Imagine a piece of land measuring two acres, right inside a buzzling metro. Visualise six varieties of banana, seven of mangoes, 79 of tomato, 32 of brinjal and 19 of okra, besides varieties of carrots and strawberries, etc. Now be informed that on this patch of land, some 10,000 species coexist.
There is a story often not told, of the foot soldiers and their battle with the looters of the land. The looters often come in the guise of authorities, smugglers, hunters, companies, communities of people and so on. Unlike the Navi who use guerrilla tactics and their bow and arrows, these vigilant defenders depend on the courts and the justice system. Commitment and perseverance are the by-words for the WildCATs of Chikmagalur, Karnataka.
I cannot predict the future of humanity and the planet earth. I can, however, trace and reflect on my journey of the past 25 years – a constant swing between hope and despair, but leading to some measure of equanimity now by taking the long view.
Mother Earth has always been an essential part of meditation practices all over the world. The earth is the foundation of our physical existence, providing us with nourishment, shelter, and a place to call home. When we meditate, we can connect with the earth and tap into its profound wisdom and healing power.
Mammals in heat-stressed places like India could exit the planet
‘Heat waves across India scream report after news report. Are we witnessing the critical survival point World Bank had warned about last year? In a first time for the planet, temperatures in India will cross the ‘wet bulb temperature’ and the country could see lives lost to heat stress, the report had said.
Elephants cry. The octopus has three hearts and nine brains. Plants scream. The magical planet and its residents are whispering…!
A recent WHO briefing suggests this week that climate change is driving Aedes mosquito driven disease to areas where they did not exist earlier while they will rise in those parts of the world where they are endemic such as Southeast Asia. High precipitation, increased temperature and even scarcity of water favours the breeding of mosquitoes. The virus and the mosquitos multiply faster in higher temperatures.
Are you on that side of your forties when you feel a little bloated from time to time and break out into sweat in the middle of the night? Even that splash of cold water or that ice pack couldn’t relieve you from the heat and it went away suddenly leaving you shivering?
Of what you use and what you throw, lest you add to plastic islands in our oceans and land. Join your neighborhood armies that ‘plog’. Next time you buy a packet of Lays or Kurkure, hit the pause button. You are now eating the junk inside. A few weeks later you could be consuming that plastic too.
The next time you chuck trash on the roads or in the park, give a thought to the ‘Ploggers’
It started with one man going on his morning jog with his eight-year old daughter. Not able to tolerate trash that defiled his revered planet, Nagraj started picking them up to dispose in the trash cans.
