Responsibility towards nature- something that we can learn from our ancestors

Have just started to read a book ' Indias Unending Journey' by Mark Tully. Among many other things that he discusses he also talks about Hinduism and its way of acknowledging nature.

It surely made me think. Most of our basic practices that were followed by our ancestors are now ignored or considered 'uncool' to follow. Yet it is those practices that have taught us to be humble and attribute some part of our existence to something beyond our control.

For instance, our ancestors never assumed nature to be just another resource available for consumption. They regarded it as a gift and believed it deserved respect and not irrational hording. They worshiped plants, animals even rivers and oceans. It was their way of acknowledging natures contribution in our existence and also a way of saying that these resources are precious, which need to be utilized ingeniously.

Now suddenly with issues of global warming coming to the fore, everybody seems to be giving their views and trying to device ways to conserve energy and resources. Yet we cant acknowledge the fact that in the name of modernization, we did commit a folly. While running the race of development we happily threw all the practices to the wind. It was suddenly uncool to follow those beliefs. Many even labelled it superstition. We conviniently forgot that there is a fine line between superstition & belief.

Accepting the presence of other factors in our success certainly does not attribute to superstition. Nor does it belittle our achievements if we respect the nature that is our only source to sustainance - something that we never created and might never be able to regenerate!

My wish for India…

Was reading excerpts from ‘Imagining India: Ideas for a new centaury’ by Nandan Nilekani, Co- chairman of Infosys. It left me with a feeling of optimism and belief.

When he says “I still think that after a long and convoluted path, after many a stumble and wrong turn, a different kind of moments seem to be upon us. For the first time, there is a sense of hope across the country, which I believe is universal. There is a momentum for change, evident in the enthusiasm of our younger legislators, the mushrooming of civil society organizations, and activists fighting in the courts for reforms in governance and for the protection of fundamental rights.”

I want this to be true … I want it to sustain and I want it to materialize on a larger scale. It is high time that we look beyond divisive politics, vote-bank accumulation based on caste and reservations. It is also time to stop shying away from our responsibilities and duty towards our country. It is our responsibility to vote, question the government for flouting duties, revolt against bribery and promote literacy on whatever scale that we can afford.

Ours is a young country, that’s capable of capitalizing its resources. Today we are seeing a rise in interest in various fields – complex science and technology to entrepreneurial ideas with low capital. More and more youngsters are dreaming big and achieving it. However, there remains disparate growth with problems galore – illiteracy, malnutrition, superstitions and poverty.

But like Nilekani I believe that we can overcome these- slowly but surely. What’s needed is an undeterred faith in this dream. Dream of seeing India as a self-sustained & progressive nation as a whole. As we usher the New Year… I look forward with this dream in my heart and belief in our capabilities.