Prem Rawat
A spiritual teacher who has spent decades guiding individuals toward a personal, practical experience of peace he calls 'Knowledge.'
Born 1957 (age 69)·Spiritual leader·Birthday: December 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Prem Rawat’s life has been a global odyssey dedicated to a single, simple message: peace is possible, and it begins within the individual. Identified as a child guru in India, he began addressing audiences at age four. As a teenager, he broke with tradition and moved to the West, determined to make his teachings accessible beyond a single culture or religion. He speaks not as a prophet of a new faith, but as a pragmatic guide, emphasizing a direct, personal encounter with inner contentment through a set of meditation techniques. His work has evolved into formal peace education programs, notably the Prem Rawat Foundation, which runs Food for People initiatives and Peace Education Workshops in diverse settings from universities to prisons. While his approach has drawn both devoted followers and critics over the decades, his core mission remains unchanged: to point people toward the resources of clarity and hope he believes are already present within them.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Prem was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Prem Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Prem's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded The Prem Rawat Foundation, which operates global humanitarian and peace education programs.
- Developed and promotes a specific set of meditation practices he collectively terms 'Knowledge.'
- Has addressed live audiences in over 250 cities across 50 countries throughout his life.
- His Peace Education Workshop curriculum has been implemented in community centers, universities, and correctional facilities worldwide.
Did You Know?
He obtained his pilot's license at age 16 and has flown solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
In the 1970s, he was widely known in the West by the title 'Maharaji' before moving away from the term.
He helped design and build a high-tech multimedia studio for producing and broadcasting his talks.
His teachings have been translated into more than 70 languages.
“Peace is not the byproduct of a religion or a government. It is a very personal, individual discovery.”
