Every 5 seconds we are losing one football field worth of soil, points Sadhguru. Thousands of Save Soil supporters host over 1,000 awareness drives across the globe to bolster the call to save soil

The Chief Minister of the State is at the event and like in other states, the Security is at the highest category – both for Sadhguru and the CM. Nothing deters the people though. They run behind Sadhguru’s motorcycle, calling out to him, laughing, weeping, clapping, screaming. Sadhguru stops periodically where sizeable crowds are gathered to acknowledge them and to seek their support for the Movement. 

The kind of reception that Sadhguru has been receiving in India has to be seen to be believed. His security has been jacked up for the India leg of the journey. He’s recognized everywhere in India – in the smallest of villages and towns, in the remotest of corners. At all times of the day or night, people throng the streets, physically throwing themselves at him. They want to touch him, touch his feet. Here, he is above all their Beloved Guru.

It seems like yesterday we started out. For most of us it’s been the most intense three months of our lives- a Journey that has been inward as much as it has been relentlessly outward. There is a quality of kinship in the team now that can only come from a shared experience that has erased boundaries and broken limitations like we never imagined possible.

The noise is deafening – everyone is singing and dancing as they wait for Sadhguru and when they spot the motorcycle, the frenzy reaches a climax. It’s day 75 but looking at the reception Sadhguru receives here, it feels like the launch of the Movement.

In many ways, Uttar Pradesh, or UP as it’s more popularly known, will be a gamechanger for India’s soil health because a major part of the state is located in the Ganga river basin, the largest river basin in India whose soil health is critical to the country’s food and water security.

When Sadhguru enters Udaipur, he’s instantly mobbed on the streets, showers of flowers (it seems like tons of petals in a riot of colors!) and roaring crowds welcome him. Age seems to be no bar—from young children to men and women well into their 70—as everyone is swept up in the moment, overcome by emotion. In the City Palace, the Prince of Mewar Shri. Lakshyaraj Singh gives Sadhguru a royal welcome.

It’s fascinating to watch Sadhguru in this crowd. With every continent, every country, every kind of audience, he keeps reinventing himself right before our eyes and he fits right in wherever he goes. Here in India, he’s first and foremost a Guru—looking at how people respond to him, we know this will never change in India. It doesn’t matter what he’s saying, people are flocking to him for who he is—they know and understand him in a way that even they may not know or understand.

By now, it’s beyond our understanding how Sadhguru is riding in this heat. He leaves Dubai early morning to reach Oman, and the first thing he does after removing his helmet is pour water over his head. To say we are humbled would be an understatement.

Moving from the quaint harbours of Bahrain, the Save Soil team is back on the road to the United Arab Emirates – one of the most cosmopolitan regions in the Middle East, a thriving amalgamation of cultures that give it a unique flavor. 

It was the first outdoor event of its kind, a beautiful lagoon embracing the grounds. The volunteers were swarming the scene like worker ants. While the ushers discussed where each volunteer should stand, Sounds of Isha were on stage doing a sound check with the ever-so-familiar “one, two, one, two, check, check…”

Marhaba! from the heart of the Middle East. It’s day 52 and we’ve just driven through the furnace of the Arabian desert and reached the regal city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Here, in Tel Aviv, the venue was secured with a day to spare, the event was planned in less than 30 hours, Sounds of Isha found musicians at the venue who had come for the event, they learnt a Jewish song right then, right there, and performed it on stage the same day. Long exhalation. To top it all off, it was a fantastic sellout crowd. Enthusiastic, energetic, participatory—an electrifying atmosphere in every way. 

For the team, the highlight of Palestine is the visit to the Yasser Arafat Museum. It is designed by the late Palestinian architect Jafar Touqan. It is a spacious, well-designed modern building. It supports Palestinian creative expression, promoting art and artists of the region.

The film crew landed in Aqaba with Sadhguru and spent that day blazing the deserts of Wadi Rum and breath taking Petra, the Rose City, an archaeological masterpiece with tombs, temples and cliffs. The ancient city was mesmerising, like stepping into a different time and place. 

Sadhguru decides that there is simply not enough time to take a break. Holding to his 40 year commitment of never being late to a single event, a few stops before the venue, he gets off his bike, removes his jacket and throws it in the back of the media van. At the next stoplight, the gloves come off. After having been on the road for approximately 7 hours, Sadhguru hops off the bike and makes his way into a hall brimming with people.

“No country has really sunk in because we were there for such a short time,” says Varun from the Media Team as he reflects on the journey so far. He’s part of the team that handles preparations for live telecasts. “Everything that goes behind the live telecast,” Varun elaborates, “like camera position, lighting, angles, technical cover…”

“And probably the most memorable moment was Sadhguru’s entrance into the  event,” says Mia describing the moment. “He went in and there were some Sufi Whirling Dervishes who were just spinning and it was very profound and beautiful. It was such a subtle reception. Sadhguru sat down next to the musicians in vajrasana. It was a very intimate moment,” she reveals.

“Just seeing Sadhguru being completely on 100%, doing exactly what is needed in the moment shows you what is possible,” says Henry who is a part of the media coordination team for Europe.

“The victories in war are the pride of yesterday. Tomorrow belongs to what lies beneath our feet. In nurturing it, Life on this planet shall stand tall. This is the Pride of tomorrow. #SaveSoil. “ Sadhguru

The visit to Geneva gives our team another unforgettable treat, an opportunity to be at the UN headquarters in Geneva where Sadhguru speaks before a panel of leaders from global organizations about the Save Soil movement. It’s a thrilling experience, sitting in those semi-circular rows we’ve only seen in the 8 o’clock news. Sadhguru addresses the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva and being witness to the love and admiration with which he is received at the seat of power is a very special moment. 

It’s not surprising that this unique city also hosts a unique event for the Save Soil Movement: In collaboration with Billboard Italia, five Italian artists come together in a concert on Saturday evening leaving the audience mesmerized with their music, passion and commitment to use the unifying power of music to #SaveSoil.

In response to a question about how to motivate young people, Sadhguru emphasised the importance of expressing to our governments our commitment to #SaveSoil in order to propel them into action. He closed the event by saying that the youth don’t have to support Sadhguru, they just have to talk about soil for these 100 days because in a democratic nation the government will only listen when the people talk.

It’s March 27th and we’re in the beautiful city of Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Its fairytale architecture, rich history and pretty streets have Pride stamped all over them. It’s a beautiful day and the campsite is buzzing with controlled frenzy. It’s laundry day and everyone is just thankful for the beautiful weather and clean clothes!

Sadhguru met with Deputy of the Minister of Environment and Deputy of the Minister of Agriculture at the Embassy of India in Prague, presenting them with a Global Policy Draft and Solutions Handbook.

The Save Soil convoy drove through the quaint streets of Berlin, roads lined with bare trees, for the first Street Art event of the day. Joined by an excited group of local volunteers, Sadhguru contributed to a 50 foot-long Save Soil art graffitied across a wall in Berlin created as a heartening expression of support.

Sadhguru received an enthralling reception outside the full house at Hotel Berlin, the first public event in Germany with fashion model, actress and humanitarian Toni Garrn who has participated in humanitarian efforts in rural Africa to aid young girls in getting access to education and healthcare. In an engaging discussion, Sadhguru warned of the many repercussions of soil extinction

The Dutch people were overjoyed to welcome Sadhguru as he rode through The Netherlands, stopping for bigger organized events as well as informal streetside meet-ups. The eventful day ended in a grand finale in Rai Amsterdam. At the public event hosted by well-loved Carice van Houton of the renowned TV series, Game of Thrones, a brimming crowd greeted Sadhguru.

Sadhguru invited everyone to “Talk soil, Sing soil, Breathe soil, Live soil,” stating that “the world must reverberate with one energy for one purpose” over the next 100 days.

On 21 March, Sadhguru embarked on an arduous 100-day journey across 30,000 km from London to southern India, as a lone motorcyclist, to activate citizen support and global government policy action to revitalise soil.