By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 3 Jul: A webinar was organised on the death anniversary of the famous photo-journalist of the hills, the late Kamal Joshi. It began with a tribute by Dr Anil Joshi. He also described the impact of environmental degradation on human existence, which included pandemics like COVID-19. He emphasised the need to learn the right lessons from the ongoing crisis. He described how the lockdown had led to a remarkable improvement in the environmental conditions, leaving the air and river waters purer.
He also recalled that his organisation, HESCO, had been named by Kamal Joshi. On the occasion, he also launched Robin Nagar’s YouTube channel focused on the environment.
Historian Dr Shekhar Pathak also recalled the life and works of Kamal Joshi. He pondered over the impact of the pandemic on Uttarakhand, in particular the fate of the returned migrants. He suggested that rural and agrarian reforms could help meet the crisis.
Dr Pushpesh Pant pitched for an optimistic and positive approach in the present. He wanted education to be focused more on the environment.
Threesh Kapoor focused on adopting a grassroots approach based on local resources. The youth needed to open start-ups in the mountains. Rajiv Lochan Shah paid tribute to Kamal Joshi and recalled how much he loved to travel in the hills. He focused on alternative employment for those involved in tourism. Swati Malkani commented on IT professionals who were back at their homes in the hill and working from there. However, they were facing problems due to poor internet connectivity.
Among others who took part were Shivam Joshi, Dr Sandhya Joshi, JP Joshi, Dr Rakesh Kumar, Dr Subhash Nautiyal, Vinod Khati and Manmohan Joshi.
