Speaking of Gurujis and Babas....

FROM HERE AND THERE....
Good evening India....

May be I am over stepping my bounds, I am too small a fry in this world of Gurujis and babas. Probably I should have kept my mouth shut, as I have a lot of friends and well wishers of the Art of Living Sect as well as the Sidh Samadhi Yoga founded by late Guruji Rishi Prabhakar. However here goes as I cannot keep my silence. It's about knowingly destroying the ecosystem of the Yamuna basin. As an avid birdwatcher and wildlife lover it horrifies me. So also it has made me question my respect for holier than thou Art of Living.

This is regarding The World Culture Festival 2016 a celebration of The Art of Living's 35 years of service, humanity, spirituality and human values. The festival celebrated the diversity in cultures from across the world while simultaneously highlighting our unity as a human family.

Prior to this mega event the whole festival was questioned in this manner "Where's the 'art' in living like this? Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, please note how your event is killing the Yamuna". The World Culture Festival of the Art of Living (AOL) Foundation headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar threatens to leave the ecologically sensitive and fragile Yamuna floodplains with irreparable damage.So our venerable guruji was well aware of the consequences of a few days of fun and frolic and off course of "looking good", yet he bashed on regardless, much like our politicians, "karlo jo karna hai".

Environment activists are shocked over the brazen disregard for the health of the dying river, which holds a significant place in the Hindu mythology, from the organisers. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has already recommended a fine of Rs 120 crore on them for violation of ecological norms but it has hardly deterred preparations.

“The Yamuna floodplain is a highly sensitive ecological zone. To organise its culture festival, the AOL Foundation has illegally cleared the entire stretch of wetland and marshy area. It’s total devastation and we fail to understand how the person (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar), an apostle of non-violence and spiritualism can allow it,” Manoj Kumar Misra, convener of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, an NGO working for the restoration of river Yamuna, told Firstpost.

So a committee which was instituted by the National Green Tribunal, post the event to access the damage has submitted its report. In short the report says:

The massive 'World Culture Festival' held on the banks of the river Yamuna in Delhi by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living has "completely destroyed and not simply damaged the riverbed", a group of experts has told the country's top environmental court.

"The ground is now totally levelled, compacted and hardened and is totally devoid of water bodies or depressions and almost completely devoid of any vegetation," the experts say in a 47-page report, describing the damage because of the three-day event that featured performances on a seven-acre stage and hundreds of thousands of devotees.

The floodplain, the report says, has lost "almost all its natural vegetation" like trees, shrubs, tall grasses and aquatic vegetation including water hyacinth crucial to the survival of a large number of animals and organisms.

Art of living is asking for the reconstitution of the committee which was instituted by the National Green Tribunal, whose report has gone against the most venerable, adored, loving leader, a holy person, a Guruji and head of the Art of Living Foundation. Instead of trying to accept the damage done and jointly finding ways and means to set it right at least partially, he is asking for a fresh committee to look into the damage afresh. In short his Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar the epitome of pseudo Simplicity, Truthfulness, and what have you appears to be no different from corrupt politicians of this blessed country.

On being totally indicted by the investigation Committee appointed by the National Green tribunal regarding the Damage done to the ecosystem of the Yamuna, (the event site has been totally destroyed) the Art of Living has asked for a fresh Committee to be appointed to resurvey the extent of Ecological Damage to the Basin!!

The Art Of Living management goes on to say that it is not logical to take the report of the Committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal into consideration before our application for a  reappointment of a new Committee is heard. Wonderful!! Have a new committee, bribe them and a get a favorable report, dam the environment. Have a look at the key findings of the committee, in the report attached. They have done a commendable job. If one sincerely goes through the report point by point, it is quite logical and makes sense. I am very sorry that things have come to this pass. But I knew that things are not well with this Art of Living Thing.

I had the fortune or misfortune to conduct a Self Development Training Program for Teachers of AOL who were running their Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir aka schools (a number of them) of this organization. about what happened the less said the better.

The Mission statement of these Vidyamandir's go on to say:

To provide holistic education that enhances cognitive, emotional, physical, social and spiritual learning. Here, learning is an individual process for each student and information is imparted at the realm of experience, while enhancing human values of love, friendliness, compassion, caring and sharing.

Regular curriculum is offered in such a joyful and stress-free manner that the child actually looks forward to going to school. This is how AOL is going to inculcate these lofty values in their students? What face will the so called Value - able teachers have when their students will ask, really Guruji destroyed the Eco system of the Yamuna? Its going to be a big laugh when the students confront teachers with these question raised above.

Lofty values indeed If you see the mission statement of SSRBM schools.

• To make students academically competent, innovatively creative, socially aware and self developing.

• To enable students to Broaden their vision and Deepen their roots by equipping them with our unique methodology which imbibes in them , appreciation towards our culture & values and those of other nations too.

• To provide students with modern tools as well as the moral and spiritual strength needed to face the challenges of the modern world and thus evolve into society conscious global citizens.

• To inculcate in each student a deep rooted respect towards all, and to have a character full of virtues.
• To have SSRVM schools in each district of India where learning is inspirational and fun and a sense of belongingness is created.

• To establish institutes of higher education in each state of India, which shall become centers of excellence in knowledge and research across various fields of study where each student achieves the highest level of professional and personal ability so as to serve the needs of local, national and global economies.

I think is time we the public must listen to our inner self and expose such Gurujis, rather than falling prey to their pseudo joyfulness and sick smiles.

Mera Guru Mahan !!