Empowering the present to enhance the future

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had written

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free; where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; also incorporates basic principles of effective living, emphasizing the essential human values for a more fulfilling and productive life. It’s about breaking boundaries and achieving the ideal life through simple yet potent techniques that increase efficiency, energy and enthusiasm, eliminate stress and deepen one’s understanding of life. It seeks to mould the idealism and energies that youth universally possess and provide them with healthier alternatives. Its cardinal goal is to empower, educate and transform the lives of today’s youth as also to serve society and make a difference. The Art of Living youth have not only become better citizens but also better community

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action. Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake”.

And those were exactly the lines that came to my mind in the presence of the founder of the Art of Living, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who visited Melbourne recently for the Parliament of World Religions conference.

Sri Sri’s simplicity, innocent smile, joyful composure, friendly demeanour, sense of humour, dignified and refined disposition, immediate bonding with his audience and ease at answering questions were overwhelming. Nothing was trivial; no one was outside his reach.

In his interaction with the congregation His Holiness bowled over one and all with his wisdom, wit and vision. He affirmed that any number of names and forms point to one divinity - if we’re wise we celebrate it and if we’re fools we fight over it. On being asked about the 3 values dearest to him, he replied, a sense of belongingness to the whole world, a commitment to whatever you take up, and living in the present moment without clinging on to the past.

He advocated that the youth need to have a vision for the future and learn how to empower themselves and get rid of stress. They also need to possess presence of mind.

Every individual life is a journey from becoming somebody to nobody to ultimately becoming everybody, he said. “Fanaticism and fundamentalism are the biggest problems of the contemporary world: to mitigate these we need to spiritualise politics, secularise religion and socialise business”.

Mr Tony Kelly, President of Art of Living Australia, in his welcome address, expounded on the origin, the essence and the mission of the foundation. He mentioned that the Art of Living, which is a multi-faceted, not-for-profit educational and humanitarian NGO, was founded in 1982 by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. With a presence in over 140 countries, it is one of the largest voluntary organisations in the world. Inspired by its founder’s vision of making the world a violence-free, stress-free global family, the organisation is engaged in various initiatives that uplift humanity and enhance the quality of life. It offers several stress-elimination and selfdevelopment programs based mainly on breathing techniques, meditation and yoga. The Art of Living focuses on strengthening the community at the grassroots level, by firstly strengthening the individual. These programs have helped thousands around the world to overcome depression and violent tendencies.

In an exclusive chitchat session, Dinesh divulged that the Art of Living came into his life during his second year as a student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology at Mumbai when a friend recommended the course to him. As a result his grades improved tremendously; being an avid sportsman, his strength and stamina were boosted and on the personal front his relationships were enhanced and enriched.

YES!+ (Youth Empowerment Seminar), the path breaking and powerful leadership and life-skills training programme of the Art of Living. It is designed to give young people the tools and knowledge to be more effective in all aspects of life.

Inarguably we live in fast-paced, stressful and challenging times and who else but the youth and children face its worst brunt. They are supposed to be our future nation builders and symbolise our hopes for and dreams of a peaceful and sustainable world. Unfortunately the conundrum of technology, crazy societal pressures and expectations, ruthless and cut-throat competition, violence, alcohol, substance abuse, innumerable imposed choices and influences often leave them listless and confused. A morally vibrant, compassionate, balanced, strong and healthy youth is the crux of a dynamic society of tomorrow and we need to work with responsibility and conviction in that direction. And that was exactly the message of this empowerment seminar.

Traditionally education has placed emphasis on academic achievement, yet the true measure of success in life is health, happiness, enthusiasm and the ability to deal effectively with life’s challenges. Recent studies shows that this stress not only inhibits learning, but may also result in lack of motivation and disengagement.

The Art of Living has embarked on a successful service project Donate A Book, Educate A Child in Sydney. Besides that a tree plantation project was undertaken which was a part of the United Nations Millennium Campaign.

Devyani Sharma, a bank employee and confident Generation Y’er who took the program, expressed that it was a dynamic and uplifting experience for her. It provided her with a practical means to release stress and relate to people more easily.

A profoundly moving documentary on the activities undertaken by the Art of Living with the youth in the US was presented on the occasion.

Also present at the conference was Hon Marsha Thomson, MP and State Member for Footscray. She called upon all to treasure Melbourne’s rich multicultural heritage, embrace it and learn from it. She further added that there is a need to re-connect with our communities and make sure we’re supporting each other.

The seminar concluded with a brief meditation session conducted by Dinesh which proved to be remarkably rejuvenating and refreshing for the participants.

Beyond question, this was a seminar that addressed an extremely relevant need of our current times. It marked a significant step in the foundation of a bright and stable tomorrow. And as I left, some quotes of Swami Vivekananda, whose birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day in India, crossed my mind

Dinesh Ghodke,

Director

at WAYE (World Alliance For Youth Empowerment) and senior Art of Living teacher,

Dinesh reiterated that the Art of Living Foundation, through the YES! + Program addresses these stressors and challenges by supporting the development of basic life skills in the areas of leadership development, conflict resolution, academic engagement, health awareness, and social responsibility. All YES! + Programs are geared towards managing negative emotions, fostering human values and developing a broader vision of life. It

“This is the time to decide your future - while you possess the energy of youth, not when you are worn out and jaded, but in the freshness and vigour of youth. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment. Therefore, ‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached’ ”.

Madhuchanda Das