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 ‘Isha Gramotsavam’ was a unique celebration
in Chennai to share the joy and transformation created in
millions of rural lives through the Action for Rural
Rejuvenation project of the Isha Foundation. This marks 25 years
of Isha Yoga wherein millions of people around the world have
been inspired into the path of finding their inner joy and
peace.
For the first time in Chennai, Isha
Gramotsavam featured Rural Olympics with over 40 games and
sports that have been a part of the culture of rural Tamil Nadu.
Volleyball for men and throw ball for women apart, the Olympics
featured several fun-filled and exciting sporting encounters
such as tug-off war, greasy pole, Kabaddi. Both men and women
from over 3,200 villages and thousands from the city
participated in the Olympics.
In the last four years, Isha has been working
actively in over 3,200 villages in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
through its Action for Rural Rejuvenation programme, delivering
free health care, education, yoga, sports and games. Over 600
sports teams, created from these rural villages, had
participated in the volleyball and throw ball tournaments
conducted at village levels. The final matches of the Rural
Olympics were conducted at Isha Gramotsavam at Anna University
complex in Guindy recently.
Rural Olympics also demonstrated the efficacy
of sports as an instrument for social transformation in the
villages. By nurturing sportsmanship among the villagers, Isha
has been able to bring wholesome entrainment to the rural youth
in the form of sports, and thereby help prevent the growing
problem of abuse and addiction, its spokesperson said. It has
destroyed the gender inequalities by bringing women to the fore
through women throw ball teams, and has bridged the caste
discrimination to a great extent by uniting all people,
irrespective of caste or religion, to play on a common platform,
the spokesperson added.
A special feature of Isha Gramotsavam, the
initiative of Project Green Hands this year was the planting of
25 million saplings by the end of the year. Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi launched the initiative by planting the
first sapling. Other distinguished guests were Kanimozhi, DMK
MP, and D R Karthikeyan, former Director of the Central Bureau
of Investigation and National Human Rights Commission.
Isha's environmental initiative, Project
Green Hands, set the Guinness World Record last year for
planting 8,52,587 saplings. Following the event, Isha will
continue working on nursery development, planting and nurturing
of trees, with the support of volunteers and like-minded
corporate groups. This year's initiative would be supported by
two international donor agencies from France - Yves Rocher and
Eranda Foundation.
The programme culminated in a Maha Sathsang
with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a yogi and mystic. He expounded
Isha Yoga 25 years ago and has evolved it as a powerful science
for inner transformation. The
Isha Yoga programmes have today reached out to over one
million people in over 120 centres across the world. The
programmes are offered in India and in many centres in the US,
France, Germany, Lebanon, Australia, Singapore and England.
Individuals practising Isha Yoga have found a deep sense of
peace and joy within themselves, and have undertaken several
social projects through Isha Foundation, the spokesperson said.
Over five lakh persons from all over Tamil
Nadu participated in the day-long event on September 23, 2007. A
rural food festival featuring over 250 exquisite rural recipes
not commonly available in Chennai eateries was also organised.
More than 3,000 volunteers had worked over the past few months
in preparation of the events.
Isha's monthly Tamil magazine ‘Kaattu Poo’
was launched during the event. Isha Gramotsavam also enabled
rural folk, especially women, to display their talent by
bringing to Chennai a huge and varied collection of eco-friendly
handicrafts, metal and stone crafts and garments created by
them.
R Rangaraj
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