Over the past few years we have seen that the so-called seculars sit down to share knowledge whenever there is a Hindu festival. When Diwali comes, they worry about air pollution. When Holi comes, they worry about water. When the festival of Uttarayana comes, they get worried about the birds. When there is Navratri, there is a concern about noise pollution. But these same seculars who worry about birds do not worry about goats during Bakri Eid. Or on the night of Diwali, those who suffer from air pollution burst firecrackers by saying 'Happy New Year' at twelve o'clock on the night of the 31st. These are the same seculars, who see Vatsavitri vrat and worship as superstition, but want the Santa Claus to come and bring gifts for their children on the night of 24th December!
See, I personally have no objection to any religion here. Even I don't mind any rituals. Rather, I myself enjoy the sweets on Eid or party with friends on Christmas, but I object to fake secularists who always object to India and Indian culture. Such people always want to look down on Indian culture. That is why such people keep alleging that Indian festivals are far away from the global idea of environmental protection. These same people say that there is no environmental protection in India because there is no idea of environmental protection in Indian festivals in the culture itself!
But I have to tell these people clearly that the idea of environmental protection has been a part of Indian culture since the time when civilization in the West did not even begin. Be it Upanishads, Vedas, or Puranas. All of them have special mentions of nature conservation. Alas, Indian culture is the only culture in the whole world, which has advocated worshiping nature as goddess. It is only Bharat, where special worships of water, air, and land are shown. Here, there is a practice of worshiping water, which is why rivers are considered 'mothers'. The land and biodiversity are so important, that even if a small house is to be built, the Bhumipujan ceremony is held. A ritual that officially seeks Mother Earth's permission to spade your land for our own personal gain. Due to our selfishness, the creatures living in this specific place will be harmed. One asks for forgiveness for the same from Mother Earth!
And why only land, water or air? The ecosystem has also been of great importance in Indian culture. Biodiversity is the buzzword of today. But Indian culture has associated creatures with its adorable gods and goddesses, from lions and tigers to deers, eagles and rats to turtles and fishes, which has led people to automatically worship and protect living creatures. Even a word like 'ecofriendly' that has come up today. The Indian culture was already based on the principles of reuse, recycling, and earth friendly lifestyle. That is why food was served on banana leaves, even today in South India. And, in North India, plates made of plant leaves were used in the past. Even before the plastic was introduced by Western culture, only cloth bags were in circulation in Bharat!
But the irony of India and Indian culture is that this country was ruled first by the Mughals, then by the French, and finally by the British. During more than five hundred years of slavery, different cultures had many influences on the native culture and lifestyle of India. Due to which the lifestyle of the people has changed socio-culturally, and due to this, the idea of original sanatan has been marginalized. After independence, the country fell into the hands of pseudo seculars. For the pseudo-seculars, the West remained more important. Because of this, they deliberately marginalized the original Sanatan tradition without reason.
But now this is the New Bharat, which is proud of Amrit Parva. In this New Bharat, the age-old tradition is being re-established. Also, the great tradition like Ayurveda is getting Rajyashray. Those golden years have come again, and the whole world has to accept that Bharat has never contributed to the global pollution, but Bharat will save the world from the problems the world is facing due to pollution. Bharat will lead the world in everything from renewable energy to a carbon free lifestyle. Everyone has to agree that the West has increased the global temperature in the name of development, and the problems of climate change are being created due to the industrialization of the West and now NavBharat is the world leader in the direction of climate action!
By Viral Desai
(The author is a known Environmentalist and the pioneer of Satyagraha Against Pollution movement, viraludayindia@gmail.com )
(The content of this article reflects the views of writers and contributors, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)
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