During my summer vacation, I had went to Niagara Falls and
naturally I was excited to see the giant waterfall in action. However, when I
saw the giant waves of water crashing on the rocks, the steam swirling in the
air, dozens of birds flying; these sights failed to elicit any kind of awe
rather I was disappointed. For some time, I was unable to pinpoint as to why
such disappointment crept as I had expected to be soaking in the scenery rather
than sulking. So, I stood there staring at Niagara Falls for thirty minutes
then I did a panoramic view of the place from where I was watching and I knew
instantly the source of my disappointment.
It was the commercialization of Niagara Falls that had
tarnished the beauty which it once carried. Wherever my eyes gazed, I saw
people crowding the place with their cameras, the noisy chit chat, fried foods
and the garbage piling on the ground. It
was also the pollution and vehicular noises traveling to and fro from US to
Canada. I always viewed nature as a package with trees surrounding the land,
birds chirping and serenity filling the air. The experience I got from Niagara
Falls was a total contrast of such expectations rather the inorganic noises of
machines, the chit chat of people and the destruction of everything surrounding
the falls made me remorseful. Once upon a time Niagara Falls was a beauty to
behold but now it’s just a simple point on the map for the tourists to visit.
For Niagara Falls to regain the beauty it once possessed;
we must destroy all the man-made structure surrounding it and allow nature to
grow back again. A huge patch of land should surround the falls with no shred
of a single man made structure from at least a distance of 5 miles in every
direction. Then we can create bus tours, merchandises shops, restaurants
outside the area for commercialization and at the same time preserve the beauty
of the falls. Alas, this is a dream for the idealist and the chances of such an
initiative occurring is only possible in an alternate reality. So, the only
thought that crosses my mind when I think of Niagara Falls is nature’s beauty
lost forever.
By Abhinav Mishra
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