A short planning meeting took place on the auspicious occasion Ganga Dussehra (Gangaji’s Birthday) bringing together tree experts and Ganga Action Parivar members, with the blessings of Pujya Swamiji, to chart out the plans for this year’s monsoon plantations. In light of the recent devastation, loss of lives, damages to property and loss of precious top soil as a direct result of massive deforestation of the Himalayan mountains, the planning was to have a special emphasis on restoring the Upper Ganga Region.
Experts discussed about how these plantations could help sustain livelihoods and Greenman, Shri Vijaypal Baghelji, Founder of Himalaya Vahini and an advocate of the ‘Save the Sparrow’ movement, explained that bird tourism and other innovative ideas of eco-tourism could help check male migration and reconnect people to their natural environment. They discussed the necessity of spreading the green message to key cities along the banks of Mother Ganga and Mother Yamuna such as Delhi, Lucknow, Haridwar, Allahabad and many others where the team would motivate and inspire citizens to take up greening drives and take simple actions to began to live in harmony with Mother Nature.
Later that evening, Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Shankaracharya Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji come together in a special Ganga Aarti offering sacred chants of peace to the waters of Mother Ganga, to the affected villagers in these regions and the pilgrims who were still stranded in these regions due to road closures.
Pujya Swamiji said, “On Ganga’s birthday She is giving us an ultimatum: care for me, care for my mountains, my trees and my tributaries and I will bring you life and liberation. Deforest my mountainsides, pollute the air such that the warmth melts the glaciers, build dams to divert me, and you will reap the consequences….” It is such an important message Mother Ganga is giving us: Nature is not ours to objectify, use and abuse. Mother Nature brings life when we treat Her with respect, care and love. But nature neglected and abused wrecks Her own havoc….. By Her grace, I believe She is giving us another chance. Let us take the message to heart and change our ways so that Mother Nature, Mother Ganga and all our brothers and sisters upon Her banks may live safe, healthy and nurtured lives. Let us come together as one world family to assist with rescue efforts and provide much needed relief that for the pilgrims and affected villagers…”
Pujya Shankaracharyaji and his team, who had just come back from their Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, with plans to go up to Gangotri ended up having to stay back in Rishikesh due to severe road damage and closures in route up to the origins of Mother Ganga. He explained that it was a Mother Ganga’s Grace that on the auspicious occasion of Gangaji’s Birthday we all witness this unusual ‘rudra roop’ (form) of the Divine Mother and get the opportunity to reflect upon what went wrong and what we can do differently. He agreed with Pujya Swamiji that the time has come and that it has never been as apparent as now that we must rethink and re-plan our modes of development and progress to be in harmony with Mother Nature. He also pledged his unconditional support for Parmarth’s and Ganga Action Parivar’s efforts to serve for a greener and more sustainable future for us all.
