Modi sarkar's done right by awarding Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a Padma Vibhushan

Apart from flagging "intolerance" and "unreason", the president of India's address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day was a candid discourse on what the spirit of India is. Pranab Mukherjee was purveying every patriotic Indian's cherished "idea of India" that allows us to be what we are, to live the way we want to.

This sense of freedom has been the hallmark of this great country from the time immemorial. That is precisely what makes all the talks about intolerance sound like bunkum. As renowned spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar recently said, "India can never be intolerant because this is in our DNA". 

When the president saluted an extraordinary generation of leaders for pulling together India's amazing diversity to build national unity, he was talking of a tribe with a long lineage. So many religious and ethnic groups, so much cultural diversity… Over 350 languages; over 1,600 dialects! Nearly 650 different tribes! A different food habit for every a few kilometres… And yet one country! Harmony in diversity is in our blood. 

While putting India's challenges in perspective, the president was also equally straightforward in telling the nation what would reclaim her glorious past for India. Be counted as the global repository of all values that the world cherishes. That's what he was alluding to when he said "we have a historic opportunity to become a beacon to the world at a time of great danger". 

And without doubt, "our example is its own message to a world in anxious need of amity".

India has an impeccable track record of uniting people that is anchored in a long tradition of spirituality. Referred to as India's special genius by Swami Vivekananda, that tradition powered India to her golden era, in which Lord Macaulay could not find a single beggar, destitute or illiterate person in the country.

It was the same ethos that made it possible for alien religious traditions to flourish, giving everybody the freedom to practise what they believe. The question now is: who will show that beacon to the world? Who will emerge as India's spiritual ambassador at a time when the world is looking to India for moral guidance?

One name that comes to my mind is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living. He eloquently epitomises the "ideas of India" and already commands a huge following in many countries across the globe.

His natural approach of articulating ancient Indian wisdom in simple and pragmatic style has played a big role in making Indian spirituality more acceptable and appealing globally. With his teachings which are universal and focused on something as ubiquitous as breath, he has freed spirituality from dogmatic beliefs. His ability to convey the essence sans the orthodoxy is what makes people from all faiths and beliefs feel comfortable.

From Iraq to Pakistan to Kosovo to Argentina, he has proved that Indian spirituality transcends all barriers. He has been welcomed into mosques, has addressed churches and touched hearts. I recall a media report that quoted a Pakistani as saying he got a real experience of India after meeting Sri Sri during his first visit to the country in 2002. 

With the Modi government recognising his efforts by conferring him with Padma Vibhushan, he could be primed to take India's beacon to newer places.

And time seems just right with his Art of Living hosting a global festival is expected to bring together over 3.5 million people from over 150 countries to experience the "idea of India". The World Culture Festival to be held in New Delhi from March 11-13 2016 will be a global platform for celebrating diversity, which is the hallmark of India. It will vividly showcase how there is total harmony despite the diversity in culture, religion, tradition, etc. 

Organised with the aim of sending the message that the world is one family, the festival to give the world a practical experience of how diversity is to be celebrated, not something to be tolerated. "Over the last 35 years, the Art of Living has taken this universal message to the world. With a presence in over 150 countries, I felt the Art of Living must take the lead in inviting the world to experience the power of togetherness and renew our resolve to build a stress-free and violence-free world. The world is eagerly waiting to embrace these values," explains Sri Sri. 

"Indian spirituality represents the basic ideals around which the humanity can unite above all differences. Generations of people from all over the world have been coming to India to find solace to overcome many ills such as depression, stress, anxiety, professional burnout, and addictions," he adds. 

With people like Sri Sri leading the march, the beacon can only get brighter!