His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar enthralls GAIL audience
It was a day of great honour and prestige for GAIL on the 9th of March, when the revered His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, exponent of the “Art of Living” philosophy blessed the GAIL members with his august presence. The evening programme titled “Experiencing the Inner Self” held at the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium was a golden opportunity for GAIL employees to clear their dilemmas and conflicts faced by them in their day to day lives - both professional and personal.
The programme began with the ceremonial lamp lighting by poojya Guruji Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and felicitation by Dr. U. D. Choubey, CMD with a garland and shawl. In his inaugural address, Dr. Choubey mentioned that GAIL in the recent past has had the good fortune of interacting with several eminent personalities from different walks of life through the “Looking Beyond” Series. “It is important to widen our horizons, but it is equally important to look within ourselves. And hence this interaction with Guruji to help us introspect ourselves and to seek his blessings to overcome the turmoil and conflict we face everyday”, he said.
Dressed in his trademark immaculate white robe and dhoti, Guruji was a countenance of peace and calm, his smile radiating a sense of well being all around him. Before beginning his lecture, Guruji set the mood for the evening with a brief meditation. The deep breathing exercises and relaxation techniques as taught by Guruji removed all tension and fatigue from the body and mind of the people present there. The highlight of Guruji’s speech was the 3 Cs philosophy- Cosmic Awareness, Compassion and Commitment. Delving deeply on the need for a spiritual way of life, he said the key to leading a happy and healthy life was in spiritual conditioning of the mind and the soul.
Guruji concluded his lecture with a question answer round wherein people spoke to him about their apprehensions and anxiety. “How do I confront my boss without jeopardizing my job or raising my BP?”, somebody asked. Guruji smiled and said the answer is in finding the balance between keeping negative emotions in control and putting across one’s feelings in a way that won’t hurt others. This is where compassion and deep breathing helps. A young girl asked a pertinent question, “How do I know what is right and wrong”. Guruji in his trade mark style answered, “Whatever brings short term joy and long term distress is wrong and short term misery but long term happiness is right”.
As a token of GAIL’s gratitude, a memento was presented by Dr. U.D. Choubey. The programme was compeered by Mrs.Vandana Chanana, DGM (CC), and the Vote of thanks was proposed by Shri R.K. Goel, Director (Finance).