THE CREATIVE URGE - STUDENT RESPONSES
Something that affects all of us when we wake up to the rising dawn is the weather. A child who walks to his bus stop easily distinguishes a hot sultry day from a cool breezy one. Of course if a school going boy or girl stops in between to gaze at the birds flying or a cow licking her calf lovingly, it is a sight that could warm anyone's heart. Here in a few pages we have tried to present to you "The Environment through the eyes of a Child".
The morning hours pass by and if you look out of your class room you know that nature is waiting to be explored, admired and appreciated in all her glory and even in her fury. As you read. these few works. collected from all over the country you will silently acknowledge what wealth of thought there is in the minds of an adolescent.
Even the visuals that adorn the thoughts of students have been prepared by students themselves. Linger over the pages, savour them for the beauty of thought. the anxiety over the future. The teacher who has a free period to share with a class could easily share some of these thoughts with her/his students.
Please do not forget to give in to that ultimate urge of sharing - any page from this section could be xeroxed/photostated and pinned Lip on a noticeboard in class/school/section/club/department.
Amidst the rush and roar of activity in our lives these pages are for sheer relaxation. for enjoying the sensitivity of children all over the country. for reaching out and telling another child, Come on - the Environment is ours, Let's save it!
123
LET IT BEGIN WITH ME Conceive an image of virtual being on a blank canvas wet
There is a gradual spill of white coming in
From the surface and grey, images are set.
Suddenly a bright scarlet splinters
Out of the fair reached raw horizon.
Projecting a shivering art of majestic silver gold
A shine standing out in its timeless beauty
A glare which is limited to its mould.
Then although before showing
its glow to mankind
It sees itself in the mirrors
Of oceans, rivers and seas
Furnishing all with its gentleness
The oceans in high tide hit the nearest rocks
The thunder of flowing waters in roaring welcome.
This sway with gusty wind and the might of stones.
Moon and night clouds make way for the sun
Flames opening amidst the croon of birds
Filling the air with an inviting incense
Picture this divine canvas being taken apart.
Fibre by fibre, and thread by thread.
In a virtually far future
That eventually becomes present
We will see beauty & nature
In a life that is spent
Nothing is meagre or wholly rent
When man destroys nature
To match his greed's intent
Protects us! the forests,
Waves and Oceans - cry out in vain
I hear and I whisper in the silence of it all,
Environmental Protection starts with me
- Aditya Mohan Class X, Don Bosco School Alaknanda, Delhi
INVASION OF A CRUEL BEAST The river which was once there Is a bed of rocks now. Skeletons of trees can still be seen And they say the land was once green!!
A whisper there sounds like a scream The grass is nowhere to be seen And they say the land was once green!!
The land which was once green Is now just a barren land Where the mud's place is occupied by Sand.
They say it was not long back When a cruel beast invaded the land A cruel beast - called a man
But this cruel beast has not realised a simple fact That by all his selfish acts. He has become his own foe, And he'll soon be in a bad row!
The situation can still be saved If soon ammendments are made Before its too late!
Vani Chugh, India International School Mansarovar, Jaipur
125
LET'S TRY Come on, Come on Let's save our heritage, Our lovely world from the pollution and the destruction. that's the dream of all.
"Control the pollution boom, and stop the environment doom". should be the motto of all.
If we try to picturise the scenario the earth without the trees. We would be startled to see, that there is no life without them and no relief.
Trees are the vital part of our lives, and we gain so much from their sacrifice. If we destroy them, we will hear of nothing else but miseries and cries.
Come on, Come on dear kids and teens, It's the time for you to be keen, to prepare yourself to put an end to such scenes, which favour the cutting of trees, and push us away from our destinies.
Come on, Come on Let's tell the World, that we need nothing else but our dearest friends. There would be no luxuries and no dreams, if our nature is not flourishing happily. so, we need, forever, its guardianship and protection, if we want to save our lovely earth from-destruction;
Kiran, Class X Guru Harikishan Sr. Secondary Public School, Amritsar
126
YESTERDAY I started life as a small sapling in a fruit orchard in a village of India. dreamed of the day when I would be big and broad like my grandfather. when weary travellers would rest under my shade and little children would play on my branches, when my arms would reach the sky and I would feast myselves on the beautiful earth below. I was alive with the strength and confidence of youth. I grew and blossomed. The elders said our days were numbered, but I had faith that my dreams for the future Would come true, till the day they came and burnt down the orchard to build a factory on that land. I sur- vived, I know not how, I know not why. I lost my family., my dreams, my everything.
Today I stand here, old and grey and think of all that once was - of green fields and blossoming trees, of singing birds, the blue sky, the sunsets, the pink clouds, of men toiling in the fields, women singing as they drew water from the wells, children playing. and all that is today - the factories conglring smoke. the roads choked with cars, the people rushing here and there not knowing what they do, having sacrificed everything for money and for 'development'. and I shed silent tears.
Shweta Anand
DPS, R.K. Puram, New Delhi
127
OH GOOD EARTH Think of the earth on which we live today Our responses to the gifts of Mother Earth have been one of betray.
Smoke, dust and chemicals fill the air; Garbage and sewage form another pair, to make the place unhygienic to live in, Today, the whole world seems to me like an enormous dustbin.
Exhausts that vehicles create And noises that add to the fate- Of the dirty world of pollution Have led to nature's gradual destruction.
It's time we take a pledge That nowhere along land or water's edge, Should even a piece of paper be thrown; Because the harm done will be your own!
We should take not India, But the world as a whole, Only then can we reach Our long cherished goal.
So, we should try to keep our earth pure, Because precaution is always better than cure.
Anindita Bhattacharya
Class X, Apeejay School
Sector XV, Neval
New Bombay
129
POLLUTION - A CURSE See what are you doing? Smell what are you breathing? Taste what are you drinking? Who has spoiled them all? Diseases are hearing a call Beware, be your own master. The world is always running faster. Will you want to tag behind Health you will never find Dharti mata wants to be pure Then the diseases will be cured. Pollution is a ghost frightening the universe. It is nature's biggest curse. Give some thought to the generation next, Or, we will have to face an ugly fact. Let's all think of each other then the earth will be heaven without trying further
Simerjyot Sodhi
St. Joseph'sConvent Sec.School
Bhatinda
THE NATURE I LOVE I dream of India as the "Golden Bird" But such dreams are now quite blurred. I see my motherland as a "Happy Green Nation", But I can't imagine this being possible in the new generation,
It seems to me that Mother Nature is annoyed, And it ought to be so since we've destroyed, Destroyed the woods for mere sake of goods. Destroyed the land, and polluted the soil, Even the rivers are now spoiled The valleys don't seem as pretty as before, Neither can one hear the clouds roar, The Heaven on the Earth; is rather like hell Lost somewhere is the wind's sweet smell, Left behind are those green days, Left behind are the sweet-smelling hays, Its now the time that one should realise So don't just snore and open your eyes We are the ones responsible for this, And we are the ones who will make up for the mess Let's resolve to act sensibly and cry. Since we can't create, let's not destroy Lets adorn the Earth with rain and grain, And be blessed by God as ever again!
Puneet Kochar Class X GHPS, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi
131
THE FEEDING UNIVERSE The Universe sums dying; The Earth looks still, The Sun appears to cool down
and stars slowly darken In the heart to heart The world would soon stop exciting;
Our earth will stop to rotate Our beautiful, vast sky will be Lost in the midst of pollution;
How will then life exist under such conditions ? Man will be lost amidst his deeds as he goes on cutting trees; He believes in rapid industrialisation.
But will soon get the result of his deeds Then man will be a deserted gambler just to shed contrite tears, tears - which will make him realise his values, his duties
But then it will be too late Too late to rotate the earth, Too late to make the stars shine, to free the sky from pollution It will be too late to get a solution.
But I still pray and hope it to be a nightmare O God? forgive man he has forgotten the essence of life show him the right path before its' too late
Teach him that he's not the one to make his own fate; Teach him to love and not hate, Else the world will varnish and man will lose his environment - his only compassionate mate.
Monika Gandhi Class X, Monfort School, Delhi.
132
WRITTEN IN 2030 : BY MAN, WHO REGRETS There used to be a time When trees swayed to the tune of a gentle breeze. Today They stand shrivelled, their leaves to flutter cease. There used to be a time When the first drops of the monsoons splashed onto the earth and on our noses. Today Our children stay in, safe from acid rain that falls on a land, barren, No butterflies, no roses. We did not realise then- Or did we simply refuse to ? That when we cut down each tree and destroyed every forest den, Nature was crying, pleading for mercy, Helpless, in the face of MAN, Blinded by his power and by his greed. He had logic on his side, he argued, he had need. Oh yes ! He had need to build a concrete jungle to live in, He had need to kill the rhino and sell its skin. And now....... His needs have waned as has his power, For when he ignored the tears of a mother, He paid a price-a heavy one, like none other. Our rivers used to flow, meandering their way through hills and valleys. Our skies used to be a flow, meandering their way through hills and valleys. Our skies used to be a diffrent colour, a brighter shade. That picture of the old world has begun to fade. And we have started to forget the beauty we grew up in, And we have started to accept the hell we have created.
Misha Peter Bhavan's Vidya Mandiram, Elamakkara, Cochin.
133
NATURE From my window, as I gaze Somewhere far away in the Savannas, two deers are in a chase. Then looking at a prey and its enemy, face to face I think of the wonderful bond in nature, in a daze.
The humming of the birds. The mooing of cows in herds. The men ploughing in the fields. The harvesting of a crop that yields. The laughing of the hyena that mocks. The crashing of waves against the rocks. Life and death Though not all in one breath From sunset to sunrise. It is nature in disguise.
Whether wandering among the trees Caressed by the pleasant breeze Or walking by the rising waves of the seas With the melodious buzzing of the bees In times of joy or sorrow. nature does all to Please.
Nature is full of secrets Secrets for man to discover Nature, is full of resources Resources for man to use.
Nature gives us all that entices Large-hearted nature gives us all, without prices. But do we ever give her thanks? And don't we ever play her ranks !
Radhika Govinda, Class X,
134
INHUMAN Everywhere I look all I can see, Is waste being dumped into the sea. I sit watching helplessly And think of the dying animals sorrowfully
Do you realize what's happening to them? While you are dumping waste they are reaching heaven Do you think what we are doing is human? Or do you think we are being inhuman?
Why not try and secure their habitat We can save them we know that Yet we do not try Can you tell me why?
Gurleen Tiwana Class IX Naval Public School Cochin, Kerala
136
THE FUTURE Look there my child; Look at those mountains on the wild See that sturdy rock on the top, and the creeping cloud that you cannot stop
Ah! that's the face I would see I knew Long back, that's how I saw it too With a wonder in those small eyes and the most satisfied smile that has no price.
Come on, there is more to see Yes, walk into the big sea to feel the tickle of the water. totally free and hear the silence of the roaring sea
Here in these fields that walk open Don't miss those cute little mice between the grown lawn Note the enquiring rabbits here and there and if you're in luck. the swiftest deer with its confident stare
Hey come fast! there is a nice feeling around the corner " a feeling Dad; is it an honour?" Yah! just hug that, banyan tree yonder. standing with grace I long to see that lovely expression that'll soon be on your face.
The bird! the wonder! How could I ever forget: Over there! over there. the place where time has no regret Hear its song and see the heart that it holds out The 'me' you see was made here. so Just look out.