POWER OF ONE

The Great India Drive with the Hyundai Alcazar took us on a mega road trip to meet inspiring individuals using sustainable practices in their respective areas of expertise, ensuring progress for people and prosperity for the planet

The Great India Drive featuring the comfortable, frugal and feature-loaded Hyundai Alcazar took us on a grand road trip spanning the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to bring to light stories of inspiring individuals whose work is dedicated to conservation using sustainable materials and also reviving and preserving habitats for fellow beings we share the earth with in order to make a difference, in order to help make the world a better place. Tourism driven development of the hill stations has led to a stark rise in the number of hotels, restaurants and vehicles populating their landscape and from a socio-economic standpoint that sounds like positive change. That isn’t necessarily true, however, as Surbhi Agarwal, a third-generation resident of Mussoorie engaged in research, archival and documentation of different aspects pertaining to the region’s history and heritage, points out. As someone who has seen the change in landscape first hand, she says the rapid tourism-centric development has led to Mussoorie losing its old-world charm. While Surbhi has been doing a stellar job of archiving, researching and documenting a region’s heritage and history spreading awareness about the importance of keeping it intact, Dhruv Chandra Sud, a longtime resident of Shimla and an architectural conservationist, has been channeling his expertise and passion for conservation towards preserving the architectural heritage and restoring old buildings to their former glory using sustainable practices. On another end of the broad spectrum of conservation are individuals like Kunal Singh. Working under the Tenacious Bee Collective banner, Kunal has been engaged in reviving the dwindling bee population and promoting bee habitats that ethically produce raw honey as well as beeswax derived products. These individuals are outstanding examples of people who have successfully channeled their knowledge towards stellar conservation work helping sustainably preserve the country’s heritage and ecology and have helped make a difference. ■