NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 10, 2016 (Times of India): Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has decided to say “no” to an environmental fine and “yes” to jail. No, he won’t pony up the US$747,000 fine imposed on him yesterday to pay for the environmental damage that has been and will be done to the venue of his World Culture Festival. Yes, he’s prepared to go to jail for not paying the fine. Incidentally, Art of Living has spent upwards of $3.9 million on its extravaganza.
Today PM Narendra Modi set aside any doubts about his participation, saying he plans to attend Sri Sri’s event. The Art of Living’s three-day World Culture Festival is to be held on the ecologically-sensitive banks of the Yamuna river and will start tomorrow. The national Green Tribunal (NGT) yesterday fined Sri Sri’s Foundation and several governmental bodies for negligence.
Ravi Shankar also tweeted that his foundation is not “satisfied” with the NGT’s verdict and would appeal it. He also urged political parties not to “politicize” the event. “Not a single tree was felled. Trees were only pruned and we leveled the floodplain,” he said today. “This is like a Cultural Olympics. 37,000 artistes from all over the world would come together at one single platform. This is an event to bring people closer to each other. Event of this magnitude should be welcomed,” he told NDTV.