I was excited to read your reinstating the call to the international community to adapt “Life Style For Environment” Mission few days back. You had proposed this idea at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
I am also excited to share that way back in 2009, I had written in my article to celebrate Gandhi’s anniversary that India should promote the Gandhian idea, “simple living, high thinking” to solve existential climate change crisis. This truly reflects the India’s civilizational value as you stated in your speech.
During your visit to Chamundi Hills, it is unlikely that you will get to learn the vandalization of the hill in the name of ‘development” since last few years. Development is promoting mindless consumption that you were critical while discussing the concept of Life Style for Environment.
Besides sending a powerful message on the need for practicing Yoga, you can use the occasion to promote your Life Style Mission by asking authorities not only to stop the further concretization of Chamundi immediately, but to restore the earlier charm of the hill. They should demolish unnecessary multi-level parking and shops (which are either partially or not used). This is what Sarswathi Samman Awardee, Dr S L Byrappa had written in his letter to you last November.
Your government had developed a well conceived concept of PRASHAD to promote spiritual tourism and allocated substantial amount. Unfortunately instead of implementing the true spirit of PRASHAD to make it a spiritual center, projects are proposed to convert Chamundi Hill as a commercial tourism center – installing ropeway for a hill which is not required considering the short height and also when there are better ways to reach the top, construction of food courts, allowing house construction beyond the sustainable limit which harm the reserve forest surrounding the temple, etc.
Chamundi Hill is a perfect example of “tourism killing tourism”. Just 70 years back, there were very few houses and also the number of people living was small. Today with more than 1200 houses and 4000 people, hill is facing the problem of sewage handling and garbage disposal. Water supply is also a huge issue. In short Chamundi Hill is much beyond its sustainable development limit.
There have been regular protests by various groups protesting the concretization of Chamundi. Already about 70,000 have signed an online petition and 45,000 have signed in person petition to save Chamundi.
Through your intervention to “Save Chamundi”, you can send a powerful message on Life Style Mission not only to India, but also to the world on International Yoga Day from Mysuru. Please usher in a new era in fighting climate change by promoting, “simple living, high thinking”.
(The author is Founding Working President of Mysuru Grahakar Parishat. An IITM graduate, an international oil expert, former director of Georgian National Oil Company, Former USAID Consultant to FSU countries, Ghana, Mexico etc, Board member of Delhi based Consumer Voice, Trustee of Gurugram based rural NGO, Sehgal Foundation, Governing council member of Nitte Engineering College, Advisor to Pratham Mysuru, etc.)
– Team Mysoorunews
