How do we protect natural sights? A Trip to Dhosi Hill Yields Clearer Lungs but a Heavy Heart

“Trekking craze, or the city’s haze – the choice is yours.”

– Gaurav Khattar

Hello, I am Gaurav Khattar from Gurgaon, India. By profession, I am an MBA & Chemical Engineering professional with almost two decades of corporate experience. However, by choice, I am a travel blogger who loves hills, driving, photography & road trips, short vacations, weekend getaways, and family holidays.

Dhosi Hill

I had always wanted to go trekking to Dhosi Hill because it was a relatively unknown destination close to Delhi that could be covered in a day. It was hardly a 150-kilometers one-way trip from Delhi along the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway.

My desire to explore Dhosi grew stronger after learning that it is the birthplace of Chyavanprash – a healthy and nourishing jam made of 46 herbs.

Dhosi Hill is about 8 kilometers from Narnaul on the south Haryana and north Rajasthan border, at the northwest end of the Aravali mountain range. It is a dormant volcano that has not erupted in the last two million years. However, on one side of the hill, solidified lava can still be seen. There is also an ancient reservoir that has rejuvenating properties. It cantreat skin ailments because the water here is cupric due to earlier volcanic activity and infused with various herbs.

The Rigveda mentions Sage Chyavana, an aged and feeble person whose youth and strength was restored by the twin Ashvini Kumar brothers, the Rajya Vaids, or ‘State Doctors.’ They created the Kayakalp process, which assisted  Chyavana in regaining his youthful glow.He  is also known for his vigor and health , which he achieved with a special herbal paste called Chyavanprash. This medication was first prepared for him at his ashram on Dhosi Hill in the Aravali mountains some 10,000 years ago.

Only when Delhi AQI improved from ‘hazardous’ to the ‘very poor’ category, I planned my day trip to Dhosi Hill. Isn’t it ironic that we are so used to the pollution all around us that I have used the word ‘improved’ only to signify the relative improvement in air quality?

The Dhosi Hilldrive

At 07.00 hrs, as I started from Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, the air was smoggy, and the visibility was less than 100 meters. The sun, too, was in its slumber.

It took me more than an hour to navigate through the morning highway traffic jostling for space on-road and breathe a whiff of first fresh air around 70 km away from Delhi, in the countryside. However, once I got off the main highway and took the countryside road towards Narnaul, though the road quality deteriorated, the air got fresher, the sun shone brighter, the scenery got greener, and the sky turned blue from the perpetual grey.

I reached the dusty lanes of Dhosi Hill base by 11.30 am. Though I expected it to be an unexplored area, I had no idea it would be so remote. There were no shops, no guards, no entry ticket, no street vendors, or the general public. Instead, the entire hillock was available solely to me.

The trek

For a city dweller like me, the trek was a daunting task. The stairway was broken and uneven. It was an arduous climb, and it took me double the water quota and triple the break time to reach the summit. But, as they say, ‘The best view comes after the hardest climb’, the view from the top of the cliff was spectacular. I could even spot my car parked in the village from the top of the hill.

My lungs worked overtime and filled in each ounce of the freely available fresh air, unlike Delhi, where air purifiers push the recycled air. As I relaxed on the temple porch, my mind drifted towards the scattered litter I saw on the way up. There were piles of chips wrappers, paper plates, polyethylene bags, plastic bottles, glass bottles strewn about the stairwell, and rocks.

The fragile ecology

I wondered when climbing Dhosi Hill was so difficult, how did plastic find its way up? And then I realized, we humans have contaminated every corner of the earth. This trash would lie here endlessly, mindlessly till eternity, and gradually jeopardize the delicate ecology surrounding Dhosi Hill.

How can Evirocor help in preserving such off-beat destination?

I wondered what could be done to preserve the ecological integrity of such unexplored places with tremendous potential for tourism, but are being killed by plastic pollution, even before their full potential is utilized.

We will never win this war against plastic unless the general public joins the fight against it of their own volition. To encourage the public, a plastic waste bank where waste plastic can be exchanged for money can be established. The collected plastic can then be recycled.

Also, since most of the trash at tourist places is from food items, the state government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) can prohibit the use of plastic on the hill, install trash cans along the entire trekking path, and ensure that garbage is collected regularly. The food, fruits, and meals should be packed in environmentally friendly food packaging compulsorily, which, even if abandoned on the hill, will eventually mingle with soil in some time.

The Government can plan to involve business establishments like Evirocor, which are spearheading the fight against plastic pollution. Evirocor desires and strives to keep every corner of the earth as pristine as when it first awakened to life.

Oko’s  sustainable Classic Carry Hampers range

The drive back to Delhi

I left Dhosi hill around 15.00 hrs, and as I approached the entry ramp to the Jaipur-Delhi National highway, the clamour of modern life greeted me with a cacophony of noise. I walked away from Dhosi Hill with clearer lungs but a heavy heart. I wish I could do something more to improve the upkeep of such beautiful places.

I hope this blog reaches like-minded environmentalists and enthusiasts who can persuade the Government to take concrete action and form core action committees to prevent mindless littering and preserve such delicate ecosystems.

Epilogue

Readers, too, can make a significant contribution by simply sharing this article with your friends and on social media. Join the fight against plastic waste by becoming a catalyst for change, a brand ambassador, or an awareness activist. Your single click to share can make an enormous difference.