To celebrate India’s performance at the Tokyo Olympics and launch a nationwide environmental initiative — Forests by Heartfulness, The Heartfulness Institute organised an evening coinciding with Olympian and Badminton World Champion, PV Sindhu’s visit to the Institute. The initiative will see the planting of seven lakhs trees to mark the seven medals won by India, near the Yatra Garden at the Heartfulness global meditation centre Kanha Shantivanam, Hyderabad.

Prior to embarking on her Olympic medal quest PV Sindhu had visited the Heartfulness facility seeking the blessings of Daaji and undertook a mediation session by him. Sindhu became the first Indian sportswoman and the fourth female badminton player in the world to win consecutive Olympic medals.

As a long-time Heartfulness practitioner, Sindhu expressed her gratitude towards Heartfulness and Daaji towards her cause of bringing glory to the nation at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. Expressing her gratitude to the Institute, Sindhu said, “My family has always pursued meditation. Through them, I got introduced to Heartfulness meditation. I feel happy whenever I visit Kanha Shantivanam or any Heartfulness meditation centre. My life has changed after I started practicing meditation, and I am thankful for that. People have many questions when they hear about meditation. They think practicing meditation the right way is difficult. People also wonder whether meditation leads to success. I want to convey that meditation is not a magic pill for success, but it brings clarity within your mind and heart. For me, it calms my mind and helps me understand my emotions better. It also helps me plan my next steps. Especially during stressful situations, like the pandemic, meditation helps maintain calmness. Meditation has helped me in my career; I can face difficult situations during matches easily. I want to thank Daaji for his blessings. I am grateful to the Shri Rama Chandra Mission, Heartfulness Institute, and Daaji for all the support and encouragement I have received over the years. I urge everyone to try meditation as it makes a big difference in one’s life.”

Organised under the Institute’s ecological outreach program, the initiative drive aims to plant saplings in various land pockets, including schools and colleges, industrial lands, village panchayat lands, private farmer lands, and individual homes. Each sapling will be geo-tagged to monitor and track its growth accurately. Carefully selected trees native to the region and with medicinal values will be a part of the drive. The campaign is open to all. People can join the initiative by volunteering in plantation drives, offering their land for plantation, or adopting the planted trees for a small donation.

Those interested in joining the campaign can visit https://heartfulness.org/forests/ for more details.