Bangalore, Oct 18 : A five-kilometre long human chain formed symbolically to eradicate poverty is one more initiative by Guru Shri Shri Ravishankar at the Art of Living Center on the outskirts of Bangalore.

The spiritual Guru led the huge gathering on Wednesday to pledge to eradicate poverty from the planet.

“It was collective responsibility of humanity to drive away poverty which calls for a united effort in this direction,” said Ravishankar.

A joint initiative of Art of Living and United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) will mobilise over four million people across the globe to support UNMC’s ‘Stand Up and Speak Out’ against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

A top official of the UNMC Minar Pimple who took part in this initiative said, “We were working together with Art of Living and confident of achieving the objective of the millennium goal.”

The idea behind the campaign is to remind world leaders of their promise of achieving the MDGs by 2015.

Art of Living will organise several public events in over 100 countries to take a pledge in support of the eradication of poverty.

Ravishankar believes that world leaders must keep the promises they made at the Millennium Summit in 2000. These promises, translated into the MDGs can only be achieved if we all participate and raise our voices against poverty and a peaceful world. (ANI)