- The very mention of the Himalayas renders us filled with exhilaration, euphoria, amazement, disbelief, a scary sense of excitement, and a transcendental feeling coursing through our veins toward awe-inspiring heights. It’s simply inexplicable. The Himalayas hold a special place for Indian citizens, and the majority consider the mountains to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The legends surrounding the mammoth, snow-covered mountains are numerous, only adding to the innumerable tales and fables depicting the Lord’s abode as the holiest place in the Hindu pantheon. Apart from numerous legends, the Himalayan stretch also provides a natural boundary largely composed of inaccessible terrain along the stretch, presenting a security shield from adventurous adversaries.
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- Since time immemorial, human beings have proven their enterprising abilities to cross the limits and usher in hitherto unimaginable achievements. No wonder humankind never feels satiated despite unimaginable developments perpetually unfolding. Note that humankind is always found to be endowed with adventurous streaks and inclined to explore and traverse uncharted territories. Even if it entails pushing boundaries to conquer some of Mother Nature’s mesmerizing wonders. Recall how seventy years ago, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the official ascent of Mount Everest. Understandably, it was heralded as a great human achievement by the entire world. I have no doubts whatsoever about it.
- Reaching the 29,000-foot peak took extraordinary tenacity and teamwork. The following decades would see more men and women likewise overcome the inordinate altitude and physiological barriers to becoming heroes or heroines. But that collective sheen began to wear away in the nineties as commercial expeditions took off. Indeed, images of traffic jams and garbage mountains that have gone viral in recent years worry the larger public that mountaineering, once an ode to the glory of the Everest region, is now an ecological threat. The Hillary sentiment that it’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves is as valid today as it was in 1953. Why should humans feel the pull of one of the planet’s greatest physical and mental challenges, any less today?
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- The more profound challenge, though, is to preserve this imposing landscape for future generations. Climate change is the unpredictable X factor, but being kinder to the Himalayas is a choice humans can make. For Nepal, which is celebrating the Hillary-Norgay achievement on a scale where people’s lives and opportunities have been dramatically transformed as a result of that ascent, the recalibration will not be easy, but it is necessary. The Himalayas are reeling under over-commercialization and overcrowding, not to mention the heaps of waste along the stretch. If the romance of the great mountains is to endure for tourists, they must do their part too by showing responsibility to not harm the fragile ecosystem. I hope better sense prevails where it matters most.
