Indian Humanitarian on 3-day Sri Lanka Peace Mission
Bangalore, April 22, 2009

Art of Living founder and humanitarian, H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar concluded his three-day peace mission to Sri Lanka assuring the displaced Tamils that they would return in peace to their homes very soon. During his visit, Sri Sri also met with the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse and conveyed the desire of the Tamils to return to their homes soon. "The untold suffering of the Tamils will make any heart bleed. In a place that has never seen beggars, people have to beg for water, food, clothes and for life itself," he said.

He also appealed to the President to avoid prolonged stays of Tamils in the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps. "Pregnant women, the elderly, the rich, the poor… they are all languishing in these camps," he said. Sri Sri's visit offered a ray of hope, and an opportunity for people to vent suppressed emotions. An engineer in one of the camps said, "We will lose our mind, we are going crazy as we have been here for four months."

"A new dawn is in the offing. Stay calm and peaceful. The Art of Living Foundation and I are right with you in your hour of need," Sri Sri said after visiting an IDP camp in Vavunia, Sri Lanka. Earlier in Colombo, Sri Sri was honoured by Ven. Bellanwilla Wimalaratana Thero, Chancellor of Sri Jayawardhanapura University and a number of Sinhalese Buddhist monks and lay people. The Chancellor expressed his happiness at Sri Sri`s visit and said that this augurs well for the people of Sri Lanka.

During his peace mission, Sri Sri met with several other leaders including Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe, American Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake, Ministers in the Sri Lankan Cabinet and Parliamentarians.

About H H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a revered spiritual leader and multifaceted humanitarian. His deep commitment to the tenets of non-violence, compassion and service has inspired millions in over 140 countries to advance the cause of sustainable peace, community development and harmonious coexistence among different peoples and cultures. He is actively engaged in promoting diplomacy and dialogue in war zones and post-conflict scenarios across the world, including in Sri Lanka, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, and Jammu & Kashmir.

He is founder of the International Art of Living Foundation (1981), which strives to uphold the dignity of every human being on this planet, offering each individual a stress-free mind, a healthy body and the opportunity to maximize their full potential. He is also founder of the International Association for Human Values (1997), which aims to foster on a global scale the fundamental human values shared by all societies, religions, cultures and civilizations. The sustainable development projects of the Association have reached over 34,000 villages and underprivileged communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

International Art of Living Foundation (AOL): www.artofliving.org
International Association for Human Values (IAHV): www.iahv.org