President Droupadi Murmu takes stroll on pristine Puri beach 

Bhubaneswar, July 8 (IANS) The President of India Droupadi Murmu who is in Puri on the occasion of the annual Rath Yatra festival, turned meditative while taking a stroll at the sea beach of Puri on Monday.

Sharing her divine experience on the official ‘X’ handle, the President said: “There are places that bring us in closer touch with the essence of life and remind us that we are part of nature. Mountains, forests, rivers and seashores appeal to something deep within us. As I walked along the seashore today, I felt a communion with the surroundings – the gentle wind, the roar of the waves, and the immense expanse of water. It was a meditative experience.”

She said that she experienced a profound inner peace after having the darshan of Lord Jagannath during the Rath Yatra on Sunday.  

“And I am not alone in having such an experience; all of us can feel that way when we encounter something that is far larger than us, that sustains us and that makes our lives meaningful,” the President said.

She further added that human beings have lost connection with ‘Mother Nature’ and are engaged in its exploitation for their own short-term gains. 

“The result is for all to see. This summer, many parts of India suffered a terrible series of heatwaves. Extreme weather events have become more frequent around the globe in recent years. The situation is projected to be far worse in the decades to come,” wrote Murmu.

The President also noted that more than seventy per cent of the surface of the earth is made up of oceans, and global warming is leading to a rise in global sea levels, threatening to submerge coastal areas.

She said that the oceans and the wide variety of flora and fauna found there have suffered heavily due to different kinds of pollution.

“Fortunately, people living in nature’s lap have sustained traditions that can show us the way. Inhabitants of coastal areas, for example, know the language of the winds and waves of the sea. Following our ancestors, they worship the sea as God,” the President wrote on X.

“There are two ways, I believe, to meet the challenge of protection and conservation of the environment; broader steps that can come from governments and international organisations, and smaller, local steps that we can take as citizens. The two are, of course, complementary. Let us pledge to do what we can do – individually, locally – for the sake of a better tomorrow. We owe it to our children,” added President Murmu.

The President who is on a four-day visit to Odisha, on Sunday, participated in the Rath Yatra celebrations.    

--IANS

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