DiCaprio urged to take back support for Cauvery project
California: Leonardo DiCaprio has been urged to withdraw support for a controversial tree-planting programme in India, which could result in catastrophic environmental damage, the Guardian reported.
An open letter, signed by more than 90 Indian environmental and rights groups, warned that the Hollywood actor and activist’s endorsement of the Cauvery Calling campaign was ill-advised. The signatories said the campaign could lead to the “drying up of streams and rivulets, and destruction of wildlife habitats”.
The Cauvery is an endangered river in southern India. The letter praised DiCaprio’s work in “promoting rights of indigenous communities, protecting wildlife, case sensitively promoting conservation strategies, and, needless to state, pushing for clear action to tackle global warming”.
But the charities added: “It appears to us, the Coalition for Environmental Justice in India, however, that you may not have been appropriately advised in supporting the Cauvery Calling campaign.”
The letter continued: “This is not a programme that will protect Cauvery, her forests, her biodiversity, her children, and her children’s children. It will certainly not save Cauvery.” The campaign was launched by the Isha Foundation, created by “Sadhguru” Jaggi Vasudev.
Sadhguru is a celebrity mystic who tours the world attending Hollywood events, offering spiritual advice and meditation tips, and has endorsements from numerous Bollywood celebrities. The guru has made various controversial public statements, referring to one Muslim student as “Taliban” and calling liberals “fanatics.”