Beat the Heat

The summer of 2015 turned out to be the hottest one in recent times, with the Indian peninsula getting literally baked. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, the Central Indian states and the Northern cow belt states experienced furnace like conditions, with the first two provinces getting special treatment from the Sun God. The sweltering heat took a heavy toll on human and cattle lives, the highest in over a decade or so. Normal life got paralyzed as people were forced to stay indoors to escape sun-stroke.

It  is  a  known  fact   that  summer  will  be  harsh  in  most  of  the  Indian states, (  to  the  exception  of  Kashmir  valley  and  the  North Eastern states ), but  this  year  it  was  harshest,  with  temperatures  soaring  over  46 degrees, a  feature  quite  common  in  the  Gulf  and  other  Middle Eastern countries, which  have  desert  landscape.  Given  the drought situation  and  acute  water  scarcity, life  got  extremely  difficult  for  the  common   man,  especially  for  the  rural  folks, who  are  dependent  on  agriculture and  livestock for  their  sustenance.

What  is  the  reason  for  the  unprecedented  heat  wave?  What triggered  it to  this  unbearable  level?  Is  it  because  of  global  warming,  holes  in  the ozone  layer or the El Nino effect?  Whatever  be  the  reason,  the  situation  is  grim  and  serious  for  mankind  to  rise,  realize  and  rectify.

Though  an act of God / Nature cannot be questioned,  we  can  definitely make  an  earnest  attempt  towards  making  this  earth  a   better  and   greener place to live in - climatically.  Emphasis  should  be  laid  on  the  word “WE”,  as  this  initiative  must  take  the  form  of  a  collective  movement, than  an  individual  effort.  The   more   perfect  coinage  would  be “ war footing “.  Of course, every  individual  should  contribute and actively participate  towards  making  this  noble  venture  a   grand  success.

The  slogan “ Grow   more  trees “ has  been doing  the  rounds  for  many  years  now.  It  is  true  that  the  Government and  social service organizations, educational  institutions do their bit towards  promoting  afforestation  by  organizing  tree  planting programmes, at  regular  intervals,   but  the  end  result  has  not  been encouraging.  

Positive  signs  are  emerging  with  corporates’  entering  the  fray  in  a  big  way,  thanks  to  the “ Corporate  Social Responsibility “  concept.   This  entails companies of  select  category  to  spend  a  fraction  of  their  net  profit  towards  promotion   of  education,  arts,  medical care, social  and  cultural activities, environment protection and so on.  Given  their  infrastructure  and  monetary  resources, companies  can  bring  a   phenomenal   change  in  environment  protection, forest  development.  An  annual  report  of  a  leading  Indian  Industrial  House  for   the  year  2015 states  in   its   Corporate  Social  Responsibility  Reporting  that  the  company  has  planted  nearly  five  lakh  saplings  during  the   year  under  review, and  a  total  of  17  lakh   saplings  have  been  planted  since  its  inception.  A  commendable  effort  and  achievement  indeed!.  Kudos  to  them.   They  have  verbatim  adopted – “ Vruksho  Rakshati  Rakshitaha “ meaning “ You protect the trees and the trees will protect you “

The “ Go Green “ theory  has  found  favour  with  some   builders,  project  developers  and   it   is  catching  up  fast.  If   this  momentum  picks  up,   it   may  usher  in  a  refreshing, revolutionary  change  in   the  future  years.  Installation   of  solar  power  units  in  many Government buildings, and  industrial  units  are  encouraging  signs.  Harnessing  natural  resources  and  adopting   non-conventional  energy  sources  is  slowly  but  steadily  growing.

Tree  planting  must  form  an   integral   part  of   any  Government, academic  and  corporate  event.  All  political  parties  must  go  for  mass  tree  plantation  on  important  occasions, and  extol  their  members  to   protect  nature   in  a   big  way.

In  a  film  crazy  country  like  India,  all   the  reel  world  stars’  should  also  pump  in  their  might  towards  increasing  the  green  cover.  Instead of  spending  lavishly  on  birthday  parties,  they  can   take   the   lead   in tree   planting  and  also  distribute  saplings  to  their  fans and  public  so  as  to  make  their  areas  wear  a  green  coat.  Some  stars  are  actively  involved  in  this,  and  deserve  appreciation.

So  a  clarion  call  is  made  to   all   citizens -  do  whatever  small    you  can towards conserving nature, preserving natural resources, promoting green cover  by planting  as  many  trees  as  possible,  and  bring  about     another  “ Green Revolution “,  so  that  the  earth  becomes worth  living  for  the future  generations.  With  unison, collective  effort  and  thinking,  this  is  not  a  Himalayan  task.  Rather  it   will   be  an   easy   and   enjoyable  one. 

We  can  be  sure  that  with  lakhs  of   trees  being   grown   all   over   the country,  the  temperatures  are   likely  to   come  down   next   summer.  Let   us   get   down   to   business  right   earnest,  with  the   monsoon  approaching   soon.  The  bugle   has  been   sounded,  and  may   the  decibels  increase  to   a   crescendo.  Make  this  a  reality  and  the  Rain God  will  never  skip  His  itinerary  or  take  a  detour,  but  will  arrive  on  time,  bringing  prosperity  and  happiness.

To conclude,  this  article  should  not   be  construed  as  a  sermon or interpreted  as  a   plain,  easy  piece  of   advice   of  an  amateur  writer.  Just  to add credence  to the saying – “ One  should  practice  what  one  preaches “,  some  saplings  were  planted  at   our  apartment  complex  and also  in  front  of  my  office  premises   on  World  Environment  Day.  We have   got  afflicted  with  “ green  fever “.  Let  it  spread  as  an  epidemic.

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