08 Sep 2011|Noida | Amity University Campus, Sector-125 Noida
"Conservation of the Himalayas will contribute to the security of the Nation” avers Mr. Sunderlal Bahuguna, Environmentalist during the Himalayan Day Celebration at Amity
“The Himalayas since ancient history have been the soul of India reflecting virtues of cultural, ethnic ecological and economic values yet its importance has always been underestimated. At present the growing selfish interests of man have reduced them to mere destroyers of environment. Survival is going to get more and more difficult in future due to constant decrease in Oxygen and at the same time recurring increase in Carbon Dioxide. The waves of industrialization and urbanization have visibly proven injurious to the ecological balance and environment in terms of the mounting paucity of water and oxygen”, said Padma Vibhushan Mr. Sunderlal Bahuguna, Environmentalist during the celebration of ‘Himalayan Day’ by Amity Centre for International Mountain Development in collaboration with Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO) at Amity University Campus, Sector – 125, Noida. The Himalayan Day was celebrated to raise awareness about conserving and protecting the Himalyas as well as further strengthen the commitment of overall development of country’s resources.
Mr. Bahuguna who was accompanied by his wife added, “Himalayas, at present, have become highly vulnerable to three major threats of ecology, economy and ideology therefore, this alarming situation calls for dedicated efforts from the entire Nation to conserve Himalayas strengthen themselves so that they can take care of their native people. Conservation of the Himalayas will enhance National security. People from all across the country as well as all walks of life need to realize the importance of the issue and make a concerted move to help the native dwellers of Himalayas develop faith in their land and its resources. There is great need to strengthen the relation between Himalayan and Non Himalayan communities to jointly improve the degenerating condition of the Himalyas along with its rich natural resources in order to conserve the livelihood of our children and childrens children”.
Sharing his valuable thoughts during the celebration Dr. Anil Joshi, Founder, HESCO said “The disturbance in the Himalayas is not a concern for the Himalayan communities alone, it rather is a question of the security of livelihood which involves all the parts of the country that reap multiple benefits from it. The responsibility of conserving the richness and resourcefulness of the Himalayas needs to be shouldered by every citizen of the country. The clarion call is to develop strong collateral relations between mountain and non mountain regions to negate the threats posed to natural resources, water and oxygen.”
Dr. Joshi while apprising the participants with the various ways and means of sustaining ecological balance suggested “Apart from the indicator of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which reflects the progress of only 15% of the population of the country, there needs to be a collective indicator of Gross Environment Product (GEP) which will reflect how much conservation of natural resources has been done by the country annually”. He called upon the Amity family to work on becoming a green university and conduct a strategic study on ‘how to survive’ that will impart important lessons to the generations ahead.
Announcing the ‘Amity Himalayan Declaration -2011’ during the day long celebration of the ‘Himalayan Day’ Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Group stressed “Amity recognizes the need for conserving the Himalayas as it is a matter of national importance and concern. Amity stands poised to involve itself for this cause with full commitment. All the students in Amity will be encouraged to clean and green the Himalayas in various ways whenever opportunities arise.”
The grand celebration of Himalayan Day saw the enthusiastic participation of over eighty students from the various institutions of Amity along with their Heads of Institutions as well as faculty members.
The other attractions of the celebration included At the Melting Point (By CNN-IBN) - a film on Himalayas, on Mountains and related areas, informative deliberations on activities relating to Himalayas by experts, an interactive session between the speakers and participants etc.