The Himalayan hill station was alluring. The serene spots seduced from the sites online. The holiday offers were quite inviting. The weather, on the charts at least, was welcoming. Indeed heaven on earth was beckoning. In contrast, grimy, hot Chennai was at its repulsive best. A travel nut like me needed no greater excuse to hit the heights.
When I returned ten days later, on 15 June, Chennai mocked at me with its heat wave. And whole of last week, it had its revenge on renegades-on-return like me by upping the temperature a degree or fraction every day. But even as I reeled under the summer relapse, I counted my blessings instead of cursing. For had I stayed a bit longer in the hills, as my tour operator suggested, I would now be scouring the skies for a copter, that is, assuming I was on terra firma, not under. I am keeping the place of my visit a secret. In any case, it probably does not exist now!
But here is a reality check. The alluring Himalayan hill was actually all chaos. The serene surroundings on screen had by some subtle Photoshop sleight of hand left out the tons of garbage and plastic littered all over the place. The holiday package had no hint of the haywire traffic that brought to naught the best-laid plans of even the most diligent traveller. The weather report showed all signs of being tampered by a T20 bookie. Hell had taken the mask of heaven to entice the tourist and the devout alike. And even a zealous one like me was tempted to jump off the heights, come what may. This is the sordid story of all of Himalayas, nay, of all the so called exotic locales across India.
The Himalayan belt is a very sensitive eco system. Even a slight vibration or shift in land mass can cause momentous upheavals in the mountain ranges. But sadly, it is these once-virgin lands that have also been the greatest victims of the gravest gang rape by rampaging humanity. Perhaps it is its beauty and chastity that also makes it the most desired conquest. From the adventurist mountain climbers of the higher reaches to the sight-seers who throng the plateaus, all have left deep scars on the face of the hills. Thanks to modern technology, the treacherous terrain has also become more accessible and drive-friendly. Indeed, the curse of the yak and the mule, which had all lost out to the Qualises and Sumos, was bound to materialise.
It is with a pang of guilt and risk of self-implication that I say that it is tourists and pilgrims during the so-called May-June season who have caused this havoc on the hills now. There was no way the Himalayas could take the bumper-to-bumper traffic on its narrow roads for hours without end. It is difficult to tell the much-hailed Himalayan mists from the clouds of exhaust fumes with just eyes; only the nose reveals the truth. All natural rivulets and drain paths have been clogged by tetrapack garbage and tins courtesy ânature loversâ. The hotels and resorts that have sprung up on hillsides and river-views have replaced rocks and trees that held back landslides and even avalanches. Fresh-air seeking holidayers by lakhs have left very little room for nature to breathe. Indeed, no land that is touched and trod by human feet can be safe. It had no choice but to expand its chest to expel the prickly mortals pins from its bruised bosom.
It is easy to blame regulations and authorities for the catastrophe. But I can tell you as a personal witness that no amount of official vigilance or relief operations can fully address the destruction unleashed by human greed and zeal. So the cascading effect was bound to be disastrous. If the rivers in the plains are running amok it is because of those of us from the plains who had gone up there and disturbed the natural sluice gates and their flow downhill. We are drowning in a wholly self-inflicted deluge. That nature also decided to break new records this time did not cause but only catalysed the calamity.
It appears, Ganga and our âholyâ rivers have their own way of washing away âourâ sins. Even if it entails washing us and all our intruding apparatus away, too. Who can argue with a nature revelling on revenge mode and mood?
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