When we were younger, the TV channels used to air an advertisement with the caption: “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children”. It struck a chord with me, as I am sure it did with many others.

I know a lot of people who have made isolated attempts at giving back our children a world that is not all worn out and half dead, but those efforts have been akin to little drops of water on the desert sand.

What we need is a more organized movement. We need to educate people on the consequences of their actions. We need to make a start at some point soon.

The ad caption I mentioned above is actually the first part of an ancient proverb. May be the answer lies in its concluding lines:

We are more than the sum of our knowledge, we are the products of our imagination.

But some hard hitting facts. Children are sooo bogged down with school, tuitions, extra curricular activities that the concept of playing among the greens is almost gone by. With the increasing population people are looking for areas where they can lead a life. The businesses are also growing as a result.

Whilst all these hold true to the present scenario there is also the worrying factor that where do the animals go? Where do we get to see the greenery? Everything is so artificially made now that even to soothe my eyes I can’t just look out of the window but need to visit a specially developed area.

Bottom line – In the name of progress, in the name of developments, in the name of evolution we will continue to sacrifice which we received as a gift, as a legacy from our elders and leave nothing but a crowded street with ‘NANO’ all over!

So much being done to make our lives comfortable and faster but what is being done to make life healthier and peaceful? Practically nothing because it doesn’t pay as much but we are forgetting that the returns from these investments are precious, are priceless which not will be enjoyed by us but also by generations to come. And trust me they will at least not curse us for the chaos we will leave back for them if not thank us.

Worth a thought!

The place I stay in Biren Roy Rd (W), Behala had foxes in the area too.

We had shifted there in 1991, that’s a good 16 years ago. Then all we had were two building- ours and another one behind us, 3-4 bus routes plying, a whole lot of wide wide wide green fields and many many many ponds.

This resulted in lots of snakes in and around our area, dogs (who still calmly exist with us) and foxes or jackals (not sure though coz i’ve never seen one).

Every night from 11pm onwards, we could hear howls in and around our building. And not to forget the hooting of owls. In fact we used to see a white owl sitting in a tree just outside my window. What a magnificent sight that was.

As children we had a fantastic time there. Our building was still being completed so that meant a lot sand being dumped in the main play area. For us that meant a whole lot of sand castles.

We were forbidden from playing after dark because of snakes coming out in the open, for it was their time to play. And dacoits, but I think that’s a story that our parents cooked up for us.

I also remember people coming over to our house every sunday to watch cable, as ours was the only family to have one. I still remember an elderly neighbour who said “This is all a “tamasha”, Doordarshan will rule for ages to come”.

And then it all started to change. Construction began, trees were felled, the owl went away, the foxes stopped howling and all we were left with was concrete.

Today we have a LIC Training Center, Auto stands, Taxi stands, 10-12 bus routes, a college, a football club, a swimming pool, 2 luxury apartments which combined will have around 5000 flats and “billions” of people with another billion to come.

But everything else has gone. Out of the 6-10 ponds, now we have only two, slowly they too are dying away.

Where are we heading with this? How long are we going to rape Mother Earth in the name of progress….where will progress end? What legacy will we leave our children? Will they ever know what it means to play in a lush green field?

I miss my days in the green…I urge you all to look back at your days as kid and remember that breath of fresh air….its time people did something.

And by something I do not mean a WHOLE lot. Just small gestures. To start with go to http://www.climatecrisis.net and educate yourself. Also do watch An Inconvenient Truth. Spend time, not energy.

Thanks Anindita for this great platform and a wonderful post. This got me thinking and I just remembered my school days!