Nurungukal..2..contd…

        Sitting on the veranda of the newly built house of my brother’s daughter on the banks of Nila an unusually hot wind grazing the warm sand and withered shrubs caressed me. Lot of water fowls were taking an ocassional dip in the water and some were sitting on the shubs spreadyng their wings to dry.  A narrow stream of muddy water flew touching the western bank to show the world that Nila is struggling to exist  and lay lifeless as a vanquished.I did not resist my  temptation to touch her and as I stepped down,  a tickle passed through. I remained there for a while enjoying the rhythm of her heart beat. It seems that there was nobody to take care of her, when I witnessed several plastic bags full of waste lay scattered and  the fluttering pieces of plastics on the branches of the shrubs. Many a great poet has wept over her pathos.Still we are blind to accept the very purpose of her existence as one of the main arteries of Western ghats.        This sight was a total contrast to what I experienced on the previous day.It was an undulated patch of land, nearly twelve acres, maintained by an ancient Namboodiri family known as Pathirikunnu mana. The Mana now exists on the strength of  a belief as old as 1500 years, about their association with serpents.  The sight of sky high trees, intertwined with  rare  species of creepers, small ravines and a few ponds , the chirping of birds, a few colonies of honey bees hanging over in cluster on certain trees, the penetrating rays of sun reflecting the cobwebs as they filter through the vast canopy  of towering trees, ripe native mangoes strewn like a carpet every where and the roots protecting soil and water fascinated me. I felt as if I was in the midst of a pristine forest. These are the best models of biodiversity conservation which truly demands the support of carbon trading proceedings.

     I never had  any hope of such experiences when I was heading  to participate in two functions in Valluvanad. On both side of the main high way I saw the life like boards of candidates for the assembly election showing their shining  teeth. Some with bare gums and others posed as if they are ready for a cat walk!!. Our journey was interrupted at a few places by the slogan shouting followers and way side gatherings. All was well and I enjoyed the enthusiasm of setting up a democracy.

        Paddy fields lying fallow after the harvest and a few patches of melon  and beans cultivation prompted me to make a purchase of farm fresh vegetables. It also gave me a chance to evaluate the change in he landscape use, since my childhood days till now. As I lay back relaxed on the cushion of the car, I wondered how the forefathers travelled on the rickety  roads and about their consciousness  to preserve the Mother Earth. Let us think about a day which will not depend on fossil fuel for development…..