As Himachal cracks under the pounding rains, Bollywood celebs pray for the well-being of their loved ones back home

Mona

The heavy rain is creating havoc in North India, and Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing the fury of overflowing rivers, which has caused huge loss of life and property. Actors, who hail from the Himalayan state, are concerned about their family and friends back home.

It was never this bad!

The monsoon is tough on Himachal every year but it was never this bad. My heart goes out to the people stuck in this inclement weather. Our farm at Gohar, near Sundernagar in Mandi, is our happy place. My father got stuck there as it started pouring. He made it back to Chandigarh with great difficulty given the traffic snarls and landslides. Nature in all its fury made us realise how small we all are. Things are also bad in Punjab and other places. Thankfully, in last two days, the weather has shown some respite, and I hope all stay safe!

Surilie Gautam, actor

Before it’s too late

The situation is not too bad in my hometown Hamirpur though the streams are in full spates. I am pretty concerned about my friends and family in Mandi and Manali. One of my best friends runs a resort and I couldn’t get in touch with him as the electricity supply and phone networks were affected. Today the network was restored and hopefully, electricity would be restored too. Mindless encroachments blocking the natural course of the rivers have led to such a disastrous situation. We need to stop haphazard construction now because once nature comes to its elements, there is little one can do.

Surya Sharma, actor

Personal Connect

Shimla is my hometown and currently we’re watching the news and social media posts as nature is unleashing a trail of destructions there. So many people are suffering due to flood and landslides, andI know some of them personally. People are stuck as roads have just disappeared due to landslides. Many people have lost their homes. It’s scary. I am praying for everyone’s well being. I call my dad so many times as I’m worried about him. He’s in Shimla and my mom is here with me in Mumbai. I asked him to stay home and not go to his office. I would suggest for now please don’t travel to Himachal and if you are already there, stay safe!

Asmita Sood, actor

Happy, sad & everything in between

For actor Ruslaan Mumtaz, things took a 360 degree turn as his work-cum-leisure trip to Manali was ruined by torrential rains. The Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai actor shared a video and wrote, “Tough times in a very very beautiful place. I don’t even know if I should be happy, sad, grateful or just enjoy my apple!” As his worried fans reached out to him, he shared another video with the sunny town in the backdrop. “Everything seems calmer here. The rain has stopped, the river has subsided...we all are safe. The film crew is safe as well we are just trying to figure out how to get back,” shared the actor, who spent the night with the owner of the hotel where he stayed after the disaster struck.

Pay heed to mountain wisdom

The Dooba Dooba-singer Mohit Chauhan, who hails from Nahan, is sad at the devastations his home state is witnessing. Chauhan, who is in Mumbai, is concerned about his parents who are at Nahan. “Last few days I have been calling my folks and ensuring all is well and under control. Fortunately, they are fine but there is huge loss of property, specially in Mandi and Manali.” The singer is all for finding a balance between development and nature. “We must reconnect with nature before it’s too late. While infrastructure is the need of the hour but we have to find a fine balance between development and elements of nature. It’s time we paid heed to the mountain wisdom.”

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