That yoga guru and motivational speaker Jaggi Vasudev (popularly known as Sadhguru) is one of the most popular mystics in the world is known to everyone. But less well known is the fact that Sadhguru can also paint and paint very well.
An abstract painting by Sadhguru was recently sold for a whopping Rs 4.14 crore, his Isha Foundation announced on Thursday. Sadhguru had promised to give the 5 x 5 canvas painting, titled To Live Totally, to the person who donated the maximum amount to Isha Foundation's #BeattheVirus fund. #BeattheVirus is Isha’s on-ground campaign to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from entering the villages of Thondamuthur block of Coimbatore, which has over 2 lakh residents.
Explaining the rationale behind the campaign, Sadhguru noted, "Our efforts to provide nourishment to daily wagers in rural India who have no other means, is expanding into thousands of people every day. In this effort to generate funds for feeding the underprivileged, this painting is an offering. Whatever you donate for this will go to #BeatTheVirus fund."
The abstract painting by Sadhguru features imagery of various animals, including an ant, dolphin, butterfly and elephant. The painting states, "a day is but a piece of time that lets us live and die... this day let us live and live totally". Speaking at a satsang, Sadhguru self-effacingly said, "It's not much of a painting nor am I much of a painter!"
In a statement about its efforts to fight coronavirus, Isha Foundation said, "Every day, a taskforce of nearly 700 Isha volunteers deliver freshly cooked meals prepared in decentralised kitchens along with Nilavembu Kashayam, an immunity booster drink to the villages. Besides daily nourishment, volunteers are supporting administration efforts in awareness generation, supply of essentials, and equipping frontline workers and first responders with protective equipment. A standby isolation ward has been set up by the local administration in the Pooluvapatti Primary Health Center (PHC). Isha is supporting the ward with medical infrastructure and other essentials."
Sadhguru had supported government efforts against coronavirus, stressing the role of individual citizens. “Though the government and the administrations are doing much to reach out to the poorest of the poor in society, still many shall fall through the cracks. It is the responsibility of every citizen to ensure nobody goes into starvation mode,” said Sadhguru.