Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sadhguru sets off on 30,000-km Save Soil road trip from London

Sadhguru sets off on 30,000-km Save Soil road trip from London

LONDON'S Parliament Square was the flag-off point for Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru's 30,000-km motorbike tour on Monday (21), as he set off on his Save Soil awareness campaign across Europe and the Middle East en route to India.

The yoga guru, 64, donned his biking gear for the 100-day tour, which will take him to Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague this week.

After a series of events scheduled in key cities along the way, he is aiming for a homecoming in New Delhi in 75 days in honour of India's 75th year of independence.

“It's extremely important that we act now. I've been talking about this for over 24 years, but a solution can only happen when there is a positive policy in every nation,” Sadhguru told reporters at the Indian High Commission in London before setting off on his bike tour.

“It is still snowing in many parts of Europe and we'll be going through that on a two-wheeler. At this age, it's not really a joy ride. So why am I doing this? Because over 300,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last 20 years. Not just in India, across the world this is happening… one of the main concerns is soil depletion,” he said.

The Save Soil Movement, launched as part of the spiritual leader's Conscious Planet initiative, is aimed at turning the world's attention towards dying soil and growing desertification.

The focus is on getting countries to institute national policies towards increasing the organic content in cultivable soil.

“Whether on the cricket field or on the field of life, if we are to play well, the soil has to be well. Time to come together and turn things around. Let's make it happen,” he said, during a visit to the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground for interaction with Middlesex Cricket Club (MCC) as part of the UK leg of his tour.

The campaign, which is backed by the World Food Programme and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, calls on policy-makers around the world to make soil regeneration a priority.

“No matter how much wealth, education, and money we have, our children cannot live well unless we restore the soil and water. Conscious Planet is the only way forward,” Sadhguru, whose full name is Jagadish Vasudev, said at the University of Birmingham last week.

His lone motorbike journey ends in time for the Summer Solstice on June 21 at the Cauvery Calling project, which is enabling the planting of 2.42 billion trees in private farmlands in the Cauvery river basin in south India to restore the severely depleted river and revitalise the soil.

According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), more than 90 per cent of the earth's soil could become degraded by 2050, leading to catastrophic crises worldwide including food and water shortages, droughts and famines, adverse climate changes, mass migrations and unprecedented rates of species extinction.

The Save Soil campaign aims to inspire at least 3.5 billion people, or 60 per cent of the world's electorate, to support long-term government policies to revitalise the soil and reverse its depletion.

(PTI)

More For You

Police Recover £1M Stolen Jewellery in Hounslow, Owners Sought

The jewellery was largely taken from London’s South Asian community in Hounslow between 2023 and 2024. (Photo: Met Police)

Stolen jewellery worth £1m recovered in Hounslow, police seek owners

POLICE are seeking to reunite stolen jewellery worth over £1 million with its rightful owners after recovering the items during a proactive operation across London and the home counties.

The recovered collection includes identifiable pieces such as a World War One officer’s Rolex watch, a gold locket containing old pictures, an engraved gold ring, and an engraved gold pocket watch from Harlow Bros Ltd.

Keep ReadingShow less
british-muslims

The initiative aims to track incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, and provide better victim support.

iStock)

Government announces fund to combat anti-Muslim hate

THE UK government has announced a new fund to monitor anti-Muslim hate and support victims, with applications opening on 7 April.

The initiative aims to track incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, and provide better victim support.

Keep ReadingShow less
Probe launched over racist broadcast at Kent asylum centre

FILE PHOTO: Entrance of Manston short-term holding centre for migrants, near Ramsgate in southeast England. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Probe launched over racist broadcast at Kent asylum centre

AUTHORITIES have launched an investigation following reports that a racist message was broadcast over portable radios at an asylum processing centre in Kent.

The incident occurred at the Manston site, where small boat arrivals are processed by the Home Office and its contractor, Mitie, reported The Guardian.

Keep ReadingShow less
Protest against dog crackdown ahead of Modi's Sri Lanka visit

Sri Lankan animal rights activists take part in a demonstration in Colombo on April 3, 2025, to protest the round-up of stray dogs a day ahead of a visit by Narendra Modi. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Protest against dog crackdown ahead of Modi's Sri Lanka visit

SRI LANKAN animal rights activists marched on Thursday (3) to protest the round-up of stray dogs a day ahead of a visit by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

Authorities in Colombo and the Buddhist pilgrim city of Anuradhapura have reportedly deployed dog catchers to impound hounds ahead of Modi's visit, which begins on Friday (4).

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Explained: Impact of US tariffs on Indian exports

The United States has announced a 27 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods entering the American market.

Industry experts have said these duties will pose challenges for Indian exports, though India's position remains more favourable than some of its competitors.

Keep ReadingShow less