Piyush Manush & Lies About Isha - Part 1 - Elephant Corridor & Habitat

Who Is This Piyush Manush?

Piyush Sethia is an activist who also claims to be an environmentalist. He is based out of Salem in Tamilnadu and has been constantly criticising the Isha Foundation over the last few years.

Background To The Court Case On Him

The Isha Foundation has put a defamation case on Piyush Manush in the Court of Coimbatore because he is constantly spreading lies about the Foundation in online media, including FaceBook, etc...

Piyush has made multiple appearances in the court and is not new to being jailed for spreading false news and creating riots. He has also been rapped on knuckles by the Court Judge many times because of his behaviour in the court itself!

What Exactly Is Piyush Manush complaining about The Isha Foundation

One of the primary complaints of Piyush Manush has been that the Isha Foundation has been in an elephant habitat. 

Not only that, he claims that the Foundation itself has given him the proofs showing that they are on an elephant habitat. This blog post aims to throw light in this regards.

Piyush Manush and His lies about Elephant Corridor

In 2016, Piyush used to say that the Isha Foundation is on Elephant Corridor. 

Suddenly, in one of his videos, Piyush claimed that he never said about Isha Foundation being on an Elephant Corridor but they are in an Elephant Habitat!

Why is this U-Turn in his stand and what does he aim to get by it? We will see as we go further.

What Is The Truth About Isha Yoga Center and Elephant Corridor?

A simple search on Google will point us in the right direction.

There is this 'Right Of Passage' document published by the WilfLife Trust Of India in 2017 which tells what the recognized Elephant Corridors in India are and specifically so in Tamilnadu.

The nearest Elephant Corridor to Isha Yoga Center is more than 14 KMs measured as aerial distance; the on-road distance will be much more.

We have earlier proved conclusively in an earlier blogpost that the Isha Foundation is not on or near any Elephant Corridor. Here is the link with all the relevant details: bit.ly/Elephant11

Now, How Do We Know About Elephant Habitats?

A Wildlife Corridor is a path taken by wild life to move from one habitat to another. A Habitat, on the other hand, means a place where elephants ‘live’, not some place where they come and go at times!

Actually, there is no list of Elephant Habitats published by Anybody, Anywhere!

A similar Google Search will make this whole sham very clear.

So, where is this claim of Piyush that Isha Yoga Center is on Elephant Habitat coming from!?

Piyush himself says Isha Yoga Center is not in Forest land. Isha is on Patta Land, near Velliangiri Foothills. Still some people believe that the Isha Yoga Center is on some forest land, though that lie has been busted long ago!

Since his lies about Isha Center being on Elephant Corridor is busted, he is now claiming that Isha Yoga Center is occupying an Elephant habitat. 

Only a clever and seasoned liar can mix his words like this.

Elephants reside ‘on the Velliangiri’ mountains, which people are calling as an elephant habitat! 

The Isha Yoga Center is located adjacent to the forests at the foothills of Velliangiri mountains and that’s what the Foundation has mentioned in the affidavit filed in the court. 

As per this affidavit submitted by the Isha Foundation, it is very clearly mentioned that:

- Isha Yoga Center has no encroachment in the reserve forest area
- Isha Yoga Center is adjacent to the forest boundary
- The Forests close to Isha Center is a known elephant habitat

So, our English Genius Piyush Manush takes that statement and makes his own claim that the Foundation itself has agreed that it is in the Elephant Habitat. How ridiculous is that?

Ironically, all these proofs are published by Piyush Manush himself in his FaceBook posts!

Lies Lies And More Lies

Not just the Isha Yoga Center, dozens of tribal villages and approved village panchayats are also ‘adjacent to the Velliangiri’ mountains! Does Piyush want all of them to vacate and for what? 

His nefarious intentions are clearly exposed now and hope the common public & youth especially will see through such people soon enough. 

That Piyush Manush has a reputation of a seasoned liar and is engaged in criminal activities is nothing new. But unfortunately even the so-called mainstream media is just going by his words and instead of doing simple journalistic investigations are helping spread his lies about the Isha Foundation. 

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ஈஷா பவுண்டேஷனால் ஒலி மாசு ஏற்படுகிறதா? வதந்திகளும் .. உண்மைகளும்!!

2018 துவக்கத்தில் ஒரு வீடியோ வெளியானது. யாரோ ஒருவர் அதனை வெளியிட்டிருந்தார். மகா சிவராத்திரி விழாவின்போது ஈஷா பவுண்டேஷன் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட ஒலி மாசின் அளவை மீறுகிறது என்று அவர் குற்றம்சாட்டியிருந்தார். மாசுக்கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியத்தின் (Pollution Control Board - PCB) அறிக்கையை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டதாக அந்த வீடியோ சொல்லிக்கொண்டது.  இப்படித்தான் ஆரம்பித்தது இந்த சர்ச்சை.

அதன் தொடர்ச்சியாக, ஒலியின் அளவான டெசிபல் குறித்து, சப்தம் குறித்து  அனைத்து அம்சங்களையும் படித்தேன். அவற்றில் பலவும் அறிவியல் பூர்வமற்றது என்பதையும் நான் கண்டுபிடித்தேன். மகாசிவராத்திரி குறித்து எத்தனை பொய்யான தகவல்கள் அளந்துவிடப்படுகின்றன!!?  இப்போது உண்மை விவரங்களைப் நாம் பார்ப்போம்.

மாசுக்கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியம் என்ன சொல்கிறது?

அனுமதிக்கத் தக்க ஒலியின் அளவு 55 டெசிபல் என்றும், பதிவு செய்யப்பட்ட அதிகபட்ச ஒலியின் அளவு 80 டெசிபல் என்றும் அறிக்கை சொல்கிறது. அறிக்கையில் சொல்லப்படும் ஒலி அளவுகள் பலவும் 60 முதல் 70 டெசிபல் வரை இருக்கின்றன. 

அறிக்கையில் சொல்லப்படாதது என்ன?

அறிக்கை தெளிவாகச் சொல்லாத விஷயங்கள் இரண்டு:

(1) ஒலி எழும் இடத்திலிருந்து எவ்வளவு தூரத்தில் ஒலியின் அளவு கணக்கிடப்பட்டது?

(2) அந்தப் பகுதியில் ஒலியின் அளவு எவ்வளவு நேரம் நீடித்தது?

இவைகள் மிகவும் முக்கியமான தகவல்கள். ஆனால், அவை வேண்டும் என்றே குறிப்பிடப்படவில்லை. ஒலி பயணப்படும் தூரம் அதிகரிக்கும்போது, அதன் டெசிபல் அளவு குறைகிறது. ஒலி மாசுபாடு என்ற அத்துமீறல் இருக்கிறது என்று முடிவு செய்ய வேண்டுமென்றால் இந்த இரண்டு அளவுகளையும் குறிப்பிடுவது மிகவும் முக்கியமானதாகும்.

இப்போது உண்மை விவரங்கள் குறித்து நாம் பேசுவோம்!

ஈஷா பவுண்டேஷன் எழுப்பியதாகச் சொல்லப்படும் ஒலியின் அளவு என்ன என்று புரிந்துகொள்வதற்காக, ஒலியின் சப்தம் குறித்த சில ஒப்பீட்டு எண்களைக் கீழே தருகிறோம்:

(1) வீட்டில் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் வேக்குவம் கிளீனர் 70-80 டெசிபல் ஒலியை எழுப்புகிறது.

(2) புல் வெட்டும் யந்திரம் ஒன்று, இயங்கும்போது 95 டெசிபல் ஒலியை எழுப்புகிறது. 

(3) கழிப்பறையில் நீர் ஊற்றிக் கழுவும்போது, அல்லது தொலைபேசியில் அழைப்பு வரும்போது எழுப்பப்படும் ஒலியின் அளவு 80 டெசிபல்!

(4) மிக்சி அல்லது அதுபோன்ற சாதனத்தைப் பயன்படுத்தும்போது 80 – 90 டெசிபல் ஒலி எழுகிறது. 

(5) இரைச்சல் மிகுந்த ஓர் உணவகத்தில் 80 டெசிபலுக்கு மேலான ஒலி எழுகிறது. 

இதனை உறுதி செய்துகொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று நினைப்பவர்கள் இந்த இணைப்பைக் கிளிக் செய்யவும்: http://chchearing.org/noise/common-environmental-noise-levels/

இந்த ஒலியின் அளவு உண்மையில் ஆபத்தானதா?

அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட ஒலியின் அளவை விட எப்போதும், ஒருபோதும் அதிகமானதாக சப்தம் கேட்கக் கூடாது என்று சொல்வீர்கள் என்றால்… ஒரு குழந்தை அழும்போது 110 டெசிபல் அளவுக்கு ஒலி ஏற்படுகிறது! சிம்பொனி இசைக்கப்படும்போது 110 டெசிபல் அளவுக்கு ஒலி எழுகிறது!

ஒரு வாதத்துக்காக ஒரு விவரத்ததைச் சொல்வோம். 80 டெசிபல் என்பது மிக அதிகமான சப்தம் என்றால், சரி 85 டெசிபல் என்றுகூட வைத்துக்கொள்வோம். அதனை எவ்வளவு நேரம் கேட்பது அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது தெரியுமா? 8 மணி நேரம். ஆமாம் நீங்கள் அதனை 8 மணி நேரம் தொடர்ந்து கேட்கலாம். 

ஆதாரம்: http://dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/

"UK Health and Safety Executive" குறிப்பு என்ன சொல்கிறது என்று பாருங்கள். ஒரு நாளைக்கு 87 டெசிபலுக்கு மேலாக ஒலியின் அளவு போகக் கூடாது என்கிறது. அதேநேரத்தில், ஒரு நாளைக்கு தொடர்ச்சியாக வேலை நடக்கும் இடத்தில், அங்கு அதிக சப்தம் இருக்கும்போது 140 டெசிபல் வரை கூட இருக்கலாம் என்கிறது அந்த ஆய்வு.  அந்த சப்தத்தில் 8 மணி நேரம் வரை நீங்கள் அங்கு இருக்கலாம் என்றும் குறிப்பிடுகிறது.  நீங்களே கூட இதை ஆராய்ச்சி செய்து பார்க்கலாம்.

ஆதாரம்: https://www.soneticscorp.com/noise-levels-and-the-threat-of-hearing-loss/

ஈஷாவின் மகா சிவராத்திரி கொண்டாட்டத்தை பார்த்துள்ள எந்த ஒருவருக்கும், அதிக ஒலியை ஏற்படுத்துவதாகச் சொல்லப்படும் உச்சாடனங்களும் இசையும் தொடர்ந்து தொடரச்சியாக அதில் எழுப்பப்படுவதில்லை என்பது தெரிந்திருக்கும். தொடர்ந்து  ஒலி எழுப்பப்படும் நேரம் 15-20 நிமிடம்கூட அவை நீள்வதில்லை. அவ்வாறு எழுப்பபடுகின்ற அதிக ஒலி/இசைகளுக்கு இடையே  மிக நீண்ட நேரம் இடைவெளி இருக்கும். 

அச்சத்தைப் பரப்பும் விஷமிகள்

இந்த வேடிக்கையைக் கேளுங்கள்….  சப்தத்தின் அளவு காரணமாக பறவையின் முட்டை வெடித்துவிட்டது என்று காமெடியன் பியூஷ் சொல்கிறார்!

பறவைகள் ஒலிபெருக்கிக்கு உள்ளே முட்டையிடுவதில்லை. இல்லை என்பது பியூஸுக்கு தெரியவில்லை. அவரைக் காட்டிலும் அறிவான மூளை பறவைகளுக்கு இருக்கிறது! :)

அவர் சொல்வதற்கு எந்தவித அறிவியல் அடிப்படையும் இல்லை. மக்களை அச்சுறுத்துவதற்காக ஒலியின் காரணமாக கண்ணாடி உடையும் என்றெல்லாம் பேசுகிறார்கள். ஒலியைக் கொண்டு கண்ணாடியை உடைக்க வேண்டுமென்றால், 110 டெசிபலுக்கு ஒலியை ஏற்படுத்துவது மட்டுமல்ல ரெசொனேட்டர் கொண்டு சரியான ஒலி அலைகளை ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்! 

ஆதாரம்: http://www.breakglass.org/How-does-sound-break-glass.html

நிறைவுரை

ஈஷாவைப் பற்றி தவறான தகவல்களைப் பரப்ப முயலும் சுயநலவாதிகளின் மக்கள் மத்தியில் பயத்தை பரப்பும் முயற்சிதான் இது என்பது தெளிவு.

மகா சிவராத்திரி, இயற்கைக்கும், நமக்கும், நம் உயிர்ப்புக்கும் இடையில் நிகழும் ஒரு உன்னதமான ஆன்மீக அனுபவம். விஞ்ஞானபூர்வமாக நிரூபிக்கப்பட்ட உண்மை. ஆன்மீக ஒளியை நம்மில் ஏற்ற, அலைகடலென திரளும் மக்கள் வெள்ளத்தின் ஆன்ம அலையை கண்டு மிரளும் விஷமிகளின் பொய்யான வதந்திகளை பொருட்படுத்தத் தேவையில்லை. குருவின் மடியில், சிவனின் அருள் மழையில நனைவதற்கு ஈஷாவின் மகா சிவராத்திரி கொண்டாட்டத்தில் பங்கெடுப்பது மிகவும் பாதுகாப்பானது.

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Isha Yoga Center and the lies about Elephant Corridor!

What is the allegation on Isha Foundation about elephants?

There is an allegation on the Isha Foundation that the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore is blocking an elephant corridor.

  

We thought we will do an independent study of all this and find out the truth for ourselves. Here is what we found out so far.

First of all, what is an elephant corridor?

A wildlife corridor may be defined in simple terms as a relatively narrow strip of habitat that provides a passage for the target species to move between two larger expanses of habitat. Field observations in southern India indicate that both elephant herds and solitary bulls use passage that are 0.5 km to 1 km wide and less than about 5 km long.

  

The corridors identified in the reports are based on Crucial parameters like migration paths, use pattern by elephants, critical bottle neck areas. 

Who is the authority on Elephant Corridors in India?

The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is a leading Indian nature conservation organisation committed to the service of nature and supports the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

What are the key documentation listing elephant corridors?

A simple search on Google will reveal this information.

The WTI has published a comprehensive document called 'Right of passage: Elephant Corridors of India' in 2017.

https://www.wti.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pub_right_of_passage-1.pdf

There is another document called 'Gajah, Securing the Future for Elephants in India' published by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2010.

http://www.environmentandsociety.org/sites/default/files/key_docs/Gajah.pdf

There is a very brief talk about vehicular movement in the Valparai-Pollachi road for Attakati - Valparai area in the SACON document.

http://www.sacon.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/FT-2000-PR162-Brief-documentation-of-Elephant-Corridors-in-Southern-India.pdf

This is several miles away from where Isha Foundation is located in Coimbatore.

What does the Tamilnadu Government say about the elephant corridors?

The primary source of Tamilnadu Government's online data is their website:

https://www.forests.tn.gov.in/pages/view/Introduction-wild

The Tamilnadu Government’s website actually lists the reserves for elephants in Tamilnadu but has nothing related to the Isha Yoga Center in Tamilnadu!

What does the 'WTI - Right of Passage' report say about Isha Foundation?

Pages 372 to 375 of the WTI document cover about an elephant corridor through the Booluvampatti-Attapadi Reserve forest.

The document identifies the corridor length as 9 KM and width as 1 KM max. Estimated elephant population in that landscape is 390. This is the closest elephant corridor to Isha Yoga Center, which is still several miles away from where the center is located.

Major buildings in the elephant corridor area are referred as: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Karl Kubel Institute, PSG Institution and Swami Dayanand Saraswati Ashram.

The villages that fall into the elephant corridor are: Kandivalli, Kondanur Pudur, Panapalli and Moongilpallam are located in and around the corridor area.

There are some villages dependent on the elephant corridor area: Sembukarai, Kandivalli, Dhoomanur, Panapalli, Jambukandi, Veerapandi Pudur, Kondanur, Mel Baavi, Pudur, Kil Baavi.

Facts to consider:

- Isha Foundation is not part of the Booluvampatti Reserve Forest. It is outside the reserve forest area.

- The buildings of Isha Foundation are not even mentioned in the report though many other would-be / proposed projects are also listed. This is simply because they are not in the elephant corridor.

- Villages near Isha Foundation are not even mentioned in the major human settlements section, because they also are not in the elephant corridor.

If we look at where the Isha Yoga Center is located from each of the places mentioned, the aerial distance itself is several kilometres. On road distance is way too high.

Distance from Veerapandi Pudur (>17 KM aerial distance)

Distance from SACON (>14 KM aerial distance)

Distance from Karl Kubel institute (>15 KM aerial distance)

What’s in a Name? A whole lot!

There is the ‘Booluvampatti’ which is the reserved forest area, the borders of which are close to the Isha Yoga Center. Then there is ‘Boluvampatti’ village which is on the other side of the Isha Foundation. There is a ‘Pooluvapatti’ village down below that has nothing to do with all this. So, some people are confusing the Boluvampatti village with Booluvampatti reserved forest and saying Isha Center is in forest area. The map shows that it is not so clearly.

Now what does the 'Gajah' report contain?

There is not a single reference to Isha or Booluvampatti areas in this document! Pages 59 - 61 of this document talk about the Brahmagiri - Nilgiri landscape, Anamalai - Nelliampathy landscape and Periyar - Agasthyamalai landscape for elephants. None of them even remotely mention about the Booluvampatti area or the Isha Foundation for that matter.

The Gajah report in fact refers to and talks about the Wild Life Trust of India report on how to preserve elephant corridor areas.

What have neutral / independent researchers found?

While searching online, there is not much research by independent researches. One good publication is: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/hindu2/2017/02/1105/

Their findings clearly show that the Isha yoga center is not anywhere near an elephant corridor.

"The Isha Yoga Center falls within the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu state. Currently, the Forest Department has NOT created any Elephant Corridor in this district. This was a big surprise for me considering the hue and cry the allegations make about the usurping of Elephant Corridor! One can place an RTI request with the Department of Environment, Tamil Nadu and ascertain this for themselves. The Tamil Nadu forest department has created an elephant corridor in 2011 in the Nilgiris district that adjoins the Coimbatore district. This is nowhere near the Isha Yoga Center."

One more such analysis is published on: https://syskool.com/wildlife-corridors-elephant-lifelines/

Marudamalai – Thanikandy Corridor is encircled in the north and south by Coimbatore, on the west by Kerala and on the east by Iruttupallam village in Tamil Nadu. It is still a few kilometres away from where the Isha Yoga Center is! And the major threat to the corridor is actually cited as the expansion of Agriculture in its area. What has the Isha Foundation got to do with this?

If it is not an elephant corridor, why are elephants seen near the Isha Center at times?

If one knows anything about elephants, one would know that elephants are herd beings. They always move in a group. The sightings of elephants near Isha Center have not been like a big herd of elephants. Most of the sightings are of stray elephants which have moved away from their herd. 

Such stray elephants have been seen in almost all parts of Coimbatore, not just near the Isha Center. Check these out:

https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/watch-elephant-strolling-in-coimbatore-residential-area-wildlife-1106451-2017-12-13

https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/herd-of-5-elephants-enter-residential-area-in-coimbatore20191116165956/

The lands near Isha Foundation have been agricultural lands, with primarily sugarcane, tamarind and banana plantations. All of these are very attractive for elephants as sources of food! Some of these lands no longer have sugarcane crops but elephants come habitually when there is a shortage of food and water in the forest.

Where traditional farmers practised rain-fed subsistence agriculture for a few months in a year, today, farmers have assured irrigation through borewells and tubewells. Farmers have turned to growing crops such as sugarcane, banana and arecanut that bring better income.

The Government and NGO officials are clear on what is causing elephants to raid crops:

“Before 1995, farmers practised rain-fed agriculture, and during January (harvest period) and February, elephants occasionally raided crops. Later, the foothill landscape changed. People from different places brought land here and started practising commercial agriculture. Rain-fed farming changed to the farming of perennial crops.”

Over the years, WWF-India has adopted a range of methods to facilitate effective measures to manage human-elephant conflict (HEC) in the region. Developing site specific HEC management strategies, capacitating local communities and state forest departments, forming anti-depredation squads, and even installing low cost power fences are some of the many initiatives that have been undertaken.

https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/critical_regions/western_ghats2/?16541/Co-existing-with-pachyderms

So, usage of power fences is a recommended method. Some farmers tend to abuse it though by using high-tension power fences. Such a thing does not happen with the Isha Foundation.

Also, this is not an isolated phenomenon that elephants come into nearby places in search of food or sometimes just like that. Here is a recent instance (March 2020) when a tusker walked into Wayanad after the Corona Virus lockdown had happened. 

Source: https://twitter.com/SudhaRamenIFS/status/1244135872984842240?s=20

So, such an argument does not even hold water.

No, No, Not Elephant Corridor – it is Elephant Habitat!

Some so-called activists are now changing the narrative stating that the issue is not about elephant corridor but about elephant habitat! This is not just invention of a new term but a nefarious intent to malign the Foundation somehow.

Any wildlife habitat indicates the area in which that wildlife lives. Typically, elephant habitats involve several square kilometres of forest area where elephant herds live. It is not a place where they visit periodically but a place where they ‘live’! There is no list of habitats or anything like this. There has never been one. 

You will not find a single authentic document by online search also.

So, these people are just manufacturing new terms and new type of allegations against the Foundation.

Source: https://www.forests.tn.gov.in/pages/view/Introduction-wild

What is the Isha Foundation itself saying about all this?

The Isha Foundation has published all these proofs that it's not in elephant corridor on its website itself. Several instances in the past, during interviews also have the Foundation representatives have refuted these allegations.

Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/blog/article/truth-isha-yoga-center-elephant-corridor

Conclusion

It is very clear that there is no truth whatsoever to the allegations on Isha Yoga Center occupying Elephant Corridor. Several sources have been analysed and facts understood before concluding so.

An earlier related post in this blog has some of this information already and this post is for providing more clarity: http://kazhugupaarvai.blogspot.com/2017/02/allegations-about-isha-part-3-is-isha.html 

More references:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266742130_IMPACT_OF_URBANISATION_ON_BIODIVERSITY_Case_Studies_From_India/download

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Lies about Isha Foundation's deforestation debunked with Google Earth Pro

I have given enough arguments in my earlier posts of this same blog proving that there are no forests destroyed by the Isha Foundation.

The Foundation themselves have come up with clear explanations on this page: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/blog/article/truth-isha-yoga-center-elephant-corridor

I thought of looking at the images used to spread the false news first. Here is the popular version of it:

The first thing that strikes anybody is how lush green the left side looks and how pale the right side looks in comparison. And that in itself felt very fishy to me! 

So, I downloaded Google Earth Pro myself and looked at the images. This is the isolated 2006 Google Earth Pro image of the Isha Yoga Center. 

Compare this with the alleged image.

It does not take great brains to understand the image alleging Isha destroying the hills is a fake one by merely comparing the colours! 

This is the alleged 2006 vs actual 2006 Google Earth image of the Isha Yoga Center.

In the image shown alleging destruction of hills, the farmlands are also green. But the actual Google Earth Pro image shows the farms in their original colours.

There is no way this could have been achieved but by applying a green filter to deliberately make the 2006 image appear lush green throughout.

So, obviously somebody has fooled the whole of humanity which is believing this lie with a simple photoshop trick! Also, the 2006 version does not look anything like what is shown in the alleged image!

This is the isolated image of the Isha Yoga Center in 2011. One can obviously see that the Yoga center has purchased the lands nearby and expanded into those. But where is the forest area in this whole thing!?

Now, let's look at the 2016 actual Google Earth Pro image of the Isha Yoga Center.

Again, the 2016 alleged vs actual Google Earth Pro comparison shows that the same story repeats.

Look at the difference in colour shades. The lush green on the left side of the Isha Yoga Center has deliberately been tampered with in the alleged image.

The actual 2006 vs 2016 Google Earth Pro image looks like this:

Three things to note: 

#1 - They are appearing in two different shades because of the time of day at which such Satellite images are taken

#2 - Isha Foundation's expansion is only on the right side (i.e.) mainly in the circled area


#3 - Both these actual images are different from what appears in the alleged image of the Isha Yoga Center in 2006 vs 2016

Look carefully at these images for yourself and figure out how one could have fallen for such fake images that destroy the reputation of an otherwise decent organization.

As I had already indicated in one of my blog posts, the person who triggered all these 'Google Earth' images of Isha Foundation raising the deforestation talks has later apologised about it. He has categorically stated that there is no deforestation by Isha.

Now that you know, help spread this post and let's stop the lies being thrown around callously.

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Why are people calling Isha Foundation a Non Profit Organization?

A lot of people have been asking why Isha Foundation is a non-profit organization but is collecting money for its programs. Many of them are asking this question genuinely and of course some of them with malicious intent. What most of them are not understanding is the very definition of a NPO.

Refer this Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprofit_organization

"A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a non-business entity or nonprofit institution, is dedicated to furthering a particular social cause or advocating for a shared point of view. In economic terms, it is an organization that uses its surplus of the revenues to further achieve its ultimate objective, rather than distributing its income to the organization's shareholders, leaders, or members. Nonprofits are tax exempt or charitable, meaning they do not pay income tax on the money that they receive for their organization. They can operate in religious, scientific, research, or educational settings.

The key aspects of nonprofits are accountability, trustworthiness, honesty, and openness to every person who has invested time, money, and faith into the organization. Nonprofit organizations are accountable to the donors, funders, volunteers, program recipients, and the public community. Public confidence is a factor in the amount of money that a nonprofit organization is able to raise. The more nonprofits focus on their mission, the more public confidence they will have, and as a result, more money for the organization. The activities a nonprofit is partaking in can help build the public’s confidence in nonprofits, as well as how ethical the standards and practices are."

It is very important for everyone to understand the nuances of these. So, let's look at the different aspects of this first.

(1) Mode of raising money

A common misconception is that nonprofit organizations may not make a profit. Although the goal of nonprofits isn't specifically to maximize profits, they still have to operate as a fiscally responsible business. They must manage their income (both grants and donations and income from services) and expenses so as to remain a fiscally viable entity. Nonprofits have the responsibility of focusing on being professional, financially responsible, replacing self-interest and profit motive with mission motive.

The Wikipedia link also says this: "Nonprofits are not driven by generating profit, but they must produce enough income to pursue their social duties. Nonprofits are able to raise money in different ways. This includes income from donations from individual donors or foundations, sponsorships from corporations, income from government funding, income from programs, services or merchandise sales, and income from investments."

So, this very point clearly validates the approaches used by the Isha Foundation for raising money - through several of its programs, volunteer donations, merchandise sales, etc. What they do with that money, they definitely are accountable to the Government.

Of course, only those who are interested donate into it! To give a close analogy from the software world, Open-source software does not mean Free software!

(2) Dedicated to further a particular social cause

Isha Foundation dedicates itself to the main cause of raising human consciousness through its spiritual program offerings. But they have also been running massive-scale social projects:

- Action For Rural Rejuvenation
- Project GreenHands
- Isha Vidhya, etc.

Each of these projects, though operating with minimal resources, have had a tremendous impact in the society.

I have covered some of these aspects already:

What Isha Foundation has done for farmers, especially in the rural areas: http://kazhugupaarvai.blogspot.com/search/label/farmers

What Isha Foundation has done in terms of education (only one part of it though): http://kazhugupaarvai.blogspot.com/search/label/Education

What Isha Foundation has done in terms of tree plantation: http://kazhugupaarvai.blogspot.com/2017/03/isha-project-green-hands-scam-or.html

What Isha Foundation has done for Rural population in general: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_for_Rural_Rejuvenation

A tremendous amount of work has been put in by the Foundation. Some of the praise-worthy initiatives are:

- Operating mobile health clinics reaching over 2.2 million rural people
- Rural health clinics treating on an average 60+ patients each day
- Health awareness campaigns conducted through the state
- Disaster relief measures for Cuddalore Tsunami region, Chennai floods, Kerala floods, etc.
- Livelihood generation programs for rural people
- Isha Gramotsavam to restore dying village arts & sports in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh
- More than 3 million saplings distributed, planted and tracked 
- More than 35 nurseries across Tamilnadu and Pondicherry
- Dozens of Free Organic farming training sessions for farmers in Tamilnadu
- Thousands of schools engaged in tree plantation and nurturing
- 8000+ students provided scholarship education in rural Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh
- Training 1000s of teachers in Government schools for providing better education
- Free yoga classes in rural areas
- Free housing in the villages surrounding Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore, etc. 


No mainstream media usually publishes these, but that is the massive scale of work being silently done by this organization (one of the reasons why I admire it).

No wonder, they have a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in these areas and have won several state & central awards, under different governments / political party rules.

(3) Tax exempt

The NPOs are generally tax exempt and that means anybody who is donating money to these organizations will be given a tax exemption certificate that can be used for claiming Income Tax exemptions (upto 50% or 100% depending on the organization).

It also does not mean that the Non-Profit Organization is itself exempt from Income Tax Audits. That directly leads to #4.

(4) Accountability and Ethics

Any and all NPOs are subject at any point of time to Income Tax Audits. That is one of the critical means adopted by the Governments to keep a tab on the ethical accountability of the NPO. 

Just because an organization has earned the Non-Profit status once does not mean, it can do any nonsense and continue retaining that status. 

The following laws or Constitutional Articles of the Republic of India are relevant to the NGOs / NPOs:

• Articles 19(1)(c) and 30 of the Constitution of India
• Income Tax Act, 1961
• Public Trusts Acts of various states
• Societies Registration Act, 1860
• Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956 (Section 8 as per the new Companies Act, 2013)
• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976.

Hope this post clarifies what is applicable and what is not, as far as the Non-profit Organization status of the Isha Foundation is concerned. And in any case, it is the Government of India that had recognized the Isha Foundation as a NPO based on a thorough verification all the credentials supplied, decades ago! It is not easy for any and all to apply for such a status and get it.

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