The Beauty of Nature and My Uttarakhand
By: Deepika Rawat | Arika Quill
My name is Deepika Rawat, and today I want to talk about something very close to my heart. First, notice my last name – Rawat. This is not just a name, it shows that I belong to the mountains of Uttarakhand, a place full of pure and peaceful nature.
I am truly in love with nature. I want to suggest you something: take a break from your phones and gadgets and just observe the world around you. Spend some time with yourself and you will slowly start to understand your inner self. When we use phones too much, we stop learning about who we really are.
Let me tell you something about my life. I have a village in Uttarakhand which is on the top of the hills. To reach there, we have to walk for 2 hours. Usually, I don’t like walking much, but when I go there, I don’t know why – my legs just don’t stop! When we reach the top, it feels like the whole walk was worth it. The view, the feeling, the fresh air – everything is beautiful.
Most of the houses in our village are painted blue, just like our sky. It feels like nature also loves blue, and so do we. Life there is simple and quiet. We sleep early, around 8 PM, because at night, wild animals like tigers and leopards move around freely. We don’t want to disturb their space, so we sleep early and let nature be.
The sunrise is magical. When you wake up early, birds are chirping, clouds are in front of your eyes, and you are holding a cup of hot tea – it feels like heaven. I stayed there for two weeks and I didn’t even use my phone much. Sometimes I clicked photos of nature, so that I can look back and remember the best days of my life.
And when we talk about nature, how can we forget the animals? We have 4 cows, 1 calf, many goats, and 1 dog. We keep them in a place called Chaanni, and we love them so much. They are part of our family.
This photo was taken the next day after a wedding ceremony in our village. In our tradition, when the bride returns to her mother’s house with her husband for the first time after marriage, a small puja (ritual) is done. The entrance is decorated beautifully with banana leaves, flowers, and a red cloth that reads “स्वागतम्”, which means “Welcome”.
It’s not just a decoration — it’s a symbol of blessings, respect, and starting a new journey with love. Under this sky, surrounded by nature and our traditions, every small moment feels special.
Many tourists come to our village and spend a lot of money just to stay there for a week. But I feel so lucky that I belong to this place. Still, everything has two sides – good and bad. The same is true for our village.
So what is the problem? Why don’t people live in their own houses in Uttarakhand?
The answer is simple but sad. There is no proper work in the village. People grow grains, but wild animals destroy the crops. Many villagers go to the government or leaders to ask for help, but they don’t get any proper response. There are schools and shops in the village, but not everyone can open a shop, and without money, they can’t even buy from those shops.
That’s why many young people leave the village and go to cities like Rishikesh, Delhi, and others to earn money and support their families. I feel the government should do something. They should help villages by giving more jobs and protecting farms from animals.
Please read my blog and share it with more people. I want the voice of the mountains to reach far. Let us all take a moment to love and respect nature, and also the people who live close to it.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
Writing from where the clouds rest…Deepika Rawat
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