Bengaluru: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the global humanitarian leader who has mediated in both national and international matters of long-standing contention, has launched The Art of Living Mediation initiative, along with Attorney General of India, R. Venkatramani, in an urgent step towards institutionalizing peacebuilding through dialogue.
“A month ago when we had the national mediation conference,” shared Hon. Attorney General of India, R. Venkatramani, “The Hon. President of India felt that the subject of mediation has to be spread in every nook and corner of the country. And one of the ideas that came up was to have awareness drives. Little did I know that the first awareness campaign will begin from Kanakpura in Gurudev's Ashram.”
Ravi Shankar shared insights from his decades-long journey of bringing warring sides together through trust, compassion, and inner transformation.
“Mediation is, for example, I give the right to cut an apple to one person and the right to choose the portion to the other," Sri Sri shared, "When one knows they are cutting and the other is choosing, they are going to be naturally fair. That’s the essence of mediation- you’re not imposing a solution. Any judgment in courts results in a win-loss outcome. In mediation, both parties take away something-they feel heard and empowered.”
While speaking about the qualities of a mediator, Ravi Shankar said, “For mediation to happen, mediator must have the confidence of both sides. Mediators have to be real yogis. You should have spiritual depth and patience to listen to both the parties and bring about what is best for both the parties.”
Art of Living teachers have been mediating for more than a decade, Sri Sri said, “but now we have a more structured training in place for mediators.”
The initiative is rooted in Gurudev's vision of a stress-free, harmonious society, where disputes are resolved not through adversarial means but through dialogue, empathy, and inner calm.
Designed initially to address relationship-based conflicts, ranging from family and marital issues to workplace and community disputes, the initiative offers a safe, confidential, and neutral space for resolution. What makes it unique is its emphasis on trained mediators who are grounded in meditation and breathwork, bringing clarity and emotional stability into often charged conversations.
Currently it includes virtual mediation sessions,and a dispute submission forum, with plans to expand into physical centers across India.With adherence to the Mediation Act 2023 and a deep commitment to confidentiality and neutrality, the initiative seeks to ease the burden on courts while empowering individuals to arrive at their own peaceful solutions.
Ravi Shankar has mediated in some of the world’s most intractable conflicts with wisdom, unflinching neutrality and human connection.
Right from Colombia, where his dialogue with FARC rebels helped pave the way for a historic peace accord; to bringing together bereaved families in Kashmir; or his efforts in rehabilitating surrendered militants in the Northeast and Bihar, offering them an alternative to violence; or his role as a court-appointed mediator in the Ayodhya land dispute, one of India’s most sensitive and long-standing conflicts- are few of the many Gurudev has been involved in as a trusted mediator. His inclusive approach sought to transcend legal boundaries and build mutual respect between communities. Sri Sri’s approach reveals a profound secret: that long standing peace arises not just from negotiations, but from listening and understanding the realities of all the parties involved.
