Does the Himalaya Say Something?

 The Natural Disasters are more often Man Made

The Uttarakhand deluge that witnessed massive floods washing away the Rishiganga hydropower project and claimed the lives of 36 and more than 170 still missing was not a natural disaster but a man made one and a catastrophe foretold. Ironically, Raini, the village in Chamoli where this devastating tragedy happened, was the cradle of the Chipko Movement, initiated by the villagers to save trees and protect the environment and preserve its sanctity. The true nature lovers and tree-friends villagers of Chamoli could not save their loved ones this time due to the prolonged apathy of system and government.

Despite various protests by the local villagers to stop the construction no action was taken. The Rishiganga hydroelectric power project had been red-flagged by the ecologically-conscious villagers as an impending disaster. Many experts, geologists and environmentalists had condemned the excessive dam construction and other big infrastructure projects underway in Uttarakhand. The reason stated, the ecological fragility of the Himalayas has been dramatically exacerbated by the climate change, yet the dams, highways and other construction drilling the mountains continue unabated. To make it worse, commercial and residential buildings, hotels and shops are built in riverbeds where they ought not to be.

The increasing human activities and commercialization of the peaceful and serene valleys of Himalayas in the name of tourism and development is one of the most perilous dangers which the vast and revered mountain is grappling with now. The situation has deteriorated with the extractive practices and the intensification of industry in the Himalayan region. The manner in which nature is considered by big capital to be a mere resource for consumption and commodification stands in  sheer contrast to far more sustainable and ecofriendly practices as well the deep care and concern demanded by the mankind in the wake of climate crisis.

In Uttarakhand, the Kedarnath tragedy of 2013 was a wakeup call and marked the urgent need to check deforestation, tunneling, blasting and excavation in the region but as we know theories always contrast with practices and following it the Rishiganga Project has seen allegations of using explosives and blasting the mountain, flouting all the norms and protocols.

“Development plans need to go along with the environment and not against it,” said Anjal Prakash, a professor at the Indian School of Business, he further adds, “Climate change is here and now. It is not something that is going to happen later on,” Development is needed for the upliftment of the impoverished region, but experts opine that such projects should take into account the ecological fragility of the mountains and the unpredictable risks posed by climate change. Furthermore, we cannot deny that simultaneous pursuit of environmental and economic well being must always go hand in hand as well as involve complex calculations. The sustainable development will only be possible when experts’ knowledge, opinion of scientists, critical analysis of environmentalists and most importantly the experiences and observations of the locals are taken into consideration more precisely. As recently the residents of Chamoli have long been discussing the clear dangers of ecological collapse in the Himalayas, perhaps, if we were more open to hearing these locales, and didn’t rule out their concerns and their complex relationships with nature, we might better handle such disasters and get to know how more can be averted in future.

A Thought Provoking Read : Crime Against Animals

There’s no hope of establishing the supremacy of human over the environment, the nature has the power to balance everything and calm all the turbulences havocked by man. Till what time will the argumentative human mind continue to justify every act that is against nature- brutally cutting down trees, flattening the hills, constructing bridges over dry, drain-like rivers and piercing the chest of the Mother Earth by constant mining?

Our duty is to improve, beautify and help blossom Nature’s bounties for the welfare of mankind but we are destroying them to achieve ephemeral, selfish and monetary gains. We must treat nature with all our humility and understand the value of the non-human species and their existence with mutual harmony and symbiosis. It’s vital to acknowledge how a river continues to follow its natural course harming none on the way, how a mountain stands tall adorned with trees, vegetation and snow caps obstructing none and how the lush green, vast plains keep sprawling limiting none. Though the life has its endless complexities, the theory of existence is yet simple and precise: Live and Let Live.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

Where there is a will there is a way, this proverb clearly states its meaning but to know the HOWS of it let’s read this short story of will power and perseverance- India’s top canoeist Kaveri Dhemar was determined to repay her father’s loan so she decided to take up sports. When any sporting talent joins sports to prove his/her mettle, we find nothing uncommon in it but what to say when a small girl of a nondescript village in Sehore district joined sports four years ago to repay a loan of 40,000 her father had taken. India’s top canoeist, Kaveri Dhemar is a fisherman’s daughter and recently won her 13^th Gold Medal in the National Canoe Meet organized in Bhopal by giving spectacular performance. She has been selected for the Olympic qualifier to be organized in Thailand later this year.

Kaveri is not the only example who has proven this phrase; human history has witnessed a plethora of such anecdotes where a strong will anyhow manages to find its way.

A very motivating story on how to nurture a strong will power is an incident in the life of a great scientist, Thomas Edison. When a huge explosion erupted in West Orange, New Jersey on December 10, 1914, ten buildings in his plant which made up half of the site were engulfed in flames. Edison lost the machinery worth millions and  the documents related   to his research of years were burnt to ashes. Later at the scene of the blaze, Edison was quoted at the New York Times as saying, “Although I am 67 years old, I will start all over again tomorrow.” This debilitating incident could not weaken his spirit and will power to stand fearlessly.

Such attitude makes winners and achievers who are born as simple and common people but their ardent desire and firm determination make them one in the crowd of thousands. A strong determination helps develop clarity of vision and galvanizes our senses to stay indomitable and possess resilience.  

 Nobel Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi and his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan is one more quintessential of nurturing will power, who, despite many odds, has single-handedly brought to centre stage the debate on child rights in this country and so far freed over 90,000 children from servitude and managed to rehabilitate, re-integrate and educate them. The list of the stories of conquering the world with strong will power is endless yet people have a tendency to doubt on their skills and capabilities to attain what they aspire for. The reason, often people give up just a few steps away from success and fulfillment of their goals. Often, we start accepting this idea that ‘this is not my cup of tea’, and don’t keep persisting with that one small effort. Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the soul series along with co-author, Mark Victor Hansen approached over 130 different publishers, with their first book, of no avail, they could not succeed as all refused to publish their book. To make it even worse, their agent also abandoned them but they did not give up. The book was finally picked up by a small publisher in Florida, and after they never looked back.

Ever since human existence has begun its journey on this planet the undisputable fact about it has been the same and that says- man is born with unfathomable potential and an incredible ability to fight and gain what he wants. Man harbours an ocean of desires in his heart and a volcano of brilliant ideas in his mind. In addition with, as a human, you have two gifts denied to other species- choice of action and intellect yet most of the people keep continuously dwelling on the non-fulfillment of desires and find themselves amidst toil and strife at any certain phase in life. Lack of motivation and faith in self has been a major deterrent in many individuals seeking the power of strong will. Here, one should never forget that strong will power and persistence always demand discipline, without discipline one can never cultivate determination and will. The winning athletes train for years and persist with a disciplined schedule to achieve the final goal of mastery of a game. No Pains No Gains, it’s always indispensable to put in your honesty and commitment to practice any skill to gain expertise.

Enriching Read: To Succeed in Life, Burn Your Boats

Many people live their lives unaware of their great potentialities. Let us discover those places within and how that untapped power can bring a brighter tomorrow; each one of us has a Kaveri Dhemar, Thomas Edison and Kailash Satyarthi within our core and can fill us with gifts far beyond our wildest imaginations.

A strong will power not only nourishes us physically and mentally, but can propel us from the pull of intimidating uncertainties and catapults us into our world of success and fulfillment.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way.

Perhaps Tomorrow, if not Today.