Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, s Coimbatore - 641 114. l ¢+91-422- 2515345 @ info@ishafoundation.org FOUNDATION ‘¥ wwwishafoundation.ore 19% May 2017 To Mr. Ajay Singh, Executive Editor, First Post.com ing disrepute to Isha Respected Sir, Namaskaram, We would like to express our disappointment regarding the May 16* 2017 article “Drought in the Western Ghats Part 7: Encroachments in elephant corridor lead to human-animal conflicts” by Mr. Anand Kumar, posted on FirstPost.com, that carries false, defamatory information about Isha Foundation. The allegations mentioned in the reports are not only untrue but have been reported without any verification, which amounts to unethical, irresponsible journalism. The details of the same are mentioned below. The article reports that Isha Foundation has encroached on forest land and an elephant corridor and is facing charges regarding the same. Isha Foundation has not encroached on any land nor is it facing any charges of encroachment. The entire premises of the Isha Yoga Center, including the Adiyogi statue, is built upon land purchased according to the laws of the land. All construction is as per the rules and regulations issued by the government.The article further falsely alleges that “The Tamil Nadu state government had, in 2013, dragged the foundation to court.” The Tamil Nadu government has not filed any case against the foundation. The statement that the foundation is flouting rules and clearing forests is also untrue, as explained above. The statement that a 2- meter broad wall has been erected around the Adiyogi statue is also utterly false. The article also implies that the Isha Yoga Center has been erected on an Elephant Corridor. This statement is also blatantly false. Thus far, no elephant corridors have been notified at all by either the state or central government in the entire district of Coimbatore. Enclosed is the RTI response from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) who is the head of the forest force in Tamil Nadu. ‘This clearly states that there is only 1 notified elephant corridor which exists in the Nilgiris District. The article has taken the allegations of vested interests and presented them as incontrovertible fact. The truth of all these matters can easily be verified. It is a standard practice in allegation-based reports to clarify the allegations and present the perspectives of both sides, especially in reports that carry content of a defamatory nature. However, in complete disregard for the norms of professional journalism, the author of this article and by extension FirstPost itself have not bothered to verify the actual facts.‘The biased reporting from FirstPost does no justice to an organization that has been commended for its award-winning initiatives by members of the public, various luminaries, intellectuals and government functionaries. Such false journalism not only maligns the foundation's good name but has also caused mental distress and emotional harassment to the many millions of people who have contributed to its work. To remedy the situation, please immediately: 1. Correct the factual errors pointed out above. 2. Tender an apology and publish the apology prominently on your website. 3, Remove the offensive content insofar as our organization is concerned. Maa Kanka Isha Foundation