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Ticking Time Bombs of Himalayas
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Mr. Rajeev Rajak*
Email: futurenut09@gmail.com
On 17 June 2013, the whole of India woke up to images of a devastated Kedarnath town. A flash flood following
days of continuous torrential rainfall had destroyed the temple-town and many more such towns downstream. Chaos ensued for days, many people lost their lives, many more were left stranded, and properties worth crores were lost. And, lives of thousands of people completely changed. But, I had not imagined that this event would change my life too.
Born in the beautiful hill station of Darjeeling, nestled in the lap of Mt. Khangchendzonga, my fascination with the snow-clad mountains of the Himalayas started very early in life. My childhood was spent traversing the circuitous forest trails of Darjeeling hills and learning about the alpine flora and fauna. My weekends were spent either going out with my friends for
nature walks, foraging and bird watching, or watching documentaries on wildlife and the mountains. As I entered my teenage years the forest walks were slowly replaced by hiking and long trekking trips. All my growing up years in Darjeeling, thus, inculcated a deep sense of love for the outdoors and nature and a desire to protect it. In 2013, I had just completed my higher secondary exam and was busy planning my future. My preference for a career in science research had narrowed down my options significantly going ahead. The choice was still a difficult one, physics or chemistry, botany or zoology, or should I choose the more popular microbiology. You see, I wanted to be a little of everything, I wanted to become a naturalist. Serendipitously, I stumbled across an advertisement for a degree course in Earth
* Mr. Rajeev Rajak, PhD Scholar from Sikkim University, Sikkim, is pursuing his research on “Evolution and Assessment of Glacial Lakes Prone to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in Sikkim Himalaya”. His popular science story entitled “Ticking Time Bombs of Himalayas” has been selected for AWSAR Award.