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Aravalli Utsav, a nearly month-long engagement to provide an understanding of the significance of the Aravallis for the National Capital Region, will be held at the India Habitat Centre (IHC) in New Delhi from Saturday (October 28) to November 20. 

A first of its kind documentation of the Aravallis will be showcased to create awareness among citizens through various activities. 

Installations, lectures 

The event will engage citizens from all walks of life, including students, photographers, birdwatchers, environmentalists, conservationists, researchers, policymakers and the general public, through various activities. It will include photo exhibitions, installations, lecture series and an opportunity to explore the Aravallis in the company of expert birders and naturalists. 

Photographs giving a glimpse of the Aravallis are up at Jor Bagh and Mandi House metro stations since July 5 and will remain there till November 30. This is in partnership with the India Photo Archive Foundation, curated by Aditya Arya and in collaboration with Art in Metro (IHC) and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. 

Aravalli Utsav is an initiative by non-government organisation iamgurgaon in collaboration with IHC, in partnership with India Photo Archive Foundation and supported by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. 

Socio-ecological services 

The core team members contributing to Aravalli Utsav are Latika Thukral, co-founder of iamgurgaon; Mr. Arya, commercial and travel photographer, visual historian and an archivist; Pradip Krishen, an ‘ecological gardener’ and author of Trees of Delhi; and Chetan Agarwal, an environment and forest analyst. 

The Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, running through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. 

Groundwater 

In NCR, they provide critical socio-ecological services for adjacent rural communities as well as city residents of Gurugram, Faridabad and Delhi. They also serve a variety of significant purposes like wildlife habitat and corridor, a buffer to wildlife sanctuaries in Delhi and Rajasthan, bird habitat and transit point, the last remaining forest patch and an important groundwater recharge zone, a buffer against desertification and air pollution, fuel-wood and medicinal plants. It is also home to sacred spaces like Mangar Bani.

Source: The Hindu