At a time when controversies are the flavour of the season, the most recent concerns 'Art of Living' guru Sri Sri Ravishankar. Preparations for the World Culture Festival being organised by the foundation on the Yamuna floodplains, has created quite a furore. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed a committee that has recommended fining Art of Living Foundation £12 million for damage to the Yamuna banks. Following the controversy, the President has opted out of the function.
Protesting against the event, Manoj Misra, an activist of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, said, “For constructions required for the event, the entire flood plains have been cleared, the entire area has been devastated and the vegetation removed. Prior to the construction, it was all wonderful marshy area with grasslands, birds, reptiles and lot of biodiversity. It has all been destroyed today. The site is a meeting point of Barapullah drain and river Yamuna and it will get blocked.” He added, “It will take decades of restoration to bring Yamuna to its original state. There is no excuse as it was an illegal activity and has to be stopped. Just imagine so many people congregating at the banks of Yamuna and what will be the condition of the river. All the previous rejuvenation activities will go in vain.” A part of the construction that began in December, will be “the world’s largest temporary stage that will be 1,200 feet long, 200 feet wide and 40 feet high.”
Meanwhile, there was severe criticism from different quarters for the use of the Indian Army to build a floating bridge for the event. The Army built a pontoon bridge on the river, and in all probabilities will build one more to ease the movement of 3.5 million people who are expected to attend. Taking their stand, officials said, “The minister (defence) was of the view that since permission has been granted, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure everything was fine. The Army, which has the expertise, was asked to step in keeping the larger good of people in mind.” They also said that the Army has been used even before during the Kumbh Mela and the Commonwealth Games.
Refuting all the allegations, Sri Sri addressed the media, saying, “We are asserting that we will turn the place into a beautiful bio-diversity park once we are finished with it. Since 2010, our volunteers have been working hard to clean the river and around 512 tonnes of dirt and garbage has been fished out. We want to save the Yamuna. We have not cut a single tree and have maintained ecological stability. We want to see Yamuna transformed into a beauty again.” He said the river won't be polluted during the mega event, saying that he has been working on the technology of enzymes, which will play a key role in the process. “We are using the technology of enzymes here and have been preparing for three months for this. The enzymes reduce the methane emission. This is a proven technology, but the people here are not even aware of enzymes,” he added.
The NGT's hearing is underway on the pleas seeking cancellation of the mega event. Delhi Government and the foundation on another plea seek stoppage of ongoing construction work on the flood plains. The worst affected by the preparations of the event are the farmers who own or till the land at the site. Many of them have been displaced from their land, their standing crops have been bulldozed and three of them have been arrested and sent to jail on “trumped up charges”, for resisting forcible eviction from their properties. One of the affected farmers, Mohammad Ibram narrated the incident saying the police arrived with a team of the organisers on February 23, asking him and his family to vacate the land. “My brother Salman opposed the move along with his friend, Yameen and Shiv Kumar, who lives near Hanuman Mandir in Chilla Khadar itself. This was not liked by the Mayur Vihar police personnel who booked all three of them on non-bailable charges and arrested them. The three were subsequently sent to judicial custody and are lodged in Tihar Jail.”
“There were standing crops of cauliflower, radish, onion, mustard and spinach over two bighas and of wheat on another two bighas, which was destroyed by them,” he said. Another farmer said, “I had invested nearly Rs 20,000 on seeds, manure and water for the crops and it is all gone,” said Salman, who also pays an annual rent of 6,000 per bigha to his landlord, a resident of Chilla village.
Experts warn how this event can have a catastrophic impact on the flood plains at the Yamuna. A petition against the event has already gathered over 2,800 signatures and NGOs are urging the event be moved out from the eco-sensitive area. Initially garnered to mark his presence, the Rashtrapati Bhawan issued a statement stating the President's decision to pull out of the event. “The President cannot attend the function due to unavoidable circumstances.” an official from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. The World Culture Festival expects over 3.5 million people, including, Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Vice-President of European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki, Vice-President of Suriname Michael A Adhin, former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin, and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani. PM Modi invited to open the event may or may not be attending, said a source.
Amidst all the ho-ha and the chaos of a cultural extravaganza that has disturbed the lives and families of mostly the proletariat, the question worth asking is, do we really need the festival to celebrate life, at the cost of others?
