Pujya Swamiji met with His Excellency the Former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalamji recently to discuss the service initiatives undertaken by Ganga Action Parivar in Uttarakhand and other states of Northern India to clean and protect the waters of Mother Ganga and Her tributaries for the approximately 500 million Indians who depend upon this water for their very lives and livelihoods.
Pujya Swamiji shared with Dr. Kalamji, “every day, one billion litres of toxic chemicals pour into the Ganga River due to industry and agriculture. Because of this, our beautiful natural resources are decaying and far too many people are sickening and dying. This is why when we chant, ‘Jai Jai Gange,’ we encourage people to also say, ‘Jaivik Gange,’ so that our Natural River and those who depend on Her are protected through the planting of trees and practices including organic farming. We are working to inspire people not only to chant ‘Har Har Gange’ but also to serve together for Herbal Gange with Har Bal Gange, bringing together everyone’s Bal (strength and power) to protect and preserve Mother Ganga and Her tributaries.”
Pujya Swamiji also shared with Dr. Kalamji about the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), which He co-founded. GIWA was launched recently at UNICEF headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly Meetings in New York to bring together the power of our world’s faiths to ensure even the most marginalized people have access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Every day, some 1,600 children die mostly preventable deaths due to deplorable WASH conditions. Tragically, India leads the world in the number of children under the age of five who die every year.
Pujya Swamiji said, “we can no longer sit idly in our prayer rooms while children are dying painful and preventable deaths due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That is why the faiths are joining forces to ensure everyone has access to clean water and proper sanitation and hygiene. In light of our nation’s growing population and the rapid degradation of our natural resources, the need couldn’t be greater than it is right now.”
Ganga Action Parivar, GIWA and other partners are working together to ensure sustainable disaster risk reduction and green rebuilding in the disaster-torn Himalayas, under the umbrella of Project Hope, which was founded by Pujya Swamiji in the aftermath of the 2004 South Indian Tsunami.
Among the plans being carried forth by Project Hope is the promotion of the planting of trees and organic farming in the area, in order to improve economic growth, stem landslide-inducing soil erosion and protect fragile natural resources, such as the Ganga River, from toxic agricultural run-off.
Dr. Abdul Kalamji was deeply encouraged by Pujya Swamiji’s sustainable action plans and stated his full support to spread its messages to the masses, especially to the youth of India, beginning in the Himalayas.
Pujya Swamiji presented Dr. Kalamji with a sapling of the sacred rudraksh tree as a symbol of the efforts to bring new, green life, green energy and green development to Uttarakhand and all of India.
