Anukampa - Compassion Cannot Choose

Anukampa offers a bird’s-eye view of the extent and reach of our outreach programs encompassing the primary needs of health, education and sustained livelihood among the rural population in Tamil Nadu. The endeavour to raise the human spirit, inspiring people to stand up for themselves, lies at the heart of “anukampa” or compassion.

Anukampa 2023

Download Anukampa 2023

As we present Anukampa 2023, we feel privileged to have witnessed the extraordinary power of individuals coming together to effect change far beyond what they imagined possible.

Isha’s three decades of work to restore soil health was catapulted onto the global stage by Sadhguru’s Save Soil journey in 2022 which reached over 4 billion people. This reach was unprecedented, and its impact was evident at COP28; over 150 nations signed the UAE Declaration, resulting in USD 7.1 billion in funding, and policy-level plans for soil-focused climate change action.

In India, farmers are once again seeing a bright future as their livelihoods are transformed by Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). With the 25 FPOs entrusted to Isha Outreach now fully functional and supporting over 8500 farmers, farmers have a renewed sense of hope, financial stability, and, more importantly, dignity. Their entrepreneurial spark has also been ignited, with many of these pioneers being women.

Isha Gramotsavam, India’s biggest rural sports festival, expanded beyond Tamil Nadu and made waves across all of southern India. Men, women, young and old competed in the games, showcasing the immense talent in our villages and breaking innumerable stereotypes.

At the heart of all of our initiatives is the goal of raising human consciousness, and this year saw many strides in that direction as well. The Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, is currently conducting breakthrough research on the benefits of Yoga and meditation. As the world faces an impending mental health pandemic, the Center’s research has found that Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya, the practice taught within Inner Engineering, increases endocannabinoids – chemicals in the body responsible for creating a sense of joy – by a remarkable 70%. Their conference this October brought together eminent minds, including Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker and cosmologist Prof. Bernard Carr, both of whom shared the stage in conversation with Sadhguru, to explore where science and spirituality meet.

Anukampa 2022

Download Anukampa 2022

Isha Outreach had a remarkable 2022, as it grew to become one of the largest global endeavors for the wellbeing of People and Planet. As we present Anukampa 2022, we invite you to explore the progress and incredible stories from our many initiatives.

Isha’s work to revitalize soil, which has been underway for over three decades, gained unprecedented momentum as Sadhguru undertook a 100-day, 30,000-km motorcycle journey across 27 countries, igniting citizen support and policy changes. Sadhguru put his very life on the line as he rode through harsh terrains and extreme weather, with a relentless schedule that saw him attend nearly 700 events. This awe-inspiring effort ensured that the movement reached over 4 billion people, and 81 nations are now in the process of framing soil policies. Leading international organizations, like the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and UN Environment Programme, threw their weight behind this one-of-a-kind initiative.

In a significant milestone, the Government of India announced a Rs. 19,000-crore project to rejuvenate 13 major rivers based on the Rally for Rivers Draft Policy recommendations. Isha’s endeavors to revitalize agriculture and, in turn, uplift the life of Indian farmers also witnessed notable breakthroughs. Cauvery Calling established one of the world's largest sapling nurseries in Cuddalore, and 24 new Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) mentored by Isha have been registered in 8 districts, benefiting over 5,700 farmer members.

Isha Vidhya celebrated another year of achieving a 100% pass rate. All the Class 10 and 12 toppers were girls, a manifestation of Isha Vidhya’s efforts for the education of the girl child.

At Isha, raising human consciousness remains a core focus. As more people came in touch with Sadhguru’s wisdom and Isha, our YouTube channels received over 4 billion lifetime views. Energized Rudraksha beads were also offered to over 4 million seekers, who were initiated nto a powerful process by Sadhguru.

Anukampa 2022 is a testament to the transformative power of collective action and compassion. We express our gratitude to donors and volunteers whose relentless support has made a profound difference in countless lives. 

Anukampa 2021

Download Anukampa 2021

The past year has been a time of unprecedented hardships and challenges for humanity, as we faced a health crisis unlike any other. And what began as a health crisis rapidly escalated into a global social and economic crisis. While the pandemic spared no one, one of the hardest hit were the socio-economically disadvantaged people, who struggled with livelihood concerns of unemployment, wages and starvation

But as the severity and reach of the second wave of the pandemic increased rapidly, we were impelled to extend our interventions to parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry, working closely with governments and hospitals in an endeavor to alleviate suffering on a larger scale.

As we were fighting one battle against COVID, our efforts to save our planet and the farmers who sustain us was not forgotten. Adhering to COVID protocols, Cauvery Calling volunteers kept the massive campaign on track. They helped more than 50,000 farmers to shift to tree-based agriculture and 21 million trees were planted in the last 2 years.

Our rural education project, Isha Vidhya, was taken online to beat the lockdown and ensure that the light of education reached every student’s home. Our teachers designed innovative learning sessions for virtual classes while experts from varied fields mentored our students.

Anukampa 2021 includes inspirational stories, stunning images, facts and figures from our various human service projects that encourage individual growth, revitalize the human spirit, rebuild communities, and restore the environment. None of this would have been possible without the generosity and compassion of our donors and the committed involvement of our volunteers.

Anukampa 2020

 For this generation, 2020 will certainly be one of the most unusual years in living memory – the year of the Coronavirus pandemic. As with most upheavals, the hardest hit have been those who are already on the back foot in some way, marginalized by socioeconomic disadvantages.

Even though the pandemic brought the world to an abrupt halt, it did not stop Isha volunteers from innovating to ensure that our programs stayed on track as much as possible. Some of the highlights of the past year include:

• The Cauvery Calling team enabled 30,000 farmers to plant an incredible 1.1 crore saplings in the 2020 planting season, covering 28 Cauvery basin districts and 189 taluks in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• As the search for a remedy to COVID-19 raged across the globe, Isha designed a holistic method based on ground-level feedback to benefit 200,000 people residing in villages around Isha Yoga Center. 549,726 meals were served and PPE kits were distributed to 66,892 frontline workers.
• The free “With Sadhguru in Challenging Times” darshans garnered over 17 million views, while Isha’s flagship program “Inner Engineering Online” was offered free of cost to COVID warriors and at half price to others.
• Isha Vidhya students once again shone by achieving a perfect score - 100% pass rate in the tenth and twelfth standard board exams.

Most importantly, none of this would have happened without the generous contributions from people like you. Anukampa 2020 is an expression of our deep gratitude to our donors and volunteers – we thank each and every one of you for making Isha what it is today.

Anukampa 2019

Download Anukampa 2019

Anukampa offers a bird’s-eye view of the extent and reach of our outreach programs encompassing the primary needs of health, education and sustained livelihood among the rural population in Tamil Nadu. The endeavour to raise the human spirit, inspiring people to stand up for themselves, lies at the heart of “anukampa” or compassion.