The Aravallis: Our Silent Guardians

If you live near the Aravallis, as I do, you will agree that we don’t see them as mountains listed in textbooks. They are part of our surroundings, the hills that quietly frame our city, the reason the land feels grounded and alive.

They don’t announce their presence, but they shape our lives. They soften the heat, hold the soil, store water beneath them, and give our towns and cities a natural boundary. For many of us who live across Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, and Gujarat, the Aravallis are not scenery. They are home. That is why recent decisions regarding the Aravallis have sparked concern and sadness among people who live near them. It raises an uncomfortable question: are legal definitions keeping pace with the lived realities of the land and the people it supports?

What did the Court decide?

In simple words, the Court accepted a new definition of what can officially be called “Aravalli Hills.”

• Only land that rises at least 100 metres above the surrounding area will officially be treated as the Aravalli Hills.

• Smaller hillocks, rocky ridges, and uneven land below 100 metres may not get Aravalli protection.

  
  

  How Small Hills Hold Big Responsibilities

  

  
  

  The Aravallis are not just tall mountains. Much of the range exists as low hills and rocky land that locals have always known as part of the Aravallis. Nature does not work by height measurements; it works as a connected system.

  These gentle slopes, many rising below 100 metres, are daily lifelines for shepherds, cattle, livestock, farmers, and villagers. When such land is mined or flattened, it is not just rock that is lost; livelihoods also quietly disappear with it.

  In Defence of our Guardians

  We are not against development. We want progress and opportunity. What worries us is development that forgets the land on which it stands. The Aravallis are not empty land waiting to be used; they are living guardians that have protected our regions for centuries. Losing them would mean losing balance, beauty, and a part of our identity.

  Before redefining them on paper, we hope the government and the Supreme Court listen to the heartbeat of those who live with the Aravallis every day. They are not just ancient mountains; they are the pulse of our land, and without them, we lose ourselves.”