A River Calls

a river meanders in search of her ocean
flowing
gathering
flowering
eroding
gravitating towards its yet unknown end
where sweetness is sacrificed for the saline
yet the water remains water
hoping for its reincarnation
a meeting in between clouds
awaiting separate fates
in their separate states
the water still remains water
perhaps beckoned by mountains
or permeating beneath the soil
an eternal cycle…
there is no new water

***

There is no new water, water is just not where we need it to be. The earth’s rivers and lakes are drying up, there is no water beneath the ground. All in the name of catering for human needs. What, I ask, is this sort of development where we do not have basic clean water?

Cities are now facing a serious crisis of lack of water – Tamil Nadu water crisis at peak

Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation have embarked on a major project to revitalise rivers starting off with the Cauvery River in southern India.

As trees disappear, soil is being eroded, Cauvery is drying up, and farmers are suffering.

The simplest way to make Cauvery flow again is to plant trees. Cauvery Calling will support farmers to plant 242 crore trees in Cauvery basin by adopting agroforestry.

This will have the triple benefit of

• Improving soil health by replenishing organic content in the soil 
• Reviving the river and groundwater levels by increasing water retention in Cauvery basin by an estimated 40%
• Augmenting farmer income through agroforestry, proven to increase farmers’ incomes 300-800% in 5-7 years

So how does this project concern all of us?
I live in Kenya and how does this concern me?

If all the insects, worms, microbes die life on this planet will perish within a few years
But if you and me disappear this planet will flourish.
As a human being, I feel embarrassed by this.
Please, let us not be the species that nature can (gladly) do without.

Whatever happens on this planet eventually affects all of us, or our later generations.

The blue print of Cauvery Calling project can also be applied to revitalise rivers all over the world with country/terrain-specific tweaking.

How can we help?
Contribute to plant trees with Isha Outreach, every sapling will help. Or even become a Fundraiser. Details in this link
https://www.ishaoutreach.org/en/cauvery-calling

You have any more questions about Cauvery Calling? This Q&A session clip will help

Fascinating insightful answers (and questions!), in particular the answer to the question “How can we be assured that these trees that we plant will not be cut down in the future?” @ 22:36 onwards.

A river calls…
Will it be your river calling next?

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Image Credit: Isha