Thread by @DrOsamaSiddique

#AlBeruniRadius initiative is commendable. However, has to be approached with great sensitivity & sense. Else it too will turn into a dump. My 2 cents why. On a lovely spring day 5 yrs ago I hiked up Nandana hill with a cousin. The hills are steep, stark & riddled with scree 1/

wild vegetation & boulders. Approaching it, there's a lovely little village with ber & date palm orchards, large banyans & clear water channels. The hike takes one along a seasonal spring, lush vegetation & dense thickets. The climb up not tough but the winding path overgrown 2/

At the top are crumbling remains of a temple/fort walls. Panoramic views of surrounding country. Pathways of various armies & conquerors. It was here that Al-Beruni said to have calculated circumference of earth. I was enthralled! But essential to celebrate not just as Islamic 3/

history/scientific achievement but indeed also as contribution to global human achievement in our collective pursuit to make sense of marvel of creation & the universe. We need to remember also that Al-Beruni is said to have stayed here at a Hindu monastery. He had discourses 4/

with residents who hosted him, on philosophy, astronomy, other knowledge systems. His Kitab-ul-Hind testimony to this spirit of mutual learning/engagement. A collaborative ethos & syncretic spirit characterized explorers/pursuers of knowledge. Imp that site documents all this 5/

& also celebrates the plurality & multiculturalism of this rich land of ours. Vital that we endeavor to be generous, broad-minded & citizens of the world - like Al-Beruni himself - when we conserve this lovely place. Other really imp consideration is ecological/environmental 6/

When I visited it was idyllic. Sometime forgetting a place is best way to save it till one has sensitivity, foresight & integrity to do a good job. This place is not built for mass tourism. It will ruin it. Plastic bags will desecrate the hills & choke water channels; blaring 7/

music will shatter the solace/drown birdsong; ugly cement & metal structures will tarnish untouched look of the place that transports one to another time; trees & vegetation will be destroyed to build; & soon it will turn into an absolute horror like Kallar Kahar lake as govt 8/

ineptitude, graft & ugliness of aesthetic combined with pvt commercial greed will ensure that another delicate eco system & surviving trace of history is wiped out. So pls don't look to this place to extract revenue or for political mileage. Please do things differently here 9/

Pls let this be to: teach a magnanimous history, extol pursuit of knowledge/those who pursue it, conserve archaeology & nature, & provide citizens with a healthy outlet. But unless this "development" can be done as above it's better to just call it a park & then let it be 10/10

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