“My best wishes to all of you on the occasion of Maharashtra Day. I pray to the lord may there be greenery in every corner of our Maharashtra, and may we all be healthy,” the Mumbai Police Commissioner Shri. Sanjay Pandey wished in Marathi holding in hands the Save Soil Placard in the early hours on Marine Drive this morning.
For the past few Sundays Volunteers of the Save Soil Movement have been conducting awareness sessions in Marine Drive supported by the Mumbai Police. By the famous Necklace Road every Sunday a Yoga Teacher, trained at Sadhguru’s Isha Hatha, School of Yoga, offers yoga sessions to the general public for free. The sessions include yogic practices like Yoga Namaskaar and Nadi Shuddhi. “We conduct 4 sessions every Sunday and impart the ancient knowledge of yoga to the general public,” said a volunteer. “We have also been trying to create awareness around the much needed subject of Soil Extinction, as this is our generational responsibility to ensure we leave behind a fertile agricultural land for the future generations.”
At Juhu beach, about 75 volunteers from Andheri, Bandra, Powai and Vile Parle participated in a Walkathon holding Save Soil placards. The event was flagged off by Andheri’s Vidya Vihar Mandal Vidyalaya students in front of the Glorious Chhatarpati Shivaji Maharaj statue. A group of 15 students did the traditional Lezim dance to the tune of Dhol-Tasha, the traditional accompaniments that were played by the students. Nutan, the Cultural Head of the school said, “In 30 years, (this is the) first time I have come to the beach! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to perform and also learn about soil which is free but (its) condition is serious.”
In Kalyan, the Indian Society of Anesthesiologists (ISA) simultaneously held an event as part of a nationwide awareness campaign for life-saving CRP activities. The branch in Vasant Valley took this as an opportunity to teach life-saving methods to the general public through a skit. “It is important that the coming generation has food to eat, and since the Save soil movement requires awareness among people, we saw this as an opportunity to combine our causes” Said Dr. Prakash Deshmukh, VP at ISA Kalyan.
The event, attended by a group of 20 doctors and 30 volunteers, also held a 1.5 km long walkathon, followed by a CRP training session. The trained anaesthetics also joined Save Soil volunteers in a street play to bring attention towards the deteriorating state of the soil which is the basis of over 80% life on the planet.
Sadhguru, the founder of Conscious Planet, who launched the movement in London in March 2022, said that the potent power of rich soil, which is not only responsible for a fertile earth but also water security and clean air is in grave danger. He urged citizens of the world to raise their voice. He said, “If we make up our minds, we can turn this around in the next 8-12 or maximum 15 years,” while emphasising the need for concerted action before it is too late.
The Save Soil Movement seeks to activate and demonstrate citizen support across nations, and empower governments to initiate policy-driven action to revitalise soil and halt further degradation. To enable this, the Movement aims to reach 3.5 billion people. Last month more than 80 cities across India celebrated this year’s Earth Day with the Save Soil theme, drawing the attention of people from all walks of life with placards, walkathons, through singing an anthem and a variety of awareness campaigns.
The Save Soil movement has garnered wide support across the globe, with some nations already signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Save Soil as a commitment to implement policies in that regard. International organisations that are leading ecological action, such as IUCN and UN agencies - UNCCD, World Food Program, UNEP have come forward to partner. Millions of citizens across the globe are increasingly supporting this movement.
