Memorial pays tribute to Indian guru Maharishi Yogi

By Catherine Hornby

In a tent decorated with pots of roses, daffodils and orchids, the main leaders of the Maharishi's movement addressed an audience of hundreds, praising the life and works of the Indian mystic, who died overnight on Wednesday aged 91.

His funeral will be held in the Indian city of Allahabad on Monday, a spokesman for the group said.

"I can only say that whilst I am deeply saddened by his passing, my memories of him will only be joyful ones," McCartney said in a statement on Thursday. "He was a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity."

After a five-minute group meditation, prominent members of the movement recounted the contributions the Maharishi's practices had made to society, education, science, health, agriculture and defence.

INFLUENCE OF PEACE

The Indian mystic moved his headquarters to the small southern Dutch village of Vlodrop in 1990, occupying the site around a former Franciscan monastery.

"It's like a meditation-based United Nations," said a spokesman.

Leaders said that though there was a deep sense of loss, there was also a feeling that the Maharishi had been able to achieve what he wanted in his life.

(Editing by Mary Gabriel)