‘ We kill all caterpillars and then complain of no butterflies’. John Marsden had quite rightly quoted. All I remember of my days in my grandmother’s village, is lying down on the soft, green grass, under my favorite banyan  tree, surrounded by the sweet monotonous humming of bees and the cool breeze swaying the leaves. Heaven. But that was 10 years ago, and now that memory seems like a figment of my imagination, for my grandmother  is no more and it seems his village never existed.

True, our world has evolved to hugely successful levels, and Mankind is definitely proud of it. However, the cost of such progression has been expensive, very expensive. To gain something, we must lose something. But, we have been thrifty and casual, greedy and stubborn, and now our Mother has to bear the sins of her children.

Nature is not a place to visit, it is home. In order to serve the unyielding steady demands of the growing population, we are constantly building roads, offices, schools and all the facilities that common public requires. However, to achieve this, we are exploiting the earth’s resources. Forests are being cleared in large numbers, and cities are growing. With increasing urbanization, the number of vehicles and usage of electronic heaters, air conditioners has gone up to alarming unavoidable levels. This greenhouse effect is leading to rise in sea levels, submerging several  habitats. The air is contaminated with unwanted particles, that cause severe air pollution. The news is regularly broadcasting frequent deaths and diseases cause due to toxic exposure from nuclear plants and factories. The marine life is fading away due to unchecked leakage of chemicals into the water bodies. Excessive usage of fertilizers like chemicals in fields is constantly depleting the rich humus level of the soil. Illegal trading in endangered species continues, defying several strict laws against it. What we are doing to Nature, is  the mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves!

You are, after all, one of the forces of Nature. Respect the gifts. Be thankful. I do love it when I see a small bud coming out of a cement crack, it is brilliantly heroic! However, after a few desperate days of struggle, it withers and falls off. Nature needs nourishment like we do. Can we not love our Mother, like she does?

As Mahatma Gandhi had said,
“ Mother Nature has given enough to provide for every man’s need, not every man’s greed.”