for future generations.

On all three days of the festival, Art of Living Founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will lead a 'Peace Meditation' which would be joined by millions from across the globe.

Many eminent guests and global leaders from diverse fields and nationalities have confirmed their presence for the global event - the distinguished guest list comprises of H.E. Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, Hon. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, Hon. Mr. Lal Krishna Advani, Former Dy. Prime Minister, Dr. Karan Singh, Hon. Member of Parliament, Hon. Shri Manohar Parrikar, Defence Minister of, Hon. Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Urban Development, India. The event will also be attended by international political leaders from France, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and other countries.

'World Culture Festival' (WCF) is expected to host millions of people from over 155 countries in New Delhi. The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National School of Drama.

Source: Ani News

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One World One Meditation with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - 17th January 2016

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Meditation is known to reduce stress, eliminate anxiety and create a positive environment in the surroundings. At a time when the world is going through turbulent times, restoring peace and order is of utmost importance. But outer peace stands less chance of being a reality until we ourselves are at peace. And meditating together is just another step in that direction.

On January 17th 2016, global humanitarian and spiritual leader, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will lead an online meditation where thousands across the globe will start the New Year by meditating for global peace. The event will be streamed over Facebook from 8 PM IST onwards and will be open to all.

Confirm your participation today

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Download Sri Sri Sri Calendar for January 2016

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Dear ones,

Download the all new Calendar for January 2016 with beautiful picture of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, by visiting the Art of Living Universe website: www.aoluniverse.org/SriSriCalendars. Available in 3 different screen resolution size.

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Art of Living Universe: Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus | Instagram | YouTube

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