{"id":3279,"date":"2016-03-12T16:15:06","date_gmt":"2016-03-12T16:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalpress.hinduismnow.org?p=3276&preview_id=3276"},"modified":"2016-03-12T16:15:06","modified_gmt":"2016-03-12T16:15:06","slug":"at-sri-sri-event-modi-attacks-critics-of-cultural-heritage-the-hindu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/?p=3279","title":{"rendered":"At Sri Sri event, Modi attacks critics of cultural heritage – The Hindu"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PM Narendra Modi with Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the opening session of the three-day World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi on Friday.<\/p><\/div>\n

NGT softens stand, agrees to Rs. 25 lakh initial compensation.<\/em><\/h3>\n

Prime Minister Narendra Modi braved both the environmental controversy and unexpected rains on Friday to attend the World Culture Festival, organised by the Art of Living (AoL) Foundation, led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.<\/p>\n

Mr. Modi not only watched the cultural programme seated beside Ravi Shankar, but, in a speech of around 10 minutes, praised the spiritual guru for taking Indian culture to the world. In an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding the event, taking place on the Yamuna floodplains and its impact on the environment, he said, \u201cIf we keep criticising everything we have and do not take pride in our cultural legacy, why should the world look at us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) accepted the AoL Foundation\u2019s argument that it was a charitable organisation which could not at short notice raise Rs. 5 crore imposed by the NGT earlier this week as an initial environmental compensation for the three-day cultural festival.<\/p>\n

NGT frowns on Sri Sri\u2019s stance<\/b><\/p>\n

In its interim direction, the NGT ordered the AoL Foundation to pay Rs. 25 lakh before the commencement of its three-day World Culture Festival being held on the flood plains of the Yamuna river in the national capital. The Tribunal granted AoL three weeks\u2019 time to pay the remaining Rs. 4.75 crore of the compensation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amount of Rs. 5 crore is being levied as environmental compensation for the restoration amount for biodiversity park and not as penalty,\u2019\u2019 NGT said.<\/p>\n

Hearing on April 4<\/b><\/p>\n

It has also said that if AoL \u201cfails to pay up, then the Tribunal would attach the grant which the Culture Ministry is to release to AoL.\u2019\u2019 The next hearing on the matter would be on April 4.<\/p>\n

However, at the beginning of the proceedings on Friday, the Tribunal expressed its strong displeasure on the statements in the media by AoL head Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who had allegedly said that \u201che would go to prison but not pay the fine.\u201d Sri Sri had also said that he was not \u201csatisfied\u201d with the verdict of the NGT and would appeal against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anybody hurts the image of the Tribunal, we will take it to a logical conclusion as per rule of law. Don\u2019t make the Tribunal a subject of controversy,\u201d the NGT said.<\/p>\n

The AoL informed NGT that it had obtained the certificate of safety from the Delhi Fire Department, while the counsel arguing against the festival sought a ban on the event saying that construction at the venue has been allowed without any risk assessment to the environment.<\/p>\n

The Tribunal’s order came on the pleas by NGOs and environmentalists who had sought cancellation of the festival, saying it would seriously endanger the fragile ecosystem on the riverbed.<\/p>\n

More than 35 lakh people are expected to participate in the festival.<\/p>\n

\u2018Kumbh Mela of art and culture\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Speaking at the event, Mr. Modi said: \u201cWe need the art of living to follow our dreams, to fight challenges and live for others. This is the Kumbh mela of art and culture; the world is not only connected through economic issues, it can be connected through humanity\u2026 I still recall during my visit to Mongolia, there was an Art of Living centre in that country, and they had organised a reception for me, where there were few Indians, but Mongolians were waving the Indian tricolour,\u201d he said. That was, he added, the importance of soft power in international relations.<\/p>\n

The Prime Minister\u2019s stout defence of the spiritual guru followed similar statements by members of his Cabinet earlier. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu had dismissed criticism of the WCF, saying, \u201cIt has become a fashion to criticise anything concerned with Hinduism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, facing loud protests in the Rajya Sabha from the opposition over the event, said: \u201cThere is no controversy. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is known for resolving controversial issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Significantly, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, often on the opposite side of the political spectrum from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is slated to attend the WCF valedictory on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source: At Sri Sri event, Modi attacks critics of cultural heritage \u2013 The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NGT softens stand, agrees to Rs. 25 lakh initial compensation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi braved both the environmental controversy and unexpected rains on Friday to attend the World Culture Festival, organised by the Art of Living (AoL) Foundation, led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Mr. Modi not only watched the cultural programme seated beside Ravi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1159,18],"tags":[1411,1261,1412,1413],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3279\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}