A Global fest on Yamuna's bank! #WCF

World Culture Festival is making news everywhere now. Be it for good or bad. Some anti-peace people have alleged that WCF preparations are causing damage to the environment on Yamuna flood plain. They can't tolerate that such a beautiful event is going to happen in Delhi where diversity will be celebrated. They want cheap publicity. I was having conversation with someone in Delhi who's not associated with Art of Living. Her response was " Ya Ya I heard WCF is harming Yamuna."

So I though let me write this post. It will be good to have a closer look at some of the facts and the preparations going around at the proposed venue for the World Culture Festival (WCF) in Mayur Vihar. The kind of planning and care the organisers have taken makes the ongoing activities look more like a Yamuna floodplain rejuvenation initiative rather than cleaning up the ground for WCF.

• “We have done no damage to the floodplain as alleged. We have just cleaned up the filthy area of debris. Contrary to the allegations, we have not cleared the area of any greenery or leveled it by dumping debris,” asserts Saraswati, Advocate, Art of Living. “The Art of Living has adhered to all guidelines like no concrete structures, maintaining safe distance from the bank, etc,” she adds. “We are taking many steps that will set examples for reducing the footprint on the environment,” she reiterates. She cites the plan to create 650 bio-toilets with a view to ensure that toilet waste doesn't flow into the Yamuna.
  

• “Thanks to the efforts of over 100,000 Delhi households Art of Living volunteers who for 3 months prepared enzymes to clean nallahs, methane emission has reduced. Villagers have said that buffaloes who never ventured near the water are now entering the water. Even the buffaloes recognize!”

Source : Zee News

• Bringing together all faiths and cultures together along Yamuna is how we wish to celebrate diversity."

Source : IndiaTimes

Some Q&A with Sri Sri on this issue:

Preparation for the three-day event has not been without controversy, especially with environmentalists moving the National Green Tribunal.

Sri Sri: The first thing that we wanted to do was to approach the NGT and take permission. But NGT has no such system. Only when a petition was filed did the NGT have a say at all. We applied for the location as it was well connected and it was willingly allotted. We would not harm the Yamuna. Nobody associated with the event will stay there. They will come at 5pm and leave by 10pm. The hue and cry that we are destroying the Yamuna floodplain is nonsense.

Is it true that flora has been destroyed?

Sri Sri: First of all, there was nothing there but weeds at the location. Secondly, the land is cultivated. If it was virgin land with flora and fauna, I would have been the first one to say ‘let’s not do anything here, we don’t want to destroy anything’. We have not cut any trees. We pruned the branches of four trees because they were obstructing the view.

What of the allegation of dumping debris?

Sri Sri: It is incorrect. We have only levelled the land and shifted the mud to the side. How can we use the land if it is not levelled? We only redistributed mud.

Passages are being made along the banks by levelling and shifting the debris.Does your holding this event set a precedent for the use of the floodplain for activities?

Sri Sri: If that is the case, the government should not give the opportunity to anyone. They say there will be damage because of high footfall. I don’t agree. Festivals have been held for centuries on the banks of the Ganga.

To take the international community to a venue where there is only a gutter is a challenge in itself. This festival will also put pressure on the authorities to at least stop the 17 drains from emptying here.

No one protests when sewage is dumped but there are protests when we want to hold a festival.

Sri Sri's video on hosting WCF on the Yamuna Flood Plain :

On hosting the #WorldCultureFestival on the Yamuna Flood Plain.
Posted by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Saturday, March 5, 2016

All said and done, the larger point is that in their enthusiasm to champion their agenda, these anti-peace activists are ignoring the larger benefits that such an event can bring to the cause of cleaning up Yamuna and the country. With people from more than 150 countries expected to congregate at the festival, it would do a lot of good to India’s image of a tolerant nation. It will also give a big boost to the tourism industry.

The event, in any which way, is going to happen. That is for sure. I pray that people realize the significance of such an event for the development of our country, or environment and for World Peace.

Jai Guru Dev!
Swati

You may also like to read:

10 Awesome Facts about WCF

WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL

MARCH 11-13, 2016, NEW DELHI, INDIA

Venue: Grounds opposite Mayur Vihar Metro Stations, Delhi (East)

Our Supporters:

Social Media:

​T:   https://twitter.com/wcf2016

F:   https://www.facebook.com/theworldculturefestival

I:    https://www.instagram.com/wcf2016/

W: www.artofliving.org/wcf