Part IV

Metamorphosis 

United we overcome......

On the penultimate day or in some case soon after the camp has crossed its mid way mark, we gather the participants in a circle to collect a feed back and make enquiries regarding their aspirations about the camp. If they have any ire about any of the things they had or didn’t have during the first half are sorted out. In most camps we see children making an applauding vote of thanks to the organizers or in case of very few exceptional children keep listing out their complaints; none of which can be attended and rectified on a camp site. In fact we had an exact replica of this model in this week long camp.

Cherishing the hard earned Victory

There was one child who constantly kept mentioning all the things visibly missing which he thought that there weren’t situations without them. It sounds very tricky even to comprehend it. And that was how we felt when the cook or the bus driver made mention about this kid. ‘Why don’t you have a Reverse Osmosis filter? You should be having one’ ‘Why can’t you fit an air conditioner to your bus?’ were his typical questions. He didn’t even spared Geetha, our broadcasting manager. He had sternly advised her to have all the mobile phones and the power banks charged before the power went off. She must have had a fit!

 

A perfect way to beat the monotony of the school

Any way, finding such odd behaviors and gently addressing them is our manner. How gently is a matter of a dozen parameters? But definitely, the best working method would be gentle enough not to reveal it to anybody else.

We have had numerous trekking expeditions, play in the water and a number of reality shows with the river terrapin and the hump nosed pit viper. Yet they had missed out a spectacular experience of seeing and playing in the Kudalu falls, courtesy the slow eaters. That day lunch was served a bit early so that we leave by 2.pm. It did not happen and we had a number of hassles on the 13 kilometers way.

Hump nosed Pit viper

We were held at the gates for not being on time; the entry closes at three but you can exit at five. Very recently the area was handed over to the Wildlife division of the Forest department and they have started following the rules on dotted lines. We were less than ten minutes late yet their apprehension was that we may not come back by the closing time if we are going in late. And that would become a cause for many unruly tourists to fall in toe with us. The staff at the ticket counter had seen me a hundred times yet kept wining about how several drunkards over the last couple of weeks had entered the gate and were refusing the return even after sunset. All these comparisons were un-called for.

A river terrapin that had got active soon after the first rains

But what would any body do in this country on such a situation. Just make a phone call for the magic to happen. The closed gates may open and a carpet may unfurl your way. But simple explanations such as we are your customers at the Nature camp facility or the road building works that are in progress which made us reverse back for more than 800 meters to give way to an opposing car are all frivolous to the authority. Lastly, our pleading that we have come from far off places for a nature camp and we will not attempt to walk up to the falls but would come back by 5, didn’t work. We had five kids, kith of very top Forest Officers working in the same division. Never did we want to bring in their names even though we didn’t have any magical phone numbers.  Nobody should leave a bad precedence with children.

Anusha and Aditi; Should we really leave tomorrow?

After haggling for half an hour the staff themselves called up their in charge and confirmed our whereabouts and offered an entry. But we knew that we were already too short of time and we neither wanted to show reluctance to the men in uniform. We allowed the kids to play in the stream just a few yards from the sentry gate till five and left back to the camp whishing them heartfelt thanks.

On the fifth day we changed the camp site to Kolluru Mukambika Wildlife Sanctuary and even had the longest trek of fourteen kilometers to Arasinagundi falls from there. To our astonishment almost every single kid finished the trek.

Narendra; I should have met this group
a few years earlier

The lone child who called off mid way was duly escorted back. Following this jubilant day we were heading westward to spend a day on the sea shore. We had also described it as one of the highlights of the program. Realizing that it would even be the culmination of the camp many children said they didn’t want to go to the sea. Amogh, the youngest boy in the camp had silently cried on my lap for missing his parents now rolled tears for missing the camp. Vara an eight year girl from Bangalore expressed that she has over come the fear of darkness. Mahi who never slept without her parent was now ready to spend the night in a tent all by herself.

 

Nikhil ; This is no aqua guard water but it is  O K. I can manage

While some children express their feelings some don’t. But they would have shown confidence in their gait or body language. Some remain silent and many a time parents reveal them to us. Last year, a lady immensely thanked us for curing some obscure habit that the girl had in her sleep. Of course, we could not have noticed it as girls have a separate facility in our camps. This girl, it seems, always crouched into fetal position during sleep and frequently ground her teeth. As a result she had no enamel coating in the teeth and was not able to eat anything too hot or cold. From day one she returned from the camp, the mother was astonished to see her daughter sleep straight and not grind her teeth. There are many instances of children over coming many fears like fear of heights, fear of creepy crawly things and some have even overcome stammering in their speech or bedwetting in their teenage.

 

Monish; Did I or did I not.

This year my friend Dinakaran, sent a text message  few days after the camp ‘My son Nikhil used to draw sketches of Iron Man, Poke man, Chota Bheem. Now, he has started drawing wild animals on his own from the hand book you gave!’ What change do you need to see in a child so soon? 

Planning my next prank.

But the most profound mention was by Pawan from Bangalore who had finished his tenth said on going back he would lose a bet with his father and take an admission to Science stream for his college. Such changes in youngsters may be simple but they play an important role in the building of a character and some times become the beginning of a great career.

Satwik; Through Chaithanya I learnt a lot about life.

 

I realized how wonderful the world around us is....

VIshal; Whats the Good Word ?

Part III

Keeping them doused in nature

Admiring the stillness of life

 On the fourth day when the power got restored we watched a film on frogs by Sir David Attenborough. It took us on a journey through the weird and wonderful world of frogs, throwing new light on these charismatic, colorful and frequently bizarre little animals. Attenborough immensely impressed the children through his first-hand stories, the latest science, and cutting-edge technology. Frogs from around the world were used to demonstrate the wide variety of frog anatomy, appearance and behavior. Their amazing adaptations and survival techniques have made them the most successful of all amphibians. The rains and the darkness had toughened the children. They were able to shed off all inhibitions and were seen walking around in bare feet and many a times without a torch.

 

Some jump  ho jump on the tricky rocks

 I particularly don’t know which of the multitude of activities we put them through was singly responsible for the behavioral change in the children. To begin with they had this morning session at 5.30 am while it was still dark and the crickets of the night screeched and the tree frogs muttered. Children were made to sit on the bank of the river or amidst the river as we did before it rained. Children formed a beeline and hopped on rocks until they were in the middle of the river. The unilateral task in this session is to listen to the morning sounds. On the first day it must have been a boring job but those who learnt to appreciate the sounds and could decipher that it changes according to the brightness of the sunlight learned to thoroughly enjoy the session.

enjoying the morning Ragas....

Every single day begins with a shrill-single note whistle made by the Malabar Whistling Thrush. After some silence the bulbuls of many kinds fill up the air. The iora too sets up its starters. Then suddenly the Malabar Whistling Thrush comes out with its characteristic whistle like that of a human. If this Thrush does his job all right it wins more votes for the activity. Next among the aves, to steal the show is a raptor that nests on a tall tree on the banks of wooded streams. He sends out a shrill cry similar to that of a human child crying in agony. He can’t resist making these bickering calls in the breeding season. He frequently struts along the stream showing off his powerful flight. In a matter of seconds this bird called Grey headed Fishing Eagle swoops on to the surface of water and can snatches a fish.

Lesser Grey headed Fishing Eagle

By the time the sun is convincingly up and all the shades of greens are revealed the children will be passing through the limits. It also suggests how their biological clocks are conditioned to await for a bell calling the end of a session in their schools. As if to save us from the curses of restless children, another noisy bird emerges from nowhere. It is the colourful Stork billed Kingfisher, found only in the calm waters surrounded by thick woods. It would be tea time and the kids have almost spent two hours working with us.

We are sure that children who have early exposure to nature are strongly correlated with their attitudes towards conservation and environmentally responsible behavior as adults. And it is also known that in the absence of contact with nature before their formative years, their ability to connect with their surroundings could be lost. What other intention could we have in these camps other than driving them into nature in full throttle?

A creative team with their raindeer

Another enjoyable activity that the children love is to collect objects from Nature. These skills and aspirations to possess the unique object are often weaned out in super bazaars where the kid finds only machine made things-be it toys or cloths. When the child runs out of choices it looks for a higher priced object- so convenient for the market economy.

A delicate Leafy Peacock in the happening

Making a collage out of dead leaves is a wonderful activity that gives children a chance to explore the forest floor. It looks into the shape, size and color of the leaves. Since the teams are made up of mixed age groups there is scope for better and responsible socialization. They are given time to decide upon what form to bring out of the leaves; then some serious time for their artistic collaboration. At the end, when you assess their art works they reveal volumes about the ability of every child and the weakness it has. Just to

A Giraffe come alive 

make them repeat their performance we may pose a different situation for them to work about.

Listing all the activity is beyond the scope of this article but for sure the kids were engaged for more than sixteen hours a day in nature in their joyous state. Where would they have the time for bathing or changing even?

-Manu K

 

A simple way to beat the summer heat

Part II

Venturing to New Frontiers

Under a huge tree in a regenerating forest

On the second day we went out up the Western Ghats to Agumbe and trekked to a wonderfully picturesque view point. The trek was short but gave a feel of the forest. Geetha madam had a field day in interpreting the local flora and their adaptations.

To begin the boys formed a separate team

Apart from the view point we had been to Jogi gundi falls en-route there was a brief encounter with leaches. As it had not sufficiently rained in the region the falls was not as picturesque as it would have been during the rainy season. The splash zone didn’t exist and all the rocks were bone dry to explain certain form flora and fauna. However there was a good representation of the ferns and other teridophytes.

 

The girls kept for themselves

The following day we set off to a village called Mala, situated just outside the Kudremukh National Park. Tucked in the thickly wooded slopes of the southern face of Kurinjaal Peak of the Kudremukh range are a cluster of houses very sparsely distributed that forms a village.

This obscure village is now almost devoid of proper dwellers in it. For the past two decades it had turned out to be a sort of old age home as the younger generations got educated and found lucrative jobs across the seas. 

Lessons in the valley of Ferns

When the aging parents felt it hard to continue on the farm they wanted to leave the place. Some sold of their properties and some of them have simply abandoned theirs. A group of artists from Udapi have purchased a couple of properties and restored the old and traditional houses on them. Having done so, over the past five years, they are working to convert the place into an Art Village. While restoring the old wooden houses is itself a herculean task, they have collected hundreds of priceless artifacts of the region. They range from utensils and household things to brass idols of gods and demons. Also they have conducted numerous art workshops involving tribal artists of the Bastar region from Madhya Pradesh and Chathisghad.

In the Dream village of Artist, Activist Purushotham Adave

When our convoy of thirty plus went into this dream village, there were thirty more children hailing from cities like Bangalore, Pune and Bombay attending a summer camp there. The beautiful house with its lush green surrounding typically resembled the house of any successful artist of Europe or France. The summer camp was theater based and   obviously noisy. Our timing was perfect for their tea break. For a minute nothing was in order. We found it hard to put our children together for any instruction. It had rained for half an hour yet the temperature and humidity was unbearable. We all sat in the large courtyard of the traditional tottimane.

The brainstorming about the concept of  Roots and nativity

Artist Purushotham Avade introduced his dream project and invited one of the elderly native to narrate the history of the place. We were offered with a glass of musk melon juice after which we had a quick guided tour round the art collection and the pavilion where artisans and artists were on their works.

Many children were upon a discussion about the next camp site for Manu Sir’s camp. Some naughty fellow must have dropped a grape wine. The wisdom of the native, the adventurous spirit of the youthful artist was nothing but a source of inspiration for every young mind. The children may not have perceived that fact in its totality but the greenery around is so soothing and simply inviting.

A tribal artisan demonstrating his skills

The small single teacher school would be shut in the forth coming academic year due to lack of students in it. While the teacher of this school hailing from the Northern district is happy to pack off this place but Purushotham and friends are seriously considering retaining the school for the services of the natives. The community here was originally Male Kudias and then the Marata Brahamins who came in a centaury and half ago settled here.In the sixties when India’s Development era began people from Tamil Nadu were drawn as laborers for various developmental works in the region.

An artist from Delhi upon his terracotta work.

The formation of Kudremukh National park and the restriction imposed upon the local community thereafter is also one of the major factors for the abandonment of the village. Those who would not resist will leave the place. But those who have no place to go would struggle to survive. Lack of amenities, harassment by the Naxal movement and more so by the Anti Naxal Police has put their peace in jeopardy.

Another edition of the Summer Nature Camp for Children at Seetanadi Herpeto Camp.

Part I

Acclimatization 

The river bank was the most accepted place for any discussion.......

Every May, for the past seven years we have been going out to the Western Ghats along with children to give them a prolonged exposure to Nature. Like most of the camp sites we choose, Seetanadi Herpeto Camp near Hebri is also cut off from the outside world, in spite of being on the main road. In the earlier years we simply stayed within the campsite and carried out hands on activities. Now, with the students coming back time and again we started to move about into different forest types and terrains during every camp. In less than a hundred kilometers you could be on a peak surrounded by lofty green mountains and also be on sandy beaches to experience the splash of the Arabian Sea. You could sit under a huge tree on the banks of a gushing stream or even roll down the grassy hills of the Shola forests.

Agamya was a favorite among everyone

There were twenty eight participants and four resource persons making the class ideal for out door activities. The fresher to regulars’ ratio was also ideal making the children even more safer. For us it was a challenge to keep them both engaged in a lively mode. There were about half a dozen kids bellow class five and the youngest was the notoriously calm and cool girl called Agamya aged six. She had boldly come across the table and stood aside where we had a discussion with her parents in a restaurant in Mysore. I was answering a gamut of basic questions about the camp to many parents. Her sister’s along with her friend’s participation was confirmed. As per our modality she was under aged by two years yet she was persistent to join in. Looking straight into my eyes she asked ‘can I also come to the camp?’ I pulled her closer to my mouth and whispered in her ears “Can you take care of your toilet issues?”  She yelled with a glee “Oh yes” with immense confidence. The parents must have been astonished about the million dollar question her daughter had answered to win through her entry to the camp. 

A frog the toilet seat

The teams from Mysore and Bangalore arrived in good shape and instantly fell in love with the camp site. Their only issue with the camp site was the presence of frogs in the toilets. Of course what else could you expect in a tropical rain forest? Nasty ants, colourful geckos, or even millipedes and scorpions; anything could be a game based on the season. In the first round of discussion among the resource persons after the Ice breaker and introductory session, we decided to orient the camp towards the creepy crawly things in these forests. After all our sole intention of the camp was to immerse the children in Nature and allow them to explore and enquire for themselves. We tried to focus more upon the lesser forms of these forests.

A regular customer in the folds of the tent

Among many routine activities based on leaf collection such as observing shapes and color, collage making out of leaves and twigs was a favorite among the children. There was drawing and many observation sessions which some took it seriously. While Adithi a tenth grader was a meticulous dairy writer many simply hated to put their pen upon notebook. Children get acquainted to the camp site very soon and never missed out any activity. They ate more and without fuss. They never minded skipping their personal time in order to be with the group and the leader. But for the most awaited audiovisual sessions in the evenings there was a serious set back. That afternoon on the very first day of the camp while the children sat drawing in the pergola there was a sudden thunder storm. The participants were put to sleep to avoid the wrath of scorching heat and humidity. In no time it transformed the entire ‘forest scape’.

One of the best activities to beat the tropical heat

The tall trees that stood dead still all day started swaying violently and the leaf litter went up in whirls creating a backdrop for a scene from a horror film. It rained and rained till darkness and there was no power for two days. We had to restore to story telling mode in the evenings. We intimately narrated about the canopy dwelling mammals of these forests.

Everybody likes a good Rain

The dark nights in the wet forests are an ideal situation for the frogs and insects. It gave us ample scope to pick up a frog and explain about them. The initial screenings at the touch of a slimy object gradually dampened with their familiarity to the subject. Some even collected nasty looking dung beetles. 

This year we tried out a new method to keep the parents informed on a timely basis about the where about of their children. An exclusive What’s ap group had been created for the parents and some well wishers. Geetha madam was entrusted with the extra duty of posting updates of events to the group.

The What's Ap broadcasting station

She did a marvelous job of handling the parents as well as the many odds on the ground. It rained right on the first two days and there was no power for both the days. Leave aside the Audio Visual sessions; there wasn’t any power to charge the mobile phones and the cameras. As ever, the mobile signal was too weak and she roamed around the campus and found a special niche on the riverbank from where she could get connected to the outside world. She had to take upon the oddest of queries from the parents. 

 " The beautiful world I have stepped into" -by Pawan

‘Why is there no sign of my son in any of the sixteen pictures?

Even before six in the morning a message shot her ‘Please wake up my daughter; she is missing out a wonderful session.’ 

“Why are you posting only the pictures of girls” and so on?

Occasionally she had to trundle back and forth to us aloud some of the messages. A few of the messages which she announced louder would embarrass certain participants.  The typical one was “Mrs. So and so asks Manu Sir not to let her son so and so to the water at any cost !”  

"My daughter has been bitten by a leach itseems please take her to a doctor in Manipal"

In such cases we were deliberately making the communication loud so that the children realize the ground realities in a camp site and the imaginary world their parents live. Also it is good for the children to know that  parents  often  express their love through fear.

-Pics and Text by Manu K

Student Industrial Visit to a Khadi Village

Students looking at the process of preparing the warp.....

Every educational institution will have its own ethics and wishful aspirations about how their students should come out like. Apart from trying to have the best of faculty for key subjects and inviting eminent guests for lectures some also scout for campus interviews. In order to get their ward a better placement, colleges plan for imparting various etiquette.  Management and commerce graduates are dressed in blazers and ties to get them acquainted with professional lifestyles. Witty games are administered to nurture their killing instincts as businessmen. In order to achieve sharper focus upon their respected fields, which if only measured in the marks scored, the very basics of life skills are sidelined.  In the wake of identifying sources of profits for the students the bases of very resources are not even introduced. Very few faculty of Economics and Management talk of Natural resources and their threshold limits while exploiting. Seldom students end up with a mind set that are built of very old and primitive data.

I have come across students from prestigious colleges who believe that our country has kept aside 33 to 60 percent of forest lands for the sake of wildlife in our country. It may not be mandatory to know the actual figures of such data for a commerce student but in a situation where we are not even left with four and a half percent of our land for wildlife, it would be a bad start of his carrier as a professional. Like wise many students don’t have the faintest idea about how many jobs in this country are provided by the government sector.

The Principal Mr. Manohara and his Minister

Some head of the institutions have given a serious thought at addressing such shortfalls in making responsible citizens of their students. They are thoroughly aware and worried about the diminishing value system among their students. They also agree that those values have no mention in their prescribed syllabus.  Yet very few clearly say that education is incomplete if it does not give you a sense of the world in which your learning has to be applied. Unfortunately such concerned managers and principals are bound by the economic intends of modern day education system. There is no denying that academic excellence depends on the quality of faculty and infrastructure of an institution, but it is often seen that those who graduate from high ranking colleges that focus only on academics, are some what unprepared to deal with the complexities of the social world.

Santosh Koulagi showing the yarn dyed in Natural Colours

The academic choices are shaped in many ways; for some it is circumstances and parental concern that limit what they do. Youngsters who have reading habits and have a chance to see the world and talk to teachers have a fair chance of opting what they aspire. By the time of finishing high school many will have formulated about their carrier options even though they have no clue about how to go about it. But it is useful to take a break and see the world beyond the school walls and decide not only about what course to perceive but where to perceive it. The space one spends in his formative years is as important as the content he learns in the same period. The context of learning is equally important as the content, and, as most people agree that the space of learning (and unlearning) often has more of an impact upon the student than the curriculum itself.

 

Some Group dynamics in the evening

Knowing these factors Prof. Manohar, Principal of Nagarjuna College of Arts, Commerce and Mangement in rural Bangalore strongly believe that between the college and the workplace should be the time for exploration and experimentation.

 Team building games for the development of rapo.....

The student in their formative years would have an opportunity to see the vast realities of the society and learn to think for themselves. He chose to pitch in a collaborative program with Janapada Seva Trust at Melkote and expose the young minds to the philosophy of Khadi. About a dozen batches of forty students came in on a monthly basis during the last academic year. Each batch stayed for three days and was exposed to the process of Kadhi industry. From fiber to fabric it was all hands on. Raw cotton yarn comes in and finished garment leave for sales. There were just about two about two dozen laborers, not considered as especially skilled worked in the unit. Apart from weaving there was a demo on dyeing with natural colors.

A bit of Rock Climbing to build endurance and self confidence

Initially there was a protest by a few students who refused to accept that this was an industrial visit of any sort for commerce and Management students. Nevertheless a few students who were impressed by the sessions about sustainable lifestyles and conservation issues turned the table for the management of the college. They influenced many students by sharing their good experiences from their camp. A few students even came along for the camp for the second time with other batches. After the first two batches the students were at t accompanied by any senior lecturers indicating that the program was well received by the student community.

Mr. U N Ravikumar explaining his Water saving device

Back home at Janapada Seva Trust it was time to experiment with the topics dealt in each batch and the resource persons. Santosh Koulagi, U N Ravi kumar, Sumanas Koulagi and Manu K handled various indoor and outdoor sessions. K P Suresh and Wildlife photographer Mahesha joined in to address a few batches. 

Apart from the lecture-demonstration and audio visual sessions the students were involved in physical work of one sort or the other. 

Every hard Work needs a good relaxation

A typical group

They had an option of watering the saplings in ‘Nene bana’ a dream garden of the Koulagis or to work in the Khadi unit. Some even took up cleaning the campus or assisting the kitchen. Such activities have no text books but encourage students to think and learn for themselves and are absolutely essential in the days of confusion with regards to societal dynamics involving nature, culture and its politics.

Jamanlal Bajaj Awardee Surendra Koulagi expresses happiness on seeing the youth in the campus.

-Manu K

                                                                                              

Summer Nature Camp - 2016

A regular annual feature of Hasiru Hejje to initiate children into Nature bound activities.  Here is a call to the nature enthusiasts.

ವಿಶ್ವ ಭೂ ದಿನ – ೨೦೧೬ : ಭುವಿಗಾಗಿ ಮರಗಳು. ಬನ್ನಿ ನೆಡೋಣ.

ಕೆರೆಗಳ ಒಡಲು ಬರಿದಾದ ಚಿತ್ರ, ಭೂಮಿ ಒಣಗಿ ಬಾಯ್ಬಿಟ್ಟ ಚಿತ್ರ, ಬಡ ರೈತನೊಬ್ಬ ಹತಾಶೆಯಿಂದ ಆಕಾಶವನ್ನು ದಿಟ್ಟಿಸುವ ಚಿತ್ರ, ಇವೆಲ್ಲಾ ಇದೀಗ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ನಿಯತಕಾಲಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಬರುತ್ತಿವೆ. ಚಿತ್ರ ನಟ-ನಟಿಯರ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳಿಗಿಂತಲೂ ಜನಪ್ರಿಯವಾಗಿವೆ. ನಾವು ನೀರನ್ನು ಜತನದಿಂದ ಹೇಗೆ ಬಳಸಬೇಕು, ಪ್ರಾಣಿ-ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೇಗೆ ನೀರು ಸಿಗುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು ಎಂಬೆಲ್ಲಾ ಚರ್ಚೆಗಳು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಗಾಸಿಪ್ಪನ್ನೂ ಮೀರಿಸಿವೆ. ಅಸಲಿಗೆ ಇದೆಲ್ಲಾ ಏಕೆ? ಜನರಿಗೆ ಪರಿಸರದೆಡೆಗೆ ಭಾರೀ ಅರಿವು ಮೂಡಿದೆಯೆ? ಕಾಳಜಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿದೆಯೆ?

ದ್ಯುತಿ ಸಂಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮಾಡಬಲ್ಲ ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿದ ಏಕೈಕ ಗ್ರಹ ಭೂಮಿ. ಆಮ್ಲಜನಕ ಸಹಿತ ಪ್ರಾಣವಾಯುವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವ ಏಕೈಕ ಗ್ರಹ ಭೂಮಿ. ಜೀವಿ ಜನಕ ನೀರು ಉಪಲಬ್ಧವಿರುವ ಏಕೈಕ ಗ್ರಹ ಭೂಮಿ. ಈ ಭೂಮಿ ಹೀಗೇ ಉಳಿದರೇ ನಾವು. ಇಲ್ಲವಾದರೆ ಸರ್ವ ಜೀವಿಗಳ ವಿನಾಶ.

ಈ ಅರಿವಿನಿಂದಲೇ ರಿಯೋ ಶೃಂಗಸಭೆ, ಪ್ಯಾರಿಸ್ ಶೃಂಗಸಭೆಗಳಂತಹ ಸಭೆಗಳು ನಡೆದು ವಿಶ್ವದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮೂಲೆಗಳಿಂದಲೂ ವಿವಿಧ ದೇಶಗಳ ನಾಯಕರು ಒಂದೆಡೆ ಸೇರಿ ಚರ್ಚಿಸುವ ಮಹತ್ವದ ವಿಷಯವೆಂದರೆ ಹವಾಮಾನ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ. ಜಲಚಕ್ರದ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಯ, ಏರುತ್ತಿರುವ ಜಾಗತಿಕ ತಾಪಮಾನ ಮೊದಲಾದ ಪ್ರಚಲಿತ ವಿಚಾರಗಳ ಮೇಲಿನ ಚರ್ಚೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಿಹಾರಗಳ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ವಿಚಾರ ವಿನಿಮಯ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ವೈಪರೀತ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಮೂಲ ಕಾರಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂಗಾಲದ ಬಳಕೆ, ಮಾಲಿನ್ಯ ಹಾಗು ಮಾನವನ ದುರಾಶೆಗಳು ಪ್ರಮುಖವಾದವು. ಇವುಗಳನ್ನು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡುವುದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಕೆಲವು ಧನಾತ್ಮಕ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳನ್ನೂ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಿದೆ.ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊಟ್ಟಮೊದಲನೆಯದು ಮರ ನೆಡುವುದು.

ಸಸ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಇಂಗಾಲದ ಡೈಯಾಕ್ಸೈಡನ್ನು ಹೀರಿ ಆಹಾರವಾಗಿ ಮಾರ್ಪಡಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿಯಿದೆ. ಮರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಅತ್ಯಧಿಕ. ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಎಲೆಗಳ ಬಾಹುಳ್ಯ ತನ್ಮೂಲಕ ಅಧಿಕ ದ್ಯುತಿ ಸಂಶ್ಲೇಷಿಸುವ ಕಾರ್ಯ ಕ್ಷಮತೆ. ಹಸಿರುಮನೆ ಅನಿಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದಾದ ಇಂಗಾಲದ ಡೈಯಾಕ್ಸೈಡ್ ನ ಪ್ರಮಾಣವನ್ನು ತಗ್ಗಿಸುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ಇದು ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅಂಶ. ದ್ಯುತಿ ಸಂಶ್ಲೇಷಣಾ ಕ್ರಿಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ಪತ್ತಿಯಾಗುವ ಆಮ್ಲಜನಕ ವಾಯುಶುದ್ಧೀಕಾರಕ. ಹೊರಬರುವ ನೀರಾವಿ ವಾತಾವರಣವನ್ನು ತಂಪಾಗಿರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಮರಗಳು ದುರ್ಗಂಧವನ್ನೂ, ಮಾಲಿನ್ಯ ಕಾರಕ ಅನಿಲಗಳನ್ನೂ ಹೀರಿ ಗಾಳಿಯನ್ನು ಶುದ್ಧೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಕಾಂಡ ಹಾಗು ಎಲೆಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಮಾಲಿನ್ಯ ಕಾರಕ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಕಣಗಳನ್ನು ಶೋಧಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಂತರ್ಜಲವನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸುವ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿವೆ. ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ಸವಕಳಿಯನ್ನು ತಡೆಯುತ್ತವೆ. ಜೀವಜಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಜೀವನಾಧಾರವಾಗಿವೆ. ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಜೀವಿಗಳಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಕೀಟಗಳು, ಉಭಯಜೀವಿಗಳು, ಸರೀಸೃಪಗಳು, ಪಕ್ಷಿ ಸಂಕುಲ, ಸಸ್ತನಿಗಳು – ಹೀಗೆ ಹತ್ತು ಹಲವು ಜೀವಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಆಹಾರ, ರಕ್ಷಣೆ , ಪೋಷಣೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿಗಳನ್ನು ಒದಗಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಮಾನವನಿಗೆ ಔಷಧಿ, ಆಹಾರ, ಬಟ್ಟೆ, ಬಣ್ಣ, ಚೌಬೀನೆ, ಉರುವಲು ಹೀಗೆ ಸರ್ವ ಅಗತ್ಯಗಳನ್ನೂ ಪೂರೈಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಮಾನವ ಸಮುದಾಯಕ್ಕಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜೀವ ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳಿಗೂ ಬೇಕಾದ ನೈಸರ್ಗಿಕ ಸಂಪತ್ತು, ಮರಗಳು.

ಮಾನವನ ದುರಾಸೆಗೆ, ದೂರದಾಸೆಗೆ ನೈಸರ್ಗಿಕ ಸಂಪತ್ತು ವಿನಾಶದತ್ತ ಸಾಗಿದೆ. ನೀರಿನ ಸೆಲೆಗಳು ಒಂದೋ ಅತಿಕ್ರಮಣಗೊಂಡಿವೆ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ಮಾಲಿನ್ಯಗೊಂಡಿವೆ. ಮಾನವನ  ಕೈವಾಡದಿಂದ ವಾತಾವರಣದಲ್ಲಿನ ಅಸಮತೋಲನ ಎಷ್ಟು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿದೆಯೆಂದರೆ ನದಿಯ ಉಗಮ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ನೀರಿಗೆ ತತ್ವಾರ. ಒಂದು ನದಿಯಲ್ಲಿನ ಹರಿವು ಎಷ್ಟಿದೆಯೋ ಅದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಅಧಿಕ ಪಟ್ಟು ನೀರನ್ನು ಬಯಲು ಸೀಮೆಗೆ ಹರಿಸುವ ಪೊಳ್ಳು ಭರವಸೆಯನ್ನು ಸರ್ಕಾರವೇ ಕೊಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಘಟ್ಟದಂತಹ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಜೀವವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರಿನ ಸೆಲೆಗಳು ಬತ್ತಿಹೋದರೆ ಅರಣ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಉಳಿವೆಲ್ಲಿ? ನೆಟ್ಟರೂ  ಮರಗಳು ಉಳಿದಾವೆ? ಅಂತಹ ಪ್ರದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಣಿಗಾರಿಕೆ ನಡೆಸಲು ಪ್ರವಾನಗಿ ನೀಡಿದರೆ ಕಾಡು- ವನ್ಯ ಜೀವಿಗಳ ಪಾಡೇನು? ಅರಣ್ಯ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ನೋಟೀಸನ್ನೂ ಲೆಕ್ಕಿಸದೆ ಅಕ್ರಮ ಗಣಿಗಾರಿಕೆ ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಪ್ರಚಲಿತವಿದೆ. ಇಂತಹ ಹೊತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಡಿಯ ರಾಜ್ಯವೇ ಬರ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನೆದುರಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗಲೂ  ನಾವು ಎಚ್ಚೆತ್ತುಕೊಳ್ಳದಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಶಾಶ್ವತವಾದ ನಿಸರ್ಗ ವಿನಾಶ ಖಂಡಿತ.

ಉದ್ಯಾನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ರಸ್ತೆಬದಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಮನೆಯ ಮುಂದೆ ನೆಟ್ಟ ಮರಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲ ಜೀವರಾಶಿಯನ್ನೂ ಸಲಹಲಾರವು. ಪ್ಲಾಂಟೇಷನ್ನುಗಳ ಏಕರೂಪದ ಮರಗಳೂ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಪರ್ಯಾಯವಾಗಲಾರವು. ಕೇವಲ ನಮ್ಮ ಸ್ವಾರ್ಥಕ್ಕೆಂದು ಮನೆಯಂಗಳದಲ್ಲೋ, ಕೈತೋಟದಲ್ಲೋ ಕಲ್ಪವೃಕ್ಷ ಬೆಳೆದರೆ ವೃಕ್ಷವನ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯಾಗದು. ಊರಂಚಿನ ಆಲಕ್ಕೋ , ಅರಳಿಗೋ ಸಮನಾಗಲಾರದು. ಕಾಡನ್ನು ಕಾಡಾಗಿಯೇ ಉಳಿಯಗೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಮರಗಳು ಉಳಿದಾವು. ನೀರಿನ ಸೆಲೆಗಳ, ಕಾಡುಗಳ ಒತ್ತುವರಿ ಉಳ್ಳವರಿಂದಲೇ ಆಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಅಧಿಕಾರಸ್ಥರ ಅವಜ್ನೆ , ಕುಮ್ಮಕ್ಕು ಈ ಒತ್ತುವರಿಯ ಹಿಂದಿದೆ. ಹೀಗೆಯೇ ಮುಂದುವರಿದರೆ ಅರಣ್ಯ ನಾಶದೊಂದಿಗೆ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿಗಳ ವಿನಾಶವೂ ಮುಂದುವರೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ತಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಲೆಖ್ಖವಿಲ್ಲದಷ್ಟು ಹಣವನ್ನು ಇಡಲು ಜಾಗವಿಲ್ಲದ, ಇಲ್ಲದವರೊಡನೆ  ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಮನಸ್ಸೂ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಸಿರಿವಂತರ “ನೆಲ ಕೊಳ್ಳುಬಾಕತನ”ದ ದುರಾಶೆ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾದರೆ ವನ ವೃಕ್ಷಗಳು ನಲನಳಿಸಿಯಾವು. ಮನೆಯ ಮುಂದೆ , ರಸ್ತೆಬದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮರಗಳನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸುವುದರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಊರಿಗೊಂದು  ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ವನವೂ ಬೇಕು. ಬಿರುಬಿಸಿಲಿನ ಈ ಬೇಸಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮರಗಳಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವ ತಂಪಾದಂತೆ ಸಕಲ ಜೀವಿಗಳ ಜೀವವೂ ತಂಪಾಗಿರಲಿ. ಬನ್ನಿ, ಮರ ನೆಡೋಣ, ನೆಟ್ಟು ನೀರೆರೆಯೋಣ, ಬೆಳೆಸಿ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿಸೋಣ.

ಗೀತಾ. ಹೆಚ್