Sadhguru: Following recent inflammatory statements by some Bangladeshi leaders about India’s northeast, the spiritual leader Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev) has raised concerns about the strategic vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor, commonly known as the Chicken’s Neck.
Siliguri Corridor: A Strategic Lifeline
The Siliguri Corridor is a very narrow strip of land in northern West Bengal, at its narrowest point only 22 kilometers, that connects India’s seven northeastern states with the rest of the country. Sadhguru referred to it as a 78-year-old anomaly resulting from Bharat’s Partition in 1947, which should have been corrected during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Sadhguru’s Perspective: Feed the Chicken, Make It Elephant
Using a striking metaphor, Sadhguru said India must “nourish this chicken so that it evolves into an elephant,” emphasizing that a nation cannot remain strategically fragile. He highlighted that though India was aware of the corridor’s vulnerability, critical corrective action was missed after 1971, leaving the corridor exposed. He also stressed that addressing such strategic anomalies requires long-term vision, decisive action, and acceptance of economic, political, and diplomatic costs.
Sadhguru’s Solution: Strengthening the Siliguri Corridor to Secure India’s Northeast
Spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev (Sadhguru) expressed his concern regarding the statements of some Bangladeshi leaders that have been interpreted as anti-India, especially in India’s northeastern region. Such statements can lead to an escalation of tensions and can expose India to risks in its strategically sensitive areas, like the Siliguri Corridor, which is a narrow land strip linking the northeast to the rest of India. Sadhguru suggests a figurative remedy: “Feed the chicken, make it an elephant.” In other words, India should fortify and deeply commit to its border areas by enhancing the security, infrastructure, and connectivity of regions like the Siliguri Corridor, which will then become strong, self, sufficient, and less susceptible to being influenced by the external forces.
