Phew .. I like digging into controversies and finding out the truths. But I am beginning to get bored with the threads that I started with, especially on Isha Foundation. Mid way through, I am having to conclude in some cases that there is no truth whatsoever in some allegations. Even for common sense logic, they don't seem to hold a candle! Of course, Common sense is a rare commodity these days :)
Blazing Sun
Was interested in witnessing the Mahashivratri celebrations myself, just to check what all these controversies were about. Went to the venue around 1 PM and goodness, what a crowd even at that time! The sun was blazing but did not deter those who had come to the venue. It took a lot of time to have the security checks done and luckily get into the venue despite the push-and-pull madness :) We don't see that kind of rush even for first-day first-show movies.
In retrospection, now I know first hand how strict the police & security personnel are when guarding a few Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister himself. By the time the event was its peak, there would have been at least a couple of lakh people. The venue was full and many were watching from the grounds nearby where free food was being served. The food was delicious even for a devilishly hungry stomach like mine.
Angry (Calm) people!
Normally an introvert, I walked around for a while on my own, finding a place to settle down. Then I spoke to a few strangers who had come to the venue. Some blasted the foundation outright that they were called but were not being let in. The police had already locked down the entry points to the venue before the PM's arrival. The same lady apparently stayed back till the PM left and had a good time in the venue later. Another gentleman, clearly a Shiva Bhakt wearing rudraksh & having vibhuti fully on forehead, came in agitated and angry, roamed around like that for a while and then sat down unmoving, still with his eyes closed for the meditation sessions. Something strikes people here I think!
Police personnel
It was interesting to get the perspectives of some of the Police personnel on watch. Saw a gentleman asking why the common notion is different when the Isha volunteers in a stall were giving out ringtones for free! Overheard a Police officer saying Isha should conduct more yoga sessions for all Police people. Some of them were surprised that despite having so many people in one place, there was no unruliness in the crowd.
Controversy, Controversy, Controversy
Oh, coming to the crux of the controversy itself, the whole damn land was all agricultural land! I do not know if it was leased or purchased, it certainly does not have any semblance of "tons of trees being cut" and all that nonsense.
It is close to the forest area alright - across the road, one could see the dug up fences erected by forest department. But this venue was at least a good half a mile from the forest border. Found some remnants of sugarcane plants in the area.
Did I tell you that there were a few gentlemen who just came probing, like me? Was chatting up with one of them and he opened up saying he wanted to see what the truth was. I asked him if he was convinced ... he just smiled. I guess, common sense prevails after all, even if in minute quantities.
The Google Earth images in this video clearly prove that the land is a properly acquired land and not forest land!
The Aftermath ..
I stayed till 4:30 AM and then started back to crash on my bed at 6:45 AM. Spent the whole day sleeping, waking, eating and checking my emails. A late rise up to a glorious Sunday morning brought back the memories and I thought of penning them down :)
Blazing Sun
Was interested in witnessing the Mahashivratri celebrations myself, just to check what all these controversies were about. Went to the venue around 1 PM and goodness, what a crowd even at that time! The sun was blazing but did not deter those who had come to the venue. It took a lot of time to have the security checks done and luckily get into the venue despite the push-and-pull madness :) We don't see that kind of rush even for first-day first-show movies.
In retrospection, now I know first hand how strict the police & security personnel are when guarding a few Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister himself. By the time the event was its peak, there would have been at least a couple of lakh people. The venue was full and many were watching from the grounds nearby where free food was being served. The food was delicious even for a devilishly hungry stomach like mine.
Angry (Calm) people!
Normally an introvert, I walked around for a while on my own, finding a place to settle down. Then I spoke to a few strangers who had come to the venue. Some blasted the foundation outright that they were called but were not being let in. The police had already locked down the entry points to the venue before the PM's arrival. The same lady apparently stayed back till the PM left and had a good time in the venue later. Another gentleman, clearly a Shiva Bhakt wearing rudraksh & having vibhuti fully on forehead, came in agitated and angry, roamed around like that for a while and then sat down unmoving, still with his eyes closed for the meditation sessions. Something strikes people here I think!
Police personnel
It was interesting to get the perspectives of some of the Police personnel on watch. Saw a gentleman asking why the common notion is different when the Isha volunteers in a stall were giving out ringtones for free! Overheard a Police officer saying Isha should conduct more yoga sessions for all Police people. Some of them were surprised that despite having so many people in one place, there was no unruliness in the crowd.
Controversy, Controversy, Controversy
Oh, coming to the crux of the controversy itself, the whole damn land was all agricultural land! I do not know if it was leased or purchased, it certainly does not have any semblance of "tons of trees being cut" and all that nonsense.
It is close to the forest area alright - across the road, one could see the dug up fences erected by forest department. But this venue was at least a good half a mile from the forest border. Found some remnants of sugarcane plants in the area.
Did I tell you that there were a few gentlemen who just came probing, like me? Was chatting up with one of them and he opened up saying he wanted to see what the truth was. I asked him if he was convinced ... he just smiled. I guess, common sense prevails after all, even if in minute quantities.
The Google Earth images in this video clearly prove that the land is a properly acquired land and not forest land!
The Aftermath ..
I stayed till 4:30 AM and then started back to crash on my bed at 6:45 AM. Spent the whole day sleeping, waking, eating and checking my emails. A late rise up to a glorious Sunday morning brought back the memories and I thought of penning them down :)
There are couple of things that I would still like to pursue and find out though. One thing that everybody claims is they are a rich organization. Will try to dig out more on that and come up in subsequent posts.
Edit 1:
As recently as July 2017, it has been categorically proven in the Chennai High Court that there is no encroachment of forest land by Isha Foundation. But I doubt if the lies spread by vested interests are to stop here - I see too much ignorance from common public and too much money being spent in spreading this lie online!
Edit 1:
As recently as July 2017, it has been categorically proven in the Chennai High Court that there is no encroachment of forest land by Isha Foundation. But I doubt if the lies spread by vested interests are to stop here - I see too much ignorance from common public and too much money being spent in spreading this lie online!
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