Vijay Garg
Human civilization took birth in the lap of nature. Our ancestors lived close to forests, rivers, and mountains. They relied on natural resources and lived by the rhythm of seasons. Needs were limited. Balance was maintained. Humans and nature were allies.
The arrival of agriculture changed this bond. Food security came through farming, but dependence on rainfall and soil remained. With the march of civilization, however, the pace of development quickened. Growth became the new mantra. Nature turned into a storehouse to be plundered.
After independence, India sought rapid progress. Schemes were launched, industries built, roads expanded. But in this race, we ignored the limits of nature. We took more than we returned. What was once respect for balance became greed for more. The result is visible today. Air grows toxic, water sources shrink, soil fertility erodes, and forests disappear.
Science confirms this decline. Oxygen levels weaken. Groundwater falls. Crops face stress. Our attitude has grown careless. Nature has started to warn us. Cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir are examples. Regions once quiet now face devastation because of deforestation, unplanned construction, forest fires, and reckless tourism.
Mountain communities need roads, schools, and hospitals. But their fragile ecology cannot be sacrificed for luxury hotels, hydropower plants, and industrial units built for outsiders. The Kedarnath tragedy of 2013 killed thousands and swept away villages, yet lessons were ignored. Disasters are repeated, and denial continues.
Every calamity pushes the nation back. Floods, earthquakes, famines, cyclones, avalanches, landslides, and pandemics crush lives and infrastructure. What remains common is our failure to respect natural limits. Soil, water, air, and forests are gifts. Today these links of survival are breaking.
The choice is ours. We can recognize the warnings of nature and change our lifestyle, or we can walk further into darkness. Harmony with nature is not an option, it is a necessity. Without it, the reflection of our growth will only be destruction.
(Note:Vijay Garg is a retired Principal from Malout, Punjab)
