One of India’s Iconic and Versatile personality Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev who has taken up ‘Cauvery Calling’ – an initiative to unite Governments, Farmers and Public to help rejuvenate River Cauvery visited Coimbatore’s CODISSIA to spread awareness about saving River Cauvery.
The guru visited Coimbatore on 17.9.2019 to spread awareness on why people have to unite to save River Cauvery.
His initiative pitches the idea of planting more than 200 crore trees in the Cauvery River area with the support of Farmers and Public to bring more rain, make the soil near Cauvery region fertile enough to absorb and help retain the water.
It will be a 12 years project in which not just the trees will be sowed but River Cauvery will also get rejuvenated. In 20+ years time, when the plants are all grown as trees, they will do the magic for Cauvery and people who depend on it.
On his quest to make people of all walks unite to save the river, in order to increase the awareness and participation of public in this movement, Sadhguru went on a bike rally from Karnataka’s Talakaveri to Chennai via Thiruvarur. He covered 3,500 kms through his bike from 3.9.19 to 15.9.2019.
Leading industrial and trade associations of Coimbatore offered felicitations to the guru by organising a huge event in CODISSIA on the same date of his arrival to the city.
S.P.Velumani, Minister of Municipal Administration and Rural Development, Govt of Tamil Nadu participated as the Chief Guest.
B.K.Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan presided over the event. A.V.Varadharajan, Chairman, Sandfits Foundries, E. R. Easwaran, General Secretary, Kongu Makkal Desiya Katchi, V. Lakshminarayanasamy, President, ICCIC and R. Ramamurthy, President, CODISSIA offered felicitation.
Dr. Rajasekaran, Director, Ganga Hospital welcomed Sadhguru and the gathering. He said Coimbatore has arrived to celebrate a great human endeavour. He said a task of such magnitude could be done only by a man of energy and that could be only Sadhguru.
The dignitaries on the dais – V. C. Arukutty, MLA, Koundampalayam Constituency, Shankar Vanavarayar, Correspondent, KCT, D. Nandakumar, Selvam Agencies, Soundararajan, Director, C.R.I Pumps, Ramasamy, Chairman, Roots, Dr. R. V. Ramani, Founder and Managing Trustee, Sankara Eye Foundation, M. Krishnan, MD, Sri Krishna Sweets, K. P. Ramasamy, Chairman, KPR Group and Ravi Sam, MD, Adwaith Textiles paid respects to the Guru.
M. Krishnan honored Sadhguru with a Elaichi Garland, Dr. Rajasekaran presented a memento and S. P. Velumani gifted a bouquet.
V. Lakshminarayanasamy congratulated Sadhguru for launching this campaign. He said the participation of the people of Covai shows the support of the city to this campaign. He said the initiative will enable farmers to regains the fertility of the land and have enough water to provide food for the future. He pledged Covai will be with him and announced ‘Charity begins at home’ and he will bear the cost of 5000 trees.
Ramamoorthi while felicitating, said 40% of Cauvery has depleted, population is on the rise causing pollution, deforestation is lowering trees and affecting rainfall and monsoon.
He said Civilization began near the banks of river but the current scenario looks like the same civilization could make rivers vanish. Some plans would give fruits instantly, some would benefit specific people but only a rare few would benefit the posterity. He said Sadhguru’s Cauvery Calling is such a campaign.
A.V.Varadharajan raised the question who is responsible for the dearth of water in Tamil Nadu. He said the growth of Industry without Agricultural development would hurt the environment and society. He said we need to coexist with nature, else we can’t bear the retaliation of nature. He urged we shouldn’t let our children or the future generations suffer. He thanked Sadhguru for uniting everyone to sow the seeds of solution to the crisis.
Easwaran said many have warned that a revolution will come for water in future. Referring to Cauvery Calling, he said this is the revolution for water that will bring a change for good. He said Sadhguru is not asking for anything but support to help rejuvenate Cauvery. He urged all should join together for this generation lauding effort.
This campaign, Easwaran said, has the potential to lower the death of farmers, increase water, elevate the incomes of farmers and even bring together TN and Karnataka. He said his party will support in educating farmers from Mettur to Karur in extending support to this initiative.
B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar said everyone knows about the problem of water scarcity and all knows how to solve it, but none could bring a huge change, for that to do a person of energy, forethought and commitment is needed in the world, which we have got through Sadhguru.
He said Sadhguru has not only made this campaign an awareness but a responsibility for everyone. He mentioned that he has made it a people’s movement.
S. P. Velumani in his felicitation, lauded Sadhguru and his Isha Foundation as the largest tree planters of India. He said the Govt of Tamil Nadu that follow late Jayalalitha’s precepts encourages Rain Water Harvesting and the state is leading in water conservation.
Commenting on Sadhguru’s initiative ‘Cauvery Calling’, he said everyone will unite for this measure and the Tamil Nadu Government will be prepared to offer even 4 to 5 crores of tree saplings to support in restoring Cauvery.
Sadhguru in his acceptance speech, said that he didn’t view Cauvery as a water source but a magnificent life. Elaborating on it, he extended that a river is not a source of water but the place of storing. He stated Cauvery once had 120 to 140 tributeries but only a few dozens give strength to the now weakened Cauvery.
He said Cauvery has the most fertile part of the planet and it has several years of flourishing farming . He emphasised Kings are remembered in history but kingdoms had their basis by the sweats of farmers. He warned that every year 4-8 kms of Cauvery’s entire area (804 kms) is receding due to lack of water and if we don’t take measure now, Cauvery will go farther from us.
At present only 2% of farmers would ask their children to step inside agriculture, not because of disliking it but due to the disheartening results they reap.
He said Monsoon though delayed gives the same amount of rainfall but the soils of Cauvery struggle to hold it. He said by planting trees, we can help the soil retain water. He said that agroforestry concept could rejuvenate the lost fertility of the Cauvery land and surrounding farmlands. Talking about the concept he said when trees are planted near the farmlands, the trees take care of the land, its soil, and micro-nutrient contents and the soil’s ability to retain water. He said Isha will focus in establishing an institute where agroforestry model’s efficiency could be demonstrated to people. He even wanted the people in attendance of the felicitation to talk about this concept to others.
Talking about the campaign, he said if skeptics think whether 242 crore trees could be planted, he said if the population of India (1.3 billion) each plant 2 trees, this huge number could be easily achieved.
He asked everyone in attendance to follow one precept – to pick a solution out of a problem. He said if we think the farmers scenario as just a problem for them and the environment, we are seeing it in poor lights , as the bigger picture here is that their problem is also an economical crisis. He urged all to help the farmers as our humanity is in question, and make them find farming a positive and lucrative field.
He said this work is not just his work alone but a generation’s. He assured that if all unite in this cause, then in 25 years we will see a fantastic change. It was said that an estimated 9-12 trillion liters of water flow could be achieved at the end of the said years.
During the event, Madan A.Sendhil, Chairman, Rathinam Group of Institutions and Alagan, Executive Director, Rathinam Group of Institutions paid respects to the guru and pledged that in 3 years, 10 lakh trees will be planted by them (30,000 trees a month).
