Environmental care and concern is spreading across the world. We are faced with global warming, climate change, floods and droughts, natural calamities of various types and intensities. People are beginning to see the ‘cause and effect’ link between how we treat Mother Earth, its impact on her, and on everyone in Our Common Home. Sparsh presents experiences of some who ventured into environmental actions, with a lot of innovation, creativity and originality. They involved and organized people from across India, especially those most affected by the use, over-use, abuse and destruction of the abundant resources of Mother Earth.
India is rich in resources. How these are distributed and utilized is the question. One article presents a group of Professors of an elite college whose search, inno-vision and hard work helped turn thousands of acres of totally saline land into a productive tract. A hillock covered with trees provided rain, water and manure to the villages around. Trees had been cut leading to soil erosion. The fertile fields below were starved of water and turned dry. Some eco-visionaries organized the people to use water conservation techniques and plant trees. Soon the hillock began to provide water and manure to the villages all round the year.
Gandhiji said, “The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” The richest 1% of India own 51.5 % of our national wealth. Sparsh could inspire environmental concern and action to restore and redistribute Mother Earth’s bounty.
- Title: SPARSH – Down-to-earth experiences with Mother Earth
- Editors: Rappai Poothokaren & Lancelot D’Cruz
- Publisher: New Leader Books
- Pages: 207
- Price: Rs 300
