Himani Usha Tripathi is a writer, mentor and performing artist whose work spans education, sustainability, Sustainable Development Goal advocacy and cultural exploration.

Migration in the Mountains: Why “Progress” in Uttarakhand Is Pushing People Away

Valley of Flowers National Park in Uttarakhand, India. Photo Credit: Rohit Sharma via Wikimedia Commons
A woman tends the land of her ancestors in the mountains of Uttarakhand, India. Photo credit: Himani Usha Tripathi
One of the remaining clusters of traditional mountain homes in Uttarakhand, India, now largely occupied by ageing residents. Himani Usha Tripathi

Across valleys once alive with terraced fields, festivals and village schools, families are leaving for towns and plains – not out of choice but because they must.