Bhanumathi Narasimhan is the younger sister of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Innocently at first, and with joyful awareness later, she has followed her brother, her Master throughout her life. She shares his vision to put a smile on every face on the planet.
Gurudev says,“ Meditation is smiling at yourself.” Bhanumathi is a meditation teacher. Her workshops have brought an experience of deep inner peace to thousands worldwide. The outer expression of this peace is Service to humanity.
Bhanumathi leads the women welfare and child-care initiatives of the Art of Living. From a small free school with 30 children of construction workers, the gift-a-smile project now supports 435 schools with over 58000 underprivileged children.
Trained in her younger days as a Carnatic singer, people across the world wake up to her melodious voice in which she has rendered sacred chants and soulful bhajans through several albums.
She has previously authored two books, Tejasvini and Lalitha that expound the spiritual significance and mystical meaning behind popular Hindu scriptures and practices.
As the chairperson of the International Women’s Conference (IWC), her vision is to make a global connection of responsible women to catalyze positive transformation in society. Over 5000 women from 80 nationalities have participated in these conferences so far.
When asked about how she balances so many roles, she says, “My mother continues to be a great source of inspiration to me. She taught me by her example how to take responsibility for one’s own life. My grandmother taught me to see the smoother and happier side of life. My aunt taught me the value of independence. My husband taught me the value of freedom, my children and grandchildren, the value of innocence, my father, friendliness and my brother, love and compassion towards the whole of humanity. My guru has taught me to combine all these values appropriately and move on joyfully in the journey called life. When you have the right guidance, your life is an ocean of contentment.”
She holds a Masters Degree in Sanskrit Literature from Bangalore University and lives in Bangalore, India.