Source: Reuters
NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 7, 2002: With his “don’t worry, be happy” slogan and a breathing technique to reduce stress, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar is known as the laughing guru in India. Appealing to India’s Westernized urban elite who have lost contact with their religious roots and priests, Ravishankar’s message has given this group back their sense of community. At least 1.5 million people in India have completed the course called the “Art of Living Movement.” Ravishankar’s 30-acre ashram is located near the city of Bangalore. His followers say he has changed their lives and quoting a New Delhi devotee, “He’s brought me joy. You feel like kicking off your shoes and jumping. You love him. He has given me unconditional love.” His followers have taken his message into India’s prisons and rehabilitation centers. At Tihar Jail in Delhi, tough, mean, prisoners have been given breathing courses and Jail superintendent G. Sudhakar says, “the course made the prisoners more responsible, more respectful, more polite.” According to this story news magazine, India Today, has labeled Ravishankar as “the fastest growing guru in the marketplace of happiness.”