August 2026 - Meeting with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji
*My Meeting with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji- A.H.M Danyal Sahab, Patna*
I was invited by The Art of Living (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji), Bengaluru, to join the celebrations commemorating The Art of Living’s 45th year and Sri Sri’s 70th birthday. After much deliberation and consultation with my team, I travelled to The Art of Living Centre. This journey was full of learning and experiences. Here, I am just sharing my meetings with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji.
We (I and Azizur Rahman) reached The Art of Living Centre on Friday night, 21st August 2026. They received us at the airport and took me to the Centre in an Innova Hycross. At the gate of the Centre, Harsh Sharma was present to welcome us. They escorted us to our rooms in the Centre.
The next morning, at 8 o’clock, Harsh Sharma came to our room and took us to the dining hall, where Gautam Vig was present to welcome us. He joined us for breakfast and later led us to the Secretariat, where Sri Sri lives, to meet him. It was my first meeting with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji.
Before meeting him, we had to wait in the waiting hall. During this period, Gautam Vig was present with us. We talked about Maulana and his work and contributions. I told him that Maulana’s contributions towards attaining peace and harmony in society were unparalleled and unprecedented in the modern age. He was not only advocating peace and peaceful coexistence, but also explaining how a society can attain peaceful coexistence.
Gautam Ji agreed with my points. He added that Maulana’s relationship with Gurudev was amiable and that both had been restless to promote peace and harmony. I agreed and added that this was why we appreciated Sri Sri Ji.
Finally, we were taken to the room where Sri Sri Ji was present. I sat close to him on one of the sofas. Gautam introduced me to him as the President of the Centre for Peace and Objective Studies, India, and a student of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
On hearing this, he became happy and smiled and said, “Achcha.” He then said, “Aap itni door se mere liye kasht utha kar aaye”—“You have taken the trouble to come from so far away for me.”
I replied, “You are doing a great job. You are promoting peace, harmony, humanity, and the concept of one family. We highly appreciate your work.”
I recited the verse from Surah Al-Hujurat (49:13). He listened attentively. He then told me, “Please join our Satsang this evening. We will meet there again and honour you.”
After having lunch with Gautam Vig, we returned to our room to take some rest. In the evening, at 6 o’clock, we were taken to the hall for Satsang. After one hour of bhajans with modern music, at 7 pm Gurudev entered the hall to a warm welcome.
On this occasion, more than 2,000 Gen Z participants also joined the session. After taking a few questions from Gen Z, we were called upon the stage. He presented me with a shawl, and then I presented him with a shawl and the *English Tazkirul Quran of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Sahab and his book Discovering God*
I returned from the stage after presenting my gifts. Later, I was invited to the stage again to speak a few words. I went up to the stage, and Sri Sri Ji gestured for a sofa to be placed beside him. I sat on the sofa and spoke a few words.
I said: “Gurudev, I love your smile. When you smile, you win the whole world. I sincerely love your smile. It touches my heart.
I am not here accidentally. I have known you for more than two decades, but I could gain meaningful awareness about you when Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, the Padma Vibhushan awardee, told us about you.
Today, the whole world desperately needs peace, harmony, and fraternity. The whole world is in deep crisis, and Gurudev is one of the greatest hopes in this crisis.
I value Gurudev’s efforts to promote peace and bring understanding among communities. Look at the world—Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine. Today, the world needs leaders like Gurudev even more than it needs science and technology.
I pray to God: May God give him a long and healthy life.”
The entire audience was listening in pin-drop silence, including Sri Sri Ji.
Later, I was upset that I could not speak more and add some Quranic verses. But after much thought, I came to the conclusion that perhaps this was God’s plan—that I should speak just what I spoke. He might have thought that I was encroaching upon his platform. Whatever happens, happens for the best when the intention is clear and pure.
I will share my experiences and learning later, InshaAllah.
May God accept our little efforts and give us more such opportunities to disseminate the words of God and prophetic wisdom...Ameen
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