Practicing what he preaches

High finance, big business, investments, venture capital: These are directions in which business school graduates typically head. But one former Whartonite took a very different path. He chose "Ananda Marga" -- in Sanskrit, that's the path of bliss. "I always had a need to help people come on the spiritual path," Acayra Shambhushivananda said. Shambhushivananda -- also known as "Baba," which means father in Sanskrit -- received his doctoral degree from Wharton in 1972. Now he is the leader of a socio-spiritual movement that boasts a world following of more than 2 million people. Ananda Marga Gurukula was founded in 1955. It focuses on the building of a peaceful society through holistic education. The movement has its own lifestyle, educational and economic philosophies. Spreading these very messages, Baba came to Penn last week to meet with faculty and look at his former campus. A short man wearing a traditional Indian dress -- all in orange -- Baba had a full graying beard and wore an orange turban. But despite his faithfully authentic clothing, the leader of a world movement still has to carry a cell phone. He spent Thursday night and much of Friday on campus. He remarked that Penn seemed a bit different -- in part because of all the construction. "It's not the same feeling," he said. "But I am hoping to forge some permanent links here." Baba also serves as chancellor of Gurukula University, located in his native India and directly tied to Ananda Marga. Shambhushivananda has been a part of Ananda Marga since 1965. Arriving at Penn in 1969, Baba spent 10 years in Philadelphia. He earned his degree, conducted research, taught at Drexel and the University of the Sciences and offered yoga instruction. In 1979, Baba left the United States and decided to become a yogi. He remained close to the movement and took over during the past decade. The movement now has followers in approximately 182 countries. But it has been a controversial group. The FBI conducted inquiries into Ananda Marga from 1972 until 1984 and claims that it may have been involved in terrorism. But Baba continues to work at building up Ananda Marga, traveling around the world. Since 1992, he has also dedicated himself to developing Gurukula University -- a school and a township -- in West Bengal. While he concedes that spiritual leader and yogi are unusual life and career choices for most people, and especially for Wharton graduates, Shambhushivananda said his time at Penn played a vital role in his development. His stay at Penn, he said, "helped me to integrate the material and spiritual worlds." This enlightenment has been essential to his success in spreading his message because of the broad base of understanding that he has received

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