Project Udaan is inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of Art of Living Foundation. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitarian and spiritual leader, an ambassador of peace and human values. Through his life and work, Sri Sri has inspired millions around the world with a vision of a stress-free, violence-free world.
PROJECT UDAAN founded by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (under the aegis of the Art of Living Foundation ) is a Tutorial School at Sonagachi ( Kolkata– one of the largest red light areas in South Asia ) and Udaan - Kanya Gurukul (Rehabilitation Center at Pailan, West Bengal)
The PROJECT UDAAN is an initiative to rescue young children – currently only girls - of the Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) who are involved in sex trade from the area of Sonagachi in Kolkata, to bring them back to the mainstream society. For this, a home shelter named Udaan Kanya Gurukul (rehabilitation center) has been established at Pailan, so that the concerned girls can be freed from the pain of daily sex trade and other atrocities. Keeping girls aged 6-18 years in this center to educate them, make them aware of health, above all make them aware of their own home. Initially, Udaan Tutorial School was set up in the Sonagachhi area of Kolkata in 2012. Children of commercial sex workers were taught basic education, yoga, dance-songs etc. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar through his Art of Living organization set up Udaan Kanya Gurukul in Pailan in June, 2022 to relocate these girls and provide safe shelter for the children of sex workers in Sonagachi. Currently around 50 girls are accommodated here, and the vision is to get more than 150 over a period of time. A shelter for the boy’s is also in planning and development stage and soon shall commence operations.
On May 13, 2023, GuruPuja, Satsang and food distribution for about 1500 (fifteen hundred) people including CSW have been arranged to mark the 67th birthday of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and to mark the 10th Anniversary of PROJECT UDAAN.