How Sri Sri’s Cultural Fest Cost Yamuna Farmers Their Livelihood

Farmers eking out a living from growing vegetables on the Yamuna floodplains have been hit the most by the event.

The banks of the Yamuna are about to be flooded. With people. From 11-13 March, the World Culture Festival will be held, and lakhs of people from within India and around the world will land in Delhi to participate. But for farmers who eke out a livelihood growing vegetables on the banks of the river, the festival is taking a heavy toll.

The organisers of the festival, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living, have used the cultivable fields on the banks of the Yamuna to build broad roads, parking and camps. Nearly 1000 acres of land has been ‘requisitioned’for the event.

According to Indradev Sharma, a local farmer, the organisers of the event drove a bulldozer over his standing crop. A few days ago, the area had lush, green crops. Now, it is dotted with stones and boulders that will be used to build a road for the event.

Our first harvest was here. They bulldozed over it to make a road. Now, trucks pass through here all day long.. Now, the field is completely ruined and, after the program, we will have to try and start growing crops here from scratch. There are major problems. Because of the stones on the ground we cannot use tractors. You tell me again how can we grow vegetables here?

Indradev Sharma, Farmer

Shakuntala, a resident of the village closest to the land where the event is to take place says she was not even aware that the organisers were about to use her land.

We were away for a wedding and came back to find about nine bulldozers ready to run amok over our land. We protested but the police were on their side. They threatened us. They said if we create too much ruckus, they will beat us. There was a team of female police officers too. A woman was even dragged away by them.

Shakuntala, Villager

Farmers working on neighbouring fields were livid as well.

“They gave us four thousand rupees compensation for our harvest. That doesn’t even cover the cost of irrigation. The harvest is worth at least Rs 20,000. Now, we have nothing. The next harvest will only be ready in six months.”

As one moves out of the village, a thought strikes. How can lives and livelihoods be destroyed to celebrate “culture”? Can standing, ripe crops be destroyed by a bulldozer while the administration doesn’t do anything? Unfortunately, it seems so.