Eco-logical sense

Jasmine Singh

Maynard James Keenan from the improvisational hardcore band Pusicifer had asked a very humbling question in his track, ‘Nature, nurture, heaven and home. Sum of all and by them divine. To conquer every mountain shown, but I’ve never crossed the river.’

The task is compelling and one that would probably require more than a song or an invigorative slogan. To cross the river (not literally) would require each one of us to step forward. The pace at which the environment is being affected, we actually need to move in leaps and bounds.

On The World Environment Day, we take note of people and organisations that are trying every bit to cross the difficult phase. These are the people who would walk down more than a mile to keep their surroundings neat, the ones who would come out to see whether someone has watered the sapling they planted in a nearby park. There are people who would go beyond voicing their opinion through their own websites and other social media instruments.

Let’s walk

Chandigarh and Punjab, as a matter of record, have more than 20 NGOs that are working on providing a sustainable environment. Yuv Satta, a Chandigarh-based organisation with Pramod Sharma at the helm of affairs, is leading the group. Environment, according to Pramod, the coordinator, is not an issue that should be raised on a particular day. “This is something that we live with and in. This is something we need to be aware of and also work towards everyday.” With Yuvsatta’s FB page adding up numbers, the organisation is spreading awareness among the school students. “We organised a Waste Management Garbage Run with over 1000 students participating in it. We tell them the entire story of recycling waste, which they seem to understand and imbibe.”

Greener side

EcoSikh is a body that connects Sikh values, beliefs and institutions to the most important environmental issues facing the world. Ravneet Singh, project manager, India, quotes a ‘shlok’ by Guru Nanak Dev, ‘Pavan guru pani pita, mata dharat mahant (air is the guru, water the father and earth the green mother). “We believe a sustainable society is possible where water, air, land, forests and biodiversity remains vibrant.” The organisation was formed by the alliance of Sikh Council on Religion and Education (US-based) and Religion and Conservation (UK-based Prince Philip). EcoSikh is a United Nations project running successfully in Punjab with thousands of youngsters and members of varied age-groups working their bit towards a clean and sustainable environment. “We will be holding an environment sustainable drive in Amritsar on June 14, which will engage hoteliers, educational institutions, industrialists and other religious bodies. In addition, the issues like rain-water harvesting or other environment-related subjects are now taken care of at the gurdwaras. We organise painting competitions on the same theme; kitchen gardens, cycle rallies all go a long way in creating awareness,” adds Ravneet. Their website is flooded with people who want to volunteer for the same.

Live life

Phunsukh Wangdu’s (Aamir Khan) school in the Bollywood film 3 Idiots became popular as a school with no books and only innovative ideas. In the real scenario, The Druk White Lotus School in Ladakh is a flagship project that has not only been awarded for its architecture design and use of green technology, but also empowers boys and girls to revive local economies.

Arjun Pandey is the promoter of Live to Love organization, with His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, a world-renowned humanitarian, environmentalist and champion of gender equality. He shares, “There are so many things that we do to make ourselves look good or make the interiors of our homes look beautiful. We do not do the same for the environment.”

Live to Love, with members in Chandigarh, Punjab and across India, is constantly engaged in working towards providing a clean and green breathing environment. “We work also towards honouring the diversity of Himalayas. We hold an annual ‘padyatra’ where hundreds walk through the remote regions of Himalayas and make people see the brighter side of green technology.”

As Pusicfer answers itself… ‘It'll take a lot more than wars and guns, a whole lot more than riches and muscle. The hands of the many must join as one. And together we'll cross the river!’

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