Come June 5th/ 6th
and there is a lot of buzzing activity regarding “Environmental Day”. It’s like
the Government, NGO’s, organizations, companies and the environmental activists
suddenly wake up and get into action – planting trees, have walkathons/
competitions, delivering speeches or do some kind of a drive/ activity that
perhaps acts as a satisfier to them. No doubt these activities/ events may
satisfy the personal psyche but are they really creating an environmental
impact? Are we seriously pursuing on conserving the environment or is it only a
“ONE DAY WAKE-UP CALL”? Is our “ONE DAY” contribution a real resuscitator for
Planet Earth or the environs that we live in? Organizations who daily pollute
and kill the lakes/ rivers (along with all the life forms that depend and
thrive on it) for 364 days can be redeemed by one-day activity? It’s like
saying you commit sins throughout the year and then have a dip in the ganga to
redeem what you have done or as the Hindi proverb elegantly says “Sau chuhey
khake billy haj ko gayi”?
These questions from a 13-year-old who
was battling for life at a hospital today roused my mind and forced me to
ponder over the major issue “Environmental Conservation”. Moreover, his
statement “I don’t have enough time left uncle, but can’t people who have a
long life ahead do something in this regard which could possibly bring about impactful
results”. The questions had somehow created an internal drive in me to seek
answers or if possible solutions to the ever growing environmental issues. Comfortingly,
I held his hand and first thought of seeking what possible avenues he had in
mind that could be impactful – he sighed and replied “I have dreams uncle, but these
need whole hearted and involved participation and execution”. He went on “My
one dream is that:- Just imagine a day Uncle when people across the country
would not use a single vehicle that burns out fossil fuels – all the cars,
buses, motorbikes, airplanes, trains etc come to a grinding halt or holiday for
vehicles for one day. And then the roads would relive our ancient transport
system of tongas’, bullock carts’, horse carriages’ etc under the pretext of
“re-live history”. Those who use vehicles banned for the day should be fined severely
along with imprisonment (rigorous where they will have to perform environmental
cleaning tasks/ works for 6 months during the period of punishment). On this
day if even 10% of our population in our country would plant 1 TULSI sapling each
and commit to take care of it until the next Environment Day. This I feel will be
impactful”.
This reminded me of one day
festivities during Dussehra Festival called the AYUDHA Puja where we Hindu’s perform
puja and celebrate by resting all our vehicles, machinery and all energy (i.e.
Shakti centric) related articles/ artefacts for a day as a mark of equipping/
empowering the goddess Durga with enough strength to overcome inimical powers.
Whether myth or legend the fact is every hindu family practiced it and still does
so. This raised a couple of questions in my mind – were the child’s thoughts
revolving around this practice that has been in existence from time immemorial?
Did our ancestors know that such a situation was bound to arise in the future
that they devised such a practice (which fitted well with the child’s
dream)? Whatever the purpose it
certainly sounds doable and enforceable.
Secondly, the planting of TULSI
(keeping religious sentiments aside) was such a great idea solely because it is
believed that Tulsi is a plant that emits 20 Hours of Oxygen each day and 4
hours of Ozone. One Tulsi Sapling
consumes least water, easy to maintain, most animals don’t prey on it and emits
enough pure air for a family of 4 to enrich their health in all aspects. The
quantum of purification of air (if I may be allowed to say Oxygenated Air) due
to 1 Billion people (10% of the 10 Billion people – being the current estimated
population of India) planting Tulsi is really astounding and taking care of the
plant the year through certainly a worthy contribution to Mother Earth. This
again sounded doable and enforceable by each individual.
Moreover, my dialogue with the child
made me realise the fallacy in the way the organizations think and perform. When
I enquired with a few, I understood that it was only for numbers that mattered
for them to be a record in the books to self-satisfy that they have done their
duty towards protection or conservation of the environment. The stupidity
became all the more evident when one of the organizations (an MNC) took up a
drive to plant over 5000 tree saplings at Ramanagaram a town close to
Bangalore. The region of Ramanagaram is known for a rocky mountainous terrain
that presently reels under scarcity of water. Planting of trees is certainly a
great idea but who is accountable for nurturing these sapling planted, what
kind of an accounting process has been put into place i.e. who would monitor
each saplings growth and protection during growth, who is responsible to water
it every single day, where and how will the water be made available, what would
happen if the plants died/ withered away/ eaten away by predators due to human
negligence and who would be held responsible, who is accountable for what…..
there are many more aspects that perhaps the organization needs to take into
consideration or has taken into consideration.
Looking at its one single day
theory, it sounds more like I need to show it in my books about our
contributions made in the light of environment day. I say these because, to
grow these trees it is going to take years and the organization should have
taken into account and made plans regarding water availability, plant security,
nurturing and many more. And if they have it’s a miracle else it’s another
debacle of euthanizing trees for the sake of filling up the organizational
books of record. But what the organization could have done is to have taken an
easy route by doing a plantation drive called “1 HOME 11 SOWN” asking each
house to plant 11 Tulsi saplings which is easy to manage. Also prior education to
the people or school children on the characteristics of Tulsi could have addressed
the environmental requirement, organizational records, the accountability
issue, the responsibility of nurturing etc. Moreover, the outcome would have
been astounding where the town would have witnessed cleaner/ cleansed air within
a few days and also would have experienced a changed climatic situation in the
following months this could influence timely monsoons & better weather
conditions in the years to come.
After my dialogue with the child I realised
how myopic we so called corporate intellectuals are and can be. A lesson well learnt is “the greatest
of achievements can be obtained by simplistic actions”. All that we need, is,
to have a worthy VISION followed by an undying passion to make it happen. As
the child breathed his last holding my hands his piercing eyes expected a
promise from me – a promise to make the world a better, cleaner place to live
in. I did not want him to go so quickly I wanted him to stay and witness his
dream come true yet the time had come for him to depart – his last words were
like an arrow that would pierce even the strongest of armour and soothingly
touch the heart to make or elicit a commitment. “Please allow me to go uncle, I
will reach the heavens and ask gods to come down to earth, but remember they
can only come down when it is clean out here because “Cleanliness in next to
godliness”, I will keep my promise of sending them here but will you make me a
promise to ensure cleanliness here – make earth more cleaner, greener and
lovelier such that gods and humans love residing here. This is a big commitment
I know but can you really try”. As he bid adieu, he left behind a legacy of
thoughts and dreams imprinted into my mind to strive on what he envisioned.
Perhaps with the ocean of people and dauntless passion the hope I now have is
WE CAN TOGETHER MAKE IT HAPPEN.
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