The Ganga is facing a major threat of becoming a “seasonal river” that would carry water only during the rainy season, warns American environmentalist of international fame Lester R. Brown. He says the way Indian glaciers are melting because of climate change, the Ganga may turn into a “mausmi nadi’’ before the turn of the century.

Interacting with The Tribune from Washington, Brown said the Himalayan glaciers are receding rapidly and many could melt entirely by 2035. The Ganga is at risk because of the fast-melting Gangotri glacier, which feeds it, in Uttarakhand.

“Such an eventuality poses a serious threat to food production in the entire northern belt. It would also endanger the sacred status of the Ganga,” he said.

Brown is president of an American NGO, Earth Policy Institute, which provides a global roadmap for a sustainable future.

Recently, he visited India to launch the Hindi version of his new book, “Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.” Interestingly, his career started with tomato farming.

In his opinion, “We need not go beyond ice-melting to see that civilisation is in trouble. Business-as-usual is no longer a viable option.’’ The four goals of “Plan B 3.0” are to stabilise climate, stabilise population, eradicate poverty and restore the earth’s damaged ecosystems.

“If the giant Gangotri glacier that supplies 70 per cent of the water to the Ganga during the dry season disappears, the river could become seasonal and carry no water in summers when irrigation needs are the greatest,’’ said Brown adding that the intergovernmental panel on climate change was also of the same opinion. Ganga also supplies drinking water to 407 million people.

A recent study carried out by India’s department of science and technology has found that the Gangotri glacier is shrinking at a pace of 17 metres per year due to global warming and subsequent climate change. Its mammoth neighbour, the Pindari glacier, is also reportedly melting at a speed of about 9.5 metres a year.

Gangotri glacier is one of the largest glacier systems in the Himalayas and the source of Bhagirathi river, one of the major tributaries of the Ganga.

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Billing in Himachal Pradesh

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Clearly, Baba Shiv Dass made a mistake he would not be able to regret.

A self-proclaimed master of yoga who performed miracles that the people of Ramnagar village seemed to believe in, the baba announced in front of thousands of his followers on July 11 that he would meditate underground for seven days for peace in the world and the good of all.

There was no need to be anxious about his well-being, he told his awe-struck faithful, mostly women, at Sidheshwar temple as television cameras whirred to record the event.

Ramnagar had never experienced a spiritual feat like the baba was about to undertake.

No, they were not worried at all. Their baba had told them not to. They prayed and waited for the seven-day period to end, and, yesterday, gathered at the temple again for the baba to emerge from his samadhi and address them about the mysteries he encountered while locked in the womb of the earth.

Local officials came too. Crowd control, they were instructed, would be necessary once the baba walked the earth again. People might just go out of hand on seeing their guru amongst them. After all, bhajans were already being recited loudly and the tempo was fast becoming feverish.

Spirits, however, began to drop as the appointed hour passed and the baba did not keep his date with them. The devout decided to wait a little longer. Nothing happened.

That was when the administration stepped in. The baba was taking too long.

They samadhi was opened up. The baba was not looking good, slumped to the side.

He was not breathing either.

Baba Shiv Dass, in fact, had died, just as all humans do and must.

His followers refused to believe the baba was gone. They broke into a rhythmic chant: leave him where he is. He would come alive in 12 hours. He had performed so many miracles before, they argued. This time, too, he would do it.

So great was the pressure of the devout that the hospital where his body was taken had no choice but to delay the post-mortem on his body for 12 hours. Just in case…

After this mandatory waiting, the hospital announced that the baba had been dead for three days, no less.

No case had been registered, Ganesh Singh Martoliya, SSP, Nainital, said. The baba had given it to them in writing that only he would be responsible if something happened to him during his samadhi.

His body was handed over to his followers. For once, they believed that babas die too. And that their baba was just a plain old man called Shiv Dass… 

SOURCVE Clearly, Baba Shiv Dass made a mistake he would not be able to regret.

A self-proclaimed master of yoga who performed miracles that the people of Ramnagar village seemed to believe in, the baba announced in front of thousands of his followers on July 11 that he would meditate underground for seven days for peace in the world and the good of all.

There was no need to be anxious about his well-being, he told his awe-struck faithful, mostly women, at Sidheshwar temple as television cameras whirred to record the event.

Ramnagar had never experienced a spiritual feat like the baba was about to undertake.

No, they were not worried at all. Their baba had told them not to. They prayed and waited for the seven-day period to end, and, yesterday, gathered at the temple again for the baba to emerge from his samadhi and address them about the mysteries he encountered while locked in the womb of the earth.

Local officials came too. Crowd control, they were instructed, would be necessary once the baba walked the earth again. People might just go out of hand on seeing their guru amongst them. After all, bhajans were already being recited loudly and the tempo was fast becoming feverish.

Spirits, however, began to drop as the appointed hour passed and the baba did not keep his date with them. The devout decided to wait a little longer. Nothing happened.

That was when the administration stepped in. The baba was taking too long.

They samadhi was opened up. The baba was not looking good, slumped to the side.

He was not breathing either.

Baba Shiv Dass, in fact, had died, just as all humans do and must.

His followers refused to believe the baba was gone. They broke into a rhythmic chant: leave him where he is. He would come alive in 12 hours. He had performed so many miracles before, they argued. This time, too, he would do it.

So great was the pressure of the devout that the hospital where his body was taken had no choice but to delay the post-mortem on his body for 12 hours. Just in case…

After this mandatory waiting, the hospital announced that the baba had been dead for three days, no less.

No case had been registered, Ganesh Singh Martoliya, SSP, Nainital, said. The baba had given it to them in writing that only he would be responsible if something happened to him during his samadhi.

His body was handed over to his followers. For once, they believed that babas die too. And that their baba was just a plain old man called Shiv Dass…

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This place is called Kalavaara Halli and the mountain is called Kalavaarahalli Betta (also called as Skanda Giri).It is near Chikkaballapura

Contributed By: G.P Singh

he Karakoram range, Zanskar range, Nun Kun range and the Nanga Parbat are among the important mountain ranges in the region. Other ranges include the Shivaliks, Pir Panjal range and its offshoots including Doda, Poonch and Rajouri districts. Parts of the Western Himalayas also lie in the region.

The Karakoram Range is glaciated and rises from dry plateaus characterized by extreme temperatures. The Karakoram Range has some of the world's highest mountain peaks and huge glaciers such as the Baltoro glacier. The temperatures in these parts are very low and the region is snow covered due to the extremely cold temperature. The second highest peak in the world, mount K2, lies in the Karakoram Range. Some of the other mountain peaks in these ranges include Gasherbrum peak, Distaghil Sar peak and Saser Kangri peak. The Karakoram Range forms a geographical divide in-between Central Asia and India. The Karakoram Range stretches for about 500 kilometers in length. Because of the fact that the Karakoram Range is situated at an extremely high altitude, the area is very sparsely populated. Several important mountain passes, for example the Karakoram pass and Nubra pass, lie in this region.

The Zanskar Range lies to the north of the Himalayas. The Zanskar range is divided from the main Himalayas by the Stod valley and the Tsarap valley. This Mountain range lies 600 meters above the sea level. The Zanskar Range geographically divides the Zanskar region from the Ladakh region. The Zanskar range has an area of 15220 square kilometers and lies at about 7055.1 metres above the sea level. The Zanskar Range lies in-between the Ladakh and Kashmir border. An important mountain pass in this region is the Bawalocha pass.

The Nanga Parbat Range is at about a height of 8107.8 meters above the sea level. This region lies in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) area.

The Shivaliks are the youngest and the most newly formed range that constitute the Himalayan chain, this region is rich is conifers and has some of the most attractive and frequently visited tourist destinations. Some of the well-known hill stations in this area are Kangra, Dalhousie, Kullu, Shimla, Nanital, Dehradun, Manali, Dharamsala, Mussorie and Kufri. This area is known for its picturesque and natural beauty.

The Pir Panjal Range lies on the south of the Himalayas and is approximately 5000 metres above the sea level. The Pir Panjal Range separates the Jammu region from the Kashmir Valley. This region has several trekking trails that attract tourists from the world over. The Doda region is an offshoot of the Pir Panjal Range and is well know for its tourist attractions, which include trekking trails and health spas and resorts. The Poonch district in the Pir Panjal range is also very popular among tourists for trekking purposes.

Be Careful at the Indian Airports, This is a well organized conspiracy by Indian Immigration, Police, Customs and Air India staff with networking at all the Indian International Airports. Be careful when ever you give your passport to Immigration/Customs/Air India staff. The passport can be easily tampered and can create trouble to you. They have found easy way of making money from NRIs. This is the way it works:

At the time of the passenger's departure, if the passenger is not looking at the officer while he is stamping the exit, the officer very cleverly tears away one of the page from the passport. When the passenger leaves the immigration counter, the case is reported on his computer terminal with full details. Now all over India they have got full details of the passenger with Red Flag flashing on the Passport number entered by the departure immigration officer. They have made their money by doing above. On arrival next time, he is interrogated. Subject to the passenger's period of stay abroad, his income and standing etc., the price to get rid of the problem is settled by the police  and Immigration people. If someone argues, his future is spoiled because there are always some innocent fellows who think honesty is the basis of getting justice in India. Please advise every passenger to be careful at the airport. Whenever they hand over the passport to the counters of Air India or immigration or the customs, they must be vigilant, should not remove eyes from the passport even if the officer in front tries to divert their attention. Also, please pass this information to all friends, media men and important politicians. Every month 20- 30 cases are happening all over India to rob the NRIs the minute he lands.

Similar case has happened with Aramco's Arifuddin. He was traveling with his family. They had six passports. They got the visa of America and decided to go via Hyderabad from Jeddah. They reached Hyderabad. Stayed about a month and left for the States. When they reached the States, the page of the American visa on his wife's passport was missing. At the time of departure from Hyderabad it was there. the whole family had to return to Hyderabad helplessly. On arrival at Bombay back, they were caught by the police and now it is over 2 months, they are running after the Police, Immigration officers and the Courts. On going in to details with him, he found out the following: One cannot imagine, neither can believe, that the Indian Immigration dept can play such a nasty game to harass the innocent passengers.

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Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. Obviously, these people won't be tourists. They must be travelling there for some other reason, opines S Narayan

Dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians and corrupt officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts the huge sum of about US$ 1500 Billion which have been misappropriated by them creating scandals and by corruption. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt. This amount is such a big amount that from it 45 crores of poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. This huge amount has been collected really from the people of India by exploiting the people of India and by betraying people of India.

Once this huge amount of black illegal money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid immediately in 24 hours only. After paying entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount almost 12 times larger than the foreign debts.

If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central Government. So even if all the taxes are totally abolished, then also Central Government will be able to maintain the country, very comfortably.

Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. 'Obviously, these people won't be tourists. They must be traveling there for some other reason,' believes an official involved in tracking illegal money. And, clearly, he isn't referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who've been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organization negotiations went into a tailspin !

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors and personalities, administrators, illegal sex trade and trading in protected wildlife, to name just a few, sucked this country's wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?

Black Money In Swiss Banks ~ Swiss Banking Association report 2006 By Naman Sood, April 15, 2008

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Amritsar was our first stop and it was for two nights. Amritsar is famous for the Golden Temple where thousands of Sikhs seek (heh) pilgrimage each year. The temple itself sits in the centre of a pool that gives eternal life to those who bathe in it. I read that the temple has some accomodation for tourists in addition to the pilgrim sleeping quarters - Sikh's beleive in human equality (strange when so many of them live in one of the most class divided countries in the world) and therefore have the same beautiful hospitality as the Muslims. So as soon as I got to the campsite on the outskirts I headed there for sunset and sunrise.

10) Camel

I grabbed a cycle rickshaw and my man started peddling away. It was like having a slave, where was my whip? I felt sorry for the old guy as he puffed away through the potholed streets and past painted cows (sacred to the Hindu's and so free to roam anywhere in India). We both had to get out and walk at one point because there was a hill!

The temple was very busy (think it was the main pilgrimage time of the year, a festival or something) and everyone walked clockwise around the pool, the temple in the centre. Before entering I took off my shoes and was told to wear a bandana to cover my head - a nice purple and gold shiny one. I was repeatedly asked for my picture to be taken with various people, they were very friendly and interested. When going round I noticed (having only been in India an hour or two) the amount of women and children present, something, as I blabbered on about, lacking in Pakistan. It was good to see families and ladies again and not just for the obvious reasons; it made the streets feel more comfortable, more safe. In addition to accomodation there was food as well. I sat in a large hall, cross legged on mats with a metal tray I had collected with my guide (a 10 year old boy had kindly led me there). Grace was called across the hall and a little 5 year old boy nudged me and gestured to place my hands together to pray. Was funny. After some rice, dal and naan I had an early night and then enjoyed the sunrise (4.30am) by the pool which was strangely just as busy as sunset.

10) Monkey! McLeod Ganj

Rest of the day was spent with a few beers in the pool (our first the whole trip!) and in the evening we went to watch the obscure border closing ceremony between India and Pakistan. Tiers of seating surrounded the border gates and the whole thing started with girls from the crowd dancing to bad pop music as other members of the public walked around with the Indian flag. Looking over at the Pakistani side you had a colourful left hand side (the women) and a bland right hand one (the men) whereas the Indian side was speckled with colour as there is no segregation. Eventually the ridiculous marching was carried out by the soldiers (it did drag on a bit, like my blogs...) accompanied by one soldier shouting for as long as he could into a microphone. The big finale - a handshake. Kashmir? What Kashmir?

11) Praying in McLeod Ganj

Kashmir is of course not the only iffy subject round these parts, as I was sorely reminded when we went to see the Dalai Lama (well, you never know we might of seen him) in McLeod Ganj. A Tibetan colony with a Scottish name in India. Sadly it has become a tourist trap: shops galore, Italian restaurants and streets lined with all sorts of useless crap - I bought a one note bowl and fur hat for the Himalayas. Visited the Tibetan museum where, in its brutal reality, is the lowdown on the plight of the poor Tibetans. I wont go into detail but basically the Chinese have acted like the Nazis but in the 21st century, torturing and persecuting people because of who they are (to create a monolithic state). I spoke with two Tibetans who, like most there, had escaped over the himalayan mountains by foot when they were 9 in a small group of 15. I found a lot of admiration in them, of course - as children they walked for weeks with all their belongings over the biggest mountains on earth to escape certain prosectution. Interesting dudes as well with their spritual buddhist minds.

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We found the attitude of many of the foreign visitors was frankly, embarrassing. We felt ashamed to be associated with them. They were downright rude and aggressive, demanding, and then threatening until (and to our amazement) it worked, they were put on the next flight, incredible! Had I been in charge they would have had to walk out! Had we not experienced it first hand we would not have believed how some people can behave in such circumstances, how selfish and aggressive they can become.

(The Israelis who had threatened fellow passengers were made to wait a couple of days, and in fact 2 left on the same flight as us!).

There was however a funny side to the predicament we found ourselves in, throughout the day local villagers would approach the police officer in charge claiming medical emergencies dictated that they must be on the next flight out of the valley. Some had applied makeshift slings and bandages or claimed to be suffering from mysterious abdominal pains. Some had to be helped by relatives (even carried) to the officers desk to beg to be on the next flight. Naresh with a wry smile explained to us that there was nothing wrong with any of them they just wanted a chance to fly in a helicopter...as none had ever flown before.

Himalaya 21

After sitting around for 8 hours watching choppers come and go every 2 hours we were told to 'try again tomorrow'.

That night (it would be our last in the valley) we all sat around the campfire after our evening meal and gradually got drunk on illicit mountain brandy made locally, discussing every subject under the sun from arranged marriages, to eye surgery, and telling stories well into the early hours. Naresh told us that the local women were renowned for their beauty and until recent years all male visitors to the area were viewed with suspicion. Infact some of the remoter villages that he had visited whilst trekking were still very unwelcoming to male visitors incase they are 'interested' in their women. Apparently if a man from another village kidnaps a woman he fancies and 'keeps her' for 3 years they become officially married under tribal law. In the past raiding parties would visit villages to take or release kidnapped women! He also told us that last year he had visited a small village where most had never seen a car before, so he had to spend an hour giving everyone in the village a ride!

Himalaya 22

I was nursing a hangover as we made our way to the helipad. On the walk to the hydro plant (Naresh had to leave our jeep with a friend in the valley, until he could collect it ...sometime next year.) He jokingly pointed out that Anil was dressed in his best jeans and shirt with his sunglasses jauntily hooked into the neck of his jumper. As we walked through the village Anil would wave to his friends shouting to them that he was about to leave in a helicopter. He was obviously very excited (and a little nervous). When we reached the helipad we noticed that he would keep checking his reflection in the nearest window. It was so engaging to see just how excited he was about flying for the first time, and how he wanted everyone to know.... considering it was something that we were so blasé about.

Himalaya 23

No sooner had we strolled up to the edge of the Helipad than a helicopter arrived the thrashing rotors blasting everything with a hurricane force gale. Within seconds we were being ushered on to the pad. It took us by surprise and we had to dash to collect our rucksacks, we ran under the rotors threw our bags into the open door and Jane scrambled up the steel steps into the hold, while I helped some of the other elderly passengers to get aboard with their luggage. A few minutes later we were all seated (some on top of the luggage) the rotors surged and we lifted off swinging to face down the valley, and gradually climbing. Initially we flew within the valley crowded by its towering sides until we reached the height of the adjacent mountain peaks the brown and green of the smaller hills giving way to the blue gray and brilliant white of the higher peaks of the eastern Himalayas and away in the middle distance the peaks of Tibet forming the border with China.

Himalaya 24

Jane and I managed to get seats next to the winch situated in the doorway with a window that provided a superb view. Naresh and Anil both with massive ear-to-ear grins were near the rear of the aircraft and they sat transfixed peering from 'their' window as the landscape flew past. Jane motioned for the guy sat opposite us to take a photo, which he managed to do just before the flight sergeant stood up, and signaled that taking photos was not allowed!

An old woman who was sat next to Jane gripped her hand tightly and for most of the journey kept her eyes shut tight.

I looked over my shoulder transfixed by the fantastic view; we were now flying just below the mountain peaks surrounding us. This particular view can't have been seen by many people as commercial flights over this area are not allowed (due to its proximity to the Chinese border) so unless you're in the Indian military this birds eye view is impossible to experience, it felt as if we could just reach out and touch the passing peaks!

Himalaya 25

Earlier flights had landed at the closest helipad at the foot of the Kinnaur valley (a 15 minute flight) but when we approached, the helipad was crowded by three other choppers so we were re-routed all the way back to Shimla airport, a 40 minute flight (but a two day journey by car!) for us this was a fantastic bonus not least because we got to fly over truly fantastic scenery including Naresh's home village but it saved us a lengthy wait for our replacement jeep to arrive, within minutes we would be back at our starting point.

We swooped into Shimla airport a small hilltop affair more used to seeing light aircraft bringing visitors from other parts of India rather than military helicopters. We touched down directly outside the terminal building, much to the surprise of staff and a few waiting passengers. We climbed out strapped on our rucksacks and walked into the terminal as casually as possible, as if it was something we did every day of the week. The opportunity to pose was irresistible.

Himalaya 26

We were met by another one of Nareshes drivers and within minutes we were off heading back into Shimla. During the journey Naresh and Anil asked us "is that what it is like to fly in a big jet when you go on holiday?" and they chatted excitedly about the views they had seen, turning to ask if we had seen this farm or that hillside. Even we had to admit it had been a fantastic experience, and certainly one not many others could claim to have had! (Even if we didn't get to see the remoter monasteries and mountain passes we had planned to visit).

Whilst we had been away Shimla had had some severe rain storms which had blocked large stretches of the main road with rubble and mud washed from the hillsides, so we had to take a much longer route to get back into town. Eventually by lunchtime we set off on a completely new trip (our original plan was now impossible due to the loss of bridges and roads throughout the region).

Himalaya 27

We had 4 days left (from our original 10) and so decided to get Naresh to drive us towards Pathenkot where we could catch a train to Amritsar to see the Sikkhs Golden temple. This drive would take 4 days if we traveled northwest through the Kangra and Chamba valleys stopping at a few interesting places along the way. These were places we had planned to visit under our own steam once we had returned from the high Himalaya, so our trip wouldn't be a complete 'washout'. (In the weeks that followed we read in the Indian press that the floods were the worst since the tradegy of 2001 and Shimla had suffered the worst rains for over 10 years, that bad weather continued and parts of India saw the worst flooding in its history!).

Himalaya 28

So our next stop would be Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj the home of the Dali Llama followed by Jot, Chamba, and another hill station, Dalhousie. This drive (rather than multiple bus trips) would enable us to see more than we could have hoped for in the time we had available including a trip to the border with Pakistan in the NW of India, and panoramic views of the mountains that we would never forget!.

We only have ten days left in India before flying to Thailand and we are torn between not wanting to leave India and the excitement of revisiting Bangkok.

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Next time you find yourself soul-searching and questioning the meaning of life, a New Zealand researcher recommends you try mountain climbing with a study finding mountaineers have a good grasp on life.

Far from being a sport that just provides thrills for testosterone— fuelled risk-takers, mountaineering actually helps gives people perspective in their lives, according to Ms Lee Davidson, senior lecturer at the University of Victoria’s museum and heritage studies programme.

"It’s a way to look for meaning in life, it gives people a sense of focus, makes them see what’s really of value," said Ms Davidson, a climber herself

"The stereotype is of climbers being young males, irrational and reckless, but I am quite cautious, I am not a risk taker and a lot of climbers would also describe themselves that way."

For her research, Ms Davidson conducted in—depth interviews with 22 New Zealand-based climbers and also spent a lot of time socializing with and interviewing several more.

She said she got into climbing in her 20s and the research, which won an award from the Australia and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies, was conducted for her PhD thesis and will form the basis for a book on the same subject.

"Many people struggle these days with a sense of belonging, but the climbers that I spoke to all had a very strong sense of identity, that to me was the most significant finding," she said.

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