Anna University, in Chennai, is generally known for its excellence in technical education. Its homely campus has not only been the alma mater for the many Indian IT professionals who dot the globe, but also the home for the illustrious Dr. Abdul Kalam, arguably one of the most popular Indian presidents.

However, on the 23rd of September, showcased in its grounds were not the frontiers of science and technology, but a deep invigoration and celebration of the core and the essence of another India – the rural India. Over 500,000 people from various parts of Tamil Nadu, and a sizable number of national and international visitors thronged Chennai to participate in Isha Gramotsavam, a unique celebration of the land and culture that nourished thousands of generations of people in this part of the country.

Gramotsavam literally means “celebration of the village” and the village has been the focus of a number of carefully designed interventions of the Isha Foundation, aimed at bringing health, well-being and prosperity to the rural masses, which account for 75% of the country’s population. Fun and frolic was in the air and festivity reigned the day as Isha meditators found many excuses to call for a celebration.

To begin with, Isha Gramotsavam is a feisty annual celebration sharing the joy of transformation in the villages of Tamil Nadu through Isha’s Project Action for Rural Rejuvenation. Action for Rural Rejuvenation is a holistic and well defined program that offers free medical care through Mobile Health Clinics, and community rehabilitation and human upliftment to more than 3,600 destitute villages in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Karnataka.

Other key components of the project include various services such as libraries, computer centers and training, herbal gardens, free yoga programs, programs for environmental awareness, village games that promote healthy competition and build community, and Isha Craft for the empowerment of rural women through meaningful employment. Isha Vidhya, an Isha Education Initiative, aims at providing at least one English “computer friendly” Medium School in each of the 206 Taluks in Tamil Nadu within the next five to seven years. These Isha Vidhya Schools are expected to benefit over 500,000 underprivileged students when fully functional.

The second mass planting initiative of Project Green Hands commenced on 23rd September 2007 in a grand event, organized by the volunteers of Isha at Anna University Grounds, Chennai.

The campaign was launched by the Chief Minister Dr M Karunanidhi by planting the first sapling in the presence of Sadhguru, Founder of Isha Foundation.

It may be recalled that the first such drive of Project Green Hands that was organized on 17 October, 2006 was also flagged by the Chief Minister. With this, Isha Foundation set a Guinness World Record for planting 852,587 saplings on a single day in 6284 locations, in 27 districts with the participation of 250,000 people all over Tamil Nadu.

This year, the Project has set an ambitious target of 25 million saplings.

Expressing his appreciation and respect for spiritual leaders like Sadhguru, who did not ignore social work, Dr Karunanidhi said, “When I think of how much the earth would prosper if all spiritual leaders were like this, I breathe a sigh of relief.” He said, history books are full of examples of great kings like Ashoka and Akbar who planted trees but today it was the spiritual leaders who are among those working towards fulfilling this urgent need. Marveling at the mammoth audience, he said, “We are a great organization with several ministers, officers and cadre at various levels but even we cannot gather such a huge crowd as Isha has done on a single day.”

 

 

 The Chief Minister stressed the significance of massive tree planting, saying, “If we take care of trees, they will take care of us,” as more trees would lead to more rain and better crops. Comparing Chennai with greener cities like Delhi and Bangalore, he jokingly said, “Here people have put up huge hoardings and banners on the roads instead.” He applauded the dedication of the numerous Isha volunteers and their ability to touch and mobilize people.

His daughter, Smt. Kanimozhi, poetess, Member of Parliament and a budding leader of Tamil Nadu, accompanied him. Launching the Project Green Hands campaign and releasing Isha’s new Tamil monthly magazine Kaattu Poo, she said, “Spirituality is not just about God, it is something that touches and transforms human life, which is being done wonderfully by Sadhguru and the many volunteers inspired by him.”

Expressing concern for the environment, she said, “The world belongs to future generations, not to us. But in the name of progress and economic development, we are gradually destroying the earth.” She said it was nightmarish to think of what would happen to future generations when even the ground water is slowly getting poisoned.

Popular singer Kalaimamani Sudha Raghunathan welcomed the gathering.

 

In his much awaited Mahasathsang, Sadhguru said that he was not an environmentalist or a social worker but that as a yogi, he experienced the world and himself as one and it was only natural for him to take care of all human beings. He said, yoga means union and for a yogi there is no distinction between the rest of the world and him. He said, Isha’s effort was to create such human beings who would be wonderful examples of boundless generosity without pride. He said that the alarming rate of desertification in Tamil Nadu can only be prevented and reversed by dedicated action on a massive scale. The simplest and most powerful step would be to plant more and more trees. After the discourse, he led the gathering through a powerful meditation. To a questioner who, seeing the dedicated work of many volunteers over the past one month, wondered what magic spell Sadhguru had cast on so many, he responded that this was not a spell but the fruition of Isha’s aim to create people whose very lives and action was prayerful. Colourful fireworks exploded in the night sky as an outburst of ecstasy of the numerous people who participated in a truly overwhelming evening.