With lives ensnarled in a brutal cycle of uncertainty, debt, and crop failures, perhaps nobody is more vulnerable to an emotional and mental health crisis than the Indian farmers. Over a lakh farmers have taken their own lives in the past decade.
One wonders if there is a practical time-tested solution that can help alleviate this suffering, to empower the community with emotional resilience, spiritual guidance, lighten their burden in the mind, and bring clarity of mind. As the global spiritual master and humanitarian leader, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “A strong mind can carry a weak body, but a weak mind cannot even carry a strong body.”
“A few years ago, Vidarbha witnessed a tragic wave of farmer suicides. During that time, everyone was concerned about how to support the farmers,” Shweta Mahale (MLA, Chikhli Constituency) had shared in a poignant address at Kishan Samruddhi Mahotsav 3.0, which had drawn 1000 farmers from drought-prone districts of Marathwada and Vidarbha to The Art of Living International Center in January this year, “It was Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who extended a helping hand to them.”
She had added, “He uplifted the morale of the farmers. The Art of Living is the only organization that works holistically on mental health, society, and nature. Through initiatives like Jalyukt Shivar and The Art of Living’s various projects, significant improvements have been made across Maharashtra. In 2024 alone, these efforts led to a rise in groundwater levels, directly improving the quality of life for farmers.”
Sensing the urgent need to attend to the mental health of the farmers, Gurudev has been playing a very crucial and supportive role in training over 30 lakh Indian farmers not just in transitioning to natural farming but also in empowering them with powerful techniques like meditation and breath work so the farmers find peace and strength within, to be able to be dynamic, productive and resilient outside. Gurudev’s vision integrates deep inner wisdom, practical techniques, with sustainable natural farming methods, uplifting the minds and ensuring the economic stability of farmers nationwide.
Rising from the Brink
“I was at a point where life could have gone completely wrong,” says Sudhir Chapte. Struggling with financial pressures and influenced by a troubled peer group at 22, Sudhir felt pulled into a destructive path, questioning all his choices. Taking a leap of faith into The Art of Living’s Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) was his turning point. “The course brought me a sense of peace I had never felt before. I realized I could use the qualities I already had, not for destruction, but for building something meaningful,” he shares.
Inspired by Gurudev’s vision of seeing a smile on the face of every Indian farmer, Chapte dedicated his life to empowering farmers with meditation and pranayama, addressing their core mental well-being. His work in Sambhajinagar trained 10,000 tribal farmers, who, by blending traditional practices with natural farming, saw their annual incomes soar from approximately Rs 25,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. Chapte affirms that this impact, rooted in Gurudev’s techniques, is about reclaiming their pride and security, not just financial returns.
Mental Health and Economic Revival: Giving Life a Second Chance
Devastating crop failures, crushing debt, and the burden of an unpredictable climate almost pushed Vitthal Lipane, a farmer from Paithan, Vidarbha, who owned 2.5 acres of land, over the brink.
When one is proverbially drowning in misery, one only needs a little spark of hope. That hope came to Lipane in the form of The Art of Living workshop. What came as a saving grace for him was his learning to breathe deeply with Sudarshan Kriya and meditate at an Art of Living camp. “After the camp, negative thoughts stopped coming to my mind,” Lipane recalls.
Our actions are often led by our thoughts. This profound mental transformation became the foundation for Lipane’s material revival. He fully embraced natural farming that began yielding him 12 quintals of wheat per acre with minimal input costs, securing a gross income of nearly Rs 60,000 per acre. He summarizes, “This brought new life to me.” This story perfectly embodies Gurudev’s constant assurance to farmers: "When the mind is weak, problems look enormous. When the mind is strong, the same problems look manageable." By focusing on inner strength, Vitthal gained the mental stability to manage the unpredictable nature of agriculture.
Meditation Is Healing Social Fractures
The peace cultivated through meditation quickly transcends individual mental health to heal deep social divisions. Shri Mahadev Gomare, an Art of Living project lead, notes that in many villages, long-standing disputes—often rooted in agricultural issues—cause immense tension and stress among farmers. Conflicts lasting 25–30 years can isolate families.
Consider the resolution between the Biradar brothers in Wadmurambi village. Their fields were adjacent, creating constant friction and palpable tension. One of them admits, “Earlier, while working in the fields, I used to be in constant fear that my brother would beat me,” he laughs, “But now, after learning and practicing meditation regularly, we are on good terms and do farming together." Gomare notes that after going through the meditations that cleanse the mind and heal the hearts, making one feel positive and light, participants, who have not spoken to each other for years, often end up hugging each other on the last day of these meditation workshops.
This healing of community conflicts is possible because the spiritual practices, including meditation and Satsang, calm the mind, removing the default resistance that prevents farmers from accepting new ideas, be they agricultural or social.
Gomare observes, “There has been a lot of change in the behaviour, approach, and mindset of farmers who meditate daily with us. They are positive. They don't worry about results. They just do their work 100%. They are more open to learning about new ideas and techniques. And they smile more.”
This holistic approach has already resulted in 30 lakh farmers across India being trained in natural farming by the Art of Living, proving that when the soul is nourished, the land and the community thrive.
