Thread by @bigfundu

I was surprised to see an article from DW.com regarding the #savesoil movement that casts doubts over the movement.

dw.com/en/india-doubt…

Here is an attempt to bust the lies and half-truths in that article.

These are a few key points from the article that I thought are important to address upfront.

(1) Onus is on people to pressure governments
(2) Can contribute only if they are tied to institutional arrangements
(3) Ends up weakening India’s environmental regulatory framework

(4) The movement is a “dangerous distraction” from the climate-saving work being done by grassroots activists

Some of these sound serious. But first, let us ask ourselves some questions and if the answer to any of them is a YES, then there is at least a basic premise for panic.

#1: Did Sadhguru ever ask for governments to not take action on the environment?

#2: Did Sadhguru ever ask for the removal or dilution of existing environmental regulatory framework?

#3: Did Sadhguru ask environmental activists to stop what they are doing and just follow him?

#4: Did Sadhguru ask that governments not be held accountable by people?

#5: Did Sadhguru ever say only people have to drive environmental movements?

The answer to all these questions is a resounding NO.

I would be happy to be corrected if anyone can provide proof of that.

But in the absence of such proof, I wonder how this article’s author or the so-called experts are trying to create such an opinion through this article.

This simply amounts to fear-mongering regarding the Save Soil movement or shows the insecurity of the activists. That's all.

And then there are some blatant lies being spread amidst the fear-mongering, overall casting a shadow of doubt and questioning the Isha Foundation & Sadhguru.

This is a time-tested tactic that if you cannot fight the cause, fight the person standing for the cause.

Lie #1: "These measures by Isha seldom get materialized"

Let us see what Isha did with Rally For Rivers. The Rally For Rivers campaign has garnered the support of 162 million people. At the end of the rally, in October 2017, Sadhguru had presented the draft river policy to PMO.

In November 2017, the PMO formed an expert group to look into the policy recommendations made by Rally for Rivers (RfR) under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant.

A recommendation was given to all states and union territories to launch river revitalization efforts.

In March 2022, the Indian Government has allocated a fund of Rs 19,000 crores for the rejuvenation of 13 rivers across India based on the recommendations given in the "Rally For Rivers" policy.

If this is not 'measures getting materialized', I do not know what is!

The announcements from the Indian Government have been out in public for a while now. So, whoever gave their opinion should either be completely ignorant or have deliberately made a statement like that.

Lie (2) "Isha Outreach has spent nothing at all on planting trees"

This is a serious accusation and at the same time holds no water at all, given that there have been periodic reports published in media also as to what the Cauvery Calling team has been doing.

On the Cauvery Calling website itself, the statistics of how many trees have the funds been raised for, are published area-wise.

In 2020, the Cauvery Calling team had distributed 11 million tree saplings - 1.1 crore tree saplings - to farmers in the Cauvery river basin.

In March 2022, the Cauvery Calling team has given open press statements that they have distributed 2.1 crore tree saplings in total for 2020 & 2021, despite the world being under lockdown. They are also planning to distribute 2.5 crore tree saplings in 2022 itself.

This information has been out for at least 2–3 weeks in public before the DW article is published.

Any true environmentalist would have actually appreciated such an effort and not spread blatant lies that Isha Outreach has done nothing with the money they collected for trees.

Lie (3) "Many may recognize Fridays for Future as the world's largest ecological movement today, it is Vasudev's Rally for Rivers campaign that lays claim to this title."

This 'lays claim' phrase sounds as if FFF is still the largest eco-movement but RFR somehow claims it is so.

At its peak, FFF had the backing of 14 million people across all continents and this statistic is present on its website itself.

It is well-known and published even in media & UNEP website that the Rally For Rivers garnered the support of 162 million people. What more to say?

Lie (4) "This cannot happen as the Indian soil is acutely carbon deficit says Saldanha"

With planting of trees in farmlands, crop rotations, and bringing animal waste back into the soil, scientists across the world are agreeing that the organic content of the soil will increase.

The government of Australia has even published a guide to farmers on how they can increase organic content in their soils.

ccmaknowledgebase.vic.gov.au/brown_book/37_…

dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/…

I do not know what Mr. Saldanha is trying to convey with his 'opinion'.

The whole point of the #SaveSoil movement is also that Indian soil is acutely carbon deficient and has to be fixed with better farming practices. Shouldn't we have similar policy guidelines and recommendations for India's farmers? This is what the #SaveSoil movement is all about.

I do not get the purpose of such articles as the DW one, except to feel that someone who wants to spread misinformation and malice about a good cause is using a well-known platform for his or her interests.

Whatever someone may say, let's all come together and #SaveSoil 🙏