In conjunction with Republic Day, the founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru has urged the current generation, “To see the soil as a living organism, to experience it that way and to keep it that way as a legacy for future generations is the most fundamental responsibility we have as a generation of people. “

“This Republic Day is a special one for India as it comes to us in the year when we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our independence,” he said.

Speaking about India’s unique strength – its youthfulness as a democracy and its antiquity as a civilization – Sadhguru said, “It is time that potential energy of youthful India is transformed into an actionable reality” and called on the “youth of Bharat” and every citizen of the Nation to take the lead in the global movement to Save Soil that he will unveil in March this year.

The Save Soil movement aims to bring global awareness about the alarming worldwide degradation of soil that could have catastrophic impacts on food and water security besides driving never-before-seen rates of species extinction and hastening and intensifying climate-related disasters.

“Soil is not a bunch of chemicals, it is a living organism,” said Sadhguru emphasising the importance of healthy soil biodiversity. “The life which is happening in the first 12 to 15 inches of this top soil is actually the basis of our existence. If human beings do not become consciously connected with the basis of their existence, we cannot make them conscious of the nature of life and the source of creation. I want each one of you to join this movement, take this as your movement and bring the necessary awareness in this Nation and spread the awareness to the rest of the world,” he said.

In addition, the Save Soil movement will prioritise policy initiatives to halt and reverse soil degradation in 192 countries. The movement aims to influence 3.5 billion people globally who have a franchise, to elect governments that will prioritise ecological preservation in their countries. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that continued soil degradation at the current pace could plunge the world into a severe food crisis in less than 50 years as millions of hectares of cultivable land becomes decertified and incapable of yielding crop.