Wish we went later: Sadhguru on tragic timing of missing Isha Foundation pilgrims

Sadhguru said his Kailash pilgrimage group was at Gyirong immigration centre when the flash flood hit. With 77 Isha Foundation pilgrims still unaccounted for, rescue efforts remain urgent amid severed links.Sadhguru had wanted to travel to Gyirong, described as the ground zero of the disaster, to assist with the situation but did not receive the necessary approval, Gambhiri said.Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has recalled how his Kailash pilgrimage group’s strict habit of reaching the Tibet-Nepal border immigration centre first left him wishing they had been less disciplined, as a massive flash flood struck the area and 77 pilgrims from the Isha Foundation remain unaccounted for.Speaking at the special solidarity event In Solidarity with Nepal in Kathmandu, Sadhguru said his group leader Praveen, who has been associated with him for more than two decades, called to say that everyone had reported at the immigration centre at 9:05 am.The group had deliberately reached the centre early because of the “chaos and confusion” at the Tibet-Nepal border. Sadhguru said arriving even slightly later could mean waiting for hours to complete immigration.“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. As the first images of the flood emerged, Sadhguru said the scale of the water and debris appeared to be around 40 feet.He said the fact that his people were inside the immigration centre was initially reassuring, even as he understood that the building could be flooded. “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, there has been no update on the whereabouts of 77 pilgrims from the Isha Foundation for the last two days, according to the group's coordinator.77 PILGRIMS REMAIN UNACCOUNTED FORMaa Gambhiri, a coordinator at the group, told PTI on Friday that there had been no information about the 77 missing pilgrims since the disaster.“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, led by the Isha Foundation, had remained out of contact after the massive flash flood struck areas near the China-Nepal border.Gambhiri said the group had participants from 19 nationalities and that the organisation had contacted embassies in India, China and Nepal to seek assistance.She said the foundation had also approached various offices and ministries in India and Nepal for information and help.Sadhguru had wanted to travel to Gyirong, described as the ground zero of the disaster, to assist with the situation but did not receive the necessary approval, Gambhiri said.THE IMMIGRATION CENTRE WAS HIT BY THE FLOODIn a message posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Sadhguru had said one of his Kailash pilgrimage groups was returning towards Nepal when it was caught in the flash flood.The group was at the immigration office in Gyirong when the flood struck, with the building and much of the town reportedly inundated.Sadhguru said three volunteers were also stuck in Timure, on the Nepal side.Recalling the area, he said the same building where the group had completed immigration just a week earlier was later washed away.“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 full extent of the disaster was still unclear because communication had been disrupted.“We still don't know the other numbers. All communication is down, so we have no way,” Sadhguru said.PILGRIMS FROM 19 NATIONALITIESThe missing pilgrims come from several countries.The group includes 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 multiple Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages each season. Groups travel from Kathmandu through Nepal to Tibet, with trekking on foot forming part of the pilgrimage.The current group was returning towards Nepal when the flash flood struck the border region.ROADS, COMMUNICATIONS CUT OFFSadhguru said he had attempted to travel personally to the disaster zone but was unable to reach Gyirong as roads were blocked and telecommunications had gone down.“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.Sadhguru said his team was working with the Indian and Chinese embassies to explore ways of reaching the affected area and assisting with rescue efforts. He also said the American embassy was working on the matter.“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 speaks of Nepal’s repeated disastersSadhguru, who has had a long association with Nepal, also spoke about the wider impact of the disaster and the tendency to search for a divine explanation after such tragedies.“In the last 20 years, Nepal has become and has taken a significant geography of my heart,” he said.He said that while people often try to find reasons or mystical explanations for disasters, physical events are 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 said Nepal had endured a series of disasters and setbacks over 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.FLOOD TRIGGERED BY GLACIER COLLAPSEThe massive flood occurred in the Lhende Khola after a glacier collapse around 20 km northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border point on the Nepal-China border.The flood entered the Bhote Koshi river from the Tibet side and flowed through Rasuwagadhi, Timure and Syaphru Besi before entering the Trishuli river.The disaster has created a critical emergency in areas along the Trishuli river across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts.Preliminary estimates suggest heavy loss of life and property at several locations along the riverbanks.According to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 165 bodies have been recovered from flood-affected areas so far, with identification under way.Forty-four Nepal Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel working in the affected area and various police posts have also been reported missing.Preliminary data from the Nepal Tourism Board puts the number of missing travellers from the affected area at 579, including 466 foreign nationals and 113 Nepalis.A total of 123 people have been rescued by air from Timure in Rasuwa, including 94 Nepalis and 29 foreign nationals.Nepal Army and private-sector helicopters have been mobilised to intensify search and rescue operations in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.Temporary shelters, food, clean water and medicines have been arranged for flood victims at nearby Nepal Army barracks.The NDRRMA has listed the immediate rescue and treatment of the injured, search for missing people, security and relief distribution, and detailed damage assessment among its top priorities.Authorities are also working to restore blocked roads, bridges, hydropower facilities, communication networks and water supply systems, while displaced families are being moved to safer locations.- EndsPublished By: Sonali VermaPublished On: Aug 30, 2026 20:44 IST