Sometimes, when I hear the wind whistling through the trees and rustling the old branches, I am reminded of the Peepal tree and the secret song that it hides in every leaf.
When I was very young, I remember my parents showing me how to roll the leaf from the Peepal tree so that when you pressed one side against your lips and blew into it, it made a rather funny noise, like an excited cicada. Soon, I discovered that trees and plants, just like human beings, had many little secrets that one could only discover if they were either passed from one generation to another or if nature was a large enough part of someone’s life.
Knowledge about a whistle made from the leaf of a Peepal tree is perhaps not relevant enough to be preserved, but it is certainly an interesting indication of what our young generation is missing out on.
Environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation and pollution have started to become much more pressing during the course of the past few years. New data is being discovered and we are beginning to experience new consequences of our acts against the environment. All of these factors make immediate action imperative. However, there is one more reason for us to change. It is one that often goes unnoticed amongst the giant tangle of percentages and saddening stories that are given to us to try and make us change.
Recently, I discovered that computer manufacturers have slowly decreased the number of computers made with built-in CD/DVD drives. That is, any laptops purchased in the last few years are not too likely to have the feature that allows CD’s or DVD’s to be played on it. This has been done because people have found ways to store and share data without the use of CDs or DVDs, making these devices obsolete. However, this has brought forth a difficulty in accessing information that had been stored in CDs a long time ago. Perhaps, it may have just been an old movie or a song that you liked. But they may also be videos of memories and joyful moments in your life. These little things meant so much that they had been carefully stored so that not only would you be able to see them in the future again, but also so that your children could see the things that you used to love when they are no longer around anywhere else. Now that we cannot really access those things, we have lost a tiny part of our own history.
The Earth is an archive of all the moments when we have smiled, cried or marvelled at the wonders of the tiniest and largest creatures that live amongst us. Every tree we cut down, every home we destroy, every life we take, is a memory we steal from our children. It is a joy that they will never get to feel. The greatest gift that we can give to the future generation is our own perfectly preserved planet. Our ability to change can give them the ability to discover their own little secret within the leaves of a Peepal tree.
Renika Anand is currently a student at Marian Academy
