An Evening in �Dilli Haat�
One fine day I happen to be in Dilli Haat, the famous craft market in Delhi. Crowded like any other market in Delhi. Suddenly I heard chirping of sparrows, quite unusual for Delhi�s environment; at least I haven�t heard before in Delhi. It took me some time to find out the place where the sound was coming from. It was a lonely tree in one corner.
But why did it draw my attention; we no more see birds, once common, in our gardens�on the trees around us. Where we are heading to; I was thinking while sitting in my study. People talk about the biodiversity; biodiversity in the hotspot regions of the world (though I am equally concerned about it) but we hardly think of biodiversity around us. The birds around us...the trees around us...the different breeds of cattle around us...
My father says, as per his understanding and he might be right, this is because the lifestyle we are following�the culture we are adapting to. According to him in his childhood, people used to worship nature around them, in a way promoting conservation, which is lacking in the so called �generation next�. If I could recall correctly my mother would worship trees like bargad, peepal, tulsi�animals like cow, monkey, elephant, snakes (at least symbolic) and she still follows the same till date. Various birds, animals, snakes are treated as sacred through their association with the mythical gods and goddess. For example, Garuda (eagle) is vehicle of Vishnu, Peacock of Lord Muruga, Bull of Lord Shiva and Tiger of goddess Durga.
According to my understanding and knowledge, every living thing on this world contains �tman�The essence that is eternal, unchanging, and indistinguishable from the essence of the universe. This includes grass, trees, animals�any living thing we can think of... so everything on the planet is sacred and valued by us�the Indians. The Indian culture or if am allowed to use the word �Hinduism�, differs from other Western religions in that it does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious organisation. It consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since long time. In Hindu ideology there is matter and spirit; therefore environmental ideas are at the core of Hindu thought. Care and concern for the environment is key component of Indian culture; the Earth being referred to as �Mother Earth� is sequel to that. The Rig Veda says, �Do not cut trees because they remove pullution���Do not disturb the sky and do not pollute the atmosphere�� A morning prayer in Sanskrit translates as �Oh mother Earth, the consort of Visnu, whose garments are the oceans and whose ornaments are the hills and mountains; please forgive me as I walk on you this day.�
But how did religion (I would rather say culture) influence or shape our attitude towards the natural environment? This is how Prof. Lynn White, answered this question in his article The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis (Published in Science 155:1203-1207 in 1967). He states that the Western world�s attitude towards nature was shaped by the Judeo-Christian tradition. (He included Islam and Marxism in this tradition, that involved the concept), �God planned all (of creation) explicitly for man�s benefit and rule: no item in physical creation had any purpose save to serve man�s purposes.� According to Prof. White, Western Christianity separated humans from nature, and created a dualism, while the older religions saw (divine) spirit in every tree, river, animal and bird. Prof. White claimed this Western concept encouraged exploitation and domination of nature for the benefit of man.
For Indians, the concept of environment protection is not a modern phenomenon; they inherited it from their ancestors. During the earliest, formative period of their society, Indians first perceived God�s presence around them through nature. The natural forces that governed their daily lives were considered as manifestations of an almighty creator they called the Brahma. They felt Brahma�s presence in everything around them worshiped almost all his creation in one way or the other including earth, rivers, forests, sun, air, and mountains to please God. This belief spawned many rituals that are still followed by traditional Hindus in India like my mother does. Certain plants, trees and rivers were considered sacred, and worshipped in festivals. In a traditional Indian family, to insult or abuse nature is considered a sacrilegious act. My mother always scolded me for acts like ripping the limb of a plant or urinating or spitting on a tree or in any body of water. Indian culture believed that humans, gods and nature were integral parts of one �organic whole� and considered the principles of Vayu (air) Bhumi (earth), Jala (water), Agni (fire) as important factors in regulating the lives of humans, animals and plants.
In Vedas, the Hindu viewpoint on nature has been clearly enunciated such as Shanti path, which means �There is peace in heavenly region; there is peace in the environment; the water is cooling; herbs are healing; the plants are peace-giving; there is harmony in the celestial objects and perfection in knowledge; everything in the universe is peaceful; peace pervades everywhere. May that peace come to me!�
Unfortunately in the process of modernisation (I am not averse to modernisation) and mimicking of western lifestyle and consumerism, modern Indians have forgotten their traditional view on ecology, and have acquired the western exploitative attitude towards nature. Lush forests have been denuded, rivers, including the sacred river Ganga, have become polluted with industrial wastes. Delhi has become one of the most polluted cities in the world. Many beautiful birds and animals have become extinct. This devastation is taking place at the cost of progress. We must pause, think and seek inspiration from the wisdom that is handed down to us by our ancestors.