+919990207955

A Small Efforts make Big Changes

Lakkshay believes in accomplishing its missions in small steps rather than unnecessarily taking giant steps. We believe in consistency and appreciation of our small efforts. Every effort needs to have a compounding result. We are fully committed and determined to work for the welfare of the society.
  • Help the Community
  • Raise funds from People
  • Care for Helpless
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Build Great Futures with Great Charity

Our Motto is “a step towards self-reliance”. We are not just helping the poor and destitute with charity grants but also providing them opportunities for Self-Reliance. We are also working extensively in Rural Development, Women Empowerment, Health and Educational domains. Our team members come from different societies and life experiences, and have joined hands together for the welfare of our society as a whole.

A Mission to solve the problem

It takes missions, not solutions to solve today’s problems. We accept the idea that in today’s society, we need pragmatic problem solvers and not ideologues. We provide practical solutions rather than setting out a broad road to follow. We know the problems that our society is facing today and working towards its solutions. We need to build a society which is developed in an ethical humane way.

We are always waiting for helping hands

Join our team now. You’ll find all other members just like you. We all have a common mission and we work together to accomplish it.
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What Our Members Say

We are extremely satisfied by joining Team Lakkshay. Reason of joining this to give some time to society from our hectic schedules to satisfy our soul which is beyond our daily needs. We are full optimistic that Team Lakkshay will achieve its vision of self reliance by its planned activities along with full team support.

Gulshan Bharti,

(DGM Corporate Sourcing -JBM Group)

I am grateful to Dr. LP Sharma for providing us a platform where we can work for society. The hard work and determination of him are well-known to me. I am arduous to work for the welfare of society. I wish all bests to all the members. Together we can.

SK Sharma,

Vice-President (Prantiya Brahman Sabha)

I am happy to be associated with a great NGO like Lakkshay. I am an Educationist and Counselor. I have been managing various schools and girl’s skill centers. I continue to help Lakkshay to accomplish its goals.

Laxman Vashisth,

President - Akhil Bhartiya Brahman Mahasabha (Delhi/NCR)

Dr. L P Sharma is doing a noble act. Happy to help this cause. May his efforts bring cheers to many hearts.

Mr Rajib Jena,

(Ex VP Bajaj Auto Ltd)

I am thankful to Dr. LP Sharma for taking myself as a team member of Lakkshay NGO.
To be honest this is first time I joined any NGO and after attending today’s webinar I found in how many ways we can contribute to the society where we live-in and return to the nature to whom we consume during our whole life and even after our life as well.

Naveen Nanda,

(Professional & Social worker)

We are extremely satisfied by joining Team Lakkshay. Reason of joining this to give some time to society from our hectic schedules to satisfy our soul which is beyond our daily needs. We are full optimistic that Team Lakkshay will achieve its vision of self reliance by its planned activities along with full team support.

Gulshan Bharti,

(DGM Corporate Sourcing -JBM Group)

I am grateful to Dr. LP Sharma for providing us a platform where we can work for society. The hard work and determination of him are well-known to me. I am arduous to work for the welfare of society. I wish all bests to all the members. Together we can.

SK Sharma,

Vice-President (Prantiya Brahman Sabha)

Latest Blogs

When we talk about Indian culture and values, there is something special that make us stand alone from the rest of the world and believe me, it makes us all Indians proud. Here I am talking about our beautiful traditional culture of respecting our elders. Yes this respect, along with love and deep attachment is the core value of our Indian society. This is a land where we touch our elders feet to seek their blessings. We as a kid has always been taught this from our early childhood. Our bond with our elders (especially parents) is always special. As a child, when we grow up, our parents take care of us. They fulfill our needs, & fill our lives with joy and happiness, no matter how much they struggle to give us most comfortable life. And later we grow up and our parents and elders are old we take care of them and pay them back what they did for us in their entire life. It looks like such an amazing cycle of life. So doesn’t it look like a nice fairytale where it all starts with love and ends with love. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes life can be harsh and reality is non-acceptable. There are exceptions that literally breaks my heart. So, If I have to ask, do all our parents and elders get the same exact love and respect in their old age which they immensely poured on us their whole life? The answer is no. There are many people who suffer a lot in the old age. They are disrespected, not taken care of and are denied by their children. There are incidents where the children are competent enough to take care of parents but they still deny. Here I want to list few points which I observed meeting & talking to people living in an Old Age Home. These points indicate the reasons that lead to abuses happened to them and they are forced to live in an old age home. A well educated and working professional daughter brought her mother to the ashram and told that I’ll be back in a week as I have to move to other town for office work & there’s nobody to take care of my mom. But even after the week the daughter never came back. Somehow the ashram team contacted the daughter but she refused to take her mother back as she doesn’t want to take her responsibility. This is a case where the old man needed extra care. This person is suffering from life threatening disease. He only knows that he was left by his son in a govt. hospital and never came back. There I found a woman who was a widow. Earlier she was having a great life with her both sons living together. But after demise of her husband, both of her sons had a dispute over property where the property was forcefully taken from her and she was thrown out of the house. These are just the few cases which I can quote, but every person living there, had their own sad story. Now let me tell you, why I went there. I didn’t give them any charity grants. I didn’t went to make a documentary on their old age struggle or should directly say family abuse. I went there to celebrate my birthday along with them. It was one of the most memorable moment of my life. The cake cutting and little party made them very happy. I wish I could do something for them but I have my own constraints. I am still a young man early in business. I could only have a feeling that I have to take care of my parents no matter what. I am working hard for my mission and my parents are my supporting and moral pillars. I wish every son/daughter must visit old age homes. My message to the readers – please please take care of your parents. Be respectful, courteous and loving. Sometimes even living together, providing food, shelter and medicines may not be enough. The love, concern and emotions must be from deep inside the heart. Thank You [...] Read more...
In the month of October 2017 driving from Delhi to lower Lata village I came upon a story that defied imagination as a proud people who lived high up at 7900 feet had been stopped from entering the traditional grazing for their cattle. I had travelled for five hours from Delhi to Haridwar from where the scenic road journey started, proceeding to Joshimath passing through Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Karanprayag and Chamoli. Enroute from Peepalkothi started the views of the Hathi and Ghori peaks. Joshimath, over the years has become a crowded market place and so I did the next best thing which was driving 13 kms uphill to the scenic hamlet of Auli surrounded by peaks like Dunagiri, Bethartoli and Nanda Devi. Here the GMVN hotel provided the much needed rest after traveling 496 kms from Delhi which took me 14 hours. From Joshimath to the road head of Lata village was a 25 kms ride which after leaving the sulphur springs of Tapovan was quite bumpy due unfinished road building, but on the whole the ride was smooth. Having contacted my friend on Facebook Sohan Bisht from Parsari village near Koshimath he got me to shop for vegetables and other rations needed for a trek from upper Lata village to Latakharak at 13000 feet. Sohan Bisht gave me a much needed contact called Raghubir Singh who was one of the finest guides of the Nanda Devi National Park, the greater core area containing the Sanctuary which now unluckily is banned from entry. A gentleman with a wide grin from ear to ear put me and my companion at ease. Along with his son Prem, he carried our rucksacks and took us a km upwards from lower Lata to upper Lata at 7900 feet from sea level. Our departure for Latakharak was delayed as the son of Raghubir’s neighbour was getting wed and as weddings go in the mountains, the festivities would go on for a week. But he assured us we hadn’t to worry as he would take off after only two days of attendance! This stop to our plans did not mean we would lose money as we now had a small hut to live in his homestead complete with two cots and carpeted floor for my St Bernard boy Leo. Oh I forgot to mention my four legged trekking companion of six years of age who had been climbing the high alpine trails of the Western Himalayas ever since I retired from Air India in August 2015 starting with the Roopkund lake trek the very next month of September! Attending the wedding meant I could photograph the guests in all their finery as these folks of mixed Aryan and Tibetan features had a culture which was very different from the plains men of Uttarakhand. Their women had a tunic threaded with gold embroidery and a long frock that went all the way to their feet shod in very pretty shoes. Now one thing made my inquisitive mind ask: “what were the shiny ivory-like white small horns hanging like pendants from their necklaces?” On enquiry I found those were the horns of musk deer which were once hunted for their scent glands, which are commonly used in perfumes. The glands can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market. It is rumoured that ancient royalty wore the scent and that also worked as an aphrodisiac. The riches of a family were determined by how many of the horns a lady wore on her necklace. But now after the closure of the inner sanctum of the Nanda Devi National Park the hunting had got stopped. By 1977 the environmental degradation was being documented, and in 1982 a 625 sq. km area surrounding the highest peak of India Nanda Devi was declared a national park and promptly closed to all people including locals. This was a blow to local people who had enjoyed a high standard of living previous to the closure. Since the 1930s foreign climbers have been flocking in to Lata village in order to climb this magical peak that the Garhwali people of Uttarakhand worship as the life giving divine mother. Due to pressures of the climbing expeditions that cut and burned shrubs and trees for fuel, the situation became untenable. Then occurred a terrible accident of losing a nuclear device on Nanda Devi in 1965 by the combined efforts of the CIA and Indian agencies. Finally, the Indian government had to take a call. After the re-opening of the sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed again in 1983. Currently, Nanda Devi forms the core of the Nanda Devi National Park declared by the Indian government in 1982. In 1988, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO heritage site. The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks), are now off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions. [...] Read more...
This Women’s day I found Facebook and Whatsapp filled with Women’s Day wishes. So were the celebrations. While one friend went out for lunch, another went out for dinner. Someone else received a Spa package as a gift from her husband. Wishes were being strewn all around. The air was abuzz with familiar words like, “Woman is this, Woman is that”. The whole cacophony made me wonder, what is it that we are celebrating? Isn’t being born as a woman is a gift from God in itself. So, what exactly are we celebrating on March 8th again? Are we celebrating the progress? Are we celebrating the roles of a woman in society? Are we celebrating the various functions? Amidst all the clutter in my brain trying to give a tangible form to the idea of womanhood and her essence, it dawned on me that she was simply a woman – not to be judged, not to be belittled but to be admired, to be loved. I’ve seen this time and again, whether it was celebrities or just the next-door neighbor, today’s woman is juggling between various roles – housework, motherhood, professional duties and much more. And even after excelling in a plethora of varied endeavors, she is still struggling to find her footing in this world. She’s plays multiple roles – that of a daughter, a sister, a lover, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a mother, an aunt, a granny. And along with this list, you might want to add her function-based roles too. She is a friend, a philosopher, a teacher, a nanny, a nurse, a housemaid, an entrepreneur, a manager, a business executive and many more. Let’s pledge ourselves to respect a woman’s abilities and give her the desired recognition in life. Celebrate womanhood and take this opportunity to reach out to a woman who has had a great impact in your life. The day that men start to think of women in their entirety, we will not need a day to celebrate womanhood. Think: Are you that man who can view a woman in that wholesome spirit she deserves to be viewed? Are you that woman who can demand to be viewed in that spirit? [...] Read more...
When we talk about Indian culture and values, there is something special that make us stand alone from the rest of the world and believe me, it makes us all Indians proud. Here I am talking about our beautiful traditional culture of respecting our elders. Yes this respect, along with love and deep attachment is the core value of our Indian society. This is a land where we touch our elders feet to seek their blessings. We as a kid has always been taught this from our early childhood. Our bond with our elders (especially parents) is always special. As a child, when we grow up, our parents take care of us. They fulfill our needs, & fill our lives with joy and happiness, no matter how much they struggle to give us most comfortable life. And later we grow up and our parents and elders are old we take care of them and pay them back what they did for us in their entire life. It looks like such an amazing cycle of life. So doesn’t it look like a nice fairytale where it all starts with love and ends with love. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes life can be harsh and reality is non-acceptable. There are exceptions that literally breaks my heart. So, If I have to ask, do all our parents and elders get the same exact love and respect in their old age which they immensely poured on us their whole life? The answer is no. There are many people who suffer a lot in the old age. They are disrespected, not taken care of and are denied by their children. There are incidents where the children are competent enough to take care of parents but they still deny. Here I want to list few points which I observed meeting & talking to people living in an Old Age Home. These points indicate the reasons that lead to abuses happened to them and they are forced to live in an old age home. A well educated and working professional daughter brought her mother to the ashram and told that I’ll be back in a week as I have to move to other town for office work & there’s nobody to take care of my mom. But even after the week the daughter never came back. Somehow the ashram team contacted the daughter but she refused to take her mother back as she doesn’t want to take her responsibility. This is a case where the old man needed extra care. This person is suffering from life threatening disease. He only knows that he was left by his son in a govt. hospital and never came back. There I found a woman who was a widow. Earlier she was having a great life with her both sons living together. But after demise of her husband, both of her sons had a dispute over property where the property was forcefully taken from her and she was thrown out of the house. These are just the few cases which I can quote, but every person living there, had their own sad story. Now let me tell you, why I went there. I didn’t give them any charity grants. I didn’t went to make a documentary on their old age struggle or should directly say family abuse. I went there to celebrate my birthday along with them. It was one of the most memorable moment of my life. The cake cutting and little party made them very happy. I wish I could do something for them but I have my own constraints. I am still a young man early in business. I could only have a feeling that I have to take care of my parents no matter what. I am working hard for my mission and my parents are my supporting and moral pillars. I wish every son/daughter must visit old age homes. My message to the readers – please please take care of your parents. Be respectful, courteous and loving. Sometimes even living together, providing food, shelter and medicines may not be enough. The love, concern and emotions must be from deep inside the heart. Thank You [...] Read more...
In the month of October 2017 driving from Delhi to lower Lata village I came upon a story that defied imagination as a proud people who lived high up at 7900 feet had been stopped from entering the traditional grazing for their cattle. I had travelled for five hours from Delhi to Haridwar from where the scenic road journey started, proceeding to Joshimath passing through Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Karanprayag and Chamoli. Enroute from Peepalkothi started the views of the Hathi and Ghori peaks. Joshimath, over the years has become a crowded market place and so I did the next best thing which was driving 13 kms uphill to the scenic hamlet of Auli surrounded by peaks like Dunagiri, Bethartoli and Nanda Devi. Here the GMVN hotel provided the much needed rest after traveling 496 kms from Delhi which took me 14 hours. From Joshimath to the road head of Lata village was a 25 kms ride which after leaving the sulphur springs of Tapovan was quite bumpy due unfinished road building, but on the whole the ride was smooth. Having contacted my friend on Facebook Sohan Bisht from Parsari village near Koshimath he got me to shop for vegetables and other rations needed for a trek from upper Lata village to Latakharak at 13000 feet. Sohan Bisht gave me a much needed contact called Raghubir Singh who was one of the finest guides of the Nanda Devi National Park, the greater core area containing the Sanctuary which now unluckily is banned from entry. A gentleman with a wide grin from ear to ear put me and my companion at ease. Along with his son Prem, he carried our rucksacks and took us a km upwards from lower Lata to upper Lata at 7900 feet from sea level. Our departure for Latakharak was delayed as the son of Raghubir’s neighbour was getting wed and as weddings go in the mountains, the festivities would go on for a week. But he assured us we hadn’t to worry as he would take off after only two days of attendance! This stop to our plans did not mean we would lose money as we now had a small hut to live in his homestead complete with two cots and carpeted floor for my St Bernard boy Leo. Oh I forgot to mention my four legged trekking companion of six years of age who had been climbing the high alpine trails of the Western Himalayas ever since I retired from Air India in August 2015 starting with the Roopkund lake trek the very next month of September! Attending the wedding meant I could photograph the guests in all their finery as these folks of mixed Aryan and Tibetan features had a culture which was very different from the plains men of Uttarakhand. Their women had a tunic threaded with gold embroidery and a long frock that went all the way to their feet shod in very pretty shoes. Now one thing made my inquisitive mind ask: “what were the shiny ivory-like white small horns hanging like pendants from their necklaces?” On enquiry I found those were the horns of musk deer which were once hunted for their scent glands, which are commonly used in perfumes. The glands can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market. It is rumoured that ancient royalty wore the scent and that also worked as an aphrodisiac. The riches of a family were determined by how many of the horns a lady wore on her necklace. But now after the closure of the inner sanctum of the Nanda Devi National Park the hunting had got stopped. By 1977 the environmental degradation was being documented, and in 1982 a 625 sq. km area surrounding the highest peak of India Nanda Devi was declared a national park and promptly closed to all people including locals. This was a blow to local people who had enjoyed a high standard of living previous to the closure. Since the 1930s foreign climbers have been flocking in to Lata village in order to climb this magical peak that the Garhwali people of Uttarakhand worship as the life giving divine mother. Due to pressures of the climbing expeditions that cut and burned shrubs and trees for fuel, the situation became untenable. Then occurred a terrible accident of losing a nuclear device on Nanda Devi in 1965 by the combined efforts of the CIA and Indian agencies. Finally, the Indian government had to take a call. After the re-opening of the sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed again in 1983. Currently, Nanda Devi forms the core of the Nanda Devi National Park declared by the Indian government in 1982. In 1988, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO heritage site. The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks), are now off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions. [...] Read more...
This Women’s day I found Facebook and Whatsapp filled with Women’s Day wishes. So were the celebrations. While one friend went out for lunch, another went out for dinner. Someone else received a Spa package as a gift from her husband. Wishes were being strewn all around. The air was abuzz with familiar words like, “Woman is this, Woman is that”. The whole cacophony made me wonder, what is it that we are celebrating? Isn’t being born as a woman is a gift from God in itself. So, what exactly are we celebrating on March 8th again? Are we celebrating the progress? Are we celebrating the roles of a woman in society? Are we celebrating the various functions? Amidst all the clutter in my brain trying to give a tangible form to the idea of womanhood and her essence, it dawned on me that she was simply a woman – not to be judged, not to be belittled but to be admired, to be loved. I’ve seen this time and again, whether it was celebrities or just the next-door neighbor, today’s woman is juggling between various roles – housework, motherhood, professional duties and much more. And even after excelling in a plethora of varied endeavors, she is still struggling to find her footing in this world. She’s plays multiple roles – that of a daughter, a sister, a lover, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a mother, an aunt, a granny. And along with this list, you might want to add her function-based roles too. She is a friend, a philosopher, a teacher, a nanny, a nurse, a housemaid, an entrepreneur, a manager, a business executive and many more. Let’s pledge ourselves to respect a woman’s abilities and give her the desired recognition in life. Celebrate womanhood and take this opportunity to reach out to a woman who has had a great impact in your life. The day that men start to think of women in their entirety, we will not need a day to celebrate womanhood. Think: Are you that man who can view a woman in that wholesome spirit she deserves to be viewed? Are you that woman who can demand to be viewed in that spirit? [...] Read more...
When we talk about Indian culture and values, there is something special that make us stand alone from the rest of the world and believe me, it makes us all Indians proud. Here I am talking about our beautiful traditional culture of respecting our elders. Yes this respect, along with love and deep attachment is the core value of our Indian society. This is a land where we touch our elders feet to seek their blessings. We as a kid has always been taught this from our early childhood. Our bond with our elders (especially parents) is always special. As a child, when we grow up, our parents take care of us. They fulfill our needs, & fill our lives with joy and happiness, no matter how much they struggle to give us most comfortable life. And later we grow up and our parents and elders are old we take care of them and pay them back what they did for us in their entire life. It looks like such an amazing cycle of life. So doesn’t it look like a nice fairytale where it all starts with love and ends with love. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes life can be harsh and reality is non-acceptable. There are exceptions that literally breaks my heart. So, If I have to ask, do all our parents and elders get the same exact love and respect in their old age which they immensely poured on us their whole life? The answer is no. There are many people who suffer a lot in the old age. They are disrespected, not taken care of and are denied by their children. There are incidents where the children are competent enough to take care of parents but they still deny. Here I want to list few points which I observed meeting & talking to people living in an Old Age Home. These points indicate the reasons that lead to abuses happened to them and they are forced to live in an old age home. A well educated and working professional daughter brought her mother to the ashram and told that I’ll be back in a week as I have to move to other town for office work & there’s nobody to take care of my mom. But even after the week the daughter never came back. Somehow the ashram team contacted the daughter but she refused to take her mother back as she doesn’t want to take her responsibility. This is a case where the old man needed extra care. This person is suffering from life threatening disease. He only knows that he was left by his son in a govt. hospital and never came back. There I found a woman who was a widow. Earlier she was having a great life with her both sons living together. But after demise of her husband, both of her sons had a dispute over property where the property was forcefully taken from her and she was thrown out of the house. These are just the few cases which I can quote, but every person living there, had their own sad story. Now let me tell you, why I went there. I didn’t give them any charity grants. I didn’t went to make a documentary on their old age struggle or should directly say family abuse. I went there to celebrate my birthday along with them. It was one of the most memorable moment of my life. The cake cutting and little party made them very happy. I wish I could do something for them but I have my own constraints. I am still a young man early in business. I could only have a feeling that I have to take care of my parents no matter what. I am working hard for my mission and my parents are my supporting and moral pillars. I wish every son/daughter must visit old age homes. My message to the readers – please please take care of your parents. Be respectful, courteous and loving. Sometimes even living together, providing food, shelter and medicines may not be enough. The love, concern and emotions must be from deep inside the heart. Thank You [...] Read more...
In the month of October 2017 driving from Delhi to lower Lata village I came upon a story that defied imagination as a proud people who lived high up at 7900 feet had been stopped from entering the traditional grazing for their cattle. I had travelled for five hours from Delhi to Haridwar from where the scenic road journey started, proceeding to Joshimath passing through Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Karanprayag and Chamoli. Enroute from Peepalkothi started the views of the Hathi and Ghori peaks. Joshimath, over the years has become a crowded market place and so I did the next best thing which was driving 13 kms uphill to the scenic hamlet of Auli surrounded by peaks like Dunagiri, Bethartoli and Nanda Devi. Here the GMVN hotel provided the much needed rest after traveling 496 kms from Delhi which took me 14 hours. From Joshimath to the road head of Lata village was a 25 kms ride which after leaving the sulphur springs of Tapovan was quite bumpy due unfinished road building, but on the whole the ride was smooth. Having contacted my friend on Facebook Sohan Bisht from Parsari village near Koshimath he got me to shop for vegetables and other rations needed for a trek from upper Lata village to Latakharak at 13000 feet. Sohan Bisht gave me a much needed contact called Raghubir Singh who was one of the finest guides of the Nanda Devi National Park, the greater core area containing the Sanctuary which now unluckily is banned from entry. A gentleman with a wide grin from ear to ear put me and my companion at ease. Along with his son Prem, he carried our rucksacks and took us a km upwards from lower Lata to upper Lata at 7900 feet from sea level. Our departure for Latakharak was delayed as the son of Raghubir’s neighbour was getting wed and as weddings go in the mountains, the festivities would go on for a week. But he assured us we hadn’t to worry as he would take off after only two days of attendance! This stop to our plans did not mean we would lose money as we now had a small hut to live in his homestead complete with two cots and carpeted floor for my St Bernard boy Leo. Oh I forgot to mention my four legged trekking companion of six years of age who had been climbing the high alpine trails of the Western Himalayas ever since I retired from Air India in August 2015 starting with the Roopkund lake trek the very next month of September! Attending the wedding meant I could photograph the guests in all their finery as these folks of mixed Aryan and Tibetan features had a culture which was very different from the plains men of Uttarakhand. Their women had a tunic threaded with gold embroidery and a long frock that went all the way to their feet shod in very pretty shoes. Now one thing made my inquisitive mind ask: “what were the shiny ivory-like white small horns hanging like pendants from their necklaces?” On enquiry I found those were the horns of musk deer which were once hunted for their scent glands, which are commonly used in perfumes. The glands can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market. It is rumoured that ancient royalty wore the scent and that also worked as an aphrodisiac. The riches of a family were determined by how many of the horns a lady wore on her necklace. But now after the closure of the inner sanctum of the Nanda Devi National Park the hunting had got stopped. By 1977 the environmental degradation was being documented, and in 1982 a 625 sq. km area surrounding the highest peak of India Nanda Devi was declared a national park and promptly closed to all people including locals. This was a blow to local people who had enjoyed a high standard of living previous to the closure. Since the 1930s foreign climbers have been flocking in to Lata village in order to climb this magical peak that the Garhwali people of Uttarakhand worship as the life giving divine mother. Due to pressures of the climbing expeditions that cut and burned shrubs and trees for fuel, the situation became untenable. Then occurred a terrible accident of losing a nuclear device on Nanda Devi in 1965 by the combined efforts of the CIA and Indian agencies. Finally, the Indian government had to take a call. After the re-opening of the sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed again in 1983. Currently, Nanda Devi forms the core of the Nanda Devi National Park declared by the Indian government in 1982. In 1988, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO heritage site. The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks), are now off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions. [...] Read more...
This Women’s day I found Facebook and Whatsapp filled with Women’s Day wishes. So were the celebrations. While one friend went out for lunch, another went out for dinner. Someone else received a Spa package as a gift from her husband. Wishes were being strewn all around. The air was abuzz with familiar words like, “Woman is this, Woman is that”. The whole cacophony made me wonder, what is it that we are celebrating? Isn’t being born as a woman is a gift from God in itself. So, what exactly are we celebrating on March 8th again? Are we celebrating the progress? Are we celebrating the roles of a woman in society? Are we celebrating the various functions? Amidst all the clutter in my brain trying to give a tangible form to the idea of womanhood and her essence, it dawned on me that she was simply a woman – not to be judged, not to be belittled but to be admired, to be loved. I’ve seen this time and again, whether it was celebrities or just the next-door neighbor, today’s woman is juggling between various roles – housework, motherhood, professional duties and much more. And even after excelling in a plethora of varied endeavors, she is still struggling to find her footing in this world. She’s plays multiple roles – that of a daughter, a sister, a lover, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a mother, an aunt, a granny. And along with this list, you might want to add her function-based roles too. She is a friend, a philosopher, a teacher, a nanny, a nurse, a housemaid, an entrepreneur, a manager, a business executive and many more. Let’s pledge ourselves to respect a woman’s abilities and give her the desired recognition in life. Celebrate womanhood and take this opportunity to reach out to a woman who has had a great impact in your life. The day that men start to think of women in their entirety, we will not need a day to celebrate womanhood. Think: Are you that man who can view a woman in that wholesome spirit she deserves to be viewed? Are you that woman who can demand to be viewed in that spirit? [...] Read more...

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