Secrets of my inner world
Noble Ideas?
I open the main door to look for the newspaper today, and I find supplements all over my verandah. Flying helter skelter. Picking each one by one I find this one supplement completely on Art of Living or Sri Sri Ravishankar! (why these two "sri's" i've never understood it...tell me someone please?)
Its an entire supplement of what this man has been doing for the world since 1982 (helping United states, Russia, Kosova etc countries). It states all facts, all help they've done to humanity and all they have done to bring PEACE to the world.
Not any company or organization can afford a whole 4 page supplement for themselves,(can they?) their advertisement and marketing, and this organization that's creating peace in the world can. Amazing!
The first page is asking you to Save the Dates 17th, 18th and 19th February to come to Jakkur Airfield for a mega "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". (Are you going?)
Our new Chief Minister's orders are that all roads are to be built and repaired as soon as possible and works on roads has started in a frenzy suddenly, leaving this New Bellary Road inaccessible. A small patch of 2 km takes us more than an hour to cross through, with so much dust and dirt flying around, its horrid
I wonder what's to happen on the 17th, 18th and the 19th of February when 25 lakhs of people are going to attend this Mega Art of Living event!!! (this shall surely bring peace to the roads..hahaha)
Also isn't it strange or a little too perfect timing a for exhibition of their "goods" when Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has just been nominated for the Peace Nobel Prize?
- This link is really worth reading...hilarious infact!
posted by perspective @ 7:33 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
hey thanx, i really appreciate your feedback i was really confused on that one thanx for the morale booster!
This is what I had written some time back on emergence of Spiritual Gurus as new professionals, and if you are from India, you already have a brand behind you:
http://anuradhagoyal.blogspot.com/2005/02/spiritual-guru-new-profession.html
-Anu
It may be beyond profession. Understand it as Inner peace.
hey, not related to this post, but the picture of shadows on your blog's mast head.
you know i have one just like that! only it was later in the day and the shadows were longer and shot on my mobile camera! was so excited when i saw it on your blog now!
cheers!
ramya
I have heard a bit about this guy on the internet and from friends. Never really understood what he did for the community, apart from entertaining a few hippies. And this is the heights, Nobel prize for him?!
Maybe just maybe AOL got that ad space for free. In fact, when one newspaper asked him about the source of funds for the lavish show, Sri Sri commented: I don't know, I am a guest here. But, all said and done, as long as he does preach about peace and communal harmony - I like him.
I think that globalisation is responsible for his popularity. Picture this, a software engineer goes to a strange land, he finds - there is AOL a club where he can share his home sickness. He presto, he joins, the bonding grows, he gets transferred to another country - he starts another AOL and the word spreads and membership grows. I visited the AOL ashram in Bangalore once and was amazed to see the tons of techies that had gathered there for the evening satsang. Basically unhappy overworked people coming together and feeling a bit more cheerful. But these are solely my thoughts. Maybe some day I shall undergo the course that AOL offers and then maybe I will have a different perspective to share.
Hey Perspective!
Am visiting your posts after a long time, many things have tanspired since my last visit to your blog.
This is with regard to this post,"Noble Ideas" - there are two faces for every subject & one can make a definite conclusion on the subject only when they have seen both of them. I have participated in some of the AOL programmes few years back & I feel they is more than wat Twin-Gemini has to say "...entertaining a few hippies". I don't understand why Spiritual Gurus are considered as HOAX, may be there are few pseudo GURU(s), don't we see them in every walk of life? May be somethings have to be imported from the West to really make an impact on our lives.
Unfortunately 'Spirituality' is something which one has to experience individually & so called 'Gurus' can only provide guidance. It's upto the individuals how they practice & attain it.
perspective.........!!!!
even in hyd there is this big board which says reach to to bangalore ....on such and such dates
While I do not claim to know the activities of AOL very well, I would like to comment on what you have said.
Regarding the name, it is an ancient practice in India that sanyasis are given names either by the guru or by his followers. In this case, the name has been given by Sri Ravishankar's followers and I guess has arisen purely out of thier love towards him. But I did read in an interview, that he is not bothered about what people call him and it does not make any difference to him what he is called. Isn't it the same case with Mahatma Gandhi? I am sure he never desired to have that tag in front of his name.
Coming to the supplement, it is a well known fact that Indu Jain (owner of TOI) is a follower of AOL and given the kind of money that TOI generates it is not a big deal for them to fund a supplement.
I travelled on Sunday evening to Jakkur to have a glimpse of the event and I did not face any traffic snarls. Given the fact that AOL had organized hundreds of buses, only a minority (especially the elite) actually used thier own vehicles. So there was quite a bit of peace on the roads at least as much on a normal day :-)
Nomination to the Nobel Peace Prize does not mean much. Any one can be nominated. Vajapayee and Musharaf were also nominated once. In fact, especially for the Peace Prize, the Nobel committee gets thousands of nominations every year. Also, in my opinion, if Yasser Arafat can win the Nobel prize, surely Sri Ravishankar can be nominated for one. With respect to displaying one's goods, I guess you should have just dropped in to understand what happened there. There were avoidable speeches by politicians but the essence of the event was best exemplified by the 3800 member classical symphony, the meditation sessions and finally the talk given by our dear President.
All in all, as long as there is no threat to the nation and if millions are deriving pleasure and happiness out of a person, I really see no need to question any one's activities. It is important for all of us to understand the person and his organization before we can pass any comments - good or bad.
Just my opinion.
Sab moh maya hai
It is all but an illusion
Shri Shri Shri Lalit Vashishta
:-)
http://www.deeshaa.org/is-sri-sri-ravi-shankar-a-con-man/
Interesting analysis of Ravi Shakar. Almost a must read.
well actually there are no nominations for nobel as such .. the recipient has no idea abt it before hand. this is a fact...
It is all so very easy to comment. Have you or any one of the comment posters that you so gleefully point to even bothered to think one thing before you went ahead with your rants? What has been your contribution to this planet?
Millions turned out from various parts of the world, on one word of Sri Sri! Do you think you can command such respect from at least 5 people in your life? Would they drop all that they are doing and come to your help when you call them? Try and you would know.
Commenting is all so easy dear friend, doing is so very difficult, so before your finger starts typing crap about anyone else, stop for a moment and think.
kuch jaan ke chalo
kuch maan ke chalo..
Jai Gurudev.
I am an AOL member.I dont consider him as Godman but...definitely I would consider him as a superior human being.
It is your expression space.You can say anything you want.
I dont believe in astrology.but I never dismiss it...because I need to understand it prior dismissal.As I dont have time to learn it and come to a conclusion
I refrain frm dismissing it.
Its like the other guy said: kuch jaan ke chalo, kuch maan ke chalo..
I have undergone the AOL course, but not let my 'self' go enough to prostrate and submit oneself totally like the hordes of followers out there.
Mr. goody two sris is what we call a 'mystique' - a phenomenon hard or impossible to explain in the logical world, or something one keeps trying to explain but still cannot just nail it. Either ways (with or without explanation), the worldwide effect of Sri Sri and the good outcomes of it is nothing to sneeze at. If he were a buddy, I would say to him: good job..! :)
Now what if we have the living buddha walking in our midst and we totally miss it? Sai baba was after all a beggar and we never spare a second glance at someone in rags.
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