Most people in the world would consider the Nobel a rich honour. Not Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The Art of Living founder pronounced on Saturday that he had once turned down the Nobel Peace Prize and would do it again if it was offered to him again.
“I was in the past offered the Nobel Peace Prize, but I had rejected it as I only believe in working and not in being honoured for my work,” Deccan Herald quoted him as saying. He added he would never accept the award.
Ravi Shankar made the statement in Latur district in Maharashtra, where he was reviewing the drought. According to the Economic Times, he was asked by the accompanying scrum of journalists whether he was interested in getting the Nobel for Peace.
In reply, he decried the prize because it has been given to the undeserving. “What is the importance of an award when it is being presented to a 16-year-old girl, without even looking at what she has contributed,” he said, hinting at Malala Yousafzai.
Yousafzai, a young Pakistani activist, was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking up for the right of female education. She was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, for her “struggle against the suppression of children”.
Ravi Shankar has been in the news lately for organising an ostentatious cultural festival on the Yamuna floodplains that environmental activists say damaged the local ecology.
Last year, Baba Ramdev, a self-styled yoga guru, had claimed that he was denied the Nobel Prize because he was “black”.
On Monday, people took to Facebook and Twitter to educate Ravi Shankar on how a Nobel is awarded. There were a lot of brickbats too.
Sid,
— Akash Banerjee (@akashbanerjee) May 2, 2016
Nobel committee rarely comments on who it shortlists or not; @SriSri aware that his bluff wont be called 👏🙏 https://t.co/CX4626XDJX
When I meditate very deeply, sometimes, the Nobel Committee appears. https://t.co/obHimoEoaF
— Prasanto K Roy (@prasanto) May 2, 2016
I think that Sri Sri rejected the Nobel because they were giving him just one. He wanted a title like Sri Sri Nobel Nobel Ravishankar
— Budhaditya Roy (@budhadityaroy) May 2, 2016
Exclusive video of Shree Shree Ravishankar throwing his Nobel prize pic.twitter.com/bnJxhJKEXD
— Super Commando Dhruv (@Eaglesiar) May 2, 2016
Not sure if #SriSri was really getting the Nobel, but telling the truth has never really been a part of his art of living.
— Sayantan Ghosh (@sayantansunnyg) May 2, 2016
Baba Ramdev had said he is not considered for Nobel Prize because of his Colour. Maybe he should start calling himself Baba Baba Ramdev
— Joy (@Joydas) May 2, 2016
At least the Nobel committee should keep in mind in future that he is not interested @rameshfilms @bombaywallah @DeccanChronicle
— S l Habib (@irfhabib) May 2, 2016
Sri Sri claims he was offered the Nobel but rejected it as he doesn't believe in awards. Here are ones he accepted: pic.twitter.com/KwrivKP8mg
— Siddharth (@siddharth3) May 2, 2016