Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was born in 1956 in Southern India, and is a spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation.

At the age of four, he could recite the Bhagavad Gita and was often found in meditation.

He holds degrees in both Vedic literature and physics.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation in 1981, which aims to relieve individual stress, societal problems, and violence.

He developed the Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique, during a ten-day period of silence in Shimoga, India in 1982.

The Sudarshan Kriya has become the centrepiece of the Art of Living courses.

He has received numerous awards, including the highest civilian awards of Colombia, Mongolia, and Paraguay.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also been honoured with India's highest annual civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan.

He has been conferred with 16 honorary doctorates from around the world.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is frequently referred to as "Sri Sri", "Guruji", or "Gurudev".