In the serene world of meditation and mindfulness, where inner peace is promised as the ultimate currency, one might expect organizations like the Art of Living to embody selflessness. Founded by the charismatic spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the group has inspired millions with its teachings on Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, and the art of living joyfully. Volunteers—known as "sevakas"—pour their hearts, time, and lives into spreading these principles, often without a rupee in return. But now, a shocking revelation is rippling through the community: to ascend to the role of a Sahaj Meditation teacher, even these devoted souls must fork over a staggering ₹2 lakhs. Labeled a "donation," it's anything but voluntary. For many, it's starting to look a lot like extortion. The Heart of the Matter: A Price Tag on Enlightenment? Sahaj Meditation, or Sahaj Samadhi Dhyana as it's formally known, is one of Art of Living's flagship programs—a effortless techniqu...

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi initiated Sri Sri Ravi Shankar into spirituality. Born in 1956 in Tamil Nadu, India, Ravi Shankar (later honored as Sri Sri) showed early spiritual inclinations, reciting the Bhagavad Gita by age four and meditating frequently. His first academic teacher was Sudhakar Chaturvedi, a Vedic scholar linked to Mahatma Gandhi, but his formal entry into spiritual practice came in the mid-1970s as an apprentice under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM). Under Yogi's guidance, Shankar traveled globally, delivering talks on Vedic science, establishing TM and Ayurveda centers, and gaining hands-on experience in meditation and spiritual teaching. This apprenticeship shaped his approach, leading him to found the Art of Living Foundation in 1981 and develop Sudarshan Kriya in 1982. Reliable sources, including biographies and official accounts, confirm Yogi as the key figure in his spiritual initiation, distinguishing him from self-taught path...

The Chinese video-streaming platform TikTok and the shopping website AliExpress have been unblocked in India after a five-year ban, marking a significant development in the country's digital landscape. However, the TikTok app remains unavailable on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Indian government had imposed a ban on TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in June 2020, citing national security concerns during heightened tensions with China following the Galwan Valley clash. According to a report by Business Today, several users can now access TikTok's website in India, although the app itself is still not available for download. Neither TikTok nor its parent company, ByteDance, has issued an official statement regarding the platform's return to India. Similarly, AliExpress, a popular Chinese e-commerce platform, has also been unblocked, allowing users to access its website once again. The ban on these apps was enforced under Section 69A of the Information Technolo...