Launching of Live To Love Eco Pad Yatra in Mumbai, 10th Dec 2011

With the dawn of 2012, The Drukpa has brought spectacular new meaning to the timeless aphorism of “out with the old and in with the new.”

For the fifth consecutive year, His Holiness is about to conclude a remarkable journey through the sub -continent in an effort to bridge spirituality and materialism.

Thousands devoted environmentalists including 450 monks and nuns, followers and supporters have joined The Drukpa on a Pad Yatra through many of India’s most revered landmark locales. And they haven’t been sightseeing. In past years Pad Yatra participants have picked up more than one ton of non-biodegradable waste and educated people in remote areas about the importance of keeping the environment clean and green for future generations.

This year’s Pad Yatra visited some of the world’s legendary Buddhist historical sites including the Elephanta Caves, Ajanta and Ellora (a UNESCO world heritage site) and will include a special prayer in Bhopal for the well-being of the city nearly 30 years after it’s environmental disaster.

“This Pad Yatra symbolizes the journey from self to selflessness. On the personal side, tis is an effort to come closer to nature and enjoy its bounty by way of an encounter of the close kind,” The Drukpa said. “On another front, this is an effort to raise awareness about the environment, and ensuring that there is widespread education on sustainability and safeguarding the environment.”