Nivesh Chandra

Born around the wilderness in the foothills of the Himalayas, I have always had a sense of curiosity and yearning for nature. As clichéd as it may sound I yet can't be unawed by the beauty of nature and especially the hills and the mountains. It is not natural though or it should not be because I have always been a mountain child. Growing up in Nainital I didnt really realize what all this around me meant until I had to move out for college. Delhi as culturally rich as it may be didn't have that serenity about it. And that is when my love for hills struck me and this time with double the passion. I still live in Nainital but not a single day goes by when I dont appreciate its beauty, when I dont stop to catch sight of the magnificence of God's creativity. But having said that there is one small thing I want to get across to everyone who has stumbled upon this and who actually cared to read this section. The summers of 2019 have been one the hottest summers yet much like many other towns and cities of the country and the influx of the tourists continues to aggravate to the already dire situations that we face. The government tries to do its best to channel everything into the right direction and we all know how this thing goes. So before it gets too late, lets take some onus on our own acts and deeds. Lets just speak to the people around us and inform the lesser informed of the consequences. 15 years ago, around this time of the year I still remeber going to the school with pullovers on, sleeping with blankets over us and how speaking of the wind fans would be met with laughter. But today fans are a reality, blankets are tucked away in their covers and all we are left of with are the memories of those glorious summers that the hills and mountains of kumaon were once associated with. Let us all take pride in what our ancestors built for us and preserve it for the future generations so that they feel the same. Let us all be the one true travellers and love the places we visit as natives and not just as tourists.