G.L. Khajuria
One who plants one Pipal, one Neem, two Pomegranates, two Oranges, five Mango trees, Ten flowering plants or creepers will not go to hell- Varnapurana ( 172-39).
The forests, the trees, the flora and the fauna housing in and around us are all our kinsmen and these do deserve protection and preservation. The Indian sub-continent is having multifaceted religions cultural, linguistic and ethnic ethos, where various festivals are being celebrated annually with much fan and fair. And amongst those, Vanamahostava, a festival of tree culture, promotion and propagation is most reverentially celebrated annually with the onset of Monsoons. The main emphasis is for the extensive/ intensive afforestation to protect and preserve the degrading environment over this only bio-sustaining space-ship- the mother earth. Elsewhere across the world too, this is as well being celebrated most enthusiastically in greening the globe by clothing it with tree cover.
More than that this occasion calls for sensitizing awareness amongst public masses in general and the younger generation in particular about the presently degrading environment and adapting all ways and means for its rehabilitation and rejuvenation of the planet earth.
The reverence of forest preservation and conservation has all along been honored over the millennia past with utmost regards. All our religious scriptures, the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads, the great epics- the Ramayana and the Mahabharata cerebrate abundantly about the forests its flora and fauna. The Quran, The Guru Granth Sahib and The Bible speak volumes of the importance of forests and its bio-diversity.
Some sixty six years back, the first Vanamahostava was celebrated. Speaking on the occasion, our Late President Dr. Rajinder Prasad very rightly remarked,”I wonder sometimes if there is any source which gives us so much and of which we know so little is the forest.” In the same vein, K.M. Munshi, the then food and Agriculture Minister graced the occasion with the Golden words, “May the Gods, the water and the forest trees accept our prayers and protect us forever and ever. And he emphasized further that if the nation has to survive, the philosophy of life must be understood not in terms of ideas, words or deeds but in terms which would replant us firmly on earth and under a shady tree.” The trees are the poems mother earth writes upon sky, we fell them down and turn into paper for we may record our emptiness. The present day scenario is perfectly like that, whereas the nature warms us to be forestry conscious and save the planet at all costs. Add to it the appealing of Sheikh Nur Udin Wali,”Ann Paoshi, Tele Paoshi van,” which means food will last so long as forest.
It would, therefore, be most pertinent to note that the forests unlike any other natural resource are ever-renewable and their protection and preservation is of far greater importance than we have our life to us. We are entirely dependent upon forests and as such it becomes our bounden duty to pay back by doing our every bit in maximizing their protection otherwise our life would be a dead dieing desert.
Let us now ponder upon as to what our revered Bathadarayaka Upanishad enlighten us, “As a mighty tree is so indeed a man whose hair are leaves and skin outer bark and the nerves are tough like inner fibres. His bones are wood within and marrow resembling pith. A tree when it is cut springs up with shoots in a newer form, from what root would a man spring forth when he is cut off by death ?
Undoubtedly, therefore, it is nature (Prakriti) and the process of her laws which embodies the entire ecosystem stoically and with a slight disturbance, the entire scenario apprehends to become topsy turby.
As a corollary, therefore, we are subjected to multihued problems, the problem of mounting pollution , global warming tantamounting to the melting of snows and glaciers. And then there are unprecedented rains, cloudbursts and landslides of devastating nature. All these in combination lead to over –flooding of rivers wreaking havoc in all their forms and nature. And to cap these all, the biggest problem we are facing is the abrupt climatic change and water crisis which is looming large. So, to say these problems are listlessly are unending.
We have, though of course, not forgotten the floods fury that enshrouded Uttrakhand in June, 2013 and also in the subsequent years which took a tool of 6000 lives. Similarly it struck the paradise on earth (Kashmir valley , J&K) on twin occasions which wreak havoc of unprecedented scale engulfing heavy tool of human lives along with their belongings. Such like situation have also gripped most of the other parts of North India. These are the alarming signal of nature and we should take note of the same very closely and seriously.
It is as such prudent to undertake gigantic afforestation work throughout the world so that no barren areas are left unclothed by tree cover. This has as well been pledged while celebrating earth day this year to plant as many as 7.8 billion saplings. The emphasis is to account for every single citizen living on the planet earth in a lead upto 50th anniversary celebration of earth day 2020. Apart from that, the soil conservation works are also of paramount importance and these are warranted to be carried out (both major as well as minor reengineering works) from mountainous tops as these have become more sensitive and fragile and are subjected to denudation and large scale land slides tentamounting to holocaustic consequences.
Going by the technical concept of forest management, the afforestations works are needed to be coupled with soil and water conservation measure. And these should always be initiated from, the tops of hills / mountains. It is further a point to be born in mind that if our mountainous tops are not safe, the low lying areas shall always be under the threats of large scale devastations.
Additionally, people’s co-ordination to play the most prominent part in protecting the forest as they are the main pillars and can play a pivotal role. There should be a close co-ordination between the Forest Department and the local populace on all matters relating to afforestations / management of the forests. So, the people’s participatory programs go a long way in planting, promoting and propagating the forests.
In the ultimate analysis, while celebrating this year’s Vanamahostava, we in unison under one roof must have to take a solemn pledge to plant, protect and preserve the national natural resources, the forest its flora, fauna, its soil and the mineral to the posterity otherwise we shall always be blamed in the future ahead.
Let us learn to love nature as she loves us and without of her being with us, we are no longer sustainable. If we don’t protect nature, we as well deserve no right to protect our self at nature’s cost.
All the development works we are doing and of which we are most boastful are at the cost of nature which needs to be replenished.
Let the nature and the process of her laws are honoured along with our development activities.
One this is put in place judiciously, only then we can claim to be the pride of the nation and the most reverd mother earth. Plant, protect and safe guard planet earth on all occasions at all costs.
(The author is former Deputy Conservator of Forests, J&K).
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