Where are you Sadhguru? SA mom of daughter missing in Nepal flood asks spiritual head

Sadhguru, where are you?

That is the question from Linda Govender, mother of missing South African Terricia Govender, to the head of the spiritual group that hosted pilgrims reported missing after a flash flood struck the Bhote Koshi River area in Rasuwa, Nepal, at about 8.30am on August 26.

Govender, from Isipingo Beach in KwaZulu-Natal, was with about 75 other devotees from across the world including the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany and France, on the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.

It is described as an intensive 13 to 14-day international pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar via Tibet and Nepal.

The group was at the Gyirong immigration centre at the border after the trip to Mount Kailash when massive landslides and flash floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border.

Dramatic footage shows a torrent of water hitting the mountainous region, submerging villages and wiping out bridges, roads and buildings.

The disaster has killed more than 1,300 people across Nepal while thousands remain unaccounted for as rescue operations continue.

Two Ladysmith couples — Surendranath Maharaj, 74, and his wife, Anitha Devi Maharaj, 67, and Vivaganathan Pillay, 66, and Janet Pillay, 56 — are also missing. Bavika Ramjee, 43, from KuGompo City in the Eastern Cape, who was travelling with Kailash Journeys, is the sixth person missing.

The tragedy struck days after Govender embarked on the pilgrimage to celebrate her 33rd birthday. A video of her joy at being blessed by her mentor Sadhguru on the special occasion was posted on the organisation’s Facebook page days before the disaster.

Frustrated with a lack of news about search efforts for her daughter and others in her group, and tired of feeling helpless, Linda left for Nepal last week with her brother and her daughter’s friend in search of answers.

Since then the trio, wearing T-shirts bearing Govender’s face and information about her in Devanagari (the script in Nepal), have braved the weather, muddy conditions and damaged infrastructure in search of her.

“As we move from one campsite to another, visit hospitals and speak to people along the way, it makes communication so much easier. People immediately understand what we are doing and why we are here.

”The kindness and willingness to help from the local people has been incredible. Everyone we meet has been so helpful, and every conversation, every direction and every little piece of information could make a difference.

“We are going further, asking questions, checking places and leaving no stone unturned. We are here for Terricia. We will keep going. We will keep searching.”

But on Monday, Linda expressed her disappointment in the absence of her daughter’s spiritual mentor, Sadhguru or the Isha Foundation, on the ground.

“While you continue with your public appearances, your promotions and your normal activities, I am here in Nepal searching for my daughter, Terricia. I am travelling from village to village. I am going along the river. I am speaking to people. I am looking for information. I am doing the work that a mother will do when her child is missing.

“And I have to ask you directly: where are you? Where is the urgency? Where is the visible support for the missing? Where is the support for the families who are living every minute not knowing where their loved ones are? People trusted you. All 77 families are devastated. They trusted the Isha Foundation. They travelled believing they were in the hands of an organisation they could trust. And now families are left asking questions that deserve answers.”

Linda said the organisation’s focus seemed to be only on promoting their interests and not directed at families desperately searching for their loved one.

“Because while your organisation can continue promoting Sadhguru, I cannot simply switch off my life and carry on as normal.

“I am a mother. My daughter is missing. My entire world is focused on finding Terricia. I don’t need another photograph. I don’t need another inspirational quote. I don’t need another message telling us to have faith. I need action.

“If your organisation has resources, people, influence and connections, then use them. If there are things that can be done to help the search, do them. If there are questions about what happened, answer them.

”Don’t presume the worst, I am a mum, I have prayers and hope. If families need support, stand beside them. Do not leave mothers like me to walk these villages and search these rivers while the organisation continues as though nothing has happened.”

I will continue asking questions. I will continue speaking for the missing. And I will continue demanding that the families are not forgotten, because I am not fighting for publicity. I am fighting for my daughter. And until Terricia is found, I will not be silent.

—  Linda Govender, mother of Terricia Govender

She challenged Sadhguru and his organisation to be accountable and stand up for the values they espoused.

“Please don’t tell us to be strong while we are being left to carry this burden alone. You have built an organisation around trust.

“Now is the time to show families what that trust actually means. I am not going anywhere. I will continue searching for Terricia.

“I will continue asking questions. I will continue speaking for the missing. And I will continue demanding that the families are not forgotten, because I am not fighting for publicity. I am fighting for my daughter. And until Terricia is found, I will not be silent.”

The appeal by the mother of three daughters who has maintained she has faith in Terricia’s fighting spirit, comes two days after Chandika Shrestha, 64, a resident of Betrawati in Bidur Municipality-10, was rescued by Nepali search and rescue teams 10 days after she and four other relatives went missing when the tragedy struck their home.

Rescue officials said the floods had shifted the entire house nearly 100 metres uphill.

“Three and a half storeys were completely buried, and the fourth storey was half submerged in mud,” Armed Police Forces Inspector Suman BK said. “Our team had to crawl through the smashed window into suffocating slush to find her,” he told media.

Meanwhile Durban humanitarian Sulosh Pillay, who narrowly missed the disaster having travelled to the site two days earlier and who returned to South Africa last week, agrees more should be done to support the families.

“The families have already endured the unimaginable. They should not also have to endure silence. As spiritual communities, we speak so often of compassion, seva and the oneness of humanity. This is one of those moments when those values must become a living reality.

“Please, Sadhguru help open a meaningful channel of communication with these families. Help them find the answers they are seeking. Help them find closure. Mother Linda Govender’s journey to Nepal in search of her beloved daughter, Terricia Govender, is a powerful reminder that behind every name is a mother, a father, a child, a sibling, a family and a lifetime of love, memories and dreams. Their questions deserve answers. And their loved ones deserve to be remembered and honoured with dignity.”

She said she supported Linda.

“I join this appeal not from a place of blame, but from a place of humanity, compassion and prayer. I sincerely appeal to the Isha Foundation not to remain silent at this critical juncture, but to extend its hand towards these families and stand with them as they navigate the most painful chapter of their lives.”

She asked the Isha Foundation to provide resources and support.

“Sometimes closure does not take away the pain but knowing that every avenue was explored, every question was asked, and every possible effort was made can help a grieving heart begin to heal. Let seva become action. Let these families know that they are not alone. You can do this!” Pillay said on social media.

The Isha Foundation didn’t immediately respond to queries. This article will be updated to include their response if received.