Reckless construction has left Himachal besieged by deadly floods and landslides. Decades ago, one man predicted exactly this disaster. While others chased ‘development,’ he fought to keep his home wild. And today, his stubbornness saved thousands.
In the 1990s, Tirthan’s crystal rivers faced a grave threat—massive hydro projects. The government planned 17 dams, risking the valley’s fragile ecosystem. But a quiet school teacher realised something: if the trout disappeared, so would his valley.
Dile Ram had grown up fishing in Tirthan’s waters. He knew that the trout needed free-flowing rivers to survive. These fish fed snow leopards, bears, and rare birds. That, without them, the entire valley would starve.
So he did something radical—he started a revolution. When dam builders felled trees at night, he documented it. When bulldozers came, he stood in front of them. When bribes were offered, he exposed them. For 10 years, he was a one-man army.
And his decade-long fight paid off. In 1999, Tirthan became part of the Great Himalayan National Park. In 2014, GHNP was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No dams could touch it now. The trout, the forests, the people—saved.
Dile Ram didn’t stop at bans. He trained villagers in eco-tourism, creating livelihoods tied to conservation. Today, Tirthan thrives as a biodiversity hotspot -its trout population rebounded by 300% post-ban!
Dile Ram proved a truth we’re forgetting: "Disasters aren’t 'natural' when we ignore decades of nature's warnings". As we watch scary flood videos today, can we pledge to 'Be a Dile Ram', and demand better policies that protect our natural wealth?