Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Tuesday said in Srinagar that peace was returning to Kashmir as the situation showed marked improvement.
"The situation is far better than it was two years back and this is also borne out by the encouraging influx of tourists into the Valley, which is the abode of sufis and saints," Shankar told an impressive audience at the Sheri Kashmir International Conference Centre on the banks of Dal Lake.
"While we must continue to preserve our cultural values, we will also have to modernise, in order to keep pace with the fast developing world," Shankar added.
Earlier on his arrival on Tuesday, Shankar went to the Shariqa Devi temple in downtown Srinagar and also paid homage at the adjacent Sheikh Hamza Mukhdoom's shrine.
He also visited the famous Sikh temple of Chatti Padshahi located at the foothills of Hari Parbat hillock.
The spiritual guru also inaugurated a middle school in Srinagar, which has been adopted by the Art Of Living Foundation.
On the occasion, Shankar stressed that the people must "strive for fostering a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in the state as it is the need of the hour."
He said that schools and other related institutions can serve as platforms for grooming students into dynamic and versatile personalities.
Shankar said everybody should be committed to rejuvenate human values and create a violence-free society to enable people to live happier, healthier and stress-free lives.
The International Association for Human Values is one of the world's largest volunteer-based educational and humanitarian organisations, that have been championing the cause of the underprivileged and marginalised sections of society.
The organisation has adopted the school and has provided 14 computers, a science laboratory, free uniforms to the students and other facilities.
Later, Shankar interacted with students, parents and other staff members.