Ravi Shankar, an Indian yoga guru and spiritual leader is also referred to as Sri Sri or Gurudev. During the mid-1970s, he has worked as an apprentice under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – The founder of Transcendental Meditation. However, in 1981, he decided to leave Transcendental Meditation and began his journey with the Art of Living Foundation.
Ravi Shankar’s early life
Born in Tamil Nadu’s Papanasam to Vishalakshi and R.S. Venkat Ratnam, Ravi Shankar is the brother of Bhanumathi Narasimhan. He was named Ravi because he was born on a Sunday and Shankar after Adi Shankara, the eighth-century Hindu saint. His first teacher was the famous Sudhakar Chaturvedi, a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.
Ravi Shankar’s career
Ravi Shankar, in the 1980s, started a series of practical and experiential courses in spirituality around the globe. In 1983, Ravi Shankar held the first Art of Living course in Switzerland and later in 1986 traveled to Apple Valley to conduct the first course to be held in North America. He was inclined toward spirituality since childhood and started reciting verses from the Bhagwad Gita when he was just four. Maharishi Yogi helped him gain experience and pushed him to become one of the biggest spiritual leaders in India.
In 1982, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar established the ‘Art of Living’ foundation. He came up with the cult breathing exercise ‘Sudarshan-Kriya’ towards the end of the 1980s which is loyally followed by his followers to date.
Ravi Shankar’s Connection with PM Modi
From adopt-a-village plan to making neem-coating mandatory for urea to pushing for the International Day of Yoga, PM Modi has always supported Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Their friendship is visible in their posts on Twitter.
Ravi Shankar’s education
Ravi Shankar went to St. Joseph’s College of Bengaluru University to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. After his graduation, he decided to travel with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi arranging conferences on Vedic science, and setting up Transcendental Meditation and Ayurveda centers.
