Asked why some other venue was not considered for the event, he said, “We had initially thought of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but it would not have managed to accommodate such a massive gathering. So we planned to hold it here.” Asked why some other venue was not considered for the event, he said, “We had initially thought of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but it would not have managed to accommodate such a massive gathering. So we planned to hold it here.”

Embroiled in a controversy for reportedly saying ‘Jai Hind and Pakistan Zindabad should go together’, soon after a speech by Pakistani scholar Mufti Muhammad Saeed Khan on Saturday, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar Ravishankar clarified, “The Imam said he would say Pakistan Zindabad to which I said Jai Hind. I did not say Pakistan Zindabad.”

On the controversy surrounding the Culture Festival organised by his Art of Living Foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Sunday promised to “do something for the Yamuna”.

“We will make a proper plan and will do something for the Yamuna. I have consulted top environmentalists, who have done a study and said that no harm will be done to the floodplains of Yamuna because of this event,” he said. Responding to questions from the media on the observations of the National Green Tribunal, he added, “The NGT did not say they are imposing a fine but it is a compensation… Can you see any harm done here?”

“This is like a cultural Olympics of the world that Delhi is hosting. There were certain hurdles but now all is well.

The Australian government has written to me asking to hold the next World Culture Festival in their country, Other countries are also showing interest,” he added.

Asked why some other venue was not considered for the event, he said, “We had initially thought of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but it would not have managed to accommodate such a massive gathering. So we planned to hold it here.”

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App.