OF TREES, BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES

Recently, my family and I attended a meeting of the “Citizens For Green Doon', having been invited by a friend who is an active member of the group. We were asked if we would want to be a part and we readily agreed. They are playing a very proactive role in saving the trees in Dehradun, some even a century old, which are being indiscriminately and criminally cut down in the name of progress and development. Most of them have been cut down unnecessarily, them having not been in the way at all. Driving down the city, our children and us would often discuss how harmful and cruel this was, and why we need to conserve and protect our trees and environment. Even as a small boy of 2, my oldest son and I would have these discussions, and ever since then, he has been committed to the cause of saving the environment! He even wants to grow up and work towards this cause. Once the seed has been planted, he now makes a great effort to educate his younger siblings and friends (even our friends!) about this, things like saving trees, species of animals, birds and insects, pollution, saving water, banning use of fireworks, rainwater harvesting, you name it and he has educated himself on these subjects on his own and is committed to the cause. What I mean to say is that once our children get aware, their innate sensitivity and love of Nature makes them feel responsible towards it. Where there is love, caring, nurturing and protecting is spontaneous.
The nature and subject of this topic is vast. So in this issue, let us only talk about our immediate surroundings in Doon. Nature is availabLe to us here in the way of trees, many species of birds, animals, butterflies and insects, water bodies and mountains, hills and valleys. Children can be led from their youngest years to wonder at everything they come across, to feel the divine oneness in creation, and to see the presence of God in everything. Once they learn to regard the things of Nature with awe, reverence and wonderment, they will never do anything against it. Nature walks with children can aid in appreciating the beauty and divinity in all things, for example the brilliant colours in birds, butterflies, insects and flowers, the verdant shades of the trees and plants, the dance of the peacock, the swiftness of the deer, the stride of the leopard, etc. To create awareness about trees, we can talk to them about the uses of trees, what happens when one tree or whole forests are cut down. We can tell them about Nature's selfless service to mankind, and how we can return its kindness by saving and protecting it.
Many concrete ways to help children develop a kinship with Nature are: Going on nature walks, planting saplings, talking about and implementing ways to save paper and water, making paper bags with newspapers and notebooks with leftover pages, looking at pictures and reading stories about Nature's goodness and people being kind to animals and plants, making school projects with natural materials like clay, sticks, leaves, grains, etc,, asking children about how they intend to be kind to Nature, visit to farms to see rural life to understand how to live with Nature. All these measures will create a need in children to cherish and protect nature. Society today has desensitized itself to these issues, but it is now time to wake up and look around at what we have destroyed, and then commit ourselves to saving what we still have. As human beings, we are not alone on this earth. We share an integral an organic relationship with everyone and everything around us. It is vital for our planet's survival that we see ourselves as part of this creation – what we destroy and cut down will destroy us; what we build up will support us.
I believe our children will play a leading and instrumental role in restoring and conserving Nature, provided we educate them from now on about it. At the children's centre we run, we are constantly raising these issues with the children about this, trying to create an awareness and sensitivity in them. We have witnessed a remarkable shift in them towards Nature and its problems. As a part of the summer activities, we will take the children to visit farm and forest areas, both in the hills and plains, and for Nature camps, where they will see the birds, butterflies and insects in their habitats, learn their names and their habits, listen to their sounds, learn about the various species of trees and animals in our region, interact with villagers and farm animals, watch the flowing stream, all in all, a day of learning through fun with the biggest teacher, Nature itself! I am eagerly looking forward to these trips, where there is lot of nourishment and revival for the spirit, a peace which only being with Nature can provide, as we feel surrounded by her motherly, loving arms. I hope this will egg you on to make your own plans with your children, go out into the forests and hills, watch the sheer magnificence and beauty, and come back feeling awed and refreshed. And while you are there, among the trees, stretch out your arms in a loving embrace and make a promise, along with your children, to love, protect and cherish these gifts of Nature, always. More in the next blog! Until then!