Theosophy News Worldwide 4th Quarter 2022

Tim Boyd, President of TS Adyar, briefly addressed the leasing deal with Shiv Nadar Trust at the 147th Adyar Convention, specifically at its opening, see the video excerpt here, he said among other things: that the deal is a

"financial benefit for the TS for many years to come,... first thing that had to be known ... the place [Damodar garden] is dedicated to harmlessness, vegetarian diet ... will be a requirement from our site... respect for the environment, ecologically is a requirement ... respect for the lifeforms that are here is a requirement, dissecting of animals is an impossibility, so these were basic things before we even starting to talk ... [and this] is what this school [Shiv Nadar Trust] met and going beyond in the sense that ecologically speaking its going to be a school that is not only will be carbon neutral ... any tree that is there, any older grown tree will minimally be moved to a new place or will be build around ... we not loosing any of that."

All these are things, we knew already since summer [theosophy.news reported within the Q2.22-issue] either from the TS (via The Theosophist, July 2022, page 41) or from the Shiv Nadar Foundation itself (via Indian Times), except, that in the Theosophist was still the talk about "carbon-positivness" and the "highest LEED-standards" (see Wikipedia for explanation) as follows:

"The school will be constructed to the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) sustainability standard, and will not only be “carbon-neutral” but will actually be “carbon-positive”, creating an environmental benefit by removing carbon dioxide from its environment."

In the further Boyd downplays the topic, as a not necessarily major topic, only an income stream, nothing for which the TS was founded, but he is convinced, that without this income stream, the work of the TS would disappear, what one can see like this, but certainly does not have to see like this.

But now, latest at the beginning of November, it became known, that Mr. Ramadoss from Theos Talk got and later published the contract between TS Adyar and Shiv Nadar Trust, which is in public domain, if you know, where to search, as Mr. Ramadoss stated. Here you can view and download the contract, if you are a member of Theos talk group.

Now is the chance, to take a closer look at the many promises. What of them is really contractually secured?

First, the "vegetarian diet" etc. seems so (Mr. Ramadoss disagrees in this point), even if there is no talk of banning but only of "discourage", one can find:

"9.10 In Consonance with the core values of Lessor, the Lesse shall actively discourage bringing and / or consuming non-vegetarian food items, alcoholic beverages and tobacco based items in the school premises, and would take appropriate and reasonable action against anyone found in violation of this clause."

In India, given the facts and circumstances, anything else would probably quickly end in problems. But what can you find in the contract about the subjects of trees, impossibility of dissecting animals, carbon-positivness or the highest LEED-standards?

Nothing, nothing specific.

And that's quite disappointing, isn't it. Did they just want to see the first wave against this project, which was to be expected with such an intervention in such a place, smoothed with soothing words (more exact: nice promises)?

If you put planning and current conditions in Damodar Garden side by side, as happened in this picture --- which I made from this source, the Shiv Nadar School-YouTube-Channel, which contains, among other things, a look into the future and shows the planning --- you can see that relatively many of the trees will not survive this impact, even, if the Banyan-Tree is in the planning.

And now your opinion is needed, what do you think: Will they stick to the warm words and nice promises that have been uttered, or will they ultimately only fulfill what is written in the contract?