Sri Shankar calls for people to live without fear in Sri Lanka

In his mission to unite the hearts and minds of the people in a post conflict scenario in Sri Lanka, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founder of the Art of Living gave a fresh impetus to his on-going peace and reconciliation initiatives in the island nation. In his fifth visit to Sri Lanka yesterday over 10,000 people were blessed by Sri Sri with meditation, prayers and sacred chants.

The mega event titled Uniting Hearts and Minds was held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium that brought people from all walks of life and from across the country. Several Christian priests, Islamic scholars, Buddhist monks, Hindu swamis and priests came together in a spirit of unity and faith.

He emphasised that the need of the hour is to live without fear, to join hands with everyone, to promote peace and build a prosperous society. During the visit dignitaries, diplomats and politicians also called on Sri Sri to seek his blessings.

Several hundreds came to catch a glimpse of Sri Sri in trains and buses from Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Mannar, Galle, Matara, Colombo and several other far-flung areas.

The evening program began with a joyful session of Sukshma Yoga (Subtle Yoga) led by Sri Sri himself. While demonstrating simple practical yoga postures for stress relief, Sri Sri reminded the audience to smile and laugh more rather than talk. Over 1,500 schoolchildren sang the traditional Thevaaram which is unique to Sri Lanka.

Addressing the gathering Sri Sri said "Peace and prosperity go together, so have peace in your heart, family and society and peace comes when you have trust and confidence. No one can take away your self-respect and dignity".

The highlight of the evening was the performance of the Rudra Puja a very ancient sacred process that has healed and uplifted human consciousness over centuries.