MUKTI

Our patron, Trudie Styler, has had a year that has seen her hard work both for the environment and as a film producer rewarded.

Since she founded the Rainforest Foundation Fund in 1989 with her husband, Sting, she has remained a passionate and committed advocate for reversing the environmental madness that is destroying the planet and its people. In her own words, Twenty years ago, while on tour with Sting in South America, I found myself in a frighteningly small and ramshackle airplane flying over the stunning green canopy of the Amazonian rainforest. The sheer vastness of the emerald carpet beneath us was hard to comprehend, but flying over it for several hours gave us some understanding of its scale. However, any niggling fears about aircraft safety were overshadowed by something much more disturbing: the sight of huge expanses of charred, smoking wasteland where the forest had been systematically burnt down. Her work has raised over 25 million dollars to help indigenous people protect their environments from ruthless industrialisation. It’s work that protects us all.

On the 18th October this year at the fabulous Pacific Palisades in California this work was recognised for its excellence when she received the prestigious Oceana Partners Award. Oceana is an organisation that works to protect and conserve the world’s oceans and instead of a red carpet for the event an ocean-blue carpet was spread for the celebrities that arrived to see her collect the award that she shared with her endlessly cute husband Sting, and ex-President Bill Clinton.

THEN, just when things looked as if they were quietening down her film Crude was entered into The Sundance Film Festival competition! Crude tells the story of the 12 year legal struggle of 30,000 indigenous people against the oil giant, Chevron. She also has another film on release this year ~ Moon ~ with Kevin Spacey providing voice and directed by Duncan Jones. In the midst of all this we had to contact Trudie about a grant that had got caught up in bureaucratic red tape. There are not many celebrities out there who would have interrupted their schedule at such a high moment of achievement to help out a very small organisation like our own. But Trudie immediately did and the grant is now coming through.

As you know Trudie is also a UNICEF ambassador and has raised over 5 million dollars for UNICEF campaigns, including the End Child Exploitation Campaign.

All of us that are supporters of MUKTI are proud of her achievements, grateful for her commitment to all these causes and delighted that we still have her ever-present support.

Swami Ambikananda co-ordinated the production of MUKTI’s film of Karm Marg and Naz

In November 2005 Swami Ambikananda set off for New Delhi to visit Karm Marg and the Naz Care Home. With her was film-maker Simon Chambers to make a film of the children and projects that MUKTI supports. Simon gave his services for free and for three weeks travelled around Delhi filming street children and the Karm Marg and Naz children — creating a film that will let MUKTI supporters know how their money is being spent and encourage many more people to support the children MUKTI supports.

MUKTI’s DVD film was shown for the first time at a special LAUNCH DINNER on Sunday 25th June 2006. For copies of MUKTI’s DVD about the children’s projects we support please contact us.

SuryaNamaskarathon™ 2008

Sun Salutations 2008

Yogis and Yoginis again come up trumps!

We made nearly £15,000 !!!

Let us assure all our wonderful supporters that ALL the money raised will go to the support of our two orphanages in India: Karm Marg and Naz

Our thanks also to The Westlanders for their music.
They have donated a hundred copies of their CS with the fabulous Sun Salutations number on it and they are available for purchase.

The SuryaNamaskar-athon is MUKTI’s biggest fundraising event. It is where Yogin/is gather to do as many Sun Salutations as they can. Each Yogin/i signs up lots of sponsors to make a donation for each Sun Salutation they do. A unique t-shirt is presented to each Yogin/i to celebrate the day.
If you want to participate in an existing SuryaNamaskarathon — or organise one in your area — please contact MUKTI and we will be happy to help you get started.