Sri Sri also saidthat rising depression, in Europe 40 percent of the population, 38 points of percentage population are suffering from depression. So these are major issues. Depression may not be an issue in India, but corruption and poverty are an issue. And eroding family values is another issue in India.

Addiction is another big problem in India. In the last three years, alcoholism has increased threefold. Drug abuse has almost consumed a couple of northern states in India, he said.

Strict enforcement of law is a big issue there. Whereas here, the laws are very good, you have very good enforcement. As far as I know, we have very good law enforcement here. These are challenges still to be faced in India. The big population is a big hindrance there, Sri Sri added.

When asked by Hemal Shah, one of the rising young stars at AEI, who is part of the think tanks India programme, as to how in this busy, complex world of Facebook, Twitter, and the Internet as a whole, what his thoughts were on how the fast pace of social media was affecting our happiness, Sri Sri said, Youshouldnt be drowned in it.

He said, Peopleare getting on to Twitter as soon as they wake up until they go to bed in the night, theyre almost stuck to Twitter or Facebook. But at the same time, its a very, very important media. Its a very important thing in ones life. Everyone should be on it because they get information right from the source and fresh information, time to time.

So you can inform your ideas, your opinion, your mind through Twitter and Facebook. And its a revolution. Its essential. At the same time, it should not be misused, he added.

Asked if his philosophy of compassion is compatible with the free enterprise system and capitalism, Sri Sri exclaimed, Definitely, definitely. Capitalism without compassion will not lead to a just society.

Capitalism, you know, rich persons can be compassionate. The poor mans compassion has no value.

But Sri Sri argued, Whether capitalism, communism, socialism, or whatever ism it is, secularism, no ism will work without humanism.

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Few people know Modi has a soft heart: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

By Charles Muir/Special to The Oregonian

Who: Karen Snow, 61, 5 feet, 4 inches; Jerry Snow, 59, 5 feet, 10 inches.

Karen is a retired school teacher, Jerry a primary care physician at Woodstock Family Medicine. The husband and wife live in Portland.

Workout: Karen teaches dance aerobics Tuesdays and Thursdays at Grout Elementary School. Drawing on a dance background she minored in dance in college she takes students through an aerobic workout that may include tap, jazz, Western-themed, Celtic, ballet, waltz and many other styles of dance. She starts with a warm-up and works to peak intensity, then finishes with a cool-down and flexibility work. To measure how hard they're working, she has students take their pulse intermittently. Some routines include hand weights at a slower pace to tone the upper body.

Karen and Jerry also exercise at a gym together, using weight and cardio machines. But they prefer dance aerobics and outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing and bike riding.

Feedback: Karen has taught dance aerobics for Portland Parks & Recreation since the aerobics boom in the early 1980s. Her format is unique because she strives for variety and choreographs all her dances. She believes that by combining the pace of aerobics with the movements of dance she challenges students to strengthen their hearts, tone their muscles and sharpen their brains. Her husband, Jerry, notes that since he started taking her classes, his balance has improved.

Many of her current students are baby boomers, but Snow has taught students ranging in age from 16 to 79. Two people have taken her classes for 20 to 30 years. New students are welcome, though she takes a break from teaching during the summer.

Nutrition: The Snows eat twice a day, never later than 5 p.m. They emphasize natural foods. Karen takes a calcium supplement; Jerry takes vitamin D.

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My workout: Dance aerobics is a lifelong workout for heart, brain and muscles