Let Sahyadri to Breathe!!

The sun has risen, the light has spread

a mountain stands in the way-

yet I bow to it with reverence!

The words of Sant Eknath’s Bharud echoed in my ears and a question arose in my mind—

If you set out to cut down these mountains altogether,where will the sun hide?And whom will we bow to then?

The Sahyadri, part of the Western Ghats, is not merely a range of mountains.It is one of the world’s important biodiversity hotspots and plays a vital role in the monsoon cycle. It is home to hundreds of rare and unique species. For generations, countless communities have lived here in harmony with nature, preserving their culture, traditions and way of life.

In July 2026, the Central Government issued a draft notification proposing to declare around 56,826 sq. km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area. However, there have been demands to exclude around 388 villages in Maharashtra from the proposed area in the name of development.

And that raises a serious question—

If development comes at the cost of destroying forests, water sources, biodiversity and the very ecosystem that sustains these communities,then whom is this development really serving?

Sahyadri is not merely a chain of mountains.

It is the free, breathing lungs of Maharashtra.Are we now going to suffocate them too?

Today, this is no longer just a question of protecting mountains.-

It is a question of forests.

It is a question of water.

It is a question of biodiversity.

And ultimately, it is a question of our future.

The Roads, mining, urbanisation, growing tourism pressure and large infrastructure projects are increasingly fragmenting natural habitats across the Western Ghats.

Somewhere, somehow, this has to stop.

Today, we are losing our mountains…

Today, we are losing a part of our identity.

But—

If the mountains disappear, how will development survive?

If forests are cut down, where will the rains find their way?

If the springs dry up, where will the rivers get their waters?

And if Sahyadri itself disappears…

what will remain of Maharashtra’s identity?

Development is necessary—but it must be balanced.

Progress is necessary—but not at the cost of the Sahyadri.

Because if Sahyadri survives,the forests will survive…the water will survive…the rains will survive.

and so will Maharashtra’s breath.

Sahyadri must live.Sahyadri must remain.