NEW DELHI, May 12: Addressing the nation on second day of the five-day lecture series ‘Hum Jitenge - Positivity Unlimited’, the spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, noted social activist Nivedita Bhide and philanthropist Azim Premji today called upon the Bharatiya society to meet the challenge posed by COVID-19 situation by standing unitedly and focusing on compassion and service to the society.

In his address, the founder of The Art of Living said, “The need of the hour is patience. Today everyone in society has a responsibility from social and psychological perspective. To carry forward this responsibility, we need to invoke patience and be in high spirits. If we will be high spirited, that pall of gloom will vanish and this is the time to invoke this positive spirit.”

“We need to display compassion as there is lot of suffering around and this can be done by doing service to others. Whatever we can do as a ‘sew’ for others, we should do it… this is the biggest test of human life. At least at this time, we all have to awaken our devotion to God. We have to move forward knowing that God is there and He will give us strength, and He is giving us strength,” said Sri Sri.

“We should avoid negative mentality and negative things. Negative things should be reduced as much as possible… and every person should try to lighten the environment around which seems quite messed up. It is certain that we will definitely come out of this crisis as the winner. Whenever any force tries to suppress us, we have become stronger and we have grown further. Just remember, this is the time to express compassion. Express your inner compassion and awaken faith in God.

Pay attention to Yoga-practice and Ayurveda, also pay attention to your health. Be ready to do whatever you can for the good of others. By doing this, our mind would be able to avoid negativity,” he added.

Padmashree awardee Nivedita Bhide, Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari said, “Initially the second wave of Corona came with an unexpected speed and hence it took us sometime to gear up but now we can see that at the level of institutions, government as well as society, we have organised ourselves well to meet this challenge.”

“It is important during this challenging time to retain our positivity, engage in creative pursuits together as a family and most importantly do the ‘sewa (service) work. If you can do nothing else, you can at least take care of the Corona affected family in your neighbourhood. If you can’t do even that, then you can at least pray with a resolve for the wellbeing of all. This would create positive vibrations all around and would help a great deal in creating an atmosphere of positivity.”

She emphasised, “We are not an ordinary nation. We have faced many challenges in the past and met them successfully. We will meet this present challenge also successfully.”

Noted philanthropist Azim Premji said, “In this situation, the country must come together as one. We must drop all our differences, understanding that this situation requires unity of action. Together, we are stronger, divided we continue to struggle.

“We have to be absolutely focused on the plight of the most vulnerable. All of my actions must give vulnerable the priority as they deserve. I can only urge every one of us to come together and do everything we can and more, because the hour demands it. I wish all of you safety and strength.”

The focus of the lecture series, organised by the Delhi-based collective group ‘Covid Response Team (CRT)’, is to create a positive atmosphere in society and strengthen the response to Corona pandemic. It’s being broadcast over 100 plus media platforms every day at 4.30 pm from May 11 to 15. On May 13, Pujaneeya Jagadaguru Shankar Vijayendra Saraswati Swami and famous artist Sonal Mansingh will address the nation as a part of this lecture series.