Green yatra

Travelling has great educational value. It increases the frontiers of our knowledge. While travelling, a person comes across people of different races, religions, castes, regions, etc. The Green Yatra of HEC to the unexplored biodiversity of Dhanaulti Eco Park was more of a responsible journey rather than a mere study tour. Responsible travel is about the attitude you take and the choices you make when travelling - to respect and benefit local people, their cultures, economy and the environment. The young minds of IIT smashed this trip in one of the most memorable moment of the life. The bus journey through hill roads and forest was full of excitement and uncertainty. The five hour journey through the deep and dense forested hill areas of Dehradun and Mussoorie was full of eye-soothing scenic view. The journey which conquered the entire beauty of the Queen of Hills ended at Dhanaulti at 10 a.m. Everyone could sense that the nature is endowed with dense vegetation of forests combined with grasslands. After three hours of adventures and peaceful walk in the wild beauty and spectacular landscape, it was time for lunch which was savoured by each. That served as an awesome moment of delectable food combined with the serene beauty and chilled weather. But, as far as the beauty and amazing sights of Dhanaulti are concerned, there are much more than just sight-seeing. Exclusive landscape, beautiful flora and fauna, unique environment and phenomenal safaris are other factors that add fun to the tour to Dhanaulti. The list of attractions of this place includes one more special attraction that no one should miss which is Surkanda Devi Temple. The team headed to this hill temple with devotion in mind and adventure of a 45 minutes trek in heart. Surkanda Devi Temple may somehow be not so famous among all the visitors of Dhanaulti, but if people want to experience something different that connects them to the beliefs of the locals of that area, then a visit must be paid to the temple. The trekking to conquer this hill Temple is as adventurous as conquering the Himalayasstudents were murmuring to each other throughout the walk. As someone said, “Difficult paths always lead to beautiful destinations”, so did our difficult journey that ended in the serene calmness of the temple. This temple is an ancient landmark in the jungle. Though it is an old temple,but the renovations done over the years have changed the old architectural properties of the temple. After spending couple of minutes at the temple, the group trucked down the hill with something ignited in the minds and souls. Of course, students can read books of bio diversity, global warming and deforestation, but when they personally visit places, they get firsthand knowledge of such issues and the root causes. Knowledge thus obtained by initiatives like ‘Green Yatra’ by HEC has a personal touch and lasts longer than what is read from and written in books. Though it came to an end with a delicious dinner at hotel Dynasty’s dining table, It developed the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” i.e., the whole world is one family. The hobby of travelling is thus a boon for the young.