To mark its 35 years of existence, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's The Art of Living is organising a mega event, World Culture Festival 2016, in the national capital from March 11 to March 13. The event is slated to attract 3.5 million people from around the world and those in attendance include Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
According to the Art of Living, "the festival will celebrate the diversity in cultures from across the world while simultaneously highlighting our unity as a human family."
The preparations for the global festival, to be co-hosted by the World Forum of Ethics in Business and Art of Living, are in full swing on the banks of Yamuna in the national capital. An area of 1000 acre is being used for the event.
It is also a bid by Art of Living to enter the Guinness Book of World Records with a stage spread over an area of seven acres.
Over 35000 representatives from across the world are slated to perform at the event, including "8,000 musicians playing 40 instruments in a musical symphony. There will be several tribal artists from states such as Chhattisgarh, Sikkim and Maharashtra.
A post on the website of Art of Living says that "a very special highlight of the festival will be a "Peace meditation" led by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar on all three days of the event.
The post says the event "will bring together senior leaders from business, government, politics, science, NGOs, faith-based organisations, sports, academia and media to reflect on the paradigms of leadership needed to maneuver the world of today".
Art of Living expects more than 20,000 international guests, including former Pakistan prime minister Yousof Raza Gilani and Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, at the event. And the attendees from India include Union ministers Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari Piyush Goyal and VK Singh. Among the other guests are Niti Aayog chairperson Arvind Panagariya, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former IPS and politician Kiran Bedi and technocrat Sam Pitroda.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up Art of Living for organising the World Cultural Festival on the bank of river Yamuna. Sri Sri Ravishankar has, however, called the NGT biased. The Art of Living founder has said that he must be rewarded for the event and that he will get red carpet welcome in other countries for organising the event.
A committee appointed by NGT has recommended fining Art of Living Foundation Rs 120 crore for damage to Yamuna floodplains while making preparations for the event.
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