The Old Guardians

Heartbreaks can come in more than unexpected ways, this I learnt when the Ashoka trees at my place went down the axe today.

Almost for 27 years now, these 'Old guardians' as I call them have sheltered my home from excessive sunlight, harsh rains coming in & provided fresh air to breathe in. It also added as a cover up for the house, as nothing much could be seen inside; with these acting as filters.

Every monsoons we used to get them cut down.. [trim down] upto low level & by the next monsoons, they used to grow up again upto 30-33 ft. in height.

Greenery has always been a part of my growing up. Earlier as a child, I remember having eaten Guavas, Custard apples & Grapes too, from the trees planted at home. One by one they had to be rooted out due to termite infests & decaying.

Now as those trees aren't existent, I still feel happy nostalgia remembering those days. But today, as the last of the old lot, the Ashoka trees went down, a deep pain is there within as if I lost a very evident witness of my growing up years.

As I bade goodbye to the synonymous memory of my home, [The house with the Ashoka Trees, I used to call it.] , all I felt at that moment was, "I'm sorry to let u go.. & it hurts to see you go. If there was anything I'll be looking forward to, its to see you come back again, back in place again! ...& that's a promise I make to you & to myself, that I will plant double the trees back, as soon as it would take. "

Go Green!

Its World Environment day today & though we hear about it everywhere...possibly read up numerous articles on it - there are very few of us who actually practice Environment conservation in our daily lives.

As we are moving into a more & more busy world, we tend to overlook some of the very basic things that we can follow in our daily lives at home & contribute our little share in making the planet a little less overloaded.
I am sharing a few of the simplest things that I do follow...& trust me, it does make me feel a responsible citizen of Planet Earth. :)

To begin with my favourite - Plant greenery/preserve greenery; wherever possible! - No greater service than this to mother Earth.

• The most simplest of things are often the most overlooked. ~Most of us are ignorant to the wastage of water in running taps while brushing, shaving, washing utensils, face etc. Just paying a little attention to these by using mugs instead of running taps DOES make a difference.
• When it comes time to buy new appliances, look for those that are energy savers with the star ratings.... they help the environment as well your wallet in the long run. :)
• If you are thinking about upgrading your computer between a desktop or a laptop, choose laptop. Not only do laptop computers draw just 15 to 25 watts during regular use, compared to the 150 watts used by conventional computers...desktop/ monitors ...laptops also draws just a fraction of a watt when in sleep mode.
• Using Blackle.com instead of the regular google search page would open up a black search page. Black screens eat up a lot less energy compared to the white ones. [Any surprise why this page is black? :)]
• Compact fluorescent light [CFL's] bulbs use 25% of the energy of standard incandescent bulbs and they last much longer. Use them.
• Don't use a hose to clean the car or the bike. Vehicles can be efficiently cleaned with a bucket & a mug too... it sure saves lots of Water!
• A single dripping tap can waste far more water in a single day than one person needs for drinking in an entire week. Don't wait to fix a drip. Do it now!
• Turn things off when you leave the house. Lights/wall unit appliances etc. Don’t leave your TV/computer on sleep mode, as well as unplug chargers/tape recorders...as they continue to consume even if they are not in use; ...& placing lamps or TV sets near air-conditioners only causes the air-conditioner to run longer than necessary due to the heat emitted, thus eating into more energy than required.

While stepping out of home, a few easy things which if followed, go a long way are:

• Don’t go anywhere without your cloth bag so you can just say no to plastic whenever you shop. Plastics are the bane to the Environment. Say NO to plastics. I Know it isn't easier to start this one...but small steps do become big steps eventually! :)
• Consider turning your engine if waiting in big traffic snarls or prefer using nuetral control. Also, keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressure when driving. These will decrease the amount of fuel used as well as your carbon footprint.

A few things that can be followed inside the office are:

• Using a washable mug is an environmentally-friendly alternative to non-biodegradable styrofoam or plastic cups. Leaving one of your own cup or bottle at the workplace can eliminate use of those cups.
• Use handkerchiefs or hand towels for drying your face and hands instead of tissues that are used and thrown away. [Just because they're for free - FOR YOU- doesn't mean they don't cost the environment.]
• Re-use papers efficiently. Turn over an old document or unwanted print-outs and write on the plain backsides for small notes, messages etc.
• When you must have a paper copy, make sure you default your printer option to use both sides.
• The most important according to me: Many of us spend so much time on our computers, that we never turn the things off. Even if it takes a few extra moments, switch them off when you wind off for the day. It goes without saying how much energy could be saved if even a small group practises this daily. It will also reduce wear and tear on hardware, extending its life. Also, turn off lights, fans wherever unnecessary.
• Shut off your monitor if you aren't going to use it for more than 20 minutes, and the whole system if you're not going to use it for more than two hours. (Though don't overdo it. Very frequent cycling of power switch does result in added wear.)

Finally, I'll also list my another favourite before I end this small preach about nature conservation. :D - & those are the 3 R's ~ Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. Reduce, Reuse & Re-cycle whatever you can...whatever you are aware of. The more we conserve now - means the more we save...& more resources we leave for our children. & not forgetting- a more better world to live in. Saving energy but also helps in reducing air pollution.

To end with, I'll leave with a few lines of Michael Jackson's, 'Heal the world', words which are quite applicable here:

"Heal the world...make it a better place...a better place for you & for me..." :)

The Neem Tree

Since the time of my school days, there's this Neem Tree I have been used to seeing in the temple near to my place. From the terrace of my home, I can see this tree..& a patch of different other trees including the beautiful Champa. All pretty huge,old & all lovely green. The neem tree is the most visible. From my random rants, you'll know how much a nature person I am.





Getting back, Those used to be the times when we weren't yet that scared of robberies & all kinds of crazy crimes that we keep hearing of now. It still was a safe world... & it was a given for us to sleep on the terrace in the cool summer nights, under the beautiful stars & the sometimes moon-lit & sometimes bare except for a few twinlking stars sky.
This neem tree is the sight I always saw right in front of my eyes. Huge, Dark, making all kinds of whooshing sounds when the winds passed it. It also seemed to be looking right back at me. I have noticed this tree at different stages of its life...my life.. :) , seen it at different parts of the day & at different seasons throughout... I have felt it smile, giving shelter, observe, shed, & grow old.
I remember this was the tree which we children used to be scared of. Coz for us to sleep, we were fed on 'sui jao, nahi to bhoot aavi jase' [Translated: 'Sleep else the ghost will appear.'] Being the curious kinds, I wanted to know, 'Bhoot kya che' [where's the ghost] n it was ['bhoot aa neem na jhaad ma rye che' [On the neem tree does the ghost reside]
The thrill that I was brave enought to sleep on the terrace with the ghost with visible distance, was a high then. :) [ofcourse with the rest of the family being there too..did provide a lot of comfort in the mind. :D]

Yet, I fet this excitement I shall not forget. though a lil scared too...I always used to sneak open my eyes a bit & keep looking at the neem tree, as to find out where would where would the ghost appear from...where does it stay...will it appear from the gaps in between the 2 trunks..or from the branches which seem bereft of leaves? Will it swoosh its way, when there used to be sounds of winds among the leaves..or will it come without me knowing. Most importantly, how would it look like? Will I be able to see it..recognise it.? Oh! I used to have troubled sleep wondering all this up.

Yet I used to love the tree becoz I used to wake up to the Koel's Cukoo which used to be almost always perched itself right in the first branch visible to us. As if it really was giving us a wake up call. I remember I used to to look & look.
The time of looking went past & so did our sleep habits.
[Now we depend more on the Air-cooler cooling us rather than the natural Air cooler... : ]

Years have gone by & so has the fear. Yet the neem tree still gives me a smile & reminds of so many summer night memories & the other memories which I have got from it. Today when I see my colony getting commercial...or if to refer to a colony friend's description, 'Manhatan in making'; I wish & hope this tree & the other trees remain... & so shall I bring my children & tell them tales of it... to let them build their own memories looking at the very same dear old Neem tree.

Long Live Trees..Nature & Greenery! :)
[Bottomline: Nature is precious than we realise, Protect it...Respect it.]

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