A quiet but powerful shift unfolded in Yangpa, a small village from where we start the Pin Bhaba Pass trek. The mission was clear: to leave the mountains better than we found them. But what emerged from this one-day initiative was far more layered.
The day began with a sapling plantation drive at the Government Primary School in Yangpa. Children under the age of 10 arrived, accompanied by their mothers, teachers, Mahila Mandal members, and 13 Indiahikes team members. Village leaders — Mrs. Krishna Kumari (Pradhan of Yangpa) and Mrs. Tara Devi (Mahila Mandal Pradhan) — lent their support, making this a true community gathering.
The activities were thoughtful. Trek Leaders facilitated engaging sessions on the importance of trees. The hills echoed with slogans — “Swachh Yangpa, Sundar Yangpa” and “Vriksh Lagao, Gaon Bachao”. The sincerity in the children’s voices, matched by the warmth of their mothers’ smiles, set the tone for what felt like a festival of change.
But amid the cheer, the team stumbled upon a harsh reality — villagers were burning their trash. Everyone, from a six-year-old to the elderly, spoke of burning waste as the only known method. There was no disposal system. No segregation.
This shifted the tone of the day. The plantation drive became a springboard for deeper work. The team handed out Eco Bags and quickly initiated a cleanup drive. From the school to the village lanes, the entire community pitched in. Together, they collected seven large bags of waste.
That wasn’t all. Trek Leader Hrithik simplified waste segregation for the young audience. Abhishek Tiwari, our operations team member, coordinated the sorting into hard plastics, soft plastics, tetra packs, and glass. In total, 71.57 kgs of waste were segregated in just 15 minutes. What could’ve been a small demo turned into a turning point. Fifteen women from the Mahila Mandal committed, then and there, to begin waste segregation at home.
The ripple effect was immediate. The Pradhan requested every household to begin separating trash and assured that it would be handed over to Indiahikes. On our part, the Indiahikes team promised safe disposal through their new collaboration with Waste Warriors, Manali.
In a symbolic and practical move, the Pradhan added an Indiahikes representative to their community WhatsApp group. Plans for a mini waste collection centre near the basecamp were already underway.
Behind this impact was a deeply committed team — Abhishek Tiwari, Subhash Ji, Abhishek Bhan, Dhananjay, Abhishek Roy, Srijita, Charan, Hrithik, Saurabh, Pankaj Patwal Ji, Harsh Mohan Ji, Sourabh Ji and Mohit Bhai from Rupin Pass — each playing their part quietly, meaningfully.
What started as a simple school collaboration turned into something much larger. Yangpa didn’t just witness a one-day event. It felt like the start of a change.
At Indiahikes, we have felt a strong need to include the local communities we work with. We notice that while everyone has the intention to protect the environment, it is often the lack of knowledge that holds them back from being able to do so. While we are seasonally present in these regions, our presence drives a lot of things foward. But initiatives like these, where the members of the local community are involved, especially women and children, we believe and hope that the impact of it remains long after we pack-up for the season.
This is just the beginning!
The incident is just one small part of the larger efforts unfolding across our slopes — from Uttarakhand to Sikkim and beyond. At Indiahikes, we deeply believe that real, lasting change — both behavioural and systemic — can only happen when local communities are at the heart of it. Because protecting the environment isn’t a solo mission. It’s something we build together.