‘MY OBJECTION IS WITH PEOPLE WHO RUIN THE SANCTITY OF NATURE’
Actor and Nature lover Abhinav Shukla on why he disapproves of mass tourism and influencers who over promote rare destinations
Actor-choreographer Raghav Juyal recently shared a video on social media where he was seen standing at a waterfall in Dehradun, requesting people not to pollute the area. The video went viral and was soon reposted by a paparazzi account; actor and Nature enthusiast Abhinav Shukla left a comment on the video urging people not to “popularise” rare places for the sake of their “fancy reel”.
Talking about what prompted his reaction, Shukla says, “I don’t know Raghav personally. I just know that he does a lot of guided treks.” Clarifying that he wasn’t targeting anyone in particular, Shukla expresses his displeasure with the influencer community and mass tourism at large. “My objection is with the influencers who visit such hidden gems and overpromote them enough that commercial operators start bringing hundreds of people. It ruins the sanctity of the forest,” he tells us.
However, the 41-year-old asserts that he does not have problems with people visiting such places. “Everyone has an equal right to enjoy nature. But if I am responsible for making the place famous through reels, then don’t get to cry about pollution. It is easy to spot a person who actually loves nature and a person who is pretending for the sake of image building. I have no issues with this, but one can’t be hypocritical,” explains Shukla.
In the last two decades, the actor himself has done some 200 treks and 80 campouts in the wilderness across India. “I maintain secrecy. I know if I post or get the commercial adventure organisers there, then people will visit in large numbers and [the place] will get polluted,” he ends.