Warring parties must find Ayodhya solution: Sri Sri

PANJIM, SEPT 24
As the nation is experiencing tremors of tension with the verdict on the Ayodhya title suit likely to be pronounced shortly, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living (AOL) movement, says any solution to the 500-year-old festering problem has to come through a settlement between the warring parties. Both sides should work to arrive at “comfortable” solution. That solution cannot come through the court verdict alone.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who arrived in Goa on Friday evening to preside over ‘Anandotsav 2010’ at Colva Beach on Saturday, spoke to the media here. Maintaining that Lord Ram is not just a Hindu God but the cultural identity of the entire nation, he also spoke of exploring ‘Ayodhya’ from the tourism point of view.
Countries other than India, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, which have a mythological link to the ‘Ramayana’ and Lord Ram, have already done this. “But we have not cashed in on this,” he pointed out, even as he maintained that many Muslims do not feel any attachment to the Babri Masjid, and basically want peace to prevail.
Asked whether the peace missions of the AOL foundation are not working as there is so much ongoing strife in the country, he said there are so many instances of Maoists giving up the path of violence, as also some terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir.
However, he said, what AOL does is just a drop in the ocean; definitely much more needs to be done. Sri Sri also offered to work on a peace mission in J&K, with co-operation from others, to bring about calm in the Valley.
To a question about whether a mere breathing exercise can bring peace and stop people from marching towards devastation, he said breathing is linked to the thought process and helps to eliminate negative tendencies. “People are able to think calmly,” he said, adding that people are much more aware today which, was not the case some years ago.