Call for the Protection of the Himalayas from the Heart of the Nation – Delhi
HH Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpocheji warmly-welcomed and invited Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, Co-Founder of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance; Maulana Mahmood Madaniji; HE Rigyal Rinpoche, Chairman, Green Himalayas; Ladakh Member of Parliament Jamyang Tsering Namgyalji, CEC Ladakh; and many others to the beautiful inauguration of Green Himalayas in Delhi recently.
The event started with a special lamp lighting ceremony, and was followed by speeches and messages by the Hon’ble dignitaries, as well as a special film screening about the Himalayas. Immediately after the screening, Pujya Swamiji led everyone in a beautiful interfaith pledge, and offered a sacred Rudraksha sapling to the young lamas and monks to take back and plant in their monastery in Dehradun.
Addressing the gathered environmentalists, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpocheji said, “I congratulate everyone here for the launch of Green Himalayas. Seven years ago I started “Go Green, Go Organic” to address climate change and to make the entire Himalayan region from Bhutan, Tibet, and all this region clean and green. The change in local streams and shrinking water supplies we can see in Ladakh due to global warming. Rain water harvesting and protecting our water resources is crucial in India.”
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, meanwhile, beautifully shared that “Lord Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree and attained enlightenment. But after enlightenment he didn’t go deeper in the forest. He committed himself to the alleviation of suffering plaguing humanity. True Buddhahood is seen in the purity of the soul and the ability to guide others towards the path of peace, not pieces. Today His Holiness Rinpocheji is leading by his example, teaching thousands of lamas and monks who follow him to plant trees and inspire them that cleaning and greening our planet is the true meditation. There can be a Plan A and Plan B but there is no Planet B there is only one Planet – together we must protect, preserve and serve that planet! Today the music that is needed the most is the music of oneness, togetherness and allness.”
Shot to fame by his speech in the Parliament to welcome the lifting of Article 370, the young Ladakhi Member of Parliament, Jamyang Tsering Namgyalji, so kindly exclaimed, “We are very fortunate to have leaders like these who lead by their example. We don’t have to create a new path or do anything new we need to merely walk on the path set out by them.”
HE Rigyal Rinpoche, Chairman, Green Himalayas, echoed those sentiments, stating, “Our movement must be unstoppable and fearless. Our steps may seem small, like ripples in the ocean, but when taken together they are the foundation for a wave of change. Together with our hands and heart we can and will save the Earth.”
Green Himalayas is a collaborative initiative by Go Green, Go Organic, Green Miles and the villagers of Phobrang, Ladakh. The Green Himalayas community has already planted close to 1 Million trees across Ladakh; 25,000 of which were planted in Phobrang. With the help of the local, indigenous communities and Ladakhis across ethnic and religious lines, we strive to successfully set an example to prove that climate change & its related issues can be managed sustainably even in the remotest corners of the most hostile terrains of the world.
