Is everything the responsibility of system or government only?

June month is denominated as World Environment Day (WED). It is celebrated every year on 5th June to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Media and celebrities have encouraged World Environment Day Celebrations by endorsing and taking part in it. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) goodwill ambassadors including supermodel Gisele Bündchen are sending an SOS to the world to take action for World Environment Day 2014 by joining one of their teams to combat climate change. Their call to action, Message in the Bottle, asks individuals around the world to join one of the celebrities’ teams and make a difference by pledging to take action in support of World Environment Day, which culminates globally on 5 June 2014.

 Each year celebration of the World Environment Day is based on the particular theme decided by the United Nations to make the celebration more effective by encouraging mass people worldwide to hugely take part in addressing environmental issues on global scale. The theme of the year 2015 would be “One World, One Environment”. The theme of the year 2014 was “small island developing states” or “SIDS” and “Raise your voice, not the sea level”.

After working 3 months on Stories, poems and satire genre of literature, I wanted to work on visual media. WED is very closed to my heart. Sundarlal Bahuguna had started Chipko Andplan to save the trees and thus environment. The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan is a movement that practiced the Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees to protect them from being felled. In legend, this practice began with Amrita Devi while protesting against a King's man who wanted to cut a tree. In khejarli village, 363 Bishnois sacrificed their lives in 1730 AD while protecting green Khejri that are considered sacred by the community. The modern Chipko movement started in the early 1970s in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, then in Uttar Pradesh with growing awareness of rapid deforestation. The landmark event in this struggle took place on March 26, 1974, when a group of peasant women in Reni village, Hemwalghati, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, acted to prevent the cutting of trees and reclaim their traditional forest rights, which were threatened by the contractors assigned by the state Forest Department. Their actions inspired hundreds of such actions at the grassroots level throughout the region. By the 1980s the movement had spread throughout India and led to the formulation of people-sensitive forest policies, which put a stop to the open felling of trees in regions as far as the Vindhyas and the Western Ghats. Today, it is seen as an inspiration and a precursor for Chipko movement of Garhwal.

I thought to show some movies on environment. Sachin suggested some names and assured to get them. As usual, he did not get time. But he suggested for the very famous song “Gaon chhodab nahi.” I searched it on youtube and fell in love with it. Layout of the program for June was taking shape in my mind. Ww will start the program from this song. You may also see. Link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFmsl7KrZn8

After this? No clues. Finally I put it on FB and on Whatsapp group. My friend Amal Rai has given the reference of Ashok Patel, Who had made a documentary film “God on the Edge” on the life and danger of elephants, which narrates the story of a 60-year-old mahut and his relationship with pachyderms. The documentary was premiered in Mumbai in February 2014.

At 11 p.m. on September 23, 2010, three female elephants, three calves and one male tusker were mowed down by a speeding train in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. Ashok made this film based on such reports of recurrent deaths of elephants on railway tracks, shines light on the continuing man-animal conflict in the region.

Though the film highlights the larger issue of grave concern, where over 50 elephants have been killed on the 168-km-long Siliguri-Alipurduar railway track over the last decade, the narrative is woven through the life and experiences of Jaan Baksh.

As an 11-year-old Jaan Baksh applied for the post of elephant-handler for the erstwhile Maharaja of Coochbehar in North Bengal and was heartbroken when his elephant Shivaprasad was shot after it killed one of its handlers. He resigned.

But he could not stay away from his ‘love’ too long. He returned in to train elephants again in 1985, when a young cow elephant Urvashi was refusing food and was on her deathbed.

The 46-minute-long documentary which was adjudged the best film on environment at the 10th IDPA (Indian Documentary Producer’s Association) Excellence Awards, also deals with a unique human –elephant relationship through the eyes of Jaan Baksh. The film is an official selection (in competition) at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York, 2014.

The mahut, who has so far trained over 50 elephants and 25 handlers, says each elephant has a distinct personality and how humans can prevent the conflict with herds of wild elephants going from one habitat to another.

Ashok, after getting his contact from Amala, was very kind enough to show the film in a very informal atmosphere as his objective was to show the film to more and more people.

What next? I suddenly remember one of my friends Nivedita Kothare, a film maker. Long back, She had made a small documentary film on the effect of post immersion of Ganpati. I had written a song for the film. Later on what had happened to the film, I did know. We lost connection. Somehow, I could contact her on her mobile as she had not changed her number. We old fashioned people! I laughed. Nivedita told that she has another film on using plaster of Paris (POP) and plastics etc while making Ganpati for Ganesh Chaturthi. It is in Marathi. As I have not put language as bar, Nivedita very happily agreed to show her film.

8^th June! My home. No projector. “Gaon Chhodab Nahi” song suddenly gave some problem, so could not get connected on TV Set. So we compromised it with laptop version. “God on the Edge” was shown on my TV set. People were watching with quite interest. Film came to an end with Ganpati Mahotsav!

“What a coincidence!” Nivedita screamed! “My film starts here, where his film gets an end!”.

“Utsavachi That ani Paryavarnachi Vaat!” (Dameges of environment because of festivities- a very rough meaning of the title). Pen, a place of Maharahtra, where ganpati idol and decorative items are being made. Usage of POP, thermocol and plastics make the festival very bright and colorful, but leave a damaging impact on environment.  

Both the film were excellent. Discussions started. In Ashok’s film, everyone started talking and blaming the system and the Government. It is very easy as we just shrug our shoulders and move out. Nivedita’s film was addressed to every man. People, observe Ganesh Chaturthi with pomp and show. Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s main objective to unite people through the celebration is getting defeated day by day as every house and everyone has now started observing it at their homes. Naturally, dirt will be more. When we started discussing on our responsibilities, I found again people are shrugging their shoulders. But this time, it is shrugging off from their own responsibilities! Means, everything is the responsibility of the system or government only?