Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with 2025 World Peace and Security Leadership award - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been honoured with the 2025 World Leader for Peace and Security Award by the Boston Global Forum (BGF) and the AI World Society (AIWS) for his contributions to peace-building, reconciliation and humanitarian service.The award was established in 2015 to honour world leaders who promote moral courage, ethical governance and compassion in global affairs.Past recipients include Japan’s late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine, and French President Emmanuel Macron.In Portland, a large peace meditation gathering drew over 1,300 participants, attended by local leaders and community organisations working in the field of social healing and wellbeing.The BGF said this year’s honour reaffirms that peace in the 21st century must be grounded in inner harmony, interfaith dialogue and ethical technology.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was recognised for his mediation and peace initiatives in conflict regions such as Colombia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Venezuela and Kashmir, where his efforts helped bridge divides through dialogue and compassion. BGF co-founder and CEO Nguyen Anh Tuan said, “In honoring Gurudev, we celebrate a spiritual luminary who bridges the wisdom of the East and the innovation of the West. His work exemplifies moral courage and humanity in the AI age.”Governor Michael Dukakis, BGF co-founder and chair, praised him for teaching peace. He said: "You have taught peace not as an abstract idea, but as a daily practice rooted in compassion, forgiveness, and understanding.”Through his organisation, The Art of Living Foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has led programmes in 180 countries aimed at reducing stress, rehabilitating prisoners, undertaking environmental projects, and providing education to underprivileged children.In his acceptance remarks, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emphasised the need to prioritise peace-building globally.“Peace cannot come by words; it has to translate into action. We often say ‘peace and security’ in one breath. A lot is done for security, but very little attention is given to peace. Peace building is essential. A moral and spiritual force is essential to quell the distrust and distress our societies face today. Let us dream of a stress-free, violence-free world — a society where peace, compassion, and creativity flourish,” he said.