"I am the Aravalli range: I am a part of every breath you take, so why are you piercing my heart?

"I am the Aravalli..."

I am not just a heap of stones, soil, or rocks. I am a living witness to your civilization. I was born when the first ray of life dawned on this earth. Today, I have come to tell my story.

My Birth: When Time Began

Approximately 3 billion years ago, when your earth was in its youth, I was born from the violent collision of tectonic plates. I am one of the oldest fold mountain ranges in the world. There was a time when my peaks pierced the clouds, but millions of years of winds and rains have sculpted me into the form I am in today.

My Contribution: Your Protective Shield

"I am not just standing here; I am fighting. I have withstood the scorching sands and dust storms of the Thar Desert on my chest, so that the fertile plains of Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan may remain green. Rivers like Sabarmati, Banas, and Luni have grown up in my lap. So that your cities do not suffocate, I act as your 'green lungs,' providing you with oxygen. I am the wall behind which you sleep safely."

My Role: Why Am I Important?

Guardian of the Desert: If I were not here, the sands of the Thar Desert would have already swallowed Delhi, Haryana, and eastern Rajasthan. I am the wall that prevents the expansion of the Thar Desert.

Mother of Rivers: Rivers like Sabarmati, Luni, and Banas play in my lap. I maintain the groundwater level.

Lungs of the Cities: Amidst the concrete jungles of Delhi and Gurugram, I am the green belt that provides you with fresh air and bears the brunt of dust storms.

Why I am fearful?

"Today my foundations are trembling, and this tremor is not from an earthquake, but from the fear of the future that I see unfolding before my eyes. I am terrified because my very existence is being slowly erased.
My fear is not personal; I am afraid for your future. If I cease to exist, who will stop the scorching sands of the Thar Desert from reaching your cities? When my embrace is dry, where will the water for your rivers come from? I fear that the next generation will only see me as a line in books and maps."

why I am under threat?

My situation today is extremely worrying for the following reasons:

The scourge of illegal mining: My heart is being torn apart by machines in the name of modernization. My hills are being cut down to extract stone for building concrete jungles. Despite Supreme Court restrictions, my chest is being ripped open under the cover of darkness.

The encroachment of urbanization: The expansion of cities like Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad is encroaching upon my boundaries. My forests are being cleared to make way for farmhouses and high-rise buildings, depriving wildlife of their homes.

Disappearing hills: Reports from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also confirm that many of my smaller hills have completely disappeared. This is not just the end of the mountains, but the end of the natural barrier that protected you from dust storms.