The taps used to run while I brushed my teeth; I never really gave it a thought before. I would prefer plastic bags to paper ones whenever I went shopping. I never bothered throwing trash in the dustbins.
Let’s mean ‘green’
The taps used to run while I brushed my teeth; I never really gave it a thought before. I would prefer plastic bags to paper ones whenever I went shopping. I never bothered throwing trash in the dustbins. The ideas of planting trees and cycling to college were alien to me. I used to take it all for granted, and nothing would have changed if I hadn’t nearly died for want of clean air while passing through one of the busiest roads of the city. It was heavily polluted air that entered my lungs; the rush around me was like adding fuel to the fire: I was suffocating.
As the road was being widened, the atmosphere was nothing more than that of a nightmare. With cars lined up bumper to bumper, it was no surprise the traffic was moving at snail’s pace; moving on this road had never been so annoying. Rather it used to be a very pleasant ride, something I even looked forward to at times.
What happened to the soothingly lush green strip in the middle of the main road? The one with tall eucalyptus trees? The moment this thought occurred to me, I began to stare out of the window to get the view. Surprisingly, not a single speck of green was in sight. After an intent look, I happened to spot some trees lying on the ground, perhaps freshly chopped down with leaves still green. A little away, some more trees, the same eucalyptus ones, were on the ground looking old, worn-out, and weary with grief at being ruthlessly axed, I realized the whole story. While widening the road, the trees, too, were chopped down. That is why the air was so polluted, hot and irritating as the trees were no more there to provide any relief. I was overwhelmed with shock. Or at least I felt haggard like never before, perhaps the hot gusts were wilting me, or the voice of my conscience, calling for a look into my own ways; I felt miserable. It dawned to me that my actions had not only made my life wretched, but also the lives of others who were directly or indirectly affected.
From that day onwards, I started mending my ways; picked up a pen and started contributing to the cause. Spoke in public about how it felt like being a part of polluted environment, wrote research papers and an environmental booklet (ABC of Environment), formed an NGO, came nearly to blows with those responsible and started an environmental radio programme called ‘Sabz Khawab’ (Dreaming Green).
But throughout my environmental activism, I came across a number of people who talked about this ‘green’ business only to look cool. Beyond lip service and glamour, fight against environmental pollution needs sincerity and commitment. Time and again, I wonder how being stuck in traffic can make such a big difference in my life; what about others who see but don’t feel? Or they really don’t want to care; maybe, they’ve grown numb , caught in the daily grind and trying to make a decent living. However, what they fail to look at is the bigger picture, that sooner or later, directly or indirectly, will affect them too.
