Travel Responsibly...

I just urge everybody to wherever and whenever they travel, travel responsibly. Please read and gain some knowledge about the place; its history, culture, tradition, language, and people. We shouldn't try to offend these things in anyways. People may be too simple, sensitive and emotional somewhere while they may be completely opposite somewhere else.
A trend has emerged recently of overcrowding places of great religious and spiritual significance like Chardham Yatra, without having any sensitivity of fragile Himalayan environment and ecosystem. This overcrowding has attracted government and businesses alike, in a big way. They see money here. 
Recent laser lighting show on the sacred walls of Baba Kedar Dham reminds us that they just don't care. They want to attract even more crowd, and make it a tourist place at 3600 meters above their policy making rooms. And when some calamity happens, it’s all because of Mother Nature. Mother punishing its child really? Or have Mother left with any other choice? 
A complete destruction of Nature means extinction of humans and we are headed for that or so called shrewd businesses in the disguise of Politicians and Policy makers want to make it happen very soon, because these immortal fools want this world so badly and desperately, that when it soon becomes like Mars, they will grow some trees.
To mint more money, All Weather Chardham Road construction is in full swing, only time will tell, whether it proves to be a all or no weather. Why they are so eager to make it all weather when the doors of these shrines are closed for six months? 
Widening to the extent of, 10 meters as proposed, will cause enormous destruction of Himalayas. Millions of trees will fall, hills will be blasted and already unstable slopes will become completely shaky and unsafe, so much muck gets disposed off to the below flowing Bhagirathi and its tributaries. It means complete disregard for mountain we call Himalaya, The Devta and its Bhumi, The Devbhoomi. They advertise and sell Uttarakhand always as Devbhoomi, where people come in large numbers to witness this ripped off completely of its divinity by these invaders.
There is a regulation, that to collect toll roads must be of certain width, even in the most mountainous European countries, they are hardly 6 meters wide. So soon we will see Toll Booths set up, collecting huge amount from pilgrims. It also means transporting more and more folks very near to the highly sensitive zones of Himalayas. 
These shrines are all located around 3500 meters above Delhi, where glaciers just start. Few years back Gangotri Glacier used to flow till Bhojbasa, some more years back it was very near to the Gangotri Dham itself.  Now it’s receding at the rate of almost 35 meters/year. So in just 25 years, it left Bhojbasa and shifted to 5 kms towards Gomukh, now even Gomukh has disappeared. I wrote a blog about Gomukh Calling in blog section of this website, just click here to reach there.

What I mean to say here that bringing too many near this highly fragile environment is just not ok. It means risking their lives, damaging Himalaya and inviting a disaster to strike.

So many new Hotels are coming to accommodate the increased traffic, so many trees being cut to make way for these roads and Hotels, increased vehicular movement and thus smoke is badly affecting these glaciers, these tar roads are contributing to the temperature rise in these regions, construction activities have dislodges so much dust in the pristine atmosphere of the Himalayas that sometimes it feels like in plains.  And all these factors have, and are adding to the rapid glacier melting.

This page is getting too long, but needs your reading, thought & suggestions, so I am redirecting you to my blog...