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Dwellings wrecked by Cyclone Gaja in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.
Leaving aside the impropriety of erecting tents at a world heritage site, what is evident is the complete lack of empathy from both the Art of Living Foundation and the government towards the people of one of the districts worst affected by Cyclone Gaja.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has wisely stayed a massive two-day ‘meditation camp’ that was to be organised inside the precincts of Thanjavur’s historic Brihadeshwarar Temple in Tamil Nadu by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation.
The ‘Periya Kovil’, or Big Temple, as it is fondly referred to by most Tamilians, is a UNESCO World Heritage monument, apart from being one of the largest and most well preserved temples in south India. Built between 1003-1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola I, this temple stands as a living memory of Tamil Nadu’s over-a-1000-year-old rich heritage of welfarism in governance.
File photo of Brihadishwarar temple in Thanjavur. (left) and the temporary structure placed at the temple by the Art of Living Foundation. Credit: Special Arrangement (right)
It is this history which makes the happenings of the past few days so ironic. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his foundation were granted permission to erect huge tents within the prakaras – or outer precincts – of the temple. The Archeological Survey of India and the state’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department had together granted permission for the event titled ‘Unveiling Infinity’. This is a clear indication that both the Central as well as the state governments exhibited no discretion in protecting such a historic site from a private event of such a scale.
Leaving the impropriety aside for a minute, let us come to the complete lack of empathy from both the organisers and the government towards the people of Thanjavur, one of the districts worst affected by Cyclone Gaja. The town, and the entire district have been reeling in trauma, as thousands of families have been rendered homeless. The livelihoods of farmers, fisherfolk, labourers and other working class groups have been ruined and the damage runs into crores of rupees.
Thanjavur is in the heart of Tamil Nadu’s once rich Delta region. The Thanjavur region (comprising today’s Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts) along with other regions such as Trichy, Perambalur, Ariyalur and Pudukkottai, preserved for centuries their place in agrarian history as “Nerkalanchiyam” (land of paddy cultivation) or more colloquially, Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl. Producing in abundance everything from paddy to coconut, the farmers of this region flourished alongside other occupational communities such as fisherfolk, potters and skilled artisans.
Already in distress, these farmers along with thousands from fishing and other occupational communities, faced yet another life shattering disaster on the night of November 16, 2018. A depression that formed in the Bay of Bengal, as part of the North Indian Ocean cyclone season, intensified and lashed across Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu, and Karaikal in Puducherry.
The cyclone, aptly named Gaja, was truly a mammoth of a disaster. The winds at over 120 kmph (unofficially said to have exceeded 170 kmph) followed by rain, smashed homes to the ground, uprooted lakhs of trees, sank thousands of boats into knee deep slush and reduced lives and livelihoods to nothing, all within a matter of a few hours.
The losses are so high and widespread that the Tamil Nadu government, several weeks since, is still in the process of enumerating the damage. As on November 22, 63 people had lost their lives to Cyclone Gaja and over 4 lakh people were taking shelter in relief camps. Close to 1 lakh electricity poles were destroyed and water had reached up to two kilometres into land in some parts of the coastline. All public services came to a standstill for several days and the economy of the Delta region has been set back by at least a decade.
Women stand in field flooded by Cyclone Gaja, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. Credit: Aabha Muralidharan and Somasundaram
At such a time of great human suffering, is it not grossly insensitive for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Art of Living Foundation to have asked for the Big Temple as their venue for a private, elite, spiritual gathering ? This is even more abhorrent because the temple, built by the great Chola king, has a history of being a “People’s Temple”. Grain was stored within for days of need, and the temple was repeatedly opened up for people to take refuge in during various calamities.
Stirring our memories a little, we can recall that this is not the first time the spiritual Guru and his organisation have exhibited such impropriety and abused their political clout to gain access to a protected space. In 2016, the Art of Living Foundation organised a ‘World Cultural Festival’ on the floodplains of the Yamuna river in Delhi. They caused tremendous damage to the sensitive ecosystem and were fined Rs 5 crore as environment compensationby the National Green Tribunal.
The government, both at the Centre as well as the state, have yet again demonstrated, what can only be understood as gross disregard for protected spaces that need to be preserved for posterity and not abused for such superficial display of “culture” by private, vested interests.
The Art of Living Foundation claims that the spiritual guru was meant to deliver a sermon on Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. In this grand pursuit, he seems to have forgotten the true egalitarian nature of Shaivite practice; empathy, propriety and inclusivity.
A view of the destruction wrought by Cyclone Gaja in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. Credit: Aabha Muralidharan and Somasundaram
Like scores of other Tamilians, I too am feeling insulted and hurt by this unabashed display of insensitivity. It drives me to say, however unacceptable and unfeasible it may be, that it would have still made more sense to throw open the Brihadeshwarar Temple as a relief centre for Gaja affected families, rather than as a private venue for a programme by an elitist Guru.
The NGT fined the Art of Living Foundation Rs. 5 crore for the damage it caused to the Yamuna floodplain. Perhaps Sri Sri Ravi Shankar should donate the same amount to Tamil Nadu and the people who have lost everything to Cyclone Gaja, if not out of empathy, then at least as reparations for causing us such hurt in a time of suffering.
https://thewire.in/culture/why-sri-...plan-is-an-affront-to-the-people-of-thanjavur
