Sadhguru calls for 5-nation Himalayan Board to tackle disasters

Kathmandu: Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru Jagadish Vasudev has called for the creation of a five-nation Himalayan Board comprising India, China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan to strengthen cooperation in response to disasters affecting the fragile region.

He made these remarks on Sunday while addressing an event "In Solidarity With Nepal" in Kathmandu. He also pledged Rs 1 crore towards Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund, an official statement by the Isha Foundation said on Sunday.

A group of 77 pilgrims from the Isha Foundation remain missing after a massive flash flood struck areas near the China-Nepal border, killing hundreds and leaving thousands missing.


The 77-member group, led by the Isha Foundation, an organisation founded by Sadhguru, has remained out of contact.

The Isha Foundation organises multiple Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages each season. Groups travel from Kathmandu through Nepal to Tibet, with trekking on foot as part of the pilgrimage.

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Three Isha volunteers stationed on the Nepal side are also reportedly unaccounted for, the statement said.

Calling for the countries to look beyond political boundaries when dealing with a mountain system shared by all, Sadhguru said, "The mountains don't know your political affiliation. The mountains don't know what nonsense or language you speak."

He proposed the creation of a five-nation Himalayan Board comprising India, China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan to strengthen cooperation in response to disasters affecting the fragile region, the statement said.

"Himalayas are the most fantastic and majestic feature on the planet. At the same time, they are very fragile," Sadhguru asserted.

Emphasising the need for such a body to be established urgently, he added, "A body comprising all these nations where the Himalayan ranges run has to happen now."

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He said the scale of the disaster was beyond what could have reasonably been anticipated and argued that Nepal should not be expected to handle its aftermath alone.

"Nobody expected something like this to happen... But now that it's happened, we must look at this because this is not something a small nation like Nepal can solve by themselves," he said.

"In Solidarity With Nepal" brought together people in Kathmandu in support of those affected by the disaster. Beyond immediate relief, Sadhguru called for a deeper collective responsibility towards the Himalayas - one that recognises that the mountains transcend the boundaries drawn between nations and that their future concerns all those who depend upon them.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll from the flash floods has surged to 903.