Environnmentalist Dr. Anil Joshi bags Rs 25 lakhs in KBC’s KARAMVIR episode on December 25. Says, UK Himalayas be declared as ecological capital of the nation
Eminent environmentalist running HESCO in Uttarakhand, Padmashree and Padma Bhushan Dr. Anil Joshi won Rs 25 lakhs in popular TV quiz show KAUN BANEGA KAROREPATI ( Who Want to Be a Millionaire) while on the hot seat alongwith a popular Bollywood director, producer n actor Anurag Basu answering certain trivial questions of megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
Dr. Anil Joshi was invited in the KBC’s special KARAMVIR episode of 25 th December as its usual practice of inviting outstanding personalities contributing in various fields for the betterment of the society.
While the quiz was on, the KBC’s siren ended the episode with super star of the millenium Amitabh Bachchan extending his gratitude for Joshi’s pivotal presence in the show sending across a vital message on environmental protection and vastly mobilising the people to safeguard our rivers, greenery and the environment to protect the civilization.
There had been interactions in between the show with megastar Amitabh Bachchan posing questions regarding personal life as well as on environment and ecology with Dr. Anil Joshi responding brilliantly, describing his experience of several decades in opening self help groups, Wise bank by HESCO to financially empower women , domestic industry producing biscuits of (Madwa) finger Millet flour, pickle n incense production, Prasad making, using finger Millet flour, being delivered in Kedarnath, Badrinath shrines empowering women on a vast scale etc and and opening of water mills ( Gharraad, ) at the decentralised village levels to empower women financially as well. ( Prasad is a devotional offering made to a god, typically consisting of food that is later shared among devotees)
Dr. Joshi has accompanied his wife and son to the KBC whom he had left for several years to independently pursue his aim to protect n preserve the environment of Uttarakhand Himalayas which directly contributes about 65% of the civilization. His family, (wife and son) when questioned as to how they feel about their husband and father doing this, both of them praised Dr. Joshi for pursuing his destined aim of protecting the environment and giving them freedom to pursue their own goals independently.
A professor of Botany who left his lectureship several years ago to form HESCO having been honoured with coveted Padmashri, Padmabhushan n Jamunalal Bajaj awards and several other recognitions, a Kafni on head and cotton Kurta trouser wearing simple white bearded environmentalist Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi asked if Delhi could be India’s political capital, Mumbai the nation’s financial capital, why can’t the Uttarakhand Himalayas be declared the ecological capital of the country.
He further said if GDP analyse our financial worth or progress why can’t there be Gross Ecological Product measurement as assessor to analyse our ecology n environment which keeps us alive.
There were certain trivial questions posed to him and Anurag Basu, answered satisfactorily but it was Anurag Basu who answered the question pertaining to a train coming to Kathgodaam from Howrah Bengal known as Baag Express, the answer not known by Dr. Joshi despite being an environmentalist of eminence and also from Uttarakhand.
Answering to several curious questions on environment by Amitabh Bachchan Dr. Joshi replied the biggest need today is to save our water, jungles, air and soil as this would be the highest challenge in the years to come. He anxiously revealed that in view of the fast depleting Himalayan glaciers due to global warming by 2060 the humanity should be prepared to face the tremendous negative consequences of extinction of Himalayas making the superstar awestruck.
More than half of the forests are vanishing globally and majority of the rivers are dying said Dr Joshi. Critical of so called international conferences on environment etc Dr. Joshi said that unless they connect their every decisions with the grass root villages and villagers they are irrelevant. He added that recognition of the grievances of the grassroot people and those residing in the villages and their subsequent empowerment is the basic crux to resolve the issue of environmental degradation globally than holding international conferences like the one called Kyoto decisions on curbing global warming etc.
He said in actuality the self reliant India’s solution will come out from the grass roots and the villages of the country. In the end Dr. Joshi was presented a golden trophy by KBC as a token of appreciation for his invaluable contribution to environment protection and empowering village inhabitants nationally.
Pictures grabbed from Sony TV live show of KBC
