Visit to Dharmshala in last Week of November, 2007
Situated at the top of lower Himalayas; barren peaks with clouds clinging on them; cascades of rivulets; amidst sparsely distributed sub-tropical vegetation and criss-crossed by narrowly-winding roads is Dharmshala- the epicenter of the Tibetan Movement and the Administrative focal point of the Tibetan Government-in-exile.
It is intimately associated with the non-violent and peaceful movement of the Tibetans, within the realm of Mysticism of Tibetan Buddhism, to liberate their homeland from the atrocities and clutches of the Chinese Authority. Dharmasala, therefore, epitomizes the ultimate yearning for spirituality, freedom and democracy.
Basically, it is a hill-resort where people from large urban centers and metropolis like Delhi, Chandigarh, etc. throng round the year to unwind themselves from the drudgeries of city-life. The place, naturally, holds a special as well as mysterious place for many a people- Tibetans, Indians and foreigners, including Chinese.
Dharmsala is one of the very few properly maintained and nicely managed tourist centers in India as far as its spirituality, tourism infrastructure, town planning and ecological consciousness are concerned. The tourists’ arrival has increased manifold over the years. It has, no doubt, positively impacted the local socio-economic condition; but it has brought along ecological degradation as well. Tourism related occupations are mushrooming and flourishing, ensuring enough livelihoods to local Kangri community of Himachal, besides the Tibetan Refugees of course. Tourist lodges, hotels, small shops selling locally made handicrafts, tour-operators and the like are aplenty.
As a result, natural vegetation is being progressively replaced by human-made jungle of concretes, which necessitates excavation of fragile hill-slopes. This disturbs the equilibrium and the stability of the soil, thus enhancing the landslips, siltation of water-bodies/reservoirs down-streams, so on. In addition, various non-bio-degradable accessories like poly-bags, water- and cold-drinks bottles add to the ever-growing waste/garbage of the place. This gives a hill of task to city municipal department. In nutshell, the environment of Dharmsala is deteriorating.
On the other hand, the local inhabitants are environmentally conscious. Thus, recycled items, hand-made reusable and bio-degradable products are in vogue. Some NGOs dedicated to creating and spreading awareness among masses about the deleterious consequences of polybag-use, and benefits of recycled and reusable stuffs are striving to save the natural environment or, at least, minimize the impacts of excessive human interference in the ecological balance of the area.
It is intimately associated with the non-violent and peaceful movement of the Tibetans, within the realm of Mysticism of Tibetan Buddhism, to liberate their homeland from the atrocities and clutches of the Chinese Authority. Dharmasala, therefore, epitomizes the ultimate yearning for spirituality, freedom and democracy.
Basically, it is a hill-resort where people from large urban centers and metropolis like Delhi, Chandigarh, etc. throng round the year to unwind themselves from the drudgeries of city-life. The place, naturally, holds a special as well as mysterious place for many a people- Tibetans, Indians and foreigners, including Chinese.
Dharmsala is one of the very few properly maintained and nicely managed tourist centers in India as far as its spirituality, tourism infrastructure, town planning and ecological consciousness are concerned. The tourists’ arrival has increased manifold over the years. It has, no doubt, positively impacted the local socio-economic condition; but it has brought along ecological degradation as well. Tourism related occupations are mushrooming and flourishing, ensuring enough livelihoods to local Kangri community of Himachal, besides the Tibetan Refugees of course. Tourist lodges, hotels, small shops selling locally made handicrafts, tour-operators and the like are aplenty.
As a result, natural vegetation is being progressively replaced by human-made jungle of concretes, which necessitates excavation of fragile hill-slopes. This disturbs the equilibrium and the stability of the soil, thus enhancing the landslips, siltation of water-bodies/reservoirs down-streams, so on. In addition, various non-bio-degradable accessories like poly-bags, water- and cold-drinks bottles add to the ever-growing waste/garbage of the place. This gives a hill of task to city municipal department. In nutshell, the environment of Dharmsala is deteriorating.
On the other hand, the local inhabitants are environmentally conscious. Thus, recycled items, hand-made reusable and bio-degradable products are in vogue. Some NGOs dedicated to creating and spreading awareness among masses about the deleterious consequences of polybag-use, and benefits of recycled and reusable stuffs are striving to save the natural environment or, at least, minimize the impacts of excessive human interference in the ecological balance of the area.
posted by Nyal Lee | 7:39 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home