Wanderlust and the desire to know the land and society more had been fueling my wish to visit Kailas. There were many curiosities. All our major rivers have their source in the region. The largest reservoir of fresh water on earth is situated there. The celestial swans are found there. I recall that how in my childhood, my Grandmother used to describe Kailas as being akin to a dreamland. According to her, Shri Krishna has said in the Gita – Meruru shikhirinamaham – ‘Among mountains I am Kailas!’
It was Sage Mandhata who first set foot on this sacred soil. Adi Shankaracharya shed his mortal body here. Guru Nanak meditated here and Swaminarayana, the founder of the sect that bears his name, saw the vision of god here.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata mention Kailas. This is where Ravana had worshipped Lord Shiva. He wanted to take Kailas with him. Shiva guilefully dissuaded him from doing so. Arjuna performed penance here and received the Pashupata Astra from Shiva. Yudhishthir proceeded heavenwards via this route. One by one, all the family members fell by the roadside; only the faithful dog kept company. Bhasmasur, the Rakshas, a devotee of Shiva was reduced to cinders here.
Today the dark shadow of civilisation has begun to fall even on Mansarovar. This lake is shrinking. The sacred water body, that once stretched across 410 square kilometres, is now shrunk to only 10 square kilometres. Consider this the rage of Nature. Had Kalidasa been alive, he would have been deeply saddened to see his beloved Himalaya in this state. Is it the same Himalaya that is described in Raghuvamsham and Kumar Sambhavam? Civilisation has reached a point where the divine dimensions of Himalaya are disturbed.

Prof. Pushpesh Pant

A Padma Shri awardee in 2016, Prof. Pushpesh Pant is a noted Indian academic, food critic, and historian. Formerly a Professor of International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University, he is currently Professor Emeritus at The North Cap University, Gurugram. Prof. Pant has degrees in History, Law and International Relations. He has over 42 years of teaching experience and has published over 50 books on food, travel and tourism.

pushpeshpant@gmail.com

Dwiteeyonasti is the author’s mercurial effort to depict the stunning beauty of Kailas Mansarovar and demystify it’s halo which would otherwise be difficult to fathom through naked eyes.

His other works namely Tamasha Mere Aage is a collection of articles on life and society whereas the widely acclaimed ‘Yuddh mein Ayodhya’ is a living account of all the unsaid stories of the movement which changed the narrative of Indian politics forever.

Active in Hindi journalism since last 35 years, Hemant Sharma started his career from Jansatta newspaper of prestigious Express Group. He is gifted with legacy of Journalism and literature. He started journalism in 1983 at a very young age. His educational journey from graduation till Doctorate was carried at Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi. After formal education, he continued his efforts to study society, ideas and beliefs that support the structure and superstructure of human existence. His journey continued with the prominent media houses of the country namely The Express Group, The Hindustan Times, India TV and the prestigious TV9 Group which he is working for presently.

Hemant Sharma is known for his political satires and his fiery writing. He has been awarded the ‘Yash Bharti’ by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. It will not be an exaggeration to call Hemant Sharma, a synonym of Hindi Journalism.

hemantmanusharma@gmail.com

Dr. Hari Krishna Paliwal, an ardent nature lover is Ph.D. in Botany from Delhi University and MBA from University of Queensland, Australia. His passion for nature’s beauty prompted him to author a very well illustrated book on ornamental gardening to fill up a vacuum in illustrated information on ornamental plants in India. Its Hindi version also written by him is ready for printing. He has been an officer of the Indian Administrative Services. Besides serving as District Magistrate in a number of districts in Uttar Pradesh, he held various important assignments in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Government of India, including that of Chief Secretary to the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Of late, he was advisor in the Ministry of Home Affairs with Mr. Rajnath Singh. Presently he is an advisor to the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, holding the rank of a cabinet minister.

harikrishnapaliwal@gmail.com