Indian PM Modi Opens Meditation Temple, Launches Social Initiatives at Art of Living’s 45th Anniversary

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new meditation temple and launched nine nationwide social initiatives Sunday at the 45th anniversary celebrations of the Art of Living Foundation in Bengaluru, joining spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

PM Modi opened the Dhyan Mandir, a large-scale meditation facility at the Art of Living International Center, which organizers described as one of the world’s largest dedicated meditation spaces. The center is designed to accommodate mass meditation sessions and collective spiritual practice for practitioners across faiths and backgrounds.

“I am confident that the Dhyan Mandir inaugurated today will become a center of peace and solace for thousands of people across generations,” PM Modi said in an address to the gathering.

The event also marked the 70th birthday of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who founded the Art of Living in 1981. The organization says it has reached more than one billion people across 182 countries through programs in meditation, breathwork, education and community service.

Social initiatives launched at event

PM Modi launched nine service programs targeting education, reforestation, tribal welfare, women’s empowerment, healthcare, prison reform and digital literacy.

Under the Mission Green Earth program, the Art of Living says it has planted more than nine million saplings across 19 Indian states in the past year. The organization aims to add 4.5 million moringa saplings and establish 17,500 sacred grove sets comprising nearly 90,000 trees.

The foundation also announced the expansion of its free school network from 1,356 to 2,000 schools across 22 states, currently serving more than 120,000 children in 2,754 villages.

Prison reform programs will be extended to 550 facilities, reaching an estimated 60,000 inmates and staff with trauma relief and vocational training. Nine telemedicine centers will be launched to improve healthcare access in underserved regions.

Leadership training programs are set to reach 50,000 youth and women, while a tribal welfare mission will expand into 450 villages focusing on healthcare, education and livelihoods.

Speaking on the role of civil society in national development, PM Modi said governments alone could not drive comprehensive national progress.

“I have always believed that society is more powerful than politics and even governments,” he said. “Any government can succeed only when society itself actively participates in nation-building.”

PM Modi linked spiritual well-being directly to India’s broader development goals, saying a prosperous India would require youth who were “mentally calm, socially responsible and sensitive towards society.”

He cited India’s digital payments infrastructure, its ranking as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem and its expanding space program as evidence of the country’s accelerating growth, crediting both Indian youth and organizations like the Art of Living for driving that momentum.

In a personal remark directed at Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, PM Modi told the gathering, “I am yours, and I am where I am because of you.”

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar praised India’s transformation under Modi’s government, telling the prime minister that India had shifted from a country dependent on external support to one extending it to others.

“In less than ten years, you transformed India from a country that asked, into a country that gives,” he said.

What is The Art of Living Foundation?

The Art of Living Foundation was established in 1981 and operates as a volunteer-driven humanitarian organization across 182 countries. Its programs include a breathing-based stress elimination technique called Sudarshan Kriya, rural development, environmental conservation and conflict resolution initiatives.

Sunday’s gathering included Union Ministers, state Governors, members of parliament, entrepreneurs, farmers and international delegates.

The month-long anniversary celebrations have drawn participants from across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa to the organization’s international headquarters on the outskirts of Bengaluru.