[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he misguided enthusiasm of River Yamuna “loving” environmental activists is unparalleled. But they have come up a cropper so far in their venomous campaign against spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The litigation experts are targeting the Guru, aided with Lutyens’ lobbies involving certain Christian conversion agents. There aren’t many that fit the above description so the reader can draw his/ her conclusions. This dubious gang, all of whom have half-sphere-vision (you will see why) were “outraged” by a Three-Day World Cultural Festival (WCF) by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar headed Art of Living (AOL) on the banks of River Yamuna. Within a week after the grand function, AOL volunteers cleared the entire green belt on the side of the Yamuna. PGurus had captured the greenery of the cleaned area in a previous post.
Cases are still going in NGT a year after the three-day festival ended and over-zealous environment activists filled committees have filed all kind of incredulous complaints against the Guru.
What rankles about this fausse indignation (false outrage in French) is that these zealots went to court claiming calamities in the Yamuna River side. But they never look at the other side – the controversial Batla House area, Delhi’s biggest Muslim populated locale. Hence the half-sphere-vision. Cases are still going in NGT a year after the three-day festival ended and over-zealous environment activists filled committees have filed all kinds of incredulous complaints against the Guru.
It is now close to 14 months since the event happened. Here are four photos taken on May 6, Friday evening. The first two photos are on the different angles on the spot where Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conducted WCF. Is there any violation or collapse of ecosystem near Yamuna? As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but greenery. Now see the other two photos on the opposite side of Yamuna, the Batla House area. Hundreds of buildings have been illegally constructed by filling mud to capture the banks of Yamuna and daily construction is going on challenging all laws and orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]M[/dropcap]any paid media organizations have their offices within a mile or two of this place. But no one writes about the meticulous manner in which the area was cleaned (and now flourishes). Thanks to the same half-sphere-vision syndrome, the bent scribes too won’t report on the mushrooming illegal construction across the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyover bridge.
NGT should crack down on the progressive deterioration happening on one side of the DND bridge and find out how this is going on unabated. This should be their priority and not the Art of Living event…
Many foreign funded NGOs such as the Toxics Link, The Just Environment Charitable Trust (JECT) and persons and advocates connected with Teesta Setalvad and Medha Patkar’s NGO outfits are spearheading the protests against AoL.
Batla House area has the dubious distinction of harbouring all sorts of anti-national elements and is always on the radar of security and intelligence agencies. Even Rohingya refugees were/ are illegally rehabilitated here. New construction goes on un-checked. Thousands of multi-storey buildings have been illegally constructed. Many Muslim NGOs claiming to be working on humanitarian activities are working here and many have built huge offices. Every day the banks of the River are shrinking due to the building creep caused by unchecked construction.
NGT should crack down on the progressive deterioration happening on one side of the DND bridge and find out how this is going on unabated. This should be their priority and not the Art of Living event, which was attended by people from 155 countries. An event that should have been a moment of pride for all Indians was deliberately tarred by a few crooked interests. Most of the national media houses and TV channels offices are just a few miles away from this Okhla region. They can see for themselves what we have tried to show in this post.
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The kind of exposure this WCF gave to indian spirituality put us as the centerstage of thenworld map. People all around thenworld know what india is all about.
It is sad that the media is going this
An article on current tussle between BCCI, ICC & COA will be helpful -could not make out who is correct (COA/BCC!), who is greedy (Shashank Manohar/ BCC!?)?
Sri Sri could have held the event anywhere in a bigger n much better venue than d stinking banks of Yamuna. Yet this place was chosen ! A humanitarian who is transforming lives of millions, a gentle n loving person who takes care of flora n fauna would he overlook d catastrophe of what NGT accuses ?! Our country is known to find fault with the honest. As Sri Sri advocates -” Purity in Heart, Clarity in Mind n Sincerity in Action” – Truth shall prevail over time !!
A perfect expose of the mischief that passes for environmental activism these days. National Green Tribunal is a disgrace. It has done NOTHING to clean the Yamuna – the third Yamuna Action Plan is midway through its tenure with nothing having begun, and Tribunal wastes time on nonsensical petitions filed by vested interests.
I myself wrote two columns on the subject in The Pioneer, one on the Festival and the other on YAP-III
1] Celebration of cultures from across the world – 22 March 2016
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/celebration-of-cultures-from-across-the-world.html
2] Yamuna stagnant despite third action plan – 15 November 2016
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/yamuna-stagnant-despite-third-action-plan.html
The hounding of Art of Living is a self-indictment by the NGT
Instead of appreciating the commendable efforts of Art Of Living in promoting human values and easing the stresses of modern life, some are determined to attack the organisation for reasons bes known to them only. No need to worry. If you have a clean mind you will be rewarded with success in you efforts.
NGT shuts its eyes on Batla House side.
Why is it so lately published ? In fact , a lot of damage due to bad mouthing about event and organisers had tarnished image of AOL , could have been averted, if your participation was timely. I believe , One of the core qualities of good journalism demands “timely ” dispensation of knowledge. Though late , I have been , once convinced about folly of AOL , stand corrected. Thank you, for that.
Disagree. PGurus published within 5 months of the event that the place was green (link is embedded in the post – Pl. click and read). Today’s post is necessitated by the fact that the truth is not being told by the MSM.
A very apt title. Liberals are blinded by hatred of anything Hindu.