KARACHI, July 20: Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar underlined the need for transcending religious divisions for the establishment of an abiding peace in the world, especially in the strife-torn region of South Asia.

Currently on a whirlwind tour of the world in which he has travelled to 83 cities over the past six months, Mr Shankar said that a violence-free society, a disease-free body, an inhibition- free intellectual and a sorrow-free soul were the birth rights of every individual.

He urged the countries of South Asia to bury their hostile past and become united just the way European countries, which were bitterly divided till recently, had sunk their differences and formed a union.

Wearing a flowing off-white robe, Mr Shankar, who met a delegation of religious leaders before addressing a press conference on Tuesday, said that people in Europe and Asia led really stressful lives.

"The aim of my organization, International Art of Living Foundation, is to have a smile on every face. Our well-wishers often advise us to overcome depression and lead stress-free lives. But they do not tell us exactly how to overcome sorrow. Special breathing technique exercises have helped a large number of people over the world to get the better of their woes and sorrows," he said.

Mr Shankar said that societies in Asia were riven by corruption. "This is because people are largely unhappy. When a person is happy, he feels a sense of belonging to others. And there could be no corruption in society if people felt a sense of belonging," he explained.

He said his organization was working in potentially dangerous regions of the world, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. He added that he had focussed on prisoners who led very stressful lives.

Mr Shankar said he never became embroiled in controversies about religions. "All religions teach the same thing. And yet they are marred by serious differences. I never interfere in the faith of an individual," he explained.

When a questioner asked Mr Shankar why his breathing exercise courses were so expensive, he said his organization offered free courses to those individuals who could not afford, such as those living in rural areas.

The delegation of religious leaders who met Mr Shankar on Tuesday included Ahmad Ali Khan Chishti, president of the Gharib Nawaz Foundation, Haji Rafi, Mohammad Hussain Lakhani, Pir Rashid Aslam Khairabad, Naseem Ahmad Siddiqui and Faisal Ali Khan.