World leaders on Sunday hailed Art of Living (AoL) and its founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for holding the World Culture Festival and invited him to their countries.
British Prime Minister David Cameron invited Ravi Shankar to address the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament, while Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull invited AoL to Australia for the next World Culture Festival.
Cameron sent his invitation in a message through his Conservative Party's parliamentarian Matthew Offord who attended the AoL's World Culture Festival here.
"British Prime Minister David Cameron has invited you to address the House of Commons whenever you visit UK next time," Offord said.
"People say that no one can change the world but Sri Sri had made a good start. We are seeing a ray of hope," Cameron was quoted as saying in his message.
"Art of Living foundation promotes peace and understanding," the British prime minister's message said.
The Australian prime minister, who could not turn up for the event, invited Sri Sri through his message to AoL that Australia would love to hold the next festival.
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos also sent a message.
"It's a gathering from across the globe to promote values and human life on earth. Sri Sri teaches us that happiness and peace which is inside us. We need to recognise it to be able to live happy. No more fear, hatred, if we only want happiness," he said in his message.
German parliamentarian and deputy chairman of the ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Armin Laschet said: "Twenty-five years ago, there was a wall in Berlin and people were shot dead while crossing it. Today, there's a wall of terror and violence between Russia and Ukraine, in Syria and some part of Africa."
He praised the World Culture Festival calling it an "Act of Understanding" which will change the world in coming days.
PARLIAMENT OF WORLD'S RELIGIONS WANTS NOBEL FOR SRI SRI
Parliament of the World's Religions on Sunday compared the "ideologies and experiments" of Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Junior and advocated Nobel Peace Prize for him.
"Love moves the world. This is what Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Junior and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar say. His teachings are changing us the Homo-Sapiens to world citizen," Lawrence Carter from the Parliament of the World's Religions said here.
He said the preachings of AoL were taking people towards a world citizenship.
"Hallelujah and Amen. Let's all nominate him for Nobel Peace Prize," he said.
The Parliament of the World's Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
KEJRIWAL SEEKS AOL'S HELP TO CLEAN YAMUNA
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to take the initiative to clean Yamuna river and also sought help of his volunteers for welfare programmes of the city government.
"Different governments have to come together to clean the Yamuna. Today, on your (Sri Sri) left, there is the central government and on your right is the Delhi government... please initiate and let's make the Yamuna clean," Kejriwal said addressing the gathering at the World Culture Festival here.
Kejriwal also sought the help of volunteers of Art of Living.
"I am a selfish person. I want two things from you, Guruji. Give me your volunteers. They are polished, decent and always smiling. The Delhi government has a lot of work and so needs a lot of volunteers for its different programmes. I want your volunteers," he said, as he was welcomed with huge applause.
Welcoming to India and Delhi the delegates from 155 nations, Kejriwal said the entire world was facing violent issues and it was not possible to defeat hatred with hatred.
"Guruji's message has reached out to the world through meditation and love," he said.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal was slated to attend the Global Leadership Forum organised by the AoL but did not turn up.
