Global Himalayan Expedition

Happy Solar

By Abhinav Agrawal

“Best things happen by chance”. So I heard in a movie. I came across the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) by chance and it happened when I needed it the most. On this voyage, expecting the unexpected, and breathtaking experiences were guaranteed. On one hand, I was overwhelmed and on the other, I was at peace. Earlier, I used to question myself that does it really matter what kind of work I do in life? Should it be something that influences society or has a positive impact on the environment? Do I care?

GHE answered!

Truly GLOBAL

Wherever in the world I traveled, I realized that people are all the same. Everybody has a sour past, a struggling present, and a hopeful future. Every story is personally customized and every human is unique. On this journey, I heard 19 different stories from 7 different countries, but one common cause of clean energy and electrification brought us together to the mighty Himalayas. Cutting off from the virtual world and connecting with the real world is a luxury that I discovered here. Fun activities, exercise, and sports became the medium for our bonding.

Traditionally HIMALAYAN

I thought that the Milky-way could not be seen from the Earth, but nature surprised me at every turn in the Himalayan range. At 4000m above the sea level, the atmosphere is thin and there are no city lights for kilometers in radius. These conditions make it easy for us to witness a bright streak of gases across the night sky surrounded by mountains. Also, playing football at such heights is something that not many people get to experience.

This region is a cold desert. The milky blue rivers and the blinding snow peaks followed us with occasional view of glaciers. The Ladakh district of Kashmir is greatly influenced by the Tibetan culture with numerous ancient Buddhist monasteries and stupas. The homestay, an initiative of GHE, is the only way someone can spend a day in the life of a local villager.

Once in a Lifetime EXPEDITION

I can't forget that night when my heart was overwhelmed with excitement and my eyes glittered as the village of Sking came to light and all the villagers cheered ‘Happy Solar’. It's amusing to see how a civilization survives in such tough living conditions.

Electrifying the village was the most challenging part of the expedition. Every house was a mystery because of its unique architecture and secret items hidden in it. In the end, it was immensely satisfying to get hands-on job experience. Our team installed solar-powered micro-grids on 31 households within 2 days.

With time, the villagers will realize that the power of electricity is way beyond just emitting light. These villages have their heritage that needs to be protected otherwise it would be lost to the cities. This initiative has not only helped reduce carbon emissions but also helped eliminate many social stigmas in our minds. GHE taught me that we don't need qualifications to make a positive impact on society and the environment, but we just need the will to do so.

GHE is the epitome of sustainable tourism. It's not only about what you take away from a place, but it's more about leaving it in a better state than it was. Now ask yourself, “Does it matter to you?”.

Depression

DEPRESSION

I think it is high time that I pen down my feelings rather than just feeling it most of the time. I have suffered from depression and maybe I am still suffering from it. Depression is a very strange feeling, very hard to communicate. One who has never gone through it may not understand it. It has many different faces and one cannot be compared to the other. I don’t know what others have experienced it as but here I am going to share my experience.

Depression is a state of complete hopelessness. It happens when something bothers you a lot but the solution cannot be found and this goes on for a long period of time, long enough to psychologically convince you that this situation will not get any better but only get worse. It is a kind of weakness felt in your heart that keeps your moral low because it reminds you that you have failed to take control of your life. It can be associated with a feeling of getting lost, where you have drained all your energy to get help but in vain. It is a very scary situation, where terrible thoughts appear in mind about your own future. You become very desperate at times in search of things that can merely give momentary relief. Your moods and behaviour is changed to something more erratic and extreme, that’s when people start calling you crazy and start avoiding you. You try to contact your friends just to have somebody to talk to but find it weird as you sound too pushy and desperate. The reiteration of these bothering circumstances leads to a loop with no escape. I have experienced some of many symptoms that are: Loneliness, Intolerance and Anger.

Judgement is what every person, who fails to understand the person under depression, does. There are things in this world that are beyond the capability of a human being to understand. According to these people the victims are categorized between weak (the ones that take the extreme step) and strong (the ones that do not). I want to say that every person who is uncomfortable in doing something does it or at least tries to do it or even chooses to quit that job is strong. Sometimes it is a strong decision to choose not to suffer.

So what could be the solution to this chronic issue millions face all over the world? It’s HELP. It is some kind of “external help” that provides a support around which the victim could grow some hope. The help could be as small as saying that everything will be alright or that I will be there for you. People needed to be understood and cared.