econews, january-march 2015

1Eco News, Vol. 20, No. 4 January - March 2015

Eco News, Vol. 20, No. 4 January - March 20152

Established in 1989

✯ 1980 - The C.P. Ramaswami AiyarFoundation starts nature education forteachers and students.

✯ 1989 - C.P.R. EnvironmentalEducation Centre (CPREEC) establishedjointly by the Ministry of Environmentand Forests and the C.P. RamaswamiAiyar Foundation as a Centre ofExcellence of the Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests. Governmentof India.

Our Mission

✯ To increase knowledge, awareness andinterest among the public about theenvironment in all its aspects

✯ To develop resource materials forenvironmental education andawareness raising

✯ To conduct training programmes for awide cross-section of people

✯ To take up environmental projects fordemonstration and research

Our Activities

✯ Training and awareness raising✯ Awareness to and through action✯ Awareness programmes in ecologically

fragile areas✯ Conservation of the ecological heritage✯ Research and surveys✯ Generation of resource materials✯ Exhibitions✯ Courses, seminars and symposia

Facilities

✯ Environmental Laboratory✯ Library✯ Computer Division✯ Publications Division

Geographical Spread

CPREEC’s activities extend to

✯ Andaman & Nicobar Islands✯ Andhra Pradesh✯ Goa

C.P.R. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE

✯ Karnataka✯ Kerala✯ Maharashtra✯ Orissa✯ Tamilnadu✯ Puducherry

NGO Network

CPREEC has an extensive network of about600 NGOs. All educational programmes arecarried out in partnership with selectNGOs, Universities, Colleges and Schools.

Publications

✯ Activity and information books andpamphlets for children

✯ Environmental training guides and kitsfor teachers

✯ Researched Publications✯ Colourful and informative posters✯ ECONEWS - A quarterly magazine✯ Indian Journal of Environmental

Education, a peer-reviewed journal

Exhibitions

CPREEC designs three new exhibitionsevery year and has a bank of mobileexhibitions that travel all over India.

Environmental Education

✯ Green Schools of India (GSI)✯ Training programmes for Teachers✯ Training programmes for School and

College Students✯ Environmental Law Education

Special Projects

✯ National Green Corps (NGC)✯ Biomedical Waste✯ Biodiversity Conservation

Research and Surveys

✯ Sustainable Technologies✯ Surveys of Natural Resources✯ Socio-Economic Surveys✯ Lab to Field Technology Transfer


Contents

Parks - The need of the hour for Chennai -------------------------------------------------- 5

Celebrating Island Biodiversity 2014 ------------------------------------------------------- 7

Panchayati Raj and the Management of Natural Resources --------------------------12

‘Environment and the Attitude problem’ --------------------------------------------------15

Perfumes in the Valmiki Ramayana---------------------------------------------------------17

Sanctity in Conservation ----------------------------------------------------------------------19

Orchids in the Nilgiris -------------------------------------------------------------------------21


Parks - The need of the hour for ChennaiDr. P. Sudhakar

Chennai started with a land coverof 69.9 Sq kms in 1871 and theexpansion was very slow during thepre-independence era. However Chennaigrew at a very much faster rate afterindependence especially in the last twodecades. Available data on urbanexpansion of Chennai shows that the Cityhas expanded approximately at the rateof 1 Sq. Km per year from 1871 to 1971.The urban area has rapidly increased inthe last 40 years, an average increase of25 Sq. Km per year. The Chennai city hasgrown by 1,683% in about one and a halfcenturies.

The rate of urbanization is much fasterin the last decade when compared toearly periods (Rahman, 2007). Theincrease in urban landscape especiallyof the cities is quite expensive. Severalcapitals of Indian states have increasedtheir urban scale by leaps and bounds.Though the cities have expanded bylarge proportions, the quality of cityenvironment has improved little. One ofthe major indicators of the environmentalquality of an area is the green cover (EPI,2010). The percentage of green cover inseveral cities of India is very meagre andhas not increased proportionately(Chaudhry, Bagra, & Singh, 2009).

Green space is one component ofbiodiversity management and the mostobvious. Biodiversity is the livingdiversity of nature. Trees in cities andtowns, in parks and gardens provide awealth of benefits relating to biodiversity.Urban parks support a great variety ofwildlife and are the only refuge to certain

birds, squirrels, insects, butterflies, batsand bees.

As per WHO norms, the green space perperson in a city should be at least 9 m2.The green space in cities includes widevariety of greeneries namely avenues,urban forests and parks. In majority ofthe cities in India, with a few exceptionsthe urban forest concept is poorlyimplemented. However the considerablepercentage of green space is contributedby parks

Chennai started with just 2 parks in 1935and the number of parks increased toa meagre 13 in the next 3 decades.Currently Chennai City has a total of270 parks.However, the increase ofgreen space in the form of parks was farfrom adequate. The urban parks apartfrom providing green and open space forrecreational purposes also provide anumber of ecosystem services. Ecosystemservices are defined as “the benefitshuman populations derive, directly orindirectly, from ecosystem functions”(Costanza et al. 1997). According toBolund and Hunhammar (1999), trees in


urban areas offer a variety of ecosystemservices like air and water purification,rain water recharge, noise filtering,health, microclimate stabilization andbiodiversity conservation.

Parks being the lung spaces of cities, itis the responsibility of every citizen tosafeguard them. More constructed areasfor providing public amenities such asplay ground, skating rink, meditationcentres etc., reduce the green space ofthe parks. Several parks in Chennai aredominated by such constructions. Afew parks in Chennai also harbourreligious statues. In Hindu mythologytrees like Azadirachta indica and Ficusreligiosa are considered to be sacred.People who visit parks regularly startworshipping the trees, which eventuallyleads to placement of an idol that furtherleads to the construction of a permanentstructure. A tendency that is observed inseveral parts of Chennai and its suburbsis that a temple structure slowly expandsand encroaches into the public space.Hence, what exists as small idols orstructures today might grow into wellestablished temple engulfing the parkspace. Sivan Park in K.K. Nagar hasalready met with this kind ofencroachment of green spaces.

Most of the parks are developed in theopen space revenue lands, which areunder the control of the government.Whenever there is any need and urge forthe improvement of infrastructuralfacilities, green spaces are considered as“land banks”, one such infrastructuredevelopment project is the Chennai MetroRail Project, which has taken over a fewparks like May Day Park, Thiru. Vi KaPark, Nehru Park and Ashok Nagar1st Avenue Park. The first 3 parksmentioned above are among the oldest

and biggest parks in Chennai, formingthe lung space for the residents of therespective areas.

More over the concept of parks is yet tocreep into the suburbs. Since theindustrialisation is being concentratedmore in the suburban areas, theCorporate Sector can be asked to takeup the responsibility of maintaining parksand other open spaces. Parks should beplaces for recreation as well as education.Signage boards, with informationregarding the botanical name, family,conservational status, ethnobotanicalvalue, distribution etc. should beprovided in parks.

Reference

❖ Bolund, P. & Hunhammar, S. 1999.Ecosystem Services in Urban Areas.Ecol. Econ 29: 293 – 301.

❖ Chaudhry, P., Bagra, K. & Singh, B.2011. Urban Greenery Status of SomeIndian Cities: A Short communication.Int. Jour. Env. Sci. & Dev. 2. Issue 2.

❖ Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., de Groot, R.,Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B.,Limburg, K., Naeem, S., O’Neill, R.,Paruelo, J., Raskin, R., Sutton, P. &van den Belt, M. 1997. The value ofthe world’s ecosystem services andnatural capital. Nature 387: 253 – 260.

❖ Rahman, A. 2007. An IntegratedGeo-spatial Approach for MonitoringUrban Environmental ManagementIssues and Challenges in India. In:Singh, A.L. & Fazal, S. (Ed.), UrbanEnvironmental Management. B.R.Publishers, New Delhi. pp. 76 – 105.

❖ EPI, Environmental PerformanceIndex Report, 2001. Yale University.


Introduction

During the Earth Summit, one of themost important agreements reached wasthe Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD). The Convention on BiologicalDiversity came into force on December29, 1993. The anniversary of this datehas been designated as the InternationalDay for Biodiversity.

The International Day for Biodiversity ispart of a series of activities to focusattention on the Convention of BiologicalDiversity. A symbol is also attached tothis convention.

The various themes of the InternationalDay for Biodiversity since 2003 are givenbelow:

Year Theme

2002 Dedicated to forest biodiversity2003 Biodiversity and Poverty Alleviation – Challenge for Sustainable

Development2004 Biodiversity : Food, Water and Health for All2005 Biodiversity : Life Insurance for our changing world2006 Protect Biodiversity in dry lands2007 Biodiversity and Climate Change2008 Biodiversity and Agriculture2009 Invasive Alien Species2010 Biodiversity, Development and Poverty Alleviation2011 Forest Biodiversity2012 Marine Biodiversity2013 Water and Biodiversity2014 Island Biodiversity

International Day for BiologicalDiversity, 2014

The Secretariat of Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) announced“Island Biodiversity” as the theme for theInternational Day for Biological Diversity(IDB) for the year 2014. Interestingly, thetheme coincides with the designation ofthe United Nations General Assembly of2014 as the “International Year of SmallIsland Developing States”.

In addition, the theme was chosen tocorrespond with decision XI/15,paragraph 1 in which the Conference ofthe Parties to the CBD “urges Parties,and invites other Governments, financialinstitutions and other relevantorganizations to strengthen the

Celebrating Island Biodiversity 2014Dr. T. Sundaramoorthy


implementation of the programme ofwork on island biodiversity”.

Islands and the surrounding area providea unique habitat for a variety of plantsand animals, of which, many areendemic. This unique eco systemsupports the livelihood of the localpopulation. One tenth of the world’spopulation (600 million) is living in theislands. Hence, the theme provides anopportunity to strengthen the initiativestaken by island nations towards theconservation of island biodiversity.

C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre(CPREEC) observed InternationalBiological Diversity Day by organizingprogrammes in the states of AndhraPradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha,Tamil Nadu and the Andaman & NicobarIslands.

Andhra Pradesh

The programme was organized atEdurumondi Island located at a distanceof 7 kms from Guntur and Krishnadistrict, at the mouth of the Krishna Riverand Bay of Bengal. About 60 participantscomprising of fishermen and womenfrom the islands of Edurumondi,Nachugunta, Eelachetladibba andSorlagondhi participated in theprogramme. Mr. Naidu Babu Rao,Sarpanch of the Edurumondi villagepresided over the programme held at theGovernment Primary School.

Mr. P. Suresh Kumar, AssistantDirector of Fisheries, Krishna Districtinaugurated the programme andstressed the need for island biodiversityconservation. Mr. CH Nagababu,Fisheries Development Officer,Avanigadda area spoke on the livelihoodof island dwellers and their role inprotecting island biodiversity.

Four varieties of vegetable seedscomprising of ladies finger, bottle gourd,Thotakura and Gongura were distributedto the participants.

Telangana

In Telangana, the programme wasorganized at Singamary Thanda,Kowdpally Mandal in Medak district forthe villagers. A total of 42 villagersbenefitted. The key resource persons wereMr. R. Sabesh, Senior EnvironmentalEducation Officer, CPREEC, Mr. Sathish,CEO of Seva Sangam (NGO) andMr. V.M. Naik, Sarpanch of SingamaryThanda.

The major topics covered were, therichness and biodiversity wealth ofTelangana, water conservation forprotecting biodiversity throughappropriate technologies, the importanceof social forestry and various schemes ofGovernment of India with special focuson Biodiversity Monitoring Committees(BMC) formation and its proceduralaspects, dry land agriculture, healthyfood habits, organic farming, ecologicaltraditions of Telangana and sustainabledevelopment.

The participants were provided with2 mango saplings for planting in theirhouses to motivate them towardsbiodiversity conservation.

Karnataka

Karnataka State Office organized theprogramme in collaboration with theKarnataka State Pollution Control Board(KSPCB) and Uttara Kannada JillaVignana Kendra (District Science Centre)in Karwar. A total of 55 students fromeco clubs from different schools and somenursing students participated.

All the participants went on a field visitto the Kalimatha Sacred Mangrove


Islands. Dr. Roshman, Central MarineFisheries Research Institute (CMFRI),Mr. Gurudev Prakash, EnvironmentalOfficer, KSPCB, Karwar and Dr. V.N.Nayak, Professor, Post-Graduate Centrefor Marine Biology, Karnataka University,Kodibag, Karwar, were the resourcepersons. They travelled with theparticipants to the Mangrove Islands.They shared their knowledge with theparticipants and explained in detail theimportance of mangroves and its role inbiodiversity conservation.

Dr. V.N. Nayak spoke on Biodiversityrichness of Kalimatha Sacred MangroveIslands. A film on Nethrani Island andMarine Biodiversity was screened forthe participants. The students visitedthe Bio-fuel Demonstration Centre.Ms. Vimutha Nayak explained in detailthe importance of bio-fuel and how it isgenerated. The resource persons,participants and office bearers of DistrictScience Centre, Karwar planted saplingsto commemorate International BiologicalDiversity day at their premises.

Odisha

The programme was organized atPaikarapur M.E. School, PhogalPanchayat, Nischintakoili Block,Cuttack District. A total of about 50farmers and fishermen participated.Mr. Dhirendranath Behera, Ex-Sarpanchand village head spoke about theproblems faced by the villagers due to lossof biodiversity and the natural calamitiestaking place in this coastal hamlet.Mr. Prabhakar Mishra, Social Worker,Mr. Balabha Chandra Palai, President,Paribar (NGO) and Mr. NigamanadaBhuain, Secretary of Kadamni CharitableTrust also participated in the programme.

Dr. Sudarsan Sasmal, Principal Scientist(Retd.), Central Rice Research Institute(CRRI), Cuttack interacted with the

participants. He spoke to the farmersabout the ill effects of using pesticidesin agriculture as it affects the fertility ofthe soil. He also said that due to excessapplication of fertilizers, the water is alsocontaminated. This in turn also affectsthe fishes. Dr. Sasmal guided theparticipants in choosing appropriatecrops for plantation in their fields andstressed the importance of practicingorganic farming.

Tamil Nadu

To commemorate International BiologicalDiversity day, an awareness programmeand field trip for farmers, youth and forestofficials was organized at LongwoodShola, Kotagiri, The Nilgiris. A total of30 participants from Kotagiri and thesurrounding villages participated.

Mr. S. Udyakumar, Range Officer,Kotagiri Range, Nilgiris North Divisioninaugurated the programme andexplained the need to protect the hill ecosystem for the wealth of the plains. Hestressed the importance of protectingthe Sholas of the Western Ghatsparticularly the Nilgiris for combatingGlobal Warming and its effects such aschange in climate, rise in sea level,impact in agricultural pattern, etc.Mr. R. Komahan, Environmental Activist,gave a talk on the ill effects of GlobalWarming and the various conservationmeasures to be adopted to protect thenature and natural resources.

Mr. K.J. Raju, Secretary, WatchdogCommittee, Longwood Shola took theparticipants inside the Shola. During thefield trip the diversity of the Sholas andthe natural water generating systemswere shown and explained to theparticipants.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

CPREEC’s Field Office at Port Blairorganized two programmes as part of


International Biological Diversity Day inthe islands.

The first programme was organized atthe G.B. Pant Hospital Auditorium forHealth Workers and Nursing trainees.Dr. Avijit Roy, Deputy Director,Directorate of Health Servicesinaugurated the program. He spokeabout the inter-relation between humanhealth and biodiversity and theimportance of island biodiversityconservation.

Mr. Deb Kumar Bhadra, TechnicalOfficer, Indian Institute ofGeomagnetism, Port Blair spoke on theisland biodiversity richness and the keyrole played with regard to livelihood,economy and well being of islanders.Mr. A. Goapl, Project Officer, CPREECspoke on the endemic biodiversityrichness of the Andaman and Nicobarislands.

The second programme was organized incollaboration with the Forest Extensionand Publicity Division, Department ofEnvironment and Forests, Andaman &Nicobar Administration at Burmanallahvillage for Panchayat Raj Institutemembers, students, fishermen andgeneral public.

Mr. B.P. Yadav, District Forest Officer(DFO), Forest Extension and PublicityDivision spoke on the importance of therole of biodiversity in our lives and theneed to conserve our forests, floral andfaunal wealth, marine species, etc. Healso said that we should curtail the useof plastics as it poses a major threat tothe environment.

Mr. A. Gopal, Project Officer spoke on theneed for organic farming in the islands

for the conservation of island biodiversity.A short film on Slow Poisoning of Indiawas screened and all the participants andresource persons took part in thesignature campaign on both the days.

Smt. Mamuna, Pradhan, BeodnabadGram Panchayat planted seedlings ofornamental and fruit bearing plants inthe campus of Beodnabad GramPanchayat. Students, farmers andfishermen of Burmanallah village plantedabout 100 mangrove saplings on thedegraded coastal stretch nearBurmanallah Bridge.

Conclusion

The United Nations had declared theyears between 2011 and 2020 as aDecade on Biodiversity. The stakeholdersfelt the importance of conserving localespecific biodiversity to secure theirlivelihood and the need to strengthencoastal and mangrove biodiversity tosafeguard them from natural calamities.

Mr. Sathish, CEO, Seva Sangamaddressing the participants on organicfarming and sustainable agriculture


Participants at the KalimathaSacred Island

A nursing student plantinga sapling to mark International

Biological diversity day atDistrict Science Centre, Karwar

Dr. Sudarsan Sasmal, PrincipalScientist (Retd.), Central Rice Research

Institute (CRRI), Cuttack interactingwith the participants

Participants at Longwood Shola,Nilgiris


Introduction

Panchayati Raj is a decentralized form ofGovernment, where each village isresponsible for its own affairs, with grampanchayats as the basic units ofadministration. Panchayati Rajinstitutions play prominent roles inmaintaining the sustainablity of thenatural resources in villages. Now-a-daysenvironmental concerns have come to thefore at the international level and also finda place in the national governmentagenda. Environmental matters inEurope have even become election issues.In India, there is a growing awarenessabout the depletion of our naturalresources. The Chipko movement is anindicator of what people can do to protectthe natural habitat from possibledegradation through urbanization,industrialization and so on. However thelocal institutions that have been in thecutting edge of protecting the naturalresources are steadily dwindling due tovarious anthropogenic activities. Now theneed for efficient local governance andstrengthening of rural institutions likePanchayats are keenly felt. This is evidentfrom the 73rd constitutional amendmentand the consequent passing of variousstate panchayat laws to further thedecentralization efforts. In India, almostall state legislations pertain, in one wayor the other, to the management ofnatural resources through Panchayats.

Natural resource management concerns

Various studies of natural resources inrural areas reflect the rapid dwindling of

such resources. Apart from populationexplosion, there is either a lack ofinstitutional mechanism or lack ofadequate powers to local institutions toprotect and regulate the use of naturalresources (Blair, 1996).The villagepanchayat is responsible for maintainingand managing the natural resources -particularly the common resources likevillage forests, grazing land, tanks, watershed areas, ponds, lakes etc. The majorityof the panchayats are vested with theresponsibility of sinking and repairing ofwells, repair and maintenance of ponds/tanks, conservation of unreservedforests, etc. They market the yields fromcommon property resources such as fish,forest produce, etc. to generate revenuefor the village.

Panchayati raj and rural development

The pertinent question that crops up atthis juncture is how far the benefitsaccrued from the natural resources of thecommunity fulfill local aspirations, needsand demands. Evaluation of the TamilNadu Social Forestry programmeindicated that the majority of the outputfrom tank forest plantation was not usedto meet local demands for fuel wood, butrather misused for meeting various otherurban needs. The panchayats utilizedthe revenue generated from the disposalof natural resources for meetingadministrative expenditure and otherlocal development work such as repair ofroads, schools and drains. However, it isquestionable to what extent the workundertaken by the village panchayat

Panchayati Raj and the Management ofNatural ResourcesR. Sabesh


benefited the rural poor. At present,panchayats, mindful of higher income,continue planting non-browsable plantson lands meant for grazing (Chamberset.al.1989). A World Bank/USAID team,after touring Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, foundthat the commercial species planted bythe Forest Department on grazing landshas tempted the Panchayats to sell theproduce in the markets, rather thandistribute them among the villagers.According to Jodha, the traditionalmanagement systems for naturalresources (involving usage regulations,enforcement of user obligations andinvestment for conservation anddevelopment) are no longer beingfollowed. The traditional informalauthority of village elders has beenusurped by the feudal landlords in someareas. In Jodha’s opinion, the villagepanchayat is generally unable to enforceany regulation about common resourcesbecause of their dependence oncommunity votes. They avoid unpopularmeasures like enforcing user obligationsfor natural resources. There is unduedominance by the influential persons inthe village who have with little interestin conserving natural resources. Beyondthe enactment of panchayat laws wayback in 1950’s, no further steps havebeen taken for effective use andmanagement of resources. Furthermore,the neglect of village-level institutions formanaging resources such as forests isdirectly correlated to their vanishingcontrol over such resources. (Singh,1993) and Blair (1996) find that thedemocratic politics is compatible withboth privatisation and centralization asconserving strategies, though notnecessarily successful.

Local user groups, however, are betterable to manage the natural resourcesbecause they can restrict membershipand thus avoid free riders and they canalso impress upon their members the

cost-benefit ratios. There are numerousinstances of indigenous local groupsconserving and nurturing local naturalresources. But there are few examples oflocal government bodies, on their owninitiative, having successfully maintainedthe village common resources.

There is a need for examining ways andmeans of strengthening these bodies forbetter management of natural resourcesand for evolving suitable policies.

After the 73rd amendment, mucheuphoria has been created aboutPanchayat Raj Institutions as symbols ofdecentralization, empowering people tomake their own decisions aboutthemselves and their environment.Therefore, it is necessary to study theprovisions in the Panchayati Raj Actsdealing with natural resources toascertain what kind of control PRIs haveover commonresources.

The following provisions are available inthe Panchayati Raj Acts of several states:Development of wastelands; developmentand maintenance of grazing lands andprevention of their unauthorizedalienation; planting and preservation oftrees on the sides of the roads andother public lands under its control; fuelplantations and fodder development;development of social forestry;construction, repairs and maintenanceof drinking water wells, tanks andponds; development of fisheries etc.These functions confer rights topanchayats to control and derive incomefrom the common natural resourcesavailable in their villages. The otherpowers and functions of the PRIs areregulatory and service oriented.

Conclusion

Natural resources, mainly forest cover isshrinking throughout our country. There


is a tendency on the part of local peopleto cut trees to generate revenue forspending money on temple constructionand festivals. The trees have lost theirvalue as an ecological support system.The poor use them for fuel while the richuse them for wood. While the poor havemuch reason to depend upon commonvillage resources as in the past, it is therich who are not justified in exploitingthe resources for their personal benefits.The need of the hour is that the localcommunity should meet often, articulatetheir needs, involve themselves indecision making and actually worktowards securing the common goals.Local communities can also take theadvantage of the National RuralEmployment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)and directly execute village level ecorestoration activities with their livelihoodassured through wages under theNREGS.

Reference

1. A Socio - Ecological Study of CommonLands inKarnataka, (Centre for Non-

Formal and Continuing Education:Bangalore, 1987).

2. Kaul, M.C., “The Commons,Community and theCourts of ColonialPunjab”, The Indian Economic andSocial History Review, 29, 4, pp. 393-436.

3. The Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act,1993, Government of Karnataka,Bangalore.

4. Gadgil, M. and Iyer, P. “On theDiversification of Common PropertyResource Use by Indian Society”, inFikret Berkes (Ed)., Common PropertyResources, Ecology and Communitybased Sustainable Development(London:Belhaven Press, 1992)

5. MacCay, B. and J.A.Acheson, TheQuestion of Commons: The Cultureand Ecology of Communal Resources.(Tucson : The University of ArizonaPress, 1988)

www.econewscpreec.com


Being a true citizen of our country andborn to achieve, I am sure that lots ofquestions, thoughts and worries relatedto the status of our environment will flashin our mind every now and then. Thoughour country is yet to achieve the statusof ‘Developed country’, I am sure that ithas achieved much progress and still onits way to go ahead.

In spite of all these efforts andachievements, the fate of our people inadmiring the cleanliness of the othercountry still continues. Admiring is nota problem at all but the question whendoes our country is going to be admiredby other nationalities is the talk of oursoul and mind.

When the attitude of people towardsmaintaining the healthy environmentgoes down, there comes the term called‘environmental degradation’. Some of theworst behaviour followed by the carelesspeople is listed below:

❖ Spitting on the road❖ Defecating in the public place❖ Riding a highly polluting vehicle❖ Garbage filled roads❖ Open sewage etc;

Parents teach their young ones to usewashroom effectively when they aremoving to the diaper free stage. Later,they are taught to handle dustbins. Thisis been taught to them for cultivating thehabit of maintaining healthy lifestyle aspart of their personal hygiene and createawareness on garbage free environment.

Gradually, when an adult stage is beenreached, each and every activity of thepeople in society is carefully watched andfollowed by young generation. Here theproblem arises. The conscious ofimportance given to the ‘cleanliness’ getscompletely vanished due to theirresponsible act of the careless peoplewho are suppose to be a role model forthe youngsters and people around them.

Before spitting, defecating or throwinggarbage in the public place one shouldask a question to themselves as ‘Will Iallow anyone to do all these stuffs in myhouse garden even if anyone in urgencyor very close relative?’ I am sure theanswer would be completely ‘NO’. It isbecause we have the common sense ofknowing what to do and where to do.Being a six sense creature and very muchbothered for our own place, why are wenot applying the same thing for oursociety and country?

Instead of paying and visiting very famousmagic shows which features the popularshow of making a huge elephant to vanishwithin a second in front of us, there is ananother way where we can feel and viewthe same thing with free of cost. Hopeyou are very eager to know the secret.The answer is given below.

Everyone knows that vehicle plays a vitalrole in very busy life. It could be twowheeler or three or four wheeler. Most ofthe vehicles seen are not servicedproperly and thus producing heavy darksmoke which can even hide the peopleor vehicle behind them in a second whichharms the environment as well as the

‘Environment and the Attitude problem’Revathi Ramkumar


health condition. It doesn’t mean that allthe serviced vehicles are designed in aneco friendly manner and not polluting theenvironment. But as a human being wecan at least try to reduce it by followingsome simple steps such as maintaininga regular service etc.

Similarly open sewage is an unbearablescene which can be seen in almost all theareas. It not only spoils the beauty of aplace, but also brings numerous ill effectsto human health and degrades theenvironment.

For instance, there are many countrieswhere the strict rules are framed, followedand even fined if anyone carries on allthe above mentioned shabby activities.Imagine ourselves residing in that kindof country and our attitude also remainsthe same. Then we would be the topcontributor for paying the government inthe name of penalty. But I am sure thatwe will change our attitude for the sakeof penalty and strict law. In this case oneshould accept that we are behindsomeone’s order but not behind our selfconscious and self respect towards thecountry.

All these activities play a major role inthe development of a country. The statusof ‘developing country’ can be changedto ‘developed country’ by not only basedon the economical conditions but alsobased on the maintenance of the countryby the people. It is always easy to findfault with our own country in various

aspects but one shouldn’t forget that we

are also one of the main cause of creatinga mess.

Huge and tall attractive multiple storey

building with many international projectsworth million dollars, lucrative salaries,

pubs, clubs, posh houses, expensive topmodel cars, international brand selling

shops, luxury hotels and so on... Justvisualise right now and I am sure it would

sounds completely great and fantastic. Itshows the class and development of our

place. These stunning scenes can be seenat our own place which portrays the one

side our environment.

All these are nothing but a part of life,not more than that. It doesn’t mean that

all these factors alone are highly enoughfor leading a perfect life. But the attitude

towards maintaining our environmentwill beautify these things into scenic view.

Being rich or poor is not a matter forshowing the standard of living but being

responsible and taking care of our ownenvironment is the real standard for being

a human being.

We are not in the days to fight for thecause of our country’s freedom as it’s

been already done by our ancestors –freedom fighters with loads of struggle,

pain, sorrows and finally made it in theyear 1947. So, the only thing we are

suppose to do from our part is to saveour precious country’s freedom by

protecting our environment.


Perfumes in the Valmiki RamayanaM. Amirthalingam

In India one can find references to theuse of perfumes and scents right from theVedic period. They were used mainly forreligious practices, customs and domesticrituals. The women used perfumes andcosmetics as part of their makeup. Theancient Indians were aware of themedicinal values of many perfumes. Forexample, medicated fumigation (dhupan)was used in the treatment of diseases.Similarly, medicated oils, collyriums andpowders were used in treatment. Thepractice of chewing betel leaves was alsowildly prevalent so that the mouth couldbe clean and fresh. This was known asthambulam. Various scented oils wereused to massage the body. This practicewas known as abhyanga.

The Ramayana was written by Valmikiaround 1000 BCE. Since the major eventsof the epic took place in the forest, onecan identify India’s forest wealth from thetext. References can be found on thefragrance scented plants in the ValmikiRamayana.

There are references in Valmiki’sRamayana to the use of traditionalmedicines and aromatics. Sandalwoodfigures prominently among the perfumesused in that period, as reflected in theRamayana. Not only are two preparationsof sandalwood, viz. Candansara andCandanakalka mentioned but it appearsto have been widely used along the aloewood to besmear the bodies of both menand women.

Some of the references that can be foundin the Valmiki Ramayana are as follows -The sandal tree is used as a cosmeticanointment with aguru (Eagle wood, Aloewood) (2.15.33). Its breeze is wafting andcleans with the intoxicating scent ofsandal (2.71.28). It is a tree of Panchavati(3.15.18). The wind bore the fragrance ofpadma saugandhika (lotus) (4.1.104) andthe water reservoirs were charming withfully blown padma saugandhika (lotus),kumuda (Indian water lily) and utpala

(Indian blue lotus or water lily).

Jasmines, water-lilies and red oleandershad grown on the banks of the Pampa,and were giving out the fragrance ofnectar [4-1-76]. Hanuman saw the cityof Lanka looking like heaven, decoratedby moats filled with lotuses and water-lilies (5-2-14). The breeze that waftsthrough the sandal trees was veryinvigorating and cleaned the atmospherewith the intoxicating scent of sandal(2.71.28).

The arjuna tree during the rains exudesa pleasant fragrance (4.30.25). Giantarjuna trees were used in bridgeconstruction (6.22.56). The charmingwild cinchona tree found in abundancein the Chitrakuta forest (2.94.9) boreflowers that perfumed the whole forest(4.28.41). Punnaga (Alexandrian laurel)was a valuable garden tree and its flowersyielded scented materials (5.10.23).


The body of Dasharatha (king of Ayodhya)was kept in an oil trough or tailadronyaam, in order to preserve the bodyfrom decay (2.66.15). During thecremation of Dasharatha’s dead bodychandana (sandal wood), sweet aloes anddifferent fragrant essences, with heapsof sarala (Chir Pine/Pinus roxburgii),padmaka (Wild Himalayan cherry/Prunus cerasoides), agaru (Agar wood/Aquilaria agallocha), devadaru(Himalayan cedar/ Cedrus deodara) wereused (2.76.16.17).

In the Ramayana, 95.9.27) it ismentioned that the air resounded withthe cries of birds in heat and thefragrance of excellent perfumes. Thepalace of Ravana was splendid and hungwith the best tapestries and otherluxuries. Vibhishana, the brother ofRavana, caused to be brought variousexcellent varieties of firewood, the threesacred fires and logs of sandal wood,pieces of fragrant aloe-wood and sweetsmelling perfumes for Ravana’scremation. The priests were also calledin to perform the obsequies (6.111.106-7).

After Ravana’s death, Vibhishana, full ofgrief, brought the body of Ravana to theconsecrated spot. He then caused thesacred pyre to be built. Logs of sandalwood, moistened with perfumes calledPadmaka and Koshira, were covered withthe skin of black antelopes. Then theobsequies were performed in accordancewith Vedic rites. (6.111.114-5)

Conclusion

Until the 20th century, all perfumes weremade from ingredients derived directlyfrom nature. The use of synthetic

fragrance was borne of the industrialrevolution of the early 1900’s. Chemistswere now able to artificially reproducefragrances resembling flowers, fruitsand woods in a laboratory with syntheticchemicals at a fraction of the cost. As isoften the case, economics gave way topurity.

Of the 150 highest volume artificialchemicals used in fragrance products,almost 60% are known to be toxic atcertain levels. In contrast to artificialfragrance, natural essential oils whenadded to skin care, make-up and naturalperfume have quite a different effect.Essential oils contain elements that havea healing and stimulating biological effecton the body and an emotional effect onthe brain. Evidence suggests thatessential oils actually enhance mentalhealth creating a feeling of well being andperpetuating uplifting states of mind.

Perfumes played a crucial role inproviding the pleasant feel and improvingthe self-confidence of the people in India,since time immemorial. It is time tounderstand the importance of thetherapeutic essential oils that make upthe natural fragrances having healingelements that work on one’s body, mindand spirit. The aim of this article is tounderstand this important heritage ofIndia.

Reference

All the references are from Srimad ValmikiRamayana, translated and presented bySri Desiraju Hanumanta Rao (Bala,Aranya and Kishkindha khanda) and SriK.M.K. Murthy (Ayodhya and Yuddhakhanda) with contributions from DurgaNaaga Devi and Vaasudeva Kishore(Sundara khanda) retrieved from http://www.valmikiramayan.net/.


Sanctity in ConservationN. Kalyani

In India, a number of wildlife and plantspecies have been culturally andtraditionally linked to local communities.There is also a religious linkage of peoplewith their environment. The protectionof sacred groves is a clear example ofhow conservation hinges on thecommunity and their social, cultural,religious beliefs, and not on any externaltough legislation. Hence, conservation isan intrinsic part of the community.The Bishnoi community led by AmritaDevi that protected the khejri trees inRajasthan in the 18th century and themore contemporary Chipko Movementof the 20th century driven by ChandiPrasad Bhatt, a resident of present dayUttarakhand, are cases that point to theinvincible attachment of the communitiesto their flora.

Often, if not always, it is the awarenessin the people that leads to environmentconservation and wildlife protectionrather than strict legislation or thedeterrent effect of punitive action. Itis awareness and sensitization createdin the people which leads to anunderstanding, appreciation and love forthe environment and its protection. Inpresent times, when trees and forests arebeing rampantly cleared for agriculture,housing, industry or infrastructure, itbecomes vital to protect the existingflora.

It is, therefore, a welcome relief to seea book based on the sacred flora ofIndia. Dr Nanditha Krishna andM Amirthalingam have, through theirbook, Sacred Plants of India, a PenguinBooks’ publication, highlighted thevarious religious and cultural aspectslinked to trees in India. Dr. NandithaKrishna, Director of the C.P. RamaswamiAiyar Foundation and the C.P.R.Environmental Education Centre, is ahistorian, a prolific writer and author,

and an environmentalistwho has pioneered thedocumentation of theecological traditions ofIndia. In fact, she hasalso restored overfifty sacred groves.Co-author of the book,M Amirthalingam, ane n v i r o n m e n t a leducation officer at theC.P.R. Environmental Education Centreis a botanist and author who is nowworking on the All India CoordinatedResearch Project on Sacred GroveEcosystem Service Assessment in TamilNadu.

The book runs into 300 odd pages wherethe first part deals with the variousreligious and cultural contexts in whichIndians have traditionally looked upontheir surrounding flora. The second partgives a detailed description of 83 speciesof sacred plants and trees.

Dr Krishna aptly points out in theAuthor’s Note, “We cut down trees anddestroy forests without a thought for theill effects on the environment and havetaken the earth to the brink of majorecological problems like global warmingand climate change.” In the Introductionto the book, while the authors note that,“Sacred trees are generally associatedwith Hindu deities, Jaina Tirthankaras,and the Buddha,” they also write, “Sacredtrees form an important part of theecological heritage of India. Most temples,towns and villages — and sometimes evenSikh temples and Muslim dargahs— areassociated with trees.” What is essentialis that ecological protection transcendsreligion and the concept of conservationassumes a secular idea.

Trees were revered for their medicinal,economic, ecological, and socio-cultural


values. And while that pointing out,“Plant worship is probably the oldest formof religion...,” the authors take us as farback as to the Indusâ€”Saraswaticivilization when tree worship existed asseen in the seals obtained of the period.The peepal and the khejri trees are seenin a big way and the authors explain thefact through images and the imagery.

The book goes on to describe how theVedas have gone into various issues oftree worship. The Vedas and theUpanishads have been quoted to explainhow the tree was “the symbol of theCosmic Tree”. The authors state, “In theVedic period, all of nature was, in somesense, divine — part of an indivisible lifeforce uniting the world of humans,animals and vegetables.” In other words,what we would translate today,scientifically, in terms of ecologicalbalance and equilibrium.

Tree worship in the epics, the Ramayanaand the Mahabharata, the Puranas andin Jainism and Buddhism has also beendealt with extensively. There is also a briefdescription of depiction of trees in age-old sculpture and astrology.

The chapter on sacred groves explainsthe whole idea of their conservation.“Thousands of (sacred) groves havebeen documented as storehouses ofremarkable biodiversity, repositories ofunique and rare plants, and homes tomyriad birds, reptiles, and other animalspecies, representing a mini-biospherereserve, making them an essential partof the conservation process.

Sacred groves probably represent thesingle most important ecologicaltradition of ancient Indian culture. Theirconservation is a long tradition ofpreserving nature by giving it a spiritualdimension. There is a strong symbioticrelationship between the biophysicalecosystem and socio-economicinstitutions, with strong culturallinkages. Culture and environmenthave been regarded as complementaryyet dynamic. The various culturalconnections are expressed through myths

and religious practices that celebrateplants, animals, forests, rivers, mountain,and precincts that are so essential toexistence. The concept of the sacred innature has protected much of India’sbiological diversity in a fast-changingworld.”

Interestingly and significantly, a newfrog species, Philautus sanctisilvaticus,has recently been reported from theAmarkantak sacred grove in MadhyaPradesh. It is in the second part of thebook that the individual plant species aredescribed in detail with their commonand botanical names, their distributionand characteristics. The mythological andreligious associations are detailed thatmake for a very interesting reading.There are tribal stories, for instance, likefables. There are the religious andcultural associations of the tree and ageold references as also the beliefs andpractices and traditions still followed bypeople.

The medicinal uses of each of the specieshave also been given. The plant specieslisted include the commonly heard oneslike the neem, bamboo, peepal, mango,banyan, rice, coconut, lemon, flame of theforest, turmeric and sandalwood, and thenot-so-commonly heard ones like theBermuda grass, downy jasmine, sandpaper, clearing nut tree, prickly chaffflower, cannon ball tree, Bombay Atlantia,cotton-wool grass, and palmyra palm.

Sacred Plants of India is a book thatwill be of interest not only toenvironmentalists and conservationistsbut also nature lovers and thoseinterested in having a small housegarden. It is also meant for policy-makersand the common people to encouragegreater participation in forestconservation. The detailed and inclusiveresearch done for the book is indeedpraiseworthy. The authors, however, cancontemplate increasing the number ofplant species described individually infurther volumes or future editions.

Source : http://terragreen.teriin.org/index.php?option=com_terragreen&task=detail&section_id=2105&category_id=12


Orchids in the NilgirisM. Kumaravelu

The Nilgiris has a different type ofvegetation as a consequence of thevarying climatic conditions andgeographical zones. In its geographicalclassification, the type of vegetation in theNilgiris can be divided into six major typesas in the varied elevation of hills. Sholasand Grasslands are found on the upperreaches from 1400 msl to 2200 msl. Thegrassland swamps are also found on thiselevation adjacent to the Sholas andGrassland. These grassland swamps arethe major sources from which manyperennial streams originate. Down from1500 msl to 500 msl, wet evergreenforests, semi evergreen forests, moistdeciduous forests, dry deciduous forestsand thorn & scrub forests are the majorgroups of vegetation. Most of these forestgroups are unspoilt and lie within thereserve forest zones. About 3,300 species

of flowering plants are found in this area;of which 132 species are endemic to thisregion. Numbers of orchids are also seenhere. In the Nilgiris, the Botanical Surveyof India recodes around 120 species in49 genera of orchids. Many orchids havecommercial and medicinal values.

Orchids

Orchids are one of the largest families offlowering plants in the world. Orchids aregenerally classified into two major groups.They are Ground orchids, and Treeorchids. The orchids that grow over thetrees (Host trees) are called tree orchids.Although the tree orchids grow over thehost trees, they cause no harm.Distribution of ground orchid species isless than the tree orchids. Most of theorchids are small herbs while a few are


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climbers. Vanilla is one such climberspecies, which is being cultivated worldwide as a cash crop.

Medicinal uses: Orchids are used formany medicinal purposes, to curecommon ailments and also as astimulant. The extracts from orchid’stubers, roots and fruits are being usedby Ayurvedic & Yunani systems. Theextract from some of the orchids is usedin food items for flavour and to add taste.The extract from the vanilla fruit is usedfor making ice cream.

Orchids have commercial value becauseof their aesthetic, spicy, aromatic andmedical properties. Since there are simplemethods of growing and propagating oforchids, many people are showinginterest in growing them. By providingsuitable conditions, orchids can be grownon the roof, portico and passages. It is

necessary to provide a suitable host plant,driftwood, etc., for the epiphytic orchidsand rich soil with good moisture for theterrestrial orchids.

In the Nilgiris, on the upper reaches,thinning of sholas resulted in thedisappearance of many orchid species.Such a threat has become common allover the Western Ghats. When the hosttrees are chopped down, the epiphyticorchids will become endangered in theprocess. However, orchids can be grownat smaller levels as mentioned above.Cultivation of selected orchids wouldfetch good income also.

Reference

1. Joseph.J. Dr. (1987), Orchids ofNilgiris, Botanical Survey of India.

2. Rao.A.S.Dr. (1995), India Orchids,National Book Trust, New Delhi.


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