INDIA'S PRIDE-HIMALAYAS

HIMALAYAS

The pride and beauty of India lies in the north-eastern part -elegant and strong, tempting climbers to test their grit.She is the mother of the most gorgeous mountain, EVEREST which stands tall and reaches a height of 29200 feet(8850m).The Himalayan range of mountains do not merely add to the beauty of India but they also bear religious significance. They are considered to be sacred in both Hinduism and Buddhism.The mighty rivers that originated from the snow capped ranges,gush down them like free birds flying in the sky enjoying the space given.They guard the life of so many creatures.Rivers worth mentioning are our very own Ganges,the Indus,the Brahmaputra and Yangtze(CHINA).The Himalayas geographically fall in the category of the young fold mountains but in height,as mentioned earlier, has some of the tallest peaks.These ranges have captured the hearts of many people just like mine.It has attracted many tourists. People love the peace that is experienced here and pack their bags just to escape the stress they undergo in everyday life.The first person to reach the summit of the mighty Chomolungma was Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29,1953 via the north col.Photographers enjoy the scenic beauty of the Himalayas and consider it to be one among the few places that would test their talents.The Himalayas have also caught the attention of the many gifted writers.An excerpt from a poem by Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' on the abode of snow:

"My king of mountains! My magnificent one!Radiant embodiment of great glory!Flame of fierce, accumulated prowess!Snowy diadem of my motherland!Effulgent brow of my Bharat!My king of mountains! My magnificent one!

Unvanquished, unfettered, free through the ages,Sacred, righteously proud and great through the ages,What glory have you been radiatingThrough the ages in the limitless sky?How unbroken is your eternal meditation!Sages of sages! How unending your concentration!

Pouring into infinite space, what intricate problemsDo you seek to solve?What intractable web of perplexities?My king of mountains!

My magnificent one! SAGARMATHA

O sage engrossed in silent tapasya!
Open your eyes atleast for a moment!
Our country is burning, in flames
Writhing restlessly at your feet!
The blessed Indus, the five rivers,
Brahmaputra Ganga and Yamuna - the nectar-swept streams
That flow to the blessed land
Are abundant with your melting compassion.

At the gates of that land,
You, the guardian of its borders,
Have challenged,
You must cut off my head
Before you can trample over this land
O pious sage, a great misfortune has fallen todayOn that same land of piety!Afflicted, the children are writhingBitten by countless snakes from four directions.My king of mountains! My magnificent one!

There have also been many stories and novels written based on this.In fact a novel by Jeffery Archer-PATHS OF GLORY,is the soul reason for me writing this. Stories worth mentioning are,

Kim by Rudyard Kipling- the signature account of life in nineteenth century India as seen through British eyes and is based on the exploits of a young boy in the Himalayas and plains of India while engaged in the Great Game.

Shangri-La, a fictional utopia situated somewhere in the Himalayas is based on the legendary Shambhala. It is described in the novel Lost Horizon, written by the British writer James Hilton in 1933.

Tintin in Tibet is one of the series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring the young reporter Tintin investigating a plane crash in the Gosain Than massif in the Himalayas. (1960)

The Hollywood movie Vertical Limit (2000)- set in the K2 peak of the Himalayas, in Pakistan.

"Dragon Rider (novel)" is authored by Cornelia Funke and tells the story of an epic journey that a small boy, a brownie, and a dragon take to the "Rim of Heaven," a place in the Himalayas where dragons reside.

Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is an elaborately themed roller coaster located at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World that takes riders through a yeti-guarded Mount Everest.

The Inheritance of Loss written by Kiran Desai is partly set in the Himalaya Mountains. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2006.

India is certianly very proud of its got beauty-The Himalayas.!!