Even though, nearly a month has been passed since “The World Environment Day” celebrated across the globe, some of the peculiar incident and observations on that event prompted me to write this article. I wanted to post it on the same day, but I kept procrastinating as I found myself in quandary that whether it’s worth sharing or not. Finally today I persuaded myself, if not coerced.
Mahatma Gandhi once told “there is enough for every ones need, but not for their greed”. An African proverb goes as “We have not inherited this environment from our ancestors, but we have borrowed it from our children”. There may be a lot many quotes and even actions by famous personalities will be available to show the importance of environmental conservation. But still today we are grappling to make this environmental conservation theme, a ubiquitous and unanimous phenomena. Commemoration of “world environment day” on 5th June is a step in that direction only. There is no doubt in the fact that our pristine environment is degraded at its lowest level, courtesy “the most intelligent species of planet earth”. So, if we have created the menace, than it’s our responsibility to check this also.
Like any other progressive and sensitive organization, here in my workplace also some steps were taken to venerate the “world environment day” on 5th of June. Out of some initiatives to make people aware about conserving environment, introduction of posters at the workplace was one of them. These posters were marked with UNEP (United nation Environment Program). UNEP is a flagship program of united nation, for conservation of the Environment. Hence the accreditation from such organization makes the poster worth noticing. Out of many poster I am placing here two:
Poster 1
Cycling to office:
Taking the cue from the same poster, I decided to come office by my bicycle to give my contribution to this day. It was one of the audacious decision I have taken in recent times . What makes a decision bold? I think it’s going against the predominant and prevailing doctrine of the society. And I can tell you with full authority; the society where I live is a traditional and conventional one as any typical Bhartiya (not Indian) society. And going to office in bicycle, that too in professional dress, that too wearing an Identity Card is simply challenging societal ethos, where it’s general thumb rule is that if someone is going to office by car is rich, with Bike less rich and through bicycle, you know the answer :-). After a lot of vacillation I firmed my resolution that any how I will go office today by my old companion(FYI the bicycle that I had, was the same through which I used to go to school when I was here 6 year back).
Finally the day came, the most difficult part was to collect the threshold energy and to cross the inner orbital, that is to jump from home to road, I look out from home and made sure that non of neighbor is watching me, and when I confirmed this, then I rode my bicycle to get away from the vicinity of my home with such a speed, that even Pulsar 220 will admire. Finally when I believed that I entered in the safe zone, away from my locality, then experienced the bliss of riding the two wheeled after a long time. Lots of petrol and diesel engine, whose mechanism I have read (but not understood) in Basic Mechanical Engineering, passed by me. But I was calm or you can say forced to be calm amidst the chaos and noise. Meanwhile, when traffic was dense my left thumb searched for horn button, but then realization came and used “tring tring bell”, but it’s sound was not conspicuous and I had to compromise . Let me describe you something about the terrain where I had to drive. Even though the road infrastructure of my city is one of the best in our country, unlike plain area, the terrain of my place is unduly and uneven. Part of Chota Nagpur plateau, the roads of this region are also with steep slopes and inclination both upward vis-à-vis downward. You will enjoy riding cycle with little effort, where there is downward inclination, but when you encounter with the upward slope then it will surely test your muscles. Anyway, when your prestige is not on stake, you can simply step down from your bicycle and can sing a song of your like and drive your cycle side by side towards your destination. But in my enroute there was no such steep slope, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and reached office.
Reaching office, again I became anxious as I was in home. Now in place of neighbor, it was my colleague whom I want to evade. I was about to park my bicycle, then suddenly a familiar sedan parked just beside me. I knew the driver, so does he. Fortunately, I also evaded that too and reached office. I felt quite happy as I have contributed something, which the poster was demanding from me. But a parallel thought came in my mind that, if it is a gracious act and ultimately helping the nature, it should also spread. Without thinking too much, I told my colleague about my activity and with cunning smile some of them appreciated. Others were serious and also influenced(or pretended to be, never knew). But I was not thinking much about others reaction at that time, I sense of satisfaction was there.
Poster 2
Vegetarianism: A way to reduce carbon emission!!!
The other poster which intrigued me is this one. Previously I knew philosophically and somewhat spiritually (you can also call it religiously) that vegetarianism is the preferred way in our culture and scripture, hence killing animals for sake of taste is not appreciated. But the scientific evidence and the endorsement by UNEP was unique to me. Mind you this poster was by UNEP, and that will be same throughout the world. After observing this poster, I remember one comment on the eve of “World Yoga Day”, a person told “some people need branding to arouse their action, yoga was an ancient practice performed by us, but now it’s “brandized” and now people accepts it”. I felt he was absolutely true.
And after reading in one section of poster (if you click on image you can also find) “ once in a week” make me laugh and I found this as just the aberration of absolute.
Last section of my blog will magnetize your attention towards one initiative which is adopted in our city within few Kms away from my home. For this I will not take the support of my word but of my Snap. Relish and contemplate on this. Acting on environmental conservation, left on discretion of yours.
Thank you for spending your valuable time (If you think so that it’s valuable :-)).
the ETERNAL tryst 