On July 20th, the Middle School students, bubbling with excitement, bolted into Gnana Shala library to meet Sadhguru! Many whispered “I can’t wait; I simply can’t wait!” The library was full of children, in anticipation of Sadhguru’s arrival.
After a few minutes, Sadhguru entered the library. The air filled with enthusiasm and eagerness.
“By 2030, we will have only 50% of the water we need,” Sadhguru began.
The Rally for Rivers is an initiative led by Isha Foundation to raise awareness about the need for everyone to come together and save our rivers. The rally is a month-long journey through 16 states, with many major events planned at various cities such as Bangalore, Delhi and Coimbatore, with the support of all the Chief Ministers of the respective states.
The rally will begin at Kanyakumari on the 3rd of September, Sadhguru’s birthday, and ends at the capital city, Delhi on the 2nd of October, Gandhi Jayanthi. There will be a petition presented to the Prime Minister in Delhi.
There was an extensive question and answer session with Sadhguru. One of the students asked, “How did you decide on these 16 states and not the others?” Sadhguru answered that at first he thought of rallying in all the 28, but due to logistic issues, had to choose less.
The MS students learnt more about the rally. One interesting fact they learnt was that there are rivers because of the presence of trees, that trees are crucial for a river’s survival.
All the citizens of India should do their bit to help this initiative. It may only be a drop in the river but, every drop counts. After all, even the ocean is made up of drops of water!
The children came back home after an informative one-and-a-half hour session with Sadhguru. They were happy indeed, for this was the first ever exclusive session that MS has had with Sadhguru.
– By Lesha & Viveka
Student sharings:
Sooner or later, the rivers in India will dry up. What happens then? Do we abandon the country? But, what if we could prevent the water from vanishing? Would we do it? Is it so simple that all we need to do is plant trees?
There’s a quote I read: “Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed.” So, why not try to do something that can succeed instead of waiting for others to do something? I think Rally for Rivers is a start for a solution to see rivers flow again.
Yet, we are merely kids. What’s our role, then? How do we contribute? It’s simple. When we plant trees along a river, the rain, brought by the trees, will help revive the river. Additionally, the trees hold the soil in place, preventing soil erosion and allowing the ground water to recharge. Hence, by planting trees, can we not give our share? – Aditi.