Bangalore: The Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a historic peace pact that ends a 52-year-old armed conflict yesterday. Playing an important role in the peace process was the Art of Living founder and humanitarian – Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Last year, the spiritual leader had travelled to Cuba, Havana and Colombia, talking to both the parties, building trust between them. Last year, Gurudev travelled to Cuba to meet the representatives of FARC, including the leader of the FARC-EP delegation, Iván Márquez. His efforts resulted in a major breakthrough in June 2015 when the FARC rebels announced a unilateral ceasefire.
The strife had taken the lives of 220,000 people and displaced more than 5 million.
The government and the rebels had been talking peace since 2012, and had reached agreements on land reforms and drug trade. But what was needed was the healing touch of a spiritual leader that addressed the core values of the peace process. President Juan Manuel Santos remembered, "I had the great joy of speaking with him about his efforts to hopefully end an internal armed conflict that has lasted more than 50 years. Later on, with my consent, he met in Havana and Cuba with the negotiators of the FARC leaders to encourage them to follow the Gandhian principle of non-violence, and to cultivate the art of meditation and breathing."
Márquez acknowledged that Gurudev's teachings about the Gandhian principle of non-violence inspired them. "With the help of Gurudev, we have placed our spirit to achieve reconciliation and coexistence of a big and benevolent country, whose destiny can’t be that of the war. The teachings of the Art of Living are essential to achieve a stable and long-lasting peace."
One year later, yesterday, the peace pact has been signed. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Wednesday congratulated Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian President and Marcos Carratala, the FARC negotiator for announcing a bilateral ceasefire.
During last one year, Gurudev had meetings and dialogues with both parties (See the timeline below). He taught his stress-elimination techniques to members of the Colombian government as well as the FARC that gave them the experience of peace and struck a chord within them.
A Timeline of Peace (June 2015 – June 2016)
- After the visit to Cuba and the meeting with FARC in June 2015, Sri Sri flew to Bogota to meet President Juan Manuel Santos and then again to Havana to have a series of sessions with the peace delegation leaders of FARC.
- FARC members declared that this spiritual knowledge was missing for them and it was needed. After Sri Sri’s visit to Havana, FARC leader Iván Márquez declared a unilateral ceasefire which gave a new hope and dynamics to the, until then, debilitated peace process.
- On 28th June 2015, the FARC in a joint press conference together with Sri Sri declared a unilateral ceasefire starting on 20th July, and that they would adopt the principle of non-violence immediately.
- In another crucial intervention in August last year, Sri Sri facilitated a meeting with the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Dr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, and the delegation of FARC led by Iván Márquez. This enabled the FARC leadership to put to rest its concerns about the outcome of the ceasefire in terms of legal and political status in the country.
- The rebel group FARC signed a breakthrough peace commitment with the government of Colombia on Wednesday, 23rd September, that sets the groundwork for a final accord within the next six months.
- As part of the goal for reconciliation, FARC is thinking of ideas on how to implement the Art of Living’s pranayama and meditation programs where all the parties involved can interact and release their negative emotions to facilitate a constructive dialogue.
- To try the efficiency of the techniques, the FARC members personally learned the Art of Living tools and found immediate benefits. They felt calmer and relaxed.
- Colombian members of the government also attended the Art of Living seminars offered in Havana and Bogota. There was a common understanding that this was needed for every member of the society.
