Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar courted controversy with his statement that being homosexual is a tendency that may change later.


He made the statement at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi after a student asked how he should handle the way his friends and family treated him with respect to his sexual orientation.


Sri Sri Ravi Shankar responded saying, "You don't think you are sick or something is wrong with you. If you stand up, nobody can insult you, but...if you feel bad about yourself, nobody can make you feel better.


"This is your tendency now... know that this tendency is not a permanent thing. It may change. I've seen many men who were gay later turn into heterosexuals, and there are those who are normal, who are called straight people, end up being gay later in life."


Sri Sri was at JNU to deliver the 13th Nehru Memorial Lecture. The spiritual leader will be visiting Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on November 16 and will meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a "courtesy call'.


He clarified that he was not visiting Ayodhya with an agenda but was hopeful there would be an out of court settlement of the Ayodhya dispute.