Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has recalled how his Kailash pilgrimage group’s strict practice of reaching the Tibet-Nepal border immigration centre early made him wish they had been less punctual, as a devastating flash flood hit the area, leaving 77 Isha Foundation pilgrims unaccounted for.
Speaking at the special solidarity event “In Solidarity with Nepal” in Kathmandu, Sadhguru said group leader Praveen, who has worked with him for over 20 years, called to inform him that everyone had reached the immigration centre at 9:05 am.
The group had intentionally arrived early because of the “chaos and confusion” usually seen at the Tibet-Nepal border. Sadhguru said even a small delay could result in hours of waiting to complete immigration formalities.
“So we want to be the first group. So when he reported, I said, ‘Good.’ I only wish we didn't have so much discipline. I wish we had gone there half an hour later, but we went there on time, and this struck,” he said.
When the first images of the flood began emerging, Sadhguru said the water and debris appeared to be roughly 40 feet high.
Initially, he felt reassured knowing that his group was inside the immigration centre, despite understanding that the building itself could be inundated.
“I said, ‘This is okay. Our people are all in the immigration centre, so maybe it will flood the centre, maybe they'll lose their baggage, maybe they'll lose their passports, maybe they'll lose their clothes, I don't care, but they will stay alive,’” Sadhguru recalled.
However, the coordinator of the group said there had been no information about 77 Isha Foundation pilgrims for the past two days.
77 PILGRIMS STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR
Maa Gambhiri, a coordinator with the group, told PTI on Friday that there had still been no information about the 77 missing pilgrims.
“There has been no update on the 77 missing Isha Foundation pilgrims for the last two days. The rescue teams are on the ground but there is still no information yet,” she said.
“There are 77 families waiting desperately for the answers. It is an emotional turmoil for them,” she added.
The 77-member group, travelling under the Isha Foundation, lost contact after the massive flash flood struck the area near the China-Nepal border.
Gambhiri said the pilgrims represented 19 nationalities and that the foundation had reached out to embassies in India, China and Nepal for assistance.
The organisation has also contacted several offices and ministries in both India and Nepal seeking information and support.
According to Gambhiri, Sadhguru had hoped to travel to Gyirong, which she described as the disaster’s ground zero, to help with the situation but was unable to secure the required permission.
FLOOD SWEPT THROUGH IMMIGRATION CENTRE
In a message shared on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Sadhguru said one of his Kailash pilgrimage groups was travelling back towards Nepal when it was caught in the flash flood.
The pilgrims were at the immigration office in Gyirong when the flood struck, reportedly inundating the building and large parts of the town.
Sadhguru also said that three volunteers were stranded in Timure on the Nepalese side.
He recalled that the building where the group had completed immigration formalities just a week earlier was later destroyed by the flood.
“This same building where we were for the immigration just a week ago, that entire building is washed away. And part of that town is washed away,” he said.
He added that the true scale of the disaster remained unknown because communications had been disrupted.
“We still don't know the other numbers. All communication is down, so we have no way,” Sadhguru said.
MISSING PILGRIMS REPRESENT 19 NATIONALITIES
The missing pilgrims belong to several countries.
The group consists of 22 people from the US, 12 from Canada, 11 from Australia, nine from the UK, four from Germany, three each from France and Nepal, two each from the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain, and one each from Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia and South Africa.
The Isha Foundation organises several Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages every season. Pilgrims generally travel from Kathmandu through Nepal into Tibet, with parts of the journey completed on foot.
The affected group was making its way back towards Nepal when the flash flood hit the border region.
ROADS AND COMMUNICATION NETWORKS DISRUPTED
Sadhguru said he had tried to reach the disaster zone himself but was unable to get to Gyirong because roads were blocked and telecommunications had stopped functioning.
“With a profound sense of pain and regret, I wish to bring to your notice that there has been a terrible flash flood between Tibet and Nepal border,” he said.
“Morning I left to go there personally and all phones are off, all telecommunications are down, roads are blocked, we are unable to go there,” he added.
He said his team was coordinating with the Indian and Chinese embassies to determine how they could reach the affected region and contribute to rescue efforts. He added that the US embassy was also involved.
“We are doing everything possible. We are seeking permission through the Indian embassy, the Chinese embassy in India and the American embassy is working on this to see if they can permit me and a group of people to be there and see what we can do,” he said.
SADHGURU REFLECTS ON NEPAL'S SERIES OF DISASTERS
Sadhguru, who has maintained a long association with Nepal, also discussed the broader consequences of the disaster and the human tendency to seek spiritual explanations for tragedies.
“In the last 20 years, Nepal has become and has taken a significant geography of my heart,” he said.
He noted that although people often look for mystical or divine reasons behind disasters, events in the physical world are ultimately governed by physical laws.
“We must understand that for all these things that happen in the physical world, the physical phenomena are ruled by physical laws,” he said.
“It's brutal to say this because everybody would like to find a divine reason for this,” Sadhguru added.
He also pointed to the numerous disasters and setbacks Nepal has faced during the past decade.
“Unfortunately, in the last ten years, there have been a series of hits and blows to the people of Nepal. They have endured it. They have bounced back in many ways,” he said.
GLACIER COLLAPSE TRIGGERED THE FLOOD
The devastating flood began in the Lhende Khola after a glacier collapse around 20 km northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border point along the Nepal-China frontier.
Floodwaters from the Tibet side entered the Bhote Koshi river and moved through Rasuwagadhi, Timure and Syaphru Besi before eventually joining the Trishuli river.
The disaster has created a major emergency along sections of the Trishuli river across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts.
Initial assessments indicate significant loss of life and extensive property damage at multiple locations along the riverbanks.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 165 bodies had been recovered from the affected areas, with identification efforts under way.
The authorities also reported 44 Nepal Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel deployed in the affected region and at various police posts as missing.
Preliminary figures from the Nepal Tourism Board put the number of missing travellers from the disaster zone at 579, including 466 foreign nationals and 113 Nepalis.
A total of 123 people have so far been evacuated by air from Timure in Rasuwa, including 94 Nepalis and 29 foreign nationals.
The Nepal Army, along with private helicopter operators, has been deployed to step up search and rescue operations in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.
Temporary accommodation, food, drinking water and medicines have been arranged for affected residents at nearby Nepal Army barracks.
The NDRRMA has identified the immediate rescue and medical treatment of injured people, locating those still missing, maintaining security, distributing relief and conducting detailed damage assessments as its key priorities.
Authorities are also working to reopen damaged roads and bridges and restore hydropower facilities, telecommunications and water supply networks, while displaced residents are being shifted to safer areas.
