Art of Living Foundation to Set Up University in Orissa

The Art of Living Foundation of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will set up a university in Orissa by 2008 that will be an "amalgamation of science and spirituality".

Yezdi Batliwala of the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM) Trust, the educational wing of the Art of Living foundation, Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Ashok Tripathy, the secretary of the state's higher education department, for the proposed multi-disciplinary university near Bhubaneswar, an official said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and officials were present during the signing ceremony at the state secretariat.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said the proposed university will see an amalgamation of science and spirituality. To be named as Sri Sri University, it will be built on 200 acres of land on the outskirts of the state capital.

It will have a capacity to cater to 15,000 students, up to 1,500 faculty members and a matching number of the non-teaching staff.

The proposed university will impart training in basic sciences, humanities, engineering, pharmacy, business management, law, art, culture and vedic studies, ayurveda, medical sciences, aviation and marine science and other disciplines, the official said.

It will also have centres of excellence for research in rural economics, rural development, alternative energy sources, rural management, agriculture, spiritual activities and performing arts.

SSRVM Trust was founded in 1999 as a charitable spiritual and educational public institution to impart value education in a stress-free and child-friendly environment.

It has established 59 schools and five institutions of higher learning in 16 states across the country.

Source-IANS
SRM