THE RAGING HIMALAYAS AND A WARMING PLANET

By Asokan Vengassery Krishnan

THIS BOOK REFLECTS the harrowing experiences that the author and a small group of friends endured during the catastrophic floods in the Himalayas in June 2013. While on a pilgrimage to the holy Char Dham of Uttarakhand, the group was stranded in Badrinath for almost a fortnight before being rescued by air. In addition to recounting the ordeal, the author also discusses his concerns on environmental issues, such as global warming and climate change.

The Himalayas, an environmentally sensitive region, stands as a glaring example of the detrimental impacts brought forth by climate change and global warming. The recurrent incidence of heavy rainfall leading to devastating floods and landslides has unfortunately become a permanent feature of the Himalayan landscape, resulting in loss of lives and widespread destruction of property. Regrettably, this situation is further aggravated by human greed and ill-advised developmental practices in the region.

In the midst of this discussion, the author contemplates the wisdom and invaluable contributions made by a select few visionaries who dedicated their lives to safeguarding and preserving our natural habitats and environment.

ASOKAN VENGASSERY KRISHNAN, a native of Kerala, immigrated to the US in the mid-1980s and studied and worked there for over 30 years. Before retiring in mid-2022, he was working as a senior accounting professional at a prestigious international corporation headquartered in Philadelphia. He earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Accounting as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Widener University, Pennsylvania. He also attended the University of Pennsylvania and other regional institutions and studied various liberal arts courses, including Earth Science, Environmental Science and Anthropology. He also has a BSc degree in Mathematics from the University of Kerala.

Philosophy and history are his passions. His first book, Sree Narayana Guru: The Perfect Union of Buddha and Sankara (Konark Publishers, New Delhi), a comprehensive biography of the 19th-century sage and social reformer, was published in 2018. He has written numerous articles on socio-political issues in various magazines and newspapers in Kerala as well as in many publications of the Indian diaspora in the US. He also published American Diary, a collection of articles in Malayalam, in 2004.

Currently, as an extension to his earlier book on Sree Narayana Guru, Asokan is working on a new book analyzing the historical relevance of Buddha, Sankara and Sree Narayana Guru.

You can buy the book on Amazon India or Flipkart

Binding: Paperback

Publication Date: 28 August 2023