Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation. He says his aim is to revive human values and try to bring peace and 'joyful living' through teaching the art of self-awareness. His work earned him a nomination for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Based in Bangalore, Shankar says he brings together the 'pristine wisdom of ancient India, the knowledge of meditation and the importance of doing selfless service, and offers them to humanity'.
Shankar was born in 1956 in Papanasam, India, and studied to become a scholar of Vedic literature. In 1982, he set up the foundation, which has since spread to 146 countries, and is credited with creating the Sundarshan Kriya technique.
In 1997, he founded the International Association for Human Values, which has brought development projects to 25,300 villages to foster self-reliance. It also helps in relief efforts such as for those affected by the Asian tsunami.
The foundation says that Shankar travels to more than 40 countries each year.