The mantra edition is here again greeting you all a very happy summer season, which marks the arrival of a never-ending list of Indian festivals. The leading one is Rakshabandhan. Oh! True, you all must be scratching your heads, thinking as to what in heaven, is Rakhi going to do with environment. For all the non-Indian readers, here is a brief description of the festival, Rakshabandhan or Rakhi.
Rakshabandhan is the festival of the brothers and sisters. It is yet another festival where truck loads of emotions and love is involved. On an auspicious day of august, decided accord to the Hindu calendar, the festival is celebrated where the sisters tie a piece of string or a fancy thread sort of thing, which is called a Rakhi. In addition, the brothers pledge to protect their sisters against all odds. So the name explains it correct, Raksha: Protection and Bandhan: Relationship. So, Rakshabandhan is the festival where the brothers vow to protect their sisters.
Why is the protection restricted to the sisters? Why can’t we celebrate this festival with our Mother Earth and save it? Why can’t we pledge to protect our green trees, giving life to humanity? Why can’t we assure the animals, their safety and protect them this time? Let the protection be enjoyed by our environment this year. Therefore, the mantra edition has popped up with an amazing deal for you all this Rakhi season.
The Rakshabandhan Mantra: Pledge to protect the environment this Rakhi, which falls on the 10th of august this year. Protect the environment in any way you can, just one simple task or activity, be it saving paper, saving trees, walking down instead of using other polluting vehicles, etc. Just a single, trouble-free task that help you promise to the Earth, it protection and safety!
Here are some of the ideas that cropped up in my head; you can choose the best possible one for you to perform. All the luck to you!
1. Save paper deal: Since it’s an off in some Indian schools, companies and offices, the Indian employees can simply choose for a no paper-usage day.
Hence, you can pledge to use no paper or use the least possible, on the day of Rakhi. For non-Indian environment protectors, you can simply choose to use your tablets, phones, laptops, and other gadgets for making notes, etc. and use the least possible amount of paper.
2. Save water deal: Note the daily consumption of water by you individually or by the whole family collectively and try to use at the most half the total amount of your daily consumption on the 10th day of the coming month, i.e. August. Recycle wastewater (i.e. water that is used for soaking dal, rice, etc.) for watering the plants and flushing purposes.
Take some extra time out just once, wash clothes mechanically, and avoid using washing machine. Washing machines are the killing machines for water resources since they tend to use about five times the water used otherwise.
3. Choose your favourite plant and look after it for the days and months to come: choose a small plant or an area that you would manage to look after.
You can have this activity with a couple of friends where you can choose one plant each and care for the plant just like you care for your pet, love it, share your comfort with it and simply help it grow. Mark your plant beautifully with a nameplate sort of handmade board and make it yours, this Rakhi, the 10th of august.
4. Celebrate Rakhi week by saving petrol and using oil free vehicles: you can choose the week next to 10th august or the week preceding 10th for saving petrol and cutting on emissions from vehicles.
Hence, walk an extra mile by various easy ways of car pooling, walking, bicycling, or taking battery operated shared vehicles, metro or trains or other public transport available on roads.
5. Now the least that you could share to be a part of the Rakshabandhan mantra is to buy a simple Rakhi, and just tie it to a tree through its branch so that it satisfies you and the almighty that you care for the environment and it might just add on to your plus points marked by God. A simple task of tying Rakhi might just make you a bit more conscious, the next time you try to harm the environment, even when unintentionally done.
6. Last but not the least, if you cannot adopt one of the above-mentioned green ways, then just pass this Rakshabandhan ideology of protecting our Mother Earth and convince others to follow at least one of these ways in helping us save the planet.
Go green this Rakhi season and spread love, peace and harmony by caring and protecting everyone including the Nature, whose lap gives you the best nap.
#ActGreen!
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