Imphal: India’s renowned yoga guru and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Wednesday conveyed his readiness to contribute to any peace efforts between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur.
The founder of the Art of Living Foundation expressed his firm conviction that confidence and trust should be the foundation of our coexistence. Justice and peace must prevail for all.
Ravi Shankar’s calls for a stop to the conflict comes at a time when everyone on both sides of the warring parties was wondering on how to bring an end to the nearly three months violence that has cost nearly 200 lives.
For a record, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is aggressively known for his outspokenness to every major national and international issue, hasn’t spoken a word on the violence so far.
“Manipur is such a beautiful state with wonderful people and rich natural diversity. I have had the privilege of visiting the state many times and meeting people from all communities. We even had the pleasure of hosting Meiteis and Kukis at our Bangalore Ashram,” Ravi Shankar said in a statement.
Stating that the current crisis in Manipur was painful and it indicated a deep rift among communities, the spiritual leader said he had sensed the impending divide between the communities way back in 2001 and even discussed the issue with the then President, A P J Abdul Kalam.
Ravi Shankar appealed to both the Meiteis and Kukis to exercise patience and engage in a constructive dialogue and said that if both sides expressed their trust and confidence in him, he was prepared to mediate and assist in finding a solution. There is nothing that we cannot resolve through dialogue. Let us sit together and address the contentious issues peacefully, the guru added.
“Violence will not lead us anywhere; it will not bring comfort or prosperity to our current or future generations. The losses suffered by people and the destruction of property on both sides will only take us backwards,” Ravi Shankar added.
