Art of Living Foundation

Lassi with Bassi. New chat show for World Culture Festival

February 11, 2016September 9, 2022EnsuresLeave a comment

By Vidyut Udiaver

This afternoon I launched my new chat show to celebrate the upcoming World Culture Festival 2016. It`s Lassi with Bassi. Both are rich, robust and handsome symbols of Punjab. Lion-like in their content and honey-sweet in their intent. Lassi as you know is that heady mix of yoghurt, sweetened if your nice and salty if your uptight. Then who is Bassi ?

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Montoo Bassi from Delhi to be precise. He`s my new creative director, anchor person, cinematographer, adman, meditator, teacher, scriptwriter, master of ceremonies, designer and the firm shoulder that I can rely on when I am about to launch my new chat show…Lassi with Bassi to mark the upcoming World Culture Festival (WCF) in New Delhi India from March 11^th-13^th 2016. One can discuss anything under the sun with Bassi, from creative strategy, fonts, music and typos to cinema, fashion, photography and of course Paranthas. Wow. Paranthas ! Another Punjabi delicacy that the lion won`t ever touch, but Bassi and his friends Nakul, Upkar and Deepak can maul into pieces of it, layer after layer, thick and fast.

The idea of producing this chat show struck me at twelve last midnight when four boys next door were rigorously practicing away some popular hit tunes that they are going to play with 2,000 musicians at the World Culture Festival (WCF) next month. My chat show idea was born. Freedom at midnight ! I thought it could be a personal tribute to the upcoming mega cultural festival that is billed to take the world into waves of peace, happiness and much hope.

So Lassi, Bassi and Delhi. I love the qualities, characteristics, idiosyncrasies and tastes of all these three. All seemed to fall into place now for my new chat show.

But this chat show is not going to be Bassi`s first claim to fame. He has an amazing creative talent and a huge line-up of the advertising industry`s awards that will sparkle on your face when you sit in his living room. Coming back about the talk of our talk show. We are getting ready to chat on the grand, mammoth event that the world is talking about today. Montoo Bassi tells me that the World Culture Festival is going to be a promising encounter with the roots of all the music, traditions, art, dance and cultures of the world. Spectacular I should say. Over 25,000 artists from around the world are going to showcase music, chants and dance that`s going to shake the roots of the earth, cradling her people to relax in peace, for the sake of a better humanity.

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Thousands of artists are going to perform on the largest stage ever and for the first time 155 countries are coming together in support of a creative peace-building initiative inspired by the founder of Art of Living Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

An idea whose time has arrived. We are going to talk more about the WCF event in my first ever chat show. Lassi with Bassi. A show that will stir you inside out.

Why is the world media waiting to cover this event ?

February 9, 2016February 17, 2016EnsuresLeave a comment

By Vidyut Udiaver, February 9, 2016

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The world`s best journalists, on-ground reporters, camera crews, production teams and media companies across the board in several countries are busy planning to catch this moment. It`s the World Culture Festival 2016. This event is a rare and powerful opportunity for media in all its forms to come together to help shape a culture that is inclusive, to promote an attitude that is peaceful and to deliver an experience that is unique. I can`t emphasize more on the power of media in the coming days and months.

A cross-cultural delight. The World Culture Festival to be held in New Delhi, India from March 11^th-13^th is expected to see a whopping confluence of cultures and traditions expressed through music, dance, art and songs. The world is going to watch and experience cultural pluralism at its best. And my friends in the media will fully agree with me that this message needs to go out there especially to the nations and people grappling with injustice, war, violence and terrorism. This is our time to come together to raise the bar and push the envelope towards harmony. Much before precious traditions, peaceful forms of thinking and expression are shot down or stamped out. The World Culture Festival is a mammoth effort towards that. It`s worth it. It`s now or never.

The world media is waiting with bated breath to catch the high production values of the festival that will emanate from the world`s largest stage of seven acres, roughly the size of six football fields. And the goal is One. Individual peace, Global happiness. A stress-free, violence-free society. In whatever words one may wish to express it, it`s an idea whose time has come.

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Several thousand tons of media paraphernalia, equipment, software, lights and sound is waiting to download at the venue. Not to forget the potential words and feelings of the reporter on ground, to bring alive the largest live concert ever of over 25,000 artists and maestros from Hungary, America, Russia, Turkey, China, New Zealand, Germany, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, Latin America, Pakistan, Belarus, Australia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Nepal, Middle East, Africa and 18 States of India. Perhaps the largest ever production and consumption of media is expected to roll out.

The festival is also a celebration of the 35 years of service by the world renowned Art of Living founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which has implemented life-supporting initiatives in 155 countries continent wide. World leaders, celebrities and peacemakers will be joining hands with 3.5 million people on the ground, right there. Live at the World Culture Festival.

No wonder the world`s media is waiting to catch this event in all its hues and glory. To fulfill a greater mission, a collective responsibility. That`s the power of media.

#AOLShivaratri – Celebrations in Art of Living Ashram

February 18, 2015February 21, 2015EnsuresLeave a comment

On 17th February 2015, a huge ensemble of Devotees descended on The Art of Living International Ashram to celebrate the Maha Shivaratri in the Presence of Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji.

It began with a ceremonial procession of the Grama Devata (with Utsava Murthy) and installation of the same at the Puja Sthala.

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It was a sea of humanity at The Art of Living International Centre, gathered in a scale bigger than ever before. It drew devotees from 61 countries. The live webcast had more than 20,000 viewers connected via 6ooo connections with footprints of 104 countries.

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Starting with a blissful meditation, it was time for the highlight of the evening, the auspicious Maha Rudrabhishekam, performed by Sri Sri. While the atmosphere was filled with the sacred chants, the diverse gathering meditated for the well-being of humanity. This was followed by an evening of music, meditation and wisdom.

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With the Rudram chants of young pandits reverberating in the entire place, it was a perfect setting for an evening to soak in bliss, evening for Bhajans, evening for delving deeper into the self.

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On the significance of Shivratri, Sri Sri said, “One of the factors that affect the mind and its moods is time. Our individual minds follow the rhythm in Nature. For example, the sunrise has a different feeling associated with it than sunset. In the same way, certain days are more conducive for spiritual practice.”

On Shivaratri, the matter and consciousness unite. The subtle and gross worlds come together. And that is the celebration. Shiva is everywhere; there is no place where Shiva is not there. There is not even an atom where Shiva is not there.

When we violate the laws of nature, that is when disturbance and anger happens in nature. All the floods, forest fires, calamities are nothing but the anger of the nature. Nature’s fury. And nature’s fury can only be calmed by the transcendental divine consciousnesses, that is Shiva. Shiva alone can calm down the fury of the nature.

Three types of disturbance are counted: soul, mind, and nature. These disturbances manifest as droughts, earthquakes, floods, and calamities of nature. At another level, these disturbances manifest as restlessness within and lack of direction. When you are in such a situation in life, there is no peace inside and there is no happiness or joy.

Shivaratri is the night when we pray for us to be free from all types of misery: physical, mental, emotional, social, and natural calamities. And bestow peace and wisdom to everyone. Namah means the mind coming back to its center. Manah means the mind going outward. Namah is the opposite. Going back to the origin. The secrets of nature are hidden. Now, we now wifi. But the secret of wifi was there from long time, but it was hidden. It is the blessing of divine that science is developing.

That is what the Vedas say, through your blessing that science gets manifested. Secrets of nature are revealed. Mantras means the secrets in the nature. Shiva is within the mantras. Shiva, you are hidden within the mantras, where no one can reach. And you are the source of all thoughts, positive or negative thoughts that rise in me. You protect us. Kaksha also means the unfathomable universe, which nobody can reach. The secrets of that universe only you can reveal to us.

With this prayer, we pray with our heart and soul for peace in the world, society, happiness in the individual, progress of knowledge and society. Yagyas are done using the five elements from thousands of years. Shivaratri, we perform this yagya from morning to the early hours of the next morning. This morning also we had a pooja.

Divine accepts you however you are. That is why we offer flowers, thorns, leaves in the pooja to signify that God accepts you the way you are.

If you are a fruit or flower, whatever stage of evolution you are (at), the one consciousness accepts you. And that is truth and that is beauty. The synonyms of Shiva are truth and beauty.
Benevolence, truth, and beauty are inseparable.

Know that god accepts you and rest deeply. This is meditation. When you come out of meditation, then work with determination. This is the meaning of Rudra.

Our body is the bow and the mind is the arrow of this bow. The arrow should hit the aim: the eternal consciousness (parama tattva). Our mind should be centered on reaching this goal, then the purpose of this body is fulfilled.

Today is the celebration of nature rejoicing the presence of benevolence, truth, and beauty.

Everyone is enjoying? Thousands of us here and many people have joined us on webcast. All of us collectively when we meditate, we create an electrifying field which will eliminate all negativities and uplift human spirit. Very nice.

Shiva means the most beautiful. Aghora is a word for Shiva, which means most beautiful.

ViruPaksha means there is no form, but there are eyes. Even when you close your eyes, you can still see. Everyone has this third eye, which sees. Not just one, but thousands of eyes. Eyes everywhere.

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He further added, ” Shivaratri is one of the most significant days to meditate and come in touch with the deepest aspect of our consciousness. It is associated with India but the phenomenon is universal and that is why so many people from all over the world come here to experience it.”

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Lord Shiva is one whose worship is simplest of all – He accepts flowers or thorns, leaves or stalks. He is calmness personified as also fierce in His form. Truth, Benevolence and Beauty (Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram) is His personification – attributes that are inseparable. By honoring the truth, appreciating the beauty and worshiping Shiva tattva is the easiest route to elevation of one’s life. Lord Shiva accepts you as you are – knowing this and going withing is Definition. Moving from state of “This should be” & “That shouldn’t be” towards “Let It Be”! Accepting what is as it is… is the Mantra for Bliss.

The Bhajans as always was enchanting and elevating the positive atmosphere – obviously with Dr Manikantan-ji, Dr Nisha Manikantan-ji, Srinivas-ji, Shalini-ji, Chitra Roy-ji and others.

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Enthusiasts from all over India and abroad – Argentina, China, Brazil, Oman, Kuwait, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Russia, Taiwan were a part of the festivities.

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