NATIONAL, 22 OCTOBER, 2024 (GPN): Canada India Foundation (CIF) has conferred the prestigious CIF Global Indian Award 2024 to Sadhguru, the Indian yogi, mystic and visionary and the Founder of Isha Foundation. The award, which celebrates individuals of Indian origin who have made a profound global impact, recognises Sadhguru’s unparalleled contributions towards creating a Conscious Planet and his leadership in tackling environmental challenges and advancing human consciousness.

Ritesh Malik, Chair of the Canada India Foundation, shared, “We consider ourselves truly fortunate that Sadhguru has not only agreed to be our latest honouree to join a long line of illustrious names, but he also kindly agreed to be present in Toronto to receive the Award. Sadhguru’s most important message has implications for the whole of humanity as well as the future of our planet. In Sadhguru, we have a perfect union of understanding the current challenges and finding solutions to the most pressing issues, guided by the wisdom traditions of the ancient Indian spiritual and knowledge systems as well as straight-forward common sense which unfortunately is not so common anymore. Sadhguru provides practical solutions for the full personal development of the individual as well as long-term solutions to the planet-wide challenges like soil degradation, climate change and food quality.”

“Canada can benefit greatly from thought leaders like Sadhguru, whose teachings align with Canada’s own focus on individual well-being, sustainability, and inclusivity. His emphasis on yoga, meditation, and mindfulness aligns perfectly with Canada’s public health priorities, especially in the great challenge to the system offered by mental illness,” he added further.

On receiving the award, Sadhguru expressed his gratitude towards the CIF, dedicating the associated prize money of CAD 50,000 to Cauvery Calling, a first-of-its-kind initiative, setting the standard for how Bharat’s rivers – the country’s lifelines – can be revitalized. It aims to revitalize Cauvery River and significantly improve the economy of farmers by enabling the planting of 242 crore trees on private farmlands. To date, the project has enabled the plantation of 111 million living trees.

CIF is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting strong bilateral relations between Canada and India. Through initiatives that build mutual understanding and collaboration, CIF has been instrumental in highlighting the global contributions of Indian-origin leaders.

About Sadhguru 

Sadhguru highly revered as a Yogi, Mystic and Visionary, is among the most influential and enlightened persona being founder of the Isha Foundation and Inner Engineering. A New York Times bestselling author, Sadhguru is acclaimed as a speaker and opinion-maker of international renown. He is the only living Indian to have received three Presidential Awards from three different Presidents, among which is India’s highest annual civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan. Three decades ago, Sadhguru founded Isha Foundation, a non-profit human-service organization which is supported by over 17 million volunteers worldwide. As part of the Conscious Planet initiative, he has also launched the world’s largest people’s movement – Save Soil, which has so far reached over 4 billion people.