Monday, March 30, 2009

Good friends we lose, along the way

On the morning of Saturday, the one that went by, I was on a call with Mom, when a bunch of cronies from the local municipality armed tooth and nail appeared out of nowhere and randomly chopped off some tree branches on the roadside citing concern to traffic!

It was a sad and repulsive sight to see some of these last remaining wonders being unceremoniously hacked off from what had been their homes for several decades.

I was instantly reminded of the Chipko Movement that made waves in Uttarakhand during the 70s and the 80s.

I took some pictures of the grotesque scene and walked back home, feeling like a hypocrite, not having been able to do a thing about it, yet selfishly wondering if those exquisite birds would still sing their blissful melodies to me every morning as the day breaks!


We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction - Aesop


The road to tyranny, we must never forget, begins with the destruction of the truth - Bill Clinton


A destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, only man can prevent - Elie Wiesel

38 comments:

  1. Life is a mixture of loss and gain, a mixture of emotions....and thats what life should be...IF IT BE!

    what else to say...
    hypocricy is the fallout of knowledge and development -- one can't help! not justifying....again, one can only be true to oneself :)

    wishes,
    devika

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi there!

    Why would they cut down those trees anyway? Those trees are not doing anything, they don't seem like they are blocking the streets or in danger of falling of anytime!

    Much Love,

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sad sad sad
    No wonder Global Warming is a problem!
    :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. By doing such things, we live a lot less. Hopefully our lives would not be reduced to mere existence! These people ought to read how Singapore struggled for decades to get a green cover to their nation state. We will have to pay back to nature for all this one day!

    Destination Infinity

    ReplyDelete
  5. really sad to see those trees cut...we are creating a hell from the heaven bestowed to us :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. :(.........
    unfortunately, we have come to a stage where such things do not matter....

    ReplyDelete
  7. But you are doing your bit by blogging about it and even taking and posting pictures of it...

    Not just many birds but also squirrels have home on tress, my daughter once brought home a baby squirrel she found amongst the leaves and branches on the ground. We tried to find it's parents but either they had died or escaped.

    We don't even realise how much and in how many ways the cutting of a single tree harms the environment.

    Loved this post.

    ReplyDelete
  8. dear,
    Though we can call ourselves "one species" actually we all differ..because evolution is happening inside each one of us in different paces..humans are still barbarians.what we call our civilization is the moronic representation of our own " wastes of nervous system"All those skyscrapers are our own fears..
    Read "Walden".(Henry David Thoroe)You will feel a lot more better.
    I love to stand with you without talking ,sympathizing nor with any "so called human emotional romantic nonsense"..but like our majestic grandfathers-our great friends-our teachers-TREES-who silently teaches the great principle of life-how to stand still silently.
    When we,the inhabitants of this lilliput will ever learn to LIVE AND DIE LIKE A TREE?
    take care.
    wishes
    mip

    ReplyDelete
  9. How many of us would readily go and stop these people from cutting down the trees? Or atleast find out the reason for it being cut and try to stop it from getting cut?
    Sadly we have reached a state where "realizing the effect" is a bit too late. "Taking action" is what should be done now!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear MIP/ and Rak with you permission...

    I am inclined to make a comment, which could be the most unsolicited -- but I dare to make because its Rak's space...

    MIP and Rak -- if or when this "you or me is superior" tone of ends in conversations -- and comments could just be unbiased observation...rather, i would say, a little approval of what the other one has to say...plus the addition one has to make...

    that could help a long way in restoring friendships....and the values we used to consider humane....

    As said, i could shirk it off as "not my business" -- but thats not in my nature, still! :)

    wishes,
    devika

    ReplyDelete
  11. i know the subject here is trees...but on the blogland, I see many friends becoming not...and all too often...that made me make the remark, MIP/Rak :)

    devika

    ReplyDelete
  12. a bit of further clarification....

    This is not without realising that i myself have been overpowering many a times...with my comments...especially at my blog...

    I am not trying to justify myself in anyway....but this has been a realisation in one of those days...

    our emotions, situations, backdrop all play a role in the way we behave....but a self-reflection can be beneficial to oneself and others in more ways than one, I believe....

    wishes
    devika

    ReplyDelete
  13. Trees are the silent witness, The saakshi bhaavam of life. I always feel that they silently mock at us, the superiority that the human race is so much used to... Aren't me the mad lot? as how foucault's title goes. Madness and Civilization. I do agree with MIP in his views, and bro!! and bro. I got the copy now.. Thanks for the suggestion...

    And to devika ma'm. "One can be true to oneself alone..."It kind of contradicts. I often tell myself, that I should be true at least to one person. Being truthful or Frank/honest takes a lot, Aren't we all so comfortable wearing masks.

    well and to raku, sorry!! for taking your space for all this conveying and sharing. It is a a great post! as usual selection of wonderful quotes. and it really saddens me, for trees being cut, for I had trees as my childhood companions...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Bharath,

    When I said being true to one self...I didn't mean not sharing ourself with others or wearing masks fully...though I have my masks...

    what I said was..when it comes to making decisons - the larger ones concering environment, humanity -- etc..one can only be ultimately true to one's own voice....i said that in the context of hypocricy...or feeling guilty ourself for not being able to help whats happening around us...

    Say -- even if I know what I shouldn't be doing a certain thing, i might still end up doing it..because thats what I want to do....and own the responsibility of doing it...

    Else, even when i mask myself in certain aspects...I am one who seeks maximum transparency in human relations...and there should be space for personal choices....

    masking -- generally works with the general public....

    wishes,
    devika

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sad! any idea why it was brought down?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yep, Billy said the right words. Agreed.
    Some d it and everyone has to face it. Unfair man.
    Sighh..wot to do?

    Anand.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It is sad to know that Humans take everything for granted! Being a higher being in-fact should reflect a little more maturity and self consciousness. I should not even say all this coz I know I am a human myself and that makes me a part of this blasphemy!

    I hear birds and their songs every morning, it is more relaxing than KennyG sometimes. We all know what is happening to Tigers too. Just a matter of time and they will fade away.

    ReplyDelete
  18. In the name of development we are literally raping nature. I think people are forgetting that we are the ones or our children or grand children who will be staying here....the only question remaining is...(in this manner) how long?

    ReplyDelete
  19. I felt the same when trees and bushes cleared from our neighbor’s ground. Cities are at edge of greenery and whatever takes place as modernity, nature could not be replaced.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Devika Chechi

    Life indeed is a mixture of loss and gain and many many emotions! And yes, I agree that it is the way it should be!
    Like you said, one can at most be true to oneself only!

    In the end, it is us who are the best judge of ourselves!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  21. Halfcrazy

    I wonder if these nitwits had any sense in them @ all before cutting them down!
    What else can I say!

    Thanks for stopping by! Do keep coming!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  22. DI

    I'm sure those days are not very far away, sadly it is our children who will bear the full brunt of our actions & inaction!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  23. Rahul

    Indeed, we are creating hell on Earth! Its time we did something about it, something real serious!
    A lot is at stake!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ordinary Guy

    Well, we better not settle down with that thought for we'll be very badly punished for our actions and inaction!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  25. IHM

    Blogging about this is the least I could do! Trust me! I wish I could take things in my hands and make a turn around, but I lack the courage and the persistence!

    Your daughter's incident reminded me of NEO, my pet squirrel many years ago! I got him much like how your daughter got the baby budd! ;) Those were the days!

    We better buckle up and sort things before nature punishes us! We better!

    Thanks for your comments! Do visit often!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  26. MIP

    Completely agree! Although we are a species, we are different beings with various thoughts running within. We have evolved with time and yet been sinister to our surroundings and the environment!
    We have improved technologically but still lag behind as a civilization! There are many areas of incongruousness which can be listed endlessly!

    But the real problem lies within us and how we handle the world around!

    Reminds me of a quote from the Earth Communications Office which goes thus "We have merely inherited the Earth from our children."

    That being said, the onus is on us to safeguard the world for we do not own it.....we are the keepers at the gates of our childrens' future and we damn well pull up our socks and act soon!

    Thanks for your insights! Appreciate it!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jeet

    Quite a question! Let me answer that straight.....Not me @least coz I don't have the courage to face these sick perpetrators and oppose them!
    Like you said, the time for realization has come and gone......its time to act and act real fast!

    God save us!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  28. Bharath

    Yes they are mute witnesses to our gruesome acts of terror, our irresponsible lives and a lot more of the sick things that are part of the human race!
    We are not merely a mad lot, but also a sick species!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  29. Vimmuuu

    They said these tree branches hindered traffic! As if traffic was more important!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  30. Andy

    Very unfair.....nothing to do......soon, we'll be nothing......we already are actually!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  31. DoE

    Are you kidding me? Who are you calling higher beings? Us human beings? No ways!
    Are we any better than the animals who kill only for hunger, than the trees who are the sole reason for the life saving monsoons, than the mighty mountains who shield us from the most brutal winds?????

    And yes, listening to the birds sing is more relaxing than Kenny G.....perhaps one of the many reasons that one of Kenny G's most popular tracks is called Songbird!

    Like you said, its just a matter of time before all this fades away! I hope I'm not around to see the carnage!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  32. Old Monk

    Welcome back! Hope you are doing well! In the name of development we are doing so many things that are contrary!

    How long? Very soon, trust me! We can already feel the summers worse than the ones that went by right......?

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  33. Jeevan

    True, nature cannot ever be replaced! Not with anything @ all!

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
  34. Nopes, they won't, at least not in ur vicinity. Those birds will find a different abode, like humans do. And once settled, they will forget the coziness of old, like humans find.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Vee

    Thats been my fear all along! That I'd miss them and their chatter every morning!

    And to be honest, I can see and feel the difference! Things will never be the same!

    Thanks for your visit and comments! Appreciate it! Apologies for not being able to be regular @ ur space, the firewall shuts you off! Not known why!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

    ReplyDelete