“A clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility toward others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it.”
–His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Government Issues a Storm Warning and Closes the School
Fittingly, during the week that includes Earth Day, the Siddhartha School was closed from April 21 to 23 following a government-issued storm warning. Moisture-laden western disturbances became lodged in the Himalayas, bringing widespread rain and snowfall across northern India.
The meteorological department in Leh advised against travel in hilly areas, warning of possible landslides and localized flooding, an unsettling echo of the 2010 cloudburst that devastated Leh. That event killed over 250 people, damaged key infrastructure, and demolished over 1,400 homes. So far so good as we round the bend this week, and we’re thankful all appears to fine.
Flashing Back to Our 2022 Earth Day Activity
Given the school closure, we’ve decided to bring you a flashback of Earth Day 2022, when students banded together and got their hands dirty in the annual beautification project for campus. The upper-class students pulled weeds, cleared away windblown rubbish, and planted new greenery for the upcoming year. They also hand-dug irrigation paths to help send water to the trees along the perimeter of the campus. It was a day enjoyed by all, spending time outside, laughing, and connecting with the Earth.
Photos: (top to bottom) Students dug trenches and irrigation water channels to promote economical water usage. Three boys pulled out dead trees and debris left from the harsh winter. A small wind twister spooled through the vacant field next to campus, a wonderful photo captured by the school secretary and foreign liaison, Mr. Tsering Angchuk!
