Revisiting Muthamma & Finding the Truth about Isha Land Grabbing allegation

Recently, I was shown an article by Subhashini Ali, published in ‘The Wire’ magazine under the guise of highlighting a poor woman’s struggles against a rich organization. I felt a strong need to expose such articles and writers after reading it. 

I have produced the article here verbatim and have provided inline comments. We will go through each paragraph of this article and see how the lies have been piled upon one after another. At the end of this counter-argument, I will try & lay bare to you all the tricks of book played by a smart journalist against the Isha Foundation.

Article link: https://thewire.in/217548/revisiting-muthamma-little-hamlet-near-coimbatore/

The article starts with this line: “A closer look shows how the lives of poor tribal people gets affected when they lose of access to land and forests.”

Beware of such journalist's tricks to create an emotional front to the readers.

On January 9, I kept my second promise made to Muthamma and visited her small Adivasi hamlet. I last met her about six months ago in Dharmapuri during the state conference of the Tamil Nadu unit of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and had spoken to her at length about the struggle that she and a small band of Adivasis have been waging against Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation.

Wow .. a nice emotional touch indeed. For somebody who reads it the first time, this paragraph establishes the context that a David (poor muthamma) is fighting a Goliath (Isha Foundation). But this is just a deceptive front-ending trick.

I had kept my first promise to tell her story then, which was carried by The Wire in September 2017 and had been widely read. At a time when Vasudev was making waves across the country in the company of the rich and powerful, the article raised questions and doubts about his campaign to revive rivers through river-linking and tree plantation.

Oh, by the way, the article claimed that the Rally For Rivers was unscientific but ironically, it was the article itself that was completely unscientific and dismissive of facts! The rebuttal is here: 

http://kazhugupaarvai.blogspot.in/2017/09/rally-for-rivers-issues-raised-1.html 

Vasudev’s reputation and his promotion of river-linking received an even more severe jolt when the famous ‘Waterman’, Rajendra Singh, was quoted in an article in The Wire by Nityanand Jayaraman as saying that“…In my interview (during the Prime Ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee) I said that interlinking of rivers is highly dangerous. It will not join India. It will not make India. It will break India. I had said that it will not protect us either from drought or floods, and that the project will only escalate conflict within the country. It will complicate the disputes between upper riparian users and lower riparians. River waters are like the blood flowing through the bodies of different people. Each river comes from its own genepool. Just as you cannot just mix bloods, you cannot just divert one river’s water to another. The ecosystems will retaliate. We are not able to handle the disputes in Sutlej, Indus and Kaveri. Our judicial system will never be able to resolve the disputes that arise out of linking rivers.”

I am not sure where the author got this text but this is the longest prose of what Rajendra singh had spoken about apparently! It is in fact longer than his actual speech – the lies start from right this point.

Interestingly enough, Vasudev had himself, in a March 2017 post, written: “The river interlinking project that some people advocate may work in a temperate climate, but not in a tropical region with high temperatures and seasonal rain. It would be super-expensive and detrimental for the rivers and the organic activity around them.”

By July, however, he completely changed his stand. Perhaps in consonance with the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s commitment to this hare-brained scheme, Vasudev now started a campaign ‘to create awareness on protecting rivers and inter-linking them.’ With this turnaround began his jet-hopping to various state capitals. By September, however, his tall claims were punctured and not much is now being heard about his magical mantras to revive rivers.

This is the first allegation that the author makes. But what is the proof for this! Let’s see what the actual policy draft recommendations of ‘Rally For Rivers’ really talks about the interlinking of rivers.

“Against the economic rationale proposed for the project; there are strong economic arguments, bio-physical and climate science arguments, and ecological arguments that advise us to exercise abundant caution when considering such a large-scale engineering of our water resources.”

“The transfer of water across geographies is mainly supposed to stimulate economic activity of agriculture, industry and services. But natural endowments have always been different and so have the economic activities around them.”

“The livelihood impact assessment for these fishermen, as well as other livelihoods dependent on river ecosystems, needs to be conducted as part of feasibility studies for interlinking projects”

“Many river basins in India have distinct geology and biogeography. In addition, they carry different pollution loads. Inter-basin transfer could severely disrupt the ecology of both contributing and receiving rivers, with potential loss of river fisheries, aquatic biodiversity and proliferation of invasive and alien species.”

“In our view, the underlying assumption of interlinking of rivers, that the average flow in each river is constant, and inter-basin transfers will yield additional water resources for exploitation, has been weakened. At our present juncture, we need to see our rivers as endangered entities that need to be nursed back to life by augmenting their flows. This is of paramount importance. Shifts in cropping patterns towards less water intensive crops as well as more efficient irrigation practices need to be encouraged with adequate investment and support. Only after that, can small-scale river linking projects (to start with) be scrutinized carefully in terms of biophysical, climate change, ecological and economic aspects.”

It is clear as daylight to anyone who has read the draft recommendations from ‘Rally For Rivers’ document that the interlinking of rivers has been very carefully dealt with – the concept is definitely not supported blindly as the author claims. In fact, the word of caution is strong enough to be deterrent to first-time readers. 

Singh has continued to rail against Vasudev’s plan. In December, he gave an interview saying: “I can say this now after three months – this ‘Rally for Rivers’, is not for rivers. It is for the land, for money, for power, for fame and for name.” He described the dangerous nexus between godmen and politicians: “When politicians want to get votes by showcasing the issue of rivers, they push the babas in front. And when the baba feels threatened of being sent to jail for taking over 45 acres of tribal land – then he chases the politicians, asking them for protection. …. When godmen are afraid of going to prison and politicians are greedy for votes, such a nexus is born, and it is dangerous. Don’t let this nexus be formed in the name of rivers.”

Now comes the casual slide-it-under-the-carpet allegation! 

The background for this comes from Singh’s meeting in Coimbatore with a social activist Piyush Manush who fed all sorts of nonsense and Singh promptly parroted it without resorting to finding the truth from the other party. Piyush is an activist known to be throwing all sorts of allegations against Isha Foundation. He has recently been served a legal notice by the Foundation as well. His bluff on 'Rally For Rivers' using BJP phone number was also recently called out in social media causing major public embarassment to him and he has been itching to get back on Isha for this.

First of all, the problem of rivers dying is a very real one. We do not need a politician or a baba to tell that to us. Most of us are facing the issue on a daily basis. What Sadhguru did through the rally was to bring people to acknowledge that this is a real problem that needs to be addressed quickly. Not just that, his team put together a policy recommendations document that addresses the issue in such mind-boggling depth!

If one has not gone through the RFR document, they should to understand how farmers problems are considered, how the industry can contribute, how sand mining can be stopped, how individuals can contribute, etc. A whole slew of issues related to river restoration and rejuvenation have been addressed. The draft document is at this link: 

http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/social-impact/rally-for-rivers/revitalization-rivers-india-draft-policy-recommendation-fundamentals/ 

The whole controversy about Isha Foundation grabbing 45 acres of tribals' land came to fore in early 2017 just before their MahaShivratri celebrations were to be kicked off. A lady by the name Muthammal claimed so, filed a case through an organization (formed in December 2016) and the matter is sub-judice now. Right now, it would be inappropriate to do a media trial without putting the facts out clearly. Such a comment by Rajendra is really 'below-the-belt' in this case as he is assuming a lot of things! Would he be equally eager to apologize to Sadhguru if the case is written off in the court?!

The charges levelled at Vasudev’s door by Singh are significant because they reiterate not only what Muthamma and members of her tribal community have been alleging, but also echo the litany of charges that environmentalists, wildlife conservationists, human rights activists, members of the judiciary and lawyers and government agencies have leveled at the Isha Foundation.

Can the author even name all these categories of people? No, she cannot, except for Piyush Manush, Jayaraman & Siva who have been opposing every damn thing that the Isha Foundation has been doing. This is the classic exaggeration technique.

Fulfilling the second of our promises made to Muthamma, the visit to her hamlet of Muthatvayil and seeing what we had only heard or read about, opened our eyes to the vulnerability of the lives of poor, tribal people whose livelihood suffers when they lose access to forests and land, and when large projects, even spiritual ones, impact the local ecology.

Another gem – throw an assumption that poor people are somehow impacted by a rich villain & not bother to back it with proofs.

The multi-structured, concrete Isha Foundation complex (in Coimbatore) is clearly visible from this little hamlet.

Question to the author – Ma’am, if the ‘Concrete’ Isha Foundation was so visible from the ‘poor’ hamlet you had visited, why put up a FILED PICTURE and too an aerial one, not the REAL ONE? You could have simply captured it from your camera or mobile phone! A simple and clean reason seems to be that your statement is a lie.

There used to be forests nourished by the wide and fast-flowing Noyyal river all around but not anymore.

This is a statement that could mean anything! After all, Noyyal is a tributary of Kaveri river and has its origins near Velliangiri hills running several hundred kilometres to meet with Kaveri. Does the author mean about the forests near the origin place of Noyyal or on its way to Kaveri? If she is talking about the origin (i.e.) Velliangiri, the statement is farce!

This is the map showing the path of Noyyal river from its origin to destination. The green areas are where the forests and cultivated areas lie. 

The green cover of Velliangiri mountain, where Noyyal’s origin is, have only been increasing and not decreasing. If so, how would that amount to destruction and by whom? By the way, one should know that forests don’t get nourished by rivers and this is basic geography. It is the rivers that get nourished by the forests primarily, especially in the peninsular southern part of India.

Or is the author talking about the forests on the way beyond Coimbatore to Kaveri, why is that even relevant in this context? Is she implying falsely that somehow Isha Foundation caused that too? Wouldn’t that be an exaggerated lie, even for this author?

The foundation occupies acres of land from which thousands of trees must have been cleared.

‘Must have been cleared’! Is the author making a statement about the past or is she throwing an allegation around casually? It does seem like the latter to me. I would challenge the author to prove it if she is making such a statement. 

Not a single tree has been cleared for Isha Foundation's buildings nor for the AdiYogi statue. Google Earth images have time and again been produced to debunk such myths being spread about the Isha Foundation. 

A wide, tarred road leading to the huge car park full of SUVs, buses and cars in front of the foundation has also been constructed. Beside the car park is the new tourist attraction – the huge, black head of Adiyogi Shankara, several hundreds of feet high.

So, the car park she is talking about is that one near AdiYogi statue. The author should know that the tarred road she is referring to has been laid by the Government and not by the Isha Foundation. 

This road has been in existence for over 15 years now! I would be damned if Isha Foundation is being alleged to have put up this road. Secondly, the statue of AdiYogi’s face is 112 feet high. ‘Several hundreds of feet high’ is truly an exaggeration!  

In the open spaces next to it are the ‘temporary structures’ that the foundation claimed had been erected only for the Mahashivaratri celebrations. They had assured the state authorities that these would be removed immediately after the monsoons. Of course, nothing of the sort has been done and the ‘temporary’ structures look very permanent, even from a distance.

What are the temporary structures that the author is talking about? Would she even care to provide the list of such structures? Again, I am lost on why she put up a FILED picture rather than capturing the actual ‘temporary structure’ she is claiming. Simply because there are none there! This ‘temporary structure’ thingy is yet another lie in the arsenal.

Muthamma’s small hut, made entirely of mud and leaves, is on one side of the hamlet. It does not have a door, only a piece of cloth hangs like a curtain in the doorway. One of the mud walls leans to one side. A wild elephant barged into it a few months ago. In front of Muthamma’s hut is what remains of the once-fast flowing, wide Noyyal river, now reduced to a few puddles.

The author is clearly an expert at making people appear poorer than they actually are and create sympathy for them. It also makes me wonder if the author really knows anything about the Noyyal river at all! Those who really want to understand about the river, should go through this detailed study by actual scientists about various factors influencing the Noyyal river: http://eprints.atree.org/52/1/Wm_Noyyal_SA.pdf

It is clear from the study that natural flow of the Noyyal is seasonal and occurs only during the north-east monsoon months!

Less than 0.1% of the Noyyal basin is in forest area. Obviously, it is not the source of problems for Noyyal river. The very nature of Noyyal river being seasonal is the primary reason for scarcity of water flow! And added to that the pollution of river on its way near Erode & Salem along with changing demographics causing pressure on the riverine ecology is the reason.

The total population in the river basin has doubled in 20 years, from 19.5 lakhs in 1991 to 42 lakhs in 2011. As a result of heavy urbanization, land use in the basin has moved away from agriculture towards urban and industrial uses, reflecting the changing nature of occupations.

Environmentalists allege that the Isha Foundation has not only been accessing water directly from the river but has also been polluting it with the minerals that it uses in the production of ‘Mantra plates’ that it sells to devotees at very high prices. The Isha Foundation, of course, denies this.

Allegations can be thrown around by anyone. The question is do they have proof? If so, why not produce the proof in the court of law and seek justice? If the proof is strong enough, why not produce in the media to throw light on this issue? All this is not being done simply because there are no such proofs and there is no such ‘usage of river’ or ‘pollution’ caused by the Isha Foundation. Such myths will not stand in the court of law but can be comfortably spread through online media.

Muthamma was in a state of excitement. We were welcomed and then we participated in the ceremony before their traditional deity, ate biscuits and snacks that they had taken so much trouble to buy for us and talked to them about Isha. We knew much of what they told us but learnt one new fact – the Isha bus charges Rs 7 to take them to town (Coimbatore) while the state bus charges Rs 5.

Wow - Isha is now running a bus service too!! That is news! And one may wonder why they still prefer to go by the Isha bus than the state bus, if one such bus service exists? The logic definitely beats me.

The community told us all about their movement and struggle for land. They all work as agricultural labour on the nearby farms and yearn for land of their own. Muthamma is the only one who can find no work at all since she is considered a dangerous agitator. She is able to collect some flowers once in a while and sell them on the roadside. Her real work now is her activism. Not only is she active in the Tribal Association, she is also a committed AIDWA activist.

Let’s talk about the ‘activist’ / ‘dangerous agitator’ Muthamma now. The ‘Tribal Association’ was formed only in late 2016. 

Does the author know that Muthamma was working with Isha Foundation for over 20 years before that? For personal gains and earning more money, she left her job & started spreading conspiracy theories about the Foundation. 

Muthamma has two sons and a daughter who is still working with the Isha Foundation! When her daughter Gayathri was down with T.B., she was treated by the Isha Foundation through their social (free medical) project. Muthamma’s last son is studying in Polytechnic college through Isha’s funding – through their social (rural school) project. 

Now, which organization would continue supporting someone’s family knowing that the person is spreading lies and misinformation about them? It is only because of the inherent goodness in the folks at the Foundation. Even Gayathri is vocally critical of her mother's activities.

What is Muthamma doing with all the money she is getting from spreading lies about Isha Foundation? Well, sources say that her husband, Mr.Palanisamy is building a house with that money in Kerala. So much for the image of ‘poor’ Muthamma who lives in a hamlet prone to all natural elements!

Despite her slight frame and the many privations she has suffered, she is indefatigable. She is here, there, everywhere…rapidly gaining the reputation of a leader. Muthamma’s fellow tribals already think of her as one.

Here is yet again a filed picture – of Muthamma, allegedly at AIDWA meeting. Why was she not captured on camera in all her poverty? And why are people having food as if this is a marriage hall?

Let’s see actually what Muthamma does when she is not working in fields. She is a paid artist who dances for anybody’s tunes.

Here she is seen dancing at an AIADMK party at Coimbatore. Sure, she looks a happy one for someone who has lost all her land! Watch this video for more fun shots of  our poor Muthamma: 

Preparations for music and dancing started as soon as the snacks were consumed. The drums were brought out and heated on coals. A wizened old man brought out a brass horn. The men hung the drums around their necks and started beating on them. Muthamma and some others started swaying and then dancing rhythmically. A few young women and boys who were standing apart, a little critical and a little amused, could not resist the drumbeat for long, and soon began dancing too. As did we, although we felt clumsy. Vasudev said once, rather superciliously, that he was equally at home speaking to rulers and ‘dancing with beggars’. Perhaps he should have danced with his Adivasi neighbours.

The author is laughably off here and could have done some basic research in regards to how Isha has been helping the surrounding tribal villages. Here is what a few tribal villagers are sharing about the Isha Foundation:

These sharings are very clear and honest. They have given their own names and village names also for anyone to verify in individual capacity.

- Isha has also been providing employment opportunities for the people in the surrounding localities. The Foundation has gone public that over 375 people from the surrounding villages are engaged/employed either full-time or part-time with them. They are nurtured for bringing out the inherent creative skills, training and provided employment in various domains.

- In a bid to provide skill based training Isha has been conducting tailoring classes for the past 3 years (till 2016) in which 145 people have got trained so far. They are taught to the level of being able to set up a shop on their own. Some people have even set up shops so far after getting trained.

- So far, 112 houses (Dhanikandi – 39, Mullangadu – 20, Nellore padi – 5, Gandhi Colony – Semmedu – 3) have been constructed so far by Isha foundation free of cost for people inhabiting surrounding villages!

- Toilet facilities have also been built in 4 government schools located near Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore

- The government school at Semmedu village confirms that renovation works to the tune of 3 lakhs has been done by Isha Foundation for the school.

- Isha has been running mobile clinics since the year 2003 and has so far treated 1.9 lakh people in 54 villages in the last 4 years alone (till 2016).

- Rural health clinics have also been set up at Alandurai, muutathuvayal and kullapanayakanur (salem) to cater to the needs of the rural people.

- 1380 households have been touched so far in semmedu village so far from 'Dry waste' and 'solid waste' management.

- Isha's social works have been applauded by eminent people like Dr.Sivathanu Pillai (colleague of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr. Satish Dhawan, etc.) and even organizations like Infosys Foundation.

The visit to Muthamma’s village was during a gathering in Coimbatore of activists and organisations with varied interests and vocations who had been brought together by the actions of the Isha Foundation and others like it. There was Venmani, a lawyer who belonged to a Dalit organisation, Adhi Thailar Katchi, who was active in the movement to get land pattas for tribals and Dalits.  Panneerselvan belonged to a human rights organisation, Sameeha Needhi Katchi. Kalidoss was a member of OOSAI, a project to save rivers while Sadhasivam worked on a project for the protection of wildlife. Piyush Manush is an environmentalist working in Salem in the Salem Makkal Kulu, who was beaten and sent to jail because of his interventions. Siva, journalist and activist who has filed hundreds of RTI applications and gained access to much information about illegal land-grabbing and construction in the Western Ghats forest reserves. R. Kamaraj and his wife run NGOs. There were also people who had worked for Isha as volunteers and had children studying in their school. They were disillusioned for various reasons and also had serious complaints about the way in which their children had been treated.

Not withstanding the ‘disillusioned volunteers’, all other names are clearly Anti-Hindu & pro-Christian Church forces that have been working against anyone who remotely supports Hindu idealogies in the Coimbatore-Salem-Erode belt. 

One cannot even call Piyush, Siva, etc. as environmentalists. At best, they can be named as activists since that is what they are engaged in most of the time. This is common public knowledge. So, there is no wonder that they have been collectively targeting the only decent tradition-and-culture reinforcing force in that area (i.e.) the Isha Foundation.

Siva came to work in a newspaper in Coimbatore in 2011. He was assigned a story on elephants in the area. His research continued for months and he learnt not only about elephants and their habits but also about the destruction of their habitat that was forcing them to become dangerous. He learnt from responses to his RTI applications that while there were very comprehensive goverment regulations in force in this area that controlled and forbade different kinds of construction in different parts of the forest are, these were being flouted with impunity. He alleges that it is not just Isha but a wide range of organisations and institutions like Karunya University (a Christian institution), Amruthamayi University, Chinmayananda Business University, some state government organisations, various resorts etc. that need to be looked into.

According to the information gleaned by Shiva, in 2009, Isha sought permission for construction of four lakh square metres but is believed to have constructed more than that.

‘Believed to have’! Madam Author, I personally believe you have been given 100 crores by the Christian Church to write such an article. Can I allege so in a public media just like that? How ridiculous can this get?

Much of this lies in the buffer zone. The Karunya University, he alleges, has encroached on the ancient Adivasi Sadiana temple and also on 97 acres of traditional common grazing land. Both the university and the foundation started with 14.5 acres each in their possession. They now apparently possess 856 acres and 936 acres, respectively.

Again, the allegations are generously sprinkled to indicate the Isha Foundation has somehow forcefully occupied somebody’s lands. It could be a fact that the Foundation started with 15 acres and even grew to 800 acres, but what if all this is legally purchased land? What is the author even trying to state here? Does the author have the proofs that it is not legally purchased land?

Many of the other institutions and organisations and resorts and companies named by Shiva have also encroached on hundreds of acres of land. Along with the damage this unending rapaciousness is doing to the fragile eco-systems, flora and fauna of the Western Ghats, it is also depriving traditional forest dwellers of their land, homes and livelihood. Their culture and their way of life are also being destroyed. This dual tragedy is what drives Shiva, Muthamma and hundreds of others to continue in their relentless pursuit of justice.

Siva knows that he is taking on very powerful, dangerous forces.

Now that you have come till point, brace yourselves for a crime story that will give you goosebumps. This is where you tred into the league of fiction writers such as this author who excel in exaggerating the poor David fighting the rich Goliath!

The example of Rajesh Kumar is proof of this. Kumar was a national functionary of the Bhoodan Movement. In 2008, he took a delegation of Adivasis, including Muthamma, to meet J. Jayalalithaa in Chennai, who was the then leader of the opposition. They gave her a memorandum requesting the state government to help the Adivasis obtain possession of the 44 acres of land that they had received pattas for under the Bhoodan voluntary land distribution scheme. She intervened on their behalf and the Tamil Nadu commissioner of land rights ordered an enquiry into the matter. Armed with this signed order, Kumar returned to Coimbatore.

Four days later, he was brutally murdered, beheaded. It was alleged that he was having an illicit affair with a married Adivasi lady and that her husband had murdered him. The accused was eventually acquitted because he suffered from severe disability and could not have committed the murder. His Adivasi wife remains very much part of the struggle.

What is the relevance of this story in this context? Is the author alleging that somehow the AIADMK Government or the Isha Foundation had something to do with this? If not, why even bring about a horror story here? This is yet another trick employed by fiction writers to create fear and doubt regarding a villain by telling an unrelated story but subtly connecting them.

Is the author trying to imply that these are the same 44 acres alleged to have been occupied by Isha Foundation? If so, can she produce the proof for the same?

One should also know that ALL the lands purchased by Isha Foundation are legally done. It is simple enough to get an EC or file an RTI with the Land Registration office and verify this.

Fighting powerful vested interests who are protected not only by the administration and the state can only be done by forging the widest possible unity.

A joint platform of all the organisations and individuals that met in Coimbatore along with AIDWA and the Tamil Nadu Anti-Untouchability Forum has been formed to take forward the struggle for Adivasi and Dalit land rights, for access to forest produce and for environmental protect. Revival of the Noyyal river may no longer remain a dream. Perhaps, even the elephants will have their traditional paths restored to them.

Subhashini Ali is a former member of parliament from Kanpur and politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Thankfully at the end of her article, the author finally confesses to be part of CPI(M) and that alone justifies the ample creativity in fiction writing such as this article.

This article claims to talk about Muthamma's struggle against Isha. But it reads more like a hotchpotch of Muthamma's lifestory, lack of water and pollution in noyyal, a murder of someone back in early 2000s, etc... This seems more as sensationalism and a way to meet the word count for an editorial.

I said in my opening statement of this long note that at the end of it, I will show you all the lies & tricks employed to spread false information. So, here it is - please leave your remarks in the comments if you want to add anything more to the article.

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