A drive across Maharashtra to create awareness about importance of mountains

To spread the larger message of nature conservation across Maharashtra, mountain pooja would be held on Friday coinciding with International Mountain Day.

The activities that would spread across the weekend are being spearheaded by Akhil Maharashtra Giryarhon Mahasangh (AMGM), the apex body of several mountaineering clubs. The AMGM is formally associated with the United Nations.

The western state of Maharashtra is blessed with a huge mountain range that runs parallel to the coastline – geographically part of the Sahyadris or the Western Ghats.

“Since 2003, the United Nations has been celebrating the day to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain people and environments around the world,” said AMGM president Umesh Zirpe, a veteran mountaineer.

Every year, the UN designates the theme to celebrate the day. This year the UN has planned to celebrate mountains with a 'Mountain Biodiversity' theme to acknowledge the rich biodiversity as well as the threat it faces.

Zirpe, who motivates and trains people to come closer to the mountain and nature, said: “India and Maharashtra are blessed with vast and unique biodiversity mostly surrounded around the mountains.”

Zirpe said that they are asking people to go to the nearest mountain. “Just go out and respect the mountain… Go and perform pooja on the mountain. He said that the local villagers worship the mountains,” he said, adding that on the occasion of 'Diwali' when 'Laxmi Pooja' is held, tribal communities do 'Parvat Pooja'.

“Mountains are very important for us. The primary motive of the International Mountain Day celebrations is to inculcate, educate and promote mountaineering culture among the citizens,” he said.

He said that 25 district-level mountaineering clubs, nature groups, adventure groups and wild-lifers are part of the pooja. "We are doing it in a big way and slowly want to develop a culture," he added.

Zirpe, who has also written several books including Joy of Mountaineering: A Beginner's Guide for Children, said, "Thousands of people all over the world participate in sports activities on land, in the sea, and in air. Mountaineering has a place of pride, earning the title - 'Mother of all adventure sports'. A mountaineer learns nature, flora, fauna, geography, geology, and what not. It leads to overall physical and mental development and creates leaders."

Zirpe said mountaineering as an adventure is wide and covers trekking, rock climbing, ice climbing, artificial wall climbing, and sports climbing.