Food for thought on first day

Justice (retired) V.R. Krishna Iyer has issued the following message on the reopening day of schools in Kerala:

The greatness of a nation is measured by the glory of its culture. The foundation of India’s cultural development depends on the sense of justice, fraternity and integrity of the younger generations. Well begun is half done. Today most schools open their classes.

The young children who go to school will tomorrow be the builders of a brave new Bharat. They have to acquire the quality of discipline, learn clean habits, moral principles, spiritual values and patriotic dedication to the nation, with a fundamental commitment to unite the country in fraternity and integrity.

Anything narrow will make their minds small. The Vedic wisdom that we have inherited, the Arab global brotherhood and the universal love of Jesus together make India the richest cultural country of Asia.

Today you have joined school. Tomorrow you will be educated as great citizens. All Indian citizens are brothers and sisters. The misery of your neighbour is your concern. To wipe every tear from every sorrowful eye is your duty. This is the teaching of the Mahatma. Learn the teachings of Lord Buddha, the guru of India. Swami Vivekananda inspired India and he was a disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa.

These great cultural wonders must be the Ganga of Indian wisdom.

But remember, Indian unity, which spreads from Kanyakumari to the high Himalayas, is to be maintained. Today, the first day of your schooling, is the starting point of the Indian ocean of knowledge.

The great rivers of India in the north and the splendid everlasting flows of the south together make India’s wealth. India is a rich country with the poor people in a majority. Never forget our first duty. Vivekananda taught us this: Daridra Devo Bhava.

We have a Planning Commission that plans the resources of the nation for the prosperity of the people. The West made us commercial. Acquisition of wealth became our craze and our spiritual assets became a casualty. Our moral values, like the sublime duty of compassion towards all living creatures, also suffer.

Max Mueller told us what this treasure of India’s past was. Today, the first day, when the new generation reads the first page of the books of India, marks the sowing of the seed of the grand banyan tree under whose shade Lord Buddha’s wisdom dawned.

Every Indian has this as his heirloom. Our guru is Mahatma Gandhi and our textbook the Constitution of India. We have inherited a store-house of learning in the literature that we have inherited. This is the great Indian book we have to read and master. This is the unwritten master plan before you.

This is the duty before you. Win cultural India through this process. That is your fundamental duty, and the directive principles of educational policy.

The Hindu

Time to raise voice for Environment

One more environmental day now at our hand ! It is the time to stand for our mother nature with the motto

“Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level”. United Nations has an exclusive plan this year to raise awareness of the special needs of this diverse coalition as part of the global discussion on how to achieve a sustainable future for all.

This is par with the theme of this generation Sustainable Development - development that meets the needs of present without jeopardizing the requirements of the future.  Secretary General of UN Banki Moon in his press release says that "small island nations share a common understanding that we need to set our planet on a sustainable path.  This demands the engagement of all sectors of society in all countries.  On World Environment Day, millions of individuals, community groups and businesses from around the world take part in local projects –from clean up campaigns to art exhibits to tree-planting drives.  This year, I urge everyone to think about the plight of Small Island Developing States and to take inspiration from their efforts to address climate change, strengthen resilience and work for a sustainable future.  Raise your voice, not the sea level.  Planet Earth is our shared island.  Let us join forces to protect it".

The issue of small islands is  a grievous concern for all the earth lovers. Though they contribute little towards global warming the issue they face needs to get wide attention. UN site reports that "While they contribute little to climate change, small islands are greatly affected by changes in climate patterns, and the rise in sea level can cause loss of land along coastlines of low-lying islands, disrupting economies and livelihoods. For example, a 50-centimeter rise in sea level will result in Grenada losing 60 per cent of its beaches, while a 1-metre rise would inundate the Maldives.Climate change causes coral bleaching to become an annual occurrence, leading to environmental and economic losses. For example, Dominica has reported that half of its corals are bleached, and coral bleaching in Tobago affected an average of 66 per cent of its hard corals in 2005 alone.Several small island developing countries, including the Maldives, Tuvalu and several Caribbean island States, are working to achieve “climate neutrality” through the use of renewable energy and other approaches".

It always matters to find the face of 'the other'. When we live with greed, that produces grievous concerns and sever consequences to the society and economy. This theme has utmost importance in every aspect of our life and it is our responsibility take care of others, our colleagues, fellow beings and neighbors. This is the message of WED - 2014. When we go through the milestone initiatives on social and environmental development, the overall theme underlined on these are to take others. (Kyoto, Montreal etc.). The very recent decision of Obama to reduce the pollution of oil refineries by 30% is a welcoming movement that spreads the message of  sustainability. 

Let's raise our voice for environment. Together for a better future !