My memories of Neralu, Bangalore’s first crowd funded tree fiesta held in around Cubbon Park on 8th and February 9th 2014.
We walked
and talked
about trees,
birds and bees
There were songs and dances
of green romances
plays, tales
and tree inhales
crafts and arts
seeds and plant parts
hugs galore
for our beloved trees of Bangalore
So, let’s say “1, 2, tree”
And set ourselves free!
“Panchhi nadiya pawan ke jhonke, koi sarhad na inhe roke…” (Birds can fly where they want/ water can take its course/ the wind blows in every direction/ no barrier can stop them) — thus go the Javed Akhtar penned lyrics of the song from the movie Refugee (2000, J. P Dutta). As I read about the Panje wetlands in Uran, I wondered if these lyrics hold true today, when human interference is wreaking such havoc on natural environments, and keeping these very elements out. But then, I also wondered if I should refer to Panje, a 289-hectare inter-tidal zone, as…
Global carbon dioxide emissions continue to soar despite climate agreements like Kyoto and Paris. Should this be the path we tread? Since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997, annual carbon dioxide emissions have surged by an average of 1.7%. This is in stark contrast to the 0.9% increase seen in the seven years prior (1990-1997) to the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. The exclusion of the world's biggest polluters — United States, China and India — is the primary cause of the failure of the Kyoto Agreement. Vehicular emissions contribute significantly to air pollution in Bengaluru. Pic: Jyothi Gupta…