To
start with, Krishna
was very mindful of the mosquito menace in his village
and surrounding areas, and he did away with the pests
in an ingenious way – by planting the Holy Basil
around the place and converting it into a veritable
'Tulsi' forest - thus the name ‘Vrinda-van’
for his village.
Krishna
wanted to give his people a lesson in self-sustainability,
and through his institutionalising of the protection
of the cow, and the use of cow-dung (Gobar-dhan) as
a resource, he kicked off a practice of the multi-purpose
use of cow dung as an energy-source and insect repellent,
that is alive even now. It was also the time when
vegetarianism as a way of life in India spread amongst
the people.
As a child Krishna
played on the banks of the river Yamuna (which people
in Delhi have effectively killed) and of course noticed
the sad state the river was in even as far back in
time as we can think. The toxins in the river turned
him blue when he plunged into it to retrieve a ball
he was playing with. Thus was born the legend of 'Kalia
daman', which metaphorically speaking is nothing
but a concerted effort of Krishna and the village
children to cleanse the river, to resuscitate it,
and accord it the status of a holy river, fit to be
worshipped.
We can not fault the children and their
efforts even today, because in our very own 'Dilli'
we have seen them bring about a complete ban on hazardous
fire-crackers during Divali and kick start the CNG
shift to tackle the pollution in the surrounding areas.
So here is to the children of the world
as champions of a safe environment, so that we all
breathe free.
In the Kurukshetra
battle, it is said that Krishna removed the
bell from an elephant’s neck and placed it on
a Lapwing’s nest that happened to be in the
middle of the battlefield, thus protecting the bird’s
eggs from destruction – that is Krishna the
wildlife enthusiast!
If we take a sharp and environmentally-sensitive
look around us, we would find that the basics of ecology
conservation and sustainable living have not changed
for several thousand years. We do not always have
to revere Krishna in temples, or as a mythical being
– his teachings are right here, around us and
coded in our genes. There is a Krishna in each one
of us – and yes, he is just as relevant now
in the 21st century, as he was in the times of the
Mahabharta.
Our young friends from 'Consumer
Clubs', in and around Delhi, should look out
for the announcement of the 'Krishan'
and 'Krishna' awards for sustaining the spirit
of a safe environment for all.
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