Coimbatore: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation is looking for a new address in NCR. Discussions are underway for erecting the biggest and tallest statue of Adiyogi in Greater Noida—bordered by the Yamuna river on one side and the upcoming Jewar international airport on the other.
This new ashram would mark ‘Sadhguru’ Jaggi Vasudev’s first footsteps in North India.
“People come to me and say that the Adiyogi statue in Coimbatore is not that big. We want a bigger Adiyogi statue. So, I can tell you that North India will have the largest face of Adiyogi on the planet,” said Vasudev, amid cheers from his devotees at the Isha Foundation centre in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Since opening his first ashram in Coimbatore in 1992, and later expanding to Tennessee, USA, Sadhguru has extended his influence far and wide. From imparting yoga training to soldiers at Siachen Glacier to campaigning for the Save Soil movement across the world and attending the wedding of the Ambanis’ younger son, his religio-social empire is massive, and it’s only expanding.
Now, Sadhguru is on a mission: to install a statue of Shiva across India’s four corners – east, north, south, and west. Coimbatore, in South India, witnessed the unveiling of a112-feet tall Shiva statue by Narendra Modi in 2017. Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida leads the race as the next location in this mission.
Greater Noida offers an urban edge to the project, being adjacent to Delhi and equipped with an international airport. One official confirmed that the project will also become a part of the proposed heritage corridor connecting Jewar to Ayodhya.
The chosen land in Greater Noida’s Falaida Bangar, where Isha Foundation intends to construct the Shiva statue, falls under the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA). A senior official from the authority said that it was during the MotoGP (a premier motorcycle racing event) that Sadhguru expressed interest in the location because of the green pastures and Yamuna flowing nearby. A source with the Greater Noida authority said that the civil aviation ministry has given a go-ahead to Sadhguru’s team to proceed with the statue’s construction.
“Sadhguru’s team has visited Falaida Bangar thrice and shown interest in buying the land. But we haven’t received any proposal yet. Sadhguru’s team also visited the civil aviation ministry in Delhi to know whether the project is viable since there is Jewar airport nearby. The Yamuna Authority is open to negotiations because it is a big project and it will put Yamuna Authority’s name on the map,” said the official.
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Social media volunteers are at work
From a food court to bullock carts, and from cottages for tourists to family suites, Isha Healthcare, a gaushala housing native cow breeds, a boarding school, and a lifestyle store—Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation, standing on a sprawling 150-acre land in Coimbatore, is a city within itself. The proposed ashram in Greater Noida is expected to replicate many of these features.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor at the Coimbatore ashram, Indresha is busy creating online posters featuring Sadhguru’s five teachings. Next to the computer screen, books ranging from Swami Vivekananda, Life of Bhagat Singh, and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things are stacked in a row. Indresha is one of several social media volunteers working to expand Sadhguru’s blueprint in the online world.
“In today’s world, social media is important to connect with the masses, so that’s why people like me volunteer. Sadhguru is a modern guru. He is not against anything that disseminates his spiritual teachings,” said Indresha. He recalls that when he joined four years ago, the Sadhguru Instagram page had 2.3 million followers; it now has 12 million.
Indresha and his team have started anInstagram page named ‘11 Questions’ to boost audience engagement. “We have several other pages through which we try to engage people in the path of spirituality,” said Indresha.
Moreover, the social media team is actively collaborating with influencers for promoting the ashram and its practices to their followers. The Isha Foundation provides them with food and accommodation at the ashram.
“These influencers spend a few days here and learn yoga and take the practices to their audience,” said another volunteer. Now, the social media team is crafting pamphlets, preparing sessions, and curating small takeaway gifts to welcome 80 content creators from around the world.
“We have created an entire ecosystem in the USA, here in Coimbatore and we will also go elsewhere internationally,” said Sadhguru.
Another volunteer, Sakshi (name changed) from Bihar, is busy guiding tourists to different temples and meditation spots at the Isha Foundation. The 26-year-old was dealing with a break-up when she came across a Sadhuguru reel on Instagram.
“I had started questioning my purpose in this world. That’s when I heard Sadguru for the first time and started listening to him regularly on YouTube. Two months later, I was at the ashram,” said Sakshi. Now, she is a full-time volunteer and says that she has found a home in the ashram.
“I am a foot-soldier of Sadhguru. I feel a sense of belonging here. I feel that I am a part of the force that will change this world,” she added.
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Waiting for Sadhguru
Conversations at the Coimbatore ashram, on the foothills of Velliangiri, are abuzz with discussions about the Adiyogi statue’s expansion into North India. Swami Suyagna, a Brahmachari whose friendship with Sadhguru dates back to 1996, says that a special team of volunteers is facilitating the negotiation between the foundation and the government.
“Nothing has been finalised yet. The land price has gone up and we are trying to negotiate and see what fits us,” said Suyagna.
But Sadhguru doesn’t want to stop at that. He is also planning to start an international campaign on Adiyogi.
“Until now, we never really campaigned for him (Adiyogi). Not even in India. It has just spread by itself. But we will now do an international campaign on what Adiyogi is,” said Sadhguru during a question-answer session at his ashram.
In Greater Noida, the officials of YEIDA are in touch with Sadhguru’s team, awaiting a formal proposal.
But there’s one major concern—since Sadhguru from Tamil Nadu only speaks in English, his sermons and teachings could face a language barrier in the Hindi-speaking region when his ashram opens in Greater Noida.
Sakshi has a simple solution: “We’ll hire a translator.”
(Edited by Prashant)