The issue of one's carbon footprint and its impact on the ecology of the universe, as well as how adversely it affects our environment, does not seem to affect us at all. During my recent sojourn in London, I noticed that almost every day there was something or the other written about this issue in the news paper, here in Delhi this has not made even an appearance anywhere. In the London press one often came across letters to the editor written by people asking what they could do to reduce their carbon footprint. Even advertisements were often centred around carbon footprint and the impact of the product advertised, on the environment.
Our apathy for this rather important issue perhaps is because we are so engrossed in earning our daily bread that we do not have the time to bother about other issues, which do not affect us TODAY. Living from one day to another is itself a drudgery for our vast multitudes who have to worry about their next meal. Poverty is as rampant as is corruption.Where then is the time to think about how we are impacting our own world and helping it to move faster towards destruction. The green house effect that we help to create does not even cross our mind. Unless all of us become aware of our impact and try to reduce the burden on our environment, things are going to go out of hand fast.
When I was a child whenever we went to watch a movie there was always a Films Division documentary, touching on various aspects of development in the country, on issues of social relevance and similar topics which affected our lives. Those documentaries were very educative and informative. They were really interesting. Now, no such thing is ever seen on screen. All that we get to see now are advertisements, out and out commercial. The world today is governed by money. Nothing is more important than money. It seems to have become the be all and end all of everyone's existence. All that we want is money!!! The more we have the better it is. All those lofty ideals, those values, that maxim of simple living, high thinking-where has that era gone? Has it really vanished? Has it become extinct like the Dodo, the dinasaur?
On the 15th August, on our 61st Independence Day, I remember all those who lay down their lives for our freedom. They were people with such a lot of passion, conviction, determination. They were so devoted to the cause of freedom. Their desire was to see a free India. The amount they suffered, their struggle, their pain, misery, sacrifice. It is for us the beneficiaries of Independent India to take forward the dreams of those who died for this cause. Lets try to do our bit to make this place better. I have to leave it better than the condition in which I found it. That is my duty. I need to leave a footprint "on the sands of time", but not a carbon footprint.
A VERY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
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