The dark in the clouds
The tragedy that struck in Kishtwar calls for more than statements and visits. The shock that we received is not the first, and the chances are that not much time will lapse that we will hear of another bursting of clouds and subsequent devastation in the habitation. So what do we do, and where do we seek refuge?
One of the eternal lessons is the helplessness of humans when nature unleashes its fury. No matter what the level and scale of progress in science, technology and our penetration into deeper secrets of the universe, we are still at the mercy of these forces. While it should firm up our resolve, as a human collective, to build more formidable defences around our habitations, it should, in the first place, overwhelm us with a sense of humility. Pride and display of power, be it through ignorance or knowledge, has always brought devastating results. That is the lesson at human level.
Beyond this, there is a question of culpability. Who is responsible for these disasters when it comes to the question of human contribution to it. Our experts unhesitatingly tell us that the pattern of these disasters is the nature's own way of telling us humans – hold back. We have inflicted too much damage on our environment. We have ignored too many obvious realities of our landscape. We have violated almost all the basic principles of sustainability. Just to earn an extra buck, just to lay out an extra mile, just to raise another structure, just to win more territory for tourism, just to compromise safety for optics; we have committed colourful sins against our land, our mountains, our highlands, our rivers, our glaciers, our peaks and our valleys.
It is the echo of those sins that has travelled to heavens and now they are falling. The Kishtawar tragedy is yet another reminder that our sins are not going to be unpunished. More we commit, severe the punishment. Shall we still think of remaining unchanged? Leave aside politics, governance, administration, and science of environment – it is coming to the basics of our human survival. How can we neglect such a thing?
