Spreading the love

International faculty Prasanth S Nair, a Trustee of the Art of Living Foundation, talks about his experiences with devotees abroad

Pics: Prasanth S Nair; Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with the ruler of Fujairah, Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi. Prasanth is on the right, second row 

By Shevlin Sebastian 

On a cold and wintry day in January, a few years ago, Art of Living teacher Prasanth S Nair watched as the plane taxied to a halt at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. He looked out of the window and shivered a bit. The entire airport was blanketed with snow. There was hardly anybody around except for several Aeroflot planes which had a sprinkling of snow on the roofs.  

“The first impression I got was that this was similar to the [science fiction] comics of ‘Flash Gordon’ when he and his compatriots would go on a space journey,” says Prasanth. “The cold also seemed to add to the familiar stereotype that Russians could be cold in terms of their emotions.”  

But that belief lasted only for a few minutes. When Prasanth entered the hall, he was greeted by several smiling Russians. “I was blown away by their warmth,” he says. 

Prasanth was in a white kurta and dhoti but wore a thermal vest underneath. “But when they saw the way I was dressed, they were shocked,” he says. “You can’t blame them for being worried. The temperature was -19 degrees Celsius.” 

On the third day, they secretly took a measurement of his sandals and bought ankle-length boots. “Because they hid my sandals, I had to wear the boots,” he says. “Thank God for that. They also insisted that I should wear gloves, especially when we went for walks.” 

Asked how Muscovites came to know about Art of Living, Prasanth says, “Through word of mouth. Also, Gurudev (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) has travelled to Russia and so many other places many times in the past. Later, senior teachers from India went to Russia in the early 1990s. Today,  there are more than 1300 teachers, mostly local, in Russia.”

 

Prasanth has also spent time in Indonesia, which is an Islamic nation. “Nevertheless, we were welcomed warmly,” he says. “And in Bali, we had many centres.” 

Bali has a strong Hindu influence, so the people could relate easily to the teachings of Sri Sri. “Again the devotees were a mix of locals, and people from America, Australia, New Zealand and India, too. The devotees increase manyfold whenever Gurudev 

conducts his annual meditation retreats and discourses on the Vignan Bhairav (the science of consciousness).” 

Many have been transformed after attending the programme. In Jakarta, Prasanth met a 6’ 1” tall South African named Robert Brown. He told Prasanth, “I used to drink like a fish and pick up fights regularly. But now, thanks to regular meditation, my mind is at peace and I can walk away from fights. I have also stopped drinking altogether.” 

Prasanth also met a young Arab woman from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who told him that she had a dream in which she saw a person, dressed in white, who had a black beard and long hair. “She didn’t give much attention to it but was astonished when she saw the same face while she was participating in an Art of Living happiness programme and realised that it was Gurudev,” says Prasanth.  

As for Prasanth’s high point in his travels in West Asia, the Far East, and Europe, it was when he accompanied Sri Sri on the latter’s first-ever visit to the UAE on November 14, 2018. The spiritual leader had been specially invited by the ruler of Fujairah, Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi. The next day, there was a programme at the Fujairah Football Club Stadium, where thousands were in attendance. The Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, in his welcome address, said, “We gather today on this wonderful occasion of tolerance blessed by our master of love.” 

In response, Sri Sri said, “We are all members of one global family.” 

Soon, there was a mass meditation led by Sri Sri, and many members of the royal family took part. 

For Prasanth it was a wonderful experience. “The respectful way Gurudev was received, the warmth that was shown, and their ready acceptance is something I will never forget,” he says. “The UAE has a Ministry of Tolerance, as well as a Ministry of Happiness. This idea should be adopted by all governments in the world.”       

Asked what is common among the devotees in different countries, Prasanth says, “People are looking for happiness, a calm and peaceful mind, good health, a sense of fulfilment, an inner yearning for wisdom, and to attain something great, in terms of their spirituality. These are the aspirations across all communities and people, including myself.” 

The Pala-born Prasanth, an MBA graduate, was in the corporate world before he met Sri Sri, and became a full-time teacher. The former-director of the Sri Sri Ayurveda College Prasanth was instrumental in setting up the world-class facility of Sri Sri Panchakarma, both of which are in Bengaluru. He has served as secretary to Sri Sri. Today, his wife Meera is the international secretary to Sri Sri. 

As for his future plans, Prasanth says, “Through the teachings of Gurudev, I want to make a difference in the lives of people.” 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)