WELCOME TO MY BEAUTIFUL HOME

 WELCOME TO MY BEAUTIFUL HOME

"There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,

The earth, and every common sight,

To me, it did seem

Apparelled in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream.

It is not now as it hath been in yore; —

Turn wherever I may,

By night or day.

The things which I have seen I now can see no more … "

This beautiful scenery is not only alive in Wordsworth's memory but also in ours today. No longer do we get to view such beautiful sights in our overcrowded cities. We have been studying about our environment and its conservation since our childhood, but most of us don’t really value it when it comes to reality. 

When we need a break, we decide to visit nature. We trek or take a trip to the magnificent hill stations like Mahabaleshwar, Manali, Kasol, Nainital or Shimla. It’s like a "refreshment" for us humans from our monotonous suffocating life. But humans fail to understand that they are solely responsible for this kind of life. Technology has made our lives easier, but it is also depleting our life resources. Technology might be creating bliss for everyone right now, but this pleasure won’t last in the long run. Resource depletion is a major side effect of technology. Resource depletion is caused due to deforestation, contamination and over consumption of resources. Let’s come to the positive aspects that have been beneficial for the environment, i.e. the coming of smart technology, renewable forms of energy, electric vehicles etc. Thus, there are pros and cons of everything and one must focus on the profits.  If we continue to use science and technology in an effective way, then we will never face a crisis.

Many of us are aware that deforestation is a major threat to our environment. Deforestation destroys the habitat of the wildlife and, as pointed out by WWF, it forces them to have closer contact with the livestock, thus allowing diseases like Covid-19 to spread. In order to stop future pandemics, we need to stop deforestation. Most of us are unaware of the fact that trees can be transplanted or uprooted and planted from one place to the other. YES!TRANSPLANTING A TREE IS POSSIBLE. You just need to contact the respective tree transplanting services. Although the process is complex, at least it is saving precious "GREEN LIVES". There are several other ways to protect our mother earth like waste management through 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. But we forget the one major "R" which stands for two things, RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY. Without these two factors, all the innumerable conservation and sustainable techniques are futile. 

Often, we take those things/people for granted who shower us with unconditional love. One big example is our nature and environment. Mother Earth gives us abundantly. She showers us with abundant resources. Life evolves from the soil and instead of expressing gratitude and being responsible, we are destroying and polluting the soil. Human activities like mining, deforestation, industry, farming, stock breeding, all kinds of waste disposal, and building of infrastructures are all responsible for polluting the soil. Soil pollution is a global threat today. The soil is essential to life's survival.I would like to remind you all of a famous biblical quote, "You are dust and to dust you shall return." This quote should be followed both literally and metaphorically. Literally, it means that we should not forget that our existence and mortality depends on the soil-MOTHER EARTH. Metaphorically, soil reminds the human race to be HUMBLE and down to earth. Mother Earth shows a lot of compassion to all the living creatures and thus it is our duty to respect and be kind to her. 

Humans truly lack the quality of being humble and expressing gratitude. Let’s look at an example of a burning issue going on in our country right now regarding North East India. Recently, a young youtuber named Paras evoked casual racism through his mocking video of Arunachal Pradesh and its people by labelling them "Chinese". We must change our thoughts to make a difference. North East India is a brilliant example of heaven on Earth.Meghalaya has the cleanest village in Asia. There are many thick forests in Meghalaya. Locals worship nature and protect the forests. Our lives are flavoured by the tea produced in Assam. Mizoram is the only state in India that is covered with 99 percent forest cover. Khonoma Village in Nagaland is India’s first Green Village and it is interesting to know that the practice of hunting is prohibited by the people living here in order to protect the wildlife. Sikkim is a completely organic state that has banned plastic.There would be no forest cover in India if the North East did not exist. The beautiful sights exist because of the North East villages who are fulfilling their duty of protecting Mother Earth. And what are the rest of the parts of India doing? We are belittling them and mocking them for their distinct features. The idiom "A bad workman blames his tools" describes this situation best.

This article will remain incomplete without mentioning the contribution of the Environmentalists and Activists who strive hard and work tirelessly to conserve our environment. The "Chipko movement" leader Sundarlal Bahuguna, a pioneer for forest protection, recently passed away on 21st May 2021. This is a huge loss for our country.His contributions to the environment through his humanitarian principles are remarkable. WWF paid homage to this great personality by publishing a beautiful article with a fruitful message "Ecology is a permanent Economy." One of my favourite environmental rights activists is Arundhati Roy, who has contributed immensely to the "Narmada Bachao Andolan." Another brilliant activist is Sadhguru, who has contributed towards protecting our environment as well as directed the world into viewing nature with a unique lens. He organized a "Rally for Rivers Movement" and a "Mass Tree Planting Marathon" which set a Guinness World Record. He rightly says, "Taking care of the environment is not an obligation. Our environment is our life. "

We always reach out to nature when we are experiencing highs and lows. Have you ever wondered why? It is because nature is able to offer us pure solace and ecstasy which no human being on this planet is able to provide. Nature empathizes with us and uplifts our souls. Mother Earth teaches us the 3C's; being CALM, COMPASSIONATE and CONNECTED. 

I would like to conclude by presenting to you a short poem composed by me in the voice of a Tree-

Welcome to my home; the Earth

This is where I took birth.

I am loved only for my beauty,

Protecting you is my duty.

Stop doing all the wrong,

So that I can stand tall and strong.

Never fail to be just,

Don't let your minds rust.

Make a wise choice,

Raise your powerful voice.

Pick up your pen,

And save my den.

You are all lovely,

Following that, you are my family.

 -Article by Christine Mendonsa

    (Sub-Head Editor)

     TYBA