Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva of the Isha Foundation have officially opened the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) for visitors for the upcoming season on Saturday.
Elephant safari and jeep safari in the park were shut down in May due to the monsoon.
Sadhguru and the Chief Minister, along with Minister of Tourism Jayanta Malla Baruah, also went on a jeep safari through the park.
Sadhguru drove the vehicle with Sarma sitting beside him.
“Your chief minister is safe with me in the vehicle. It is a matter of great joy to open the park for tourists,” he told reporters.
Assam CM informing about the developments on Twitter shared a video of the reopening of Kaziranga national park along with Jaggi Vasudeva. He wrote, “His blessings are special. His teachings are extraordinary. Revered @SadhguruJV, in whose presence Kaziranga National Park opened today for tourists, has a special message to save precious Rhinos. And indeed he enjoyed the Jeep Safari. Tourism Min Shri @jayanta_malla accompanied.”
The chief minister and Sadhguru also unveiled three statues of rhinoceros in the Mihimukh area of the park. These statues were created from the ashes of rhinoceros horns that were burned on September 22, 2021.
The state created the story when a reserve of 2,479 rhinoceros horns was set on fire to send a powerful message to poachers.
“The rhino statues thus created is an attempt to immortalize the efforts and dedication of those who selflessly protect Assam’s pride, the great one-horned rhinoceros,” Sarma said.
Sadhguru urged people to come to Assam to enjoy its wildlife. The chief minister on behalf of the state government and Sadhguru, representing the Isha Foundation, also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sustainable use of soil for agricultural practices.
Earlier, addressing a ‘Chintan shiver of ministers, legislators, and top officials, Sadhguru underscored the potential of eco-tourism in the Northeast for the development of the region. If private parties with competence in this sector are roped in, accelerated development can be achieved within a short span of time, he said.
“Tourism is one of the easiest industries to develop and also the most eco-friendly one. It engages a lot of people without ripping the land apart,” he noted. He cited examples of African countries that have monetized their natural tourism potential without causing environmental damage.
