The ravaging of the Himalaya

Hiranmay Karlekar, writing in the Pioneer, decries the rape of the Himalayan environment by insensitive tourists and interlopers. The overbuilding and despoilment of the hills has long been an issue, but has become increasingly evident with the expansion of all the hill stations, including Manali, Mussoorie, and Nainital, beyond their carrying capacity in the last twenty years.

Here's a particularly potent passage: "Palatial structures, architectural monstrosities advertising the marriage of wealth and coarseness, and with total disharmony with their environs, mushroom. Mindless over-drawing, by gargantuan housing complexes, hotels and resorts, is causing water scarcity. With trees being felled indiscriminately to enable construction-both in the hills and them plains-the forest cover, already perilously thin, is becoming thinner. Wildlife is increasingly deprived of its habitat."

Karlekar's passage represents a particular strain of romantic literature that harks back to the British era when hill station were sites of elegance and prestige. However the feelings of loss go beyond mere nostalgia, as the beauty of places like Dehradun can be remembered by people who are only reaching their elder years now.

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