Planting new trees never a substitute for cutting age-old ones

Nagpur: It is extremely unlikely to pass through the stretch of small mini-forest located near Bharat Nagar and not feel a sense of pride to belong to a city that has still maintained and preserved lush green forest cover amid massive development. The sounds of the chirping birds, aroma of a bio-diverse oxygen rich track of lush green thick forest, robust brown barks and branches of the trees; abode to rare diverse birds and species swaying majestically to the gentle breeze and the enigmatic silence and stillness in the air almost takes you to a level of transcendental serenity.
At the same time, it also leaves you with an apprehension as to how long will it be able to survive the lust of hungry exploitative developmentalists and not become a prey to their insatiable greed. As soon as the news of the cutting of the trees was in the news, I was filled with grief and loss equivalent to the news of loss of a loved one accompanied by a feeling of helplessness and despair.

But, soon, hope and optimism was aroused as news started pouring of the proposed road being opposed by environmental activists, green lovers and the residents of Bharat Nagar. The support from the political bigwigs joining the citizen‘s protests also adds weight to the movement.

This brings us back to the age old debate of environment versus development controversy and needs deliberation. In such a situation, it is the environment that has to be given preference as one can have several alternate models and paths to development but can never ever undo the damage caused to the environment.

Planting of new trees can never be a substitute for the cutting of age old trees and destroying the fragile eco-system as we can never replicate or replace the lost bio diverse natural heritage. Yet, the sustainable and green development model remains a part of NCERT text books without actual execution as unabated cutting of trees continues in the name of development.

Back then, Amrita Devi, laid down her life in protest, along with her three young daughters, when the ruler of Marwar, Maharaja Abhay Singh, ordered cutting down of the local Khejri trees for the sake of building his new palace and soon the entire community followed in protest to save the trees, resulting in a massacre of 350 lives. She belonged to Bishnoy community, the first to start the chipko movement in 1730, based on an ideology of protecting the environment in which ‘if a tree is saved even at the cost of one’s head, it is worth it’.

Democracy requires that the representatives follow the decisions taken by the people. In this case, if the local people are opposed to the whole project, why are the authorities hell bent on going ahead with the project?

Why is it that the people have to beg, protest and knock at the doors of the court to save trees. Why can we not have a development model that is sensitive, sustainable and accommodative instead of the destructive and exploitative one?

Why can our authorities not think about the alternative development models with insight and sensitivity to the fragile ecosystem and encourage the symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature (specially in this case where this road is totally uncalled for and alternative road is possible). When will we come out of colonial industrial ‘commercial trap’ and re-prioritize our economic goals in more elegant, comprehensive and efficient manner?

In the Indian culture, trees have been revered and worshipped by our ancestors emphasizing the invaluable significance of trees in our lives. Sant Tukaram, has so beautifully and poetically summed up the significance of trees in our lives ‘Vrikshavalli amha soyare vanchare ..’ the essence is that the trees, plants, the nature is so endearing that one can realize the ultimate divine in the lap of nature.

(Anjali Gaidhane is head of political science department in Hislop College)