Celebrating the Earth

We live in a place and time where celebrations abound. Birthdays and anniversaries, marriages and jubilees, victories and days dedicated to concepts like friendship, motherhood, etc. Not forgetting the time tested religious celebrations and national days. In recent times, commercial interests have given a boost to these festivals and even promoted trivialities as festivals. Fortunately, we also have some days in the calendar every year, dedicated to serious ideas. Some of these are very important but are not given the publicity and proportion they deserve. They do not therefore make the impact on public consciousness that they ought to make, and which is highly desirable. The Environment Day, on 5^th June every year, is an example of a day that needs to be observed on a much wider scale. And how many people know that today, 22^nd April, is observed as Earth Day all over the world?

The celebration of the Earth Day started on 22^nd April 1970 in America with participation of almost twenty million people. It has been widely credited to have launched the modern environmental movement. Observed every year since then by an increasing number of countries, it has now become an important event on the calendar of the environmentalists worldwide.  But it has yet to percolate to the masses and become one of the top events in all continents. It is the need of the hour. Love and respect for mother earth has to be inculcated in every human being right from the cradle to the grave. We are children of the earth. The earth belongs to us all here and now, and to the billions and trillions who will follow us as inheritors of the earth. If our ancestors had not kept the earth safe for us, we might not have been existing today.

 It is our duty and our pride to care for the earth. It may sound haughty to look upon ourselves as protectors of the earth. It is the other way round. The earth is our protector. It is our home. It nurtures  us in every possible way. It nourishes us with food from its soil and drink from its underground resources. It offers us fresh air to breathe. It heals us with its herbs and plants. It provides us with minerals and energy to build our civilizations. Its matter becomes the subject of scientists, their theories and insights. It rescues our souls with its wonders from the trappings of our own making. It ignites our minds with inspiration to become creative in our own ways. It raises our hearts and minds to higher spiritual levels and eternal possibilities. Founders and saints of great religions found enlightenment not so much in religious structures as in the deserts, on top of hills and mountains, and under the trees. The Earth Day must become a big global celebration, not just a mere observation. All stake holders should take up this challenge.

We, humans, can count ourselves both as the biggest beneficiaries and the worst destroyers of the earth. I still remember the story my class teacher had told about a man, who after taking shelter under a huge tree from the scorching sun, remarked that the tree had grown wild and must be cut. Of all the species that have inhabited the earth, human beings have damaged it the most. Not out of necessity but out of insatiable greed.

Is there hope? Yes. Look at the growing number of environmental heroes and the increasing sound of the protesting voices. International and national magazines keep bringing out stories on environmental issues, movements and heroes.  Celebrities, writers, artists, activists, journalists, and a slowly but surely growing number of politicians are committing themselves to the earth and environment. The results are trickling down. Al Gore of America, Marina Silva of Brazil (called the godmother of the rain forest), and our own Medha Patkar, are some of the leading lights. Some have reached the corridors of power, and are making their presence felt. Awareness and activism are on the rise. We must all make our contribution, raise our voices, participate in movements, and move our concern for the earth from the space on the streets to the seats in the parliament.

If not for the humble beginning on 22^nd April 1970 with the first Earth Day, we may not have had legislations and acts protecting air, water, endangered species, environment, and international conferences focusing on climate change, oceans, bio-diversity, etc.

I shall sign off, quoting Joseph Wood Krutch: When we destroy something  man-made and replaceable, we are called vandals. When we destroy something irreplaceable and made by God, we are called developers.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 22.04.2012