Coimbatore : Isha Foundation founder and spiritual leader, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on Saturday called upon Tamil youth to closely involve themselves with the farming community and spend at least a day every month in villages working with farmers.

It was important for youth to familiarise themselves with life in the villages and activities associated with agriculture , he said in a message greeting Tamil people on the eve of Aadi Perukku, an important festival of Tamils particularly the farming community.

The festival is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi during the post-harvest period when farmers prepare for sowing operations.

Aadi Perukku is celebrated across Tamil Nadu, especially in the Cauvery basin, with great fervour.

“Greetings to all the Tamil people on the eve of Aadi Perukku,” he said in his brief message and noted the importance of the festival in the Tamil culture because of its association with rain, water and soil.

He spoke about the importance of saving the soil and rivers in order to be able to carry on “our culture, agriculture and health” for generations to come.

Sadhguru also referred to the progress of the ‘Cauvery Calling’ movement which he launched last September to revitalize the dying river that is a major lifeline of Southern India and said that despite the pandemic, Cauvery Calling teams have been able to keep the movement on track for farmers to plant “1 crore 10 lakh saplings” this planting season in the Cauvery river basin.