India’s spiritual leadership takes centre stage globally

The founder of Himalayan Samarpan Meditation will serve as Vice Chair of the global committee and Chairperson for the Southern Asia Region, strengthening India’s presence in international meditation and wellness initiatives.

In a significant development for India’s spiritual outreach and global wellness movement, His Holiness Shree Shivkrupanand Swamiji, founder of Himalayan Samarpan Meditation, has been appointed Vice Chair of the World Meditation Day Governance Committee and Chairperson for the Southern Asia Region. The appointment marks a new chapter in efforts to promote meditation, inner peace and universal harmony through international collaboration.

The appointment was announced through a joint accord between the World Meditation Day Association and the World Meditation Foundation. Swamiji will represent India as a core proposing nation in the international bureau, alongside global representatives, including Acting Chair Enrico Somma of Liechtenstein.

The development coincides with the observance of World Meditation Day on December 21, an initiative aimed at integrating mindfulness, emotional balance and collective well-being into everyday life. The global platform and governance portal are expected to be formally unveiled at the upcoming second International Symposium on AI and Meditation, bringing traditional Himalayan wisdom into dialogue with emerging technologies.

Swamiji’s appointment highlights India’s longstanding contribution to yoga and meditation and its role in promoting holistic well-being and peaceful coexistence. His philosophy centres on the belief that lasting global harmony begins with transformation at the individual level.

“World peace can never come through any book or weapon; world peace can begin only with inner peace,” Swamiji stated. He believes that identifying human existence solely with the physical body creates divisions based on religion, race and nationality. Meditation, he says, enables individuals to discover their inner selves and develop a deeper sense of universal brotherhood.

Swamiji’s spiritual journey included 18 years of rigorous sadhana in the Himalayas, where he gained experiential knowledge from ascetics and yogic masters. In 1994, he founded Himalayan Samarpan Meditation and dedicated himself to making the practice accessible to all. Over the past three decades, the movement has reached more than three million seekers across over 72 countries, with meditation taught free of charge.

His outreach has extended to international assemblies, including programmes at the United Nations Headquarters, and meditation camps for lawmakers at the Indian, British, German, Irish, Nepalese and Sri Lankan parliaments. He has also delivered leadership lectures at institutions such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, besides IITs, IIMs and VNIT.

His programmes have reached defence personnel, police forces, judicial institutions and scientific organisations, including ISRO, BARC and DRDO. His honours include the Global Peace and Wellness Ambassador Award from the UK House of Lords in 2024.

As Vice Chair, Swamiji is expected to contribute to efforts that position meditation as a vital resource in an increasingly technology-driven world.

The initiative seeks to balance artificial intelligence and hyper-connectivity with consciousness, emotional stability and mental well-being, extending meditation’s reach across South Asia and beyond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India