There is an Intimate Relationship Between Man and Environment
In its most expansive meaning, environment encompasses everything including water, air and space. We are all surrounded by the environment. Man and environment mutually complement each other. It is not possible to imagine one without the other. We do not live in an environment, we are nurtured by it and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the environment gives us life.
In 'Abhigyana Shakuntalam', great poet Kalidasa writes — 'pratyakshabhih prapanna sthanubhir-vastuvasta bhirashta bhireesha' — meaning: Various elements of environment like water, air, fire and others are apparent forms of God. Mutual dependency of man and the environment has been a symbol of Indian tradition since times immemorial. But the sad truth of today is that we suck out the nectar of life from the environment around us and spit out poison in return.
The most pure and auspicious river Ganga is being polluted by industries that she has nurtured on its banks. Beyond Rishikesh, the water of Ganga no longer meets drinking standards. There are many such rivers in the country that are on the brink of losing their identity. If this continues, there will come a time when we might long to drink sweet water. Today, we are polluting the environment in many different ways and are sucking away the life-force from it.
We have become experts in exploiting our environment. Forests are being inundated, mineral ores are being looted. Mountains, rivers, oceans, forests — none of them have escaped the selfish eyes of man. Gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, air, water, food, fruits, oil, etc. — all of these originate from the environment because this Earth is 'Ratnagarbha' and we are its children — 'maata bhumih putroham prithivyah'. Mother Earth has done its duty and has nourished us and provided us with her resources. But, we have totally forgotten our responsibilities towards her.
Today, man has made tremendous progress; he can travel much beyond the Earth, into the depths of the universe. We are even going to other planets and looking for life on them. In recent past, NASA was calling for applications to dig on the surface of the Moon. This sounds to be the height of man's selfishness. He is done with exploiting the Earth and has now moved onto digging the Moon.
While it is true that some people are steadfast in their selfish ambitions, there is also a strengthened voice in society about preserving the environment. The topic of conservation of nature and environment is being taken up both at national and global levels and we cannot certainly ignore it any more.
Technology in the fields of engineering, transport, education, health and other aspects of life has brought in many comforts. Life has become more convenient and easy, but at the same time there are many other problems that are on the rise. We have lost our farsightedness in our unidirectional race of madness and imbalanced growth. We are only focusing on generating the resources aspect of the entire thing without ensuring the safety of the environment.
There is tremendous growth in technology, but handling the wasteful by-products of many such technologies is becoming a cause for concern — especially the nuclear waste. It is ironical but it looks like the amount of waste produced is being looked upon as a measuring rod of advancement in civilization. Embracing materialism and consumerism has become the ideal these days and environmental crisis is a direct result of this.
Environmental pollution affects one and all in the same way. But there is no concerted effort from all walks of people in the society to reverse this suicidal process. Everyone is busy looking out for what is in it for them. By destroying the environment, we are endangering our very survival on Earth. Hence all of us have to cooperate in the efforts for conservation, protection and rejuvenation of environment. We should definitely ponder on what we are leaving behind for our future generations. We lead a life in which culture has a predominant role to play and hence we should try our best in preserving the essence of life and establishing balance between man and his environment. This is the only way in which we can retain our identity and live our life in harmony with the environment around us.
"Kshurasya Dhara Nishita Duratyaya Durgam Pathas-tat-kavayo Vadanti — Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path difficult to cross and hard to tread, thus say the wise." — Kathopanishad
"An ignorant man is lost, faithless, and filled with self-doubt; a soul that harbors doubt has no joy, not in this world or the next." — Bhagavad Gita 4:40
"Yato Vacho Nivartante, Aprapya Manasa Saha — The Realm of Reality is there from where the mind along with speech returns disappointed." — Taittiriya Upanishad