Not long back, rainy season really meant business. It would pour for months non-stop - this is what my mother and maternal uncles said - that is during their childhood years in Dharwad and nearby villages. It seems that Sun never had a chance during those months. That was about 50 years back. So the rains fed streams- called as Halla in Kannada -so much that villages would be cut off from each other because there were no bridges in rural area. People had to wait until rains subsided and water levels lowered to cross the streams. My elders have actually experienced such situations.
As we come to more recent times i.e. 1970s and 1980s, I remember watching good rains. I'd seen streams and rivers flow; lakes were full through out the year. Any well I got see always had water, the color would be dark green.. that's an indication of deep water. I particularly remember the rainy season of 1987, it rained and rained and rained. The memories of cycling and playing in rain are still fresh. One particular stream near Dharwad; it was peak of summer of '83 or '84, the stream flowed and there was one pond in the stream which was large enough for a dozen grownups to swim in. Wonderful isn't it. The same stream in late 1990s was dry soon after rainy season. How sad. What a drastic change!
Besides rains, my elders spoke of jungles near Dharwad. By late '90s the jungles were gone, just plain land. Gone were the trees, animals and birds. Gone were the streams and lakes and ponds. Wells dried up. I was talking about a small area near Dharwad. So imagine how many trees we have lost across districts, states and countries. At some point I realized, there is a common connect between trees, rains and ground water.
In the past decade, rains are meager. Some seasons were almost dry. Scary though isn't it. Then I heard about some research which declared that some parts of southern India would turn into a desert. With the changes seen over the decades, it is quite possible. Scary! Is there something we could do to arrest these changes if not reverse. Busy running our lives many of would think of doing something on and off but never could do anything.
Coming to the age of Whatsapp, I remember number of messages around environmental changes. Grow more trees; save water; drive less, pool more and so on. Then came these two images here..
The image carries a simple message from Sadhguru: This is not a protest. This is not an agitation. This is a campaign to raise awareness that our rivers are depleting. Everyone who consumes water must rally for rivers.
The second image tells how we can be saving our rivers. The idea is to plant trees along the rivers, a kilometers belt of plants on either sides of rivers. When it rains, roots hold water and release them slowly over time, enabling rivers to flow longer duration.
The idea makes sense to me. The reason for behind my belief is- I've seen streams and rivers flow through out the years in Western Ghats. I've been deep inside a jungle near Belgaum. I've seen a river flow even during summer months. Wishing this campaign big support and eventually success. Also, how I wish I could break free from my routine life and work for this cause.
Besides, supporting this campaign, people have to learn to use resources- food, water, electricity, fuel -efficiently. People have to make a sincere effort.
.........
As we come to more recent times i.e. 1970s and 1980s, I remember watching good rains. I'd seen streams and rivers flow; lakes were full through out the year. Any well I got see always had water, the color would be dark green.. that's an indication of deep water. I particularly remember the rainy season of 1987, it rained and rained and rained. The memories of cycling and playing in rain are still fresh. One particular stream near Dharwad; it was peak of summer of '83 or '84, the stream flowed and there was one pond in the stream which was large enough for a dozen grownups to swim in. Wonderful isn't it. The same stream in late 1990s was dry soon after rainy season. How sad. What a drastic change!
Besides rains, my elders spoke of jungles near Dharwad. By late '90s the jungles were gone, just plain land. Gone were the trees, animals and birds. Gone were the streams and lakes and ponds. Wells dried up. I was talking about a small area near Dharwad. So imagine how many trees we have lost across districts, states and countries. At some point I realized, there is a common connect between trees, rains and ground water.
In the past decade, rains are meager. Some seasons were almost dry. Scary though isn't it. Then I heard about some research which declared that some parts of southern India would turn into a desert. With the changes seen over the decades, it is quite possible. Scary! Is there something we could do to arrest these changes if not reverse. Busy running our lives many of would think of doing something on and off but never could do anything.
Coming to the age of Whatsapp, I remember number of messages around environmental changes. Grow more trees; save water; drive less, pool more and so on. Then came these two images here..
The image carries a simple message from Sadhguru: This is not a protest. This is not an agitation. This is a campaign to raise awareness that our rivers are depleting. Everyone who consumes water must rally for rivers.
Besides, supporting this campaign, people have to learn to use resources- food, water, electricity, fuel -efficiently. People have to make a sincere effort.
.........
