Cement, Energy and Environment July-Sep 2002

I NUGGETS OF WISDOM :\lEETI~G <;JHllli\B: \ EDAS AND RIO Exccuti1'e Secretary of the Int ernational Commission on Irrigation and Drainage At the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992, a document, known as Agenda 2 1, was iss ued, whi ch provided 27 guiding principles for sus tainable development. Interestingly, several of the ' Ri o prin cip les. for environmental conse rvation were taught and practised in ancient India. The modern holistic approach for ecological balance is reflected in the most anc ient of Indi an scriptures, the Vedas. For instance, the first Rio princip le enunci ates that "human beings are at the centre of s usta inabl e development in harmony wi th Nature". The ancient seers had prayed: ''Maintain us in we ll-being in summer, winter, dew– time, spring, autumn , and rainy season. Grant us happiness in cattle and children. May we enjoy your unassailed protection". The Prithivi ukta of the Atharvaveda especially propounds man's close relationship with Nature. The fourth Rio principle says that "environmental protection shall constitut e an in tegra l part of development"; several Vedic hymns expressly instructed people not to harm the waters, vegetation. and envi ronment - " prithiveem ma himsee h'' , "anta riksham ma him see h", ·' mapo maushad heerh imeesh" (yajurveda).a prayer in the Rigveda says: ··we offer our reve rence to Nat ure 's great bounties, to those who are old, and to the young, may we speak wi th the force at our command, the glory of a ll divine powers. May we not overl ook any ofthem". The seventh Rio principle prescribes that th e ''earth ·s eco– system should be conserved, protected and restored". Along with land, protection of water bodies, as well as flora and fa una has been integral to India's ancient tradition. People were exhorted to conserve the environment, for as is mentioned in the Rigveda: "That is the forest, which is the tree out or which (the gods) have fabricated heaven and ear th , ever stationary and undecaying, giving protection to the deities; through numerous days and dawns (men) praise (the gods for this)". The Earth was reve red as mother. Accord ing to the Atharvaved a, bhoomi h mata putroham prithivyah", - like a mother of watth is to be respected and pro tected. The ba sic s of maintaining eco logica l ba lance were we ll understood. Natu re demands: ''Dehi me dadami te'·. - yo u g ive me. and I g ive yo u (Yaju rveda). We see th e consequences glabal ly now for not followi ng this basic Nature without nurtu ri ng her return . Our ancient seers realised that doing so would harm Nature's delicate balance. Several Ved ic hymns are prnyers lo r maintaini ng balance in the fun ct ioning of all aspec ts of Nature, like this Rigvedic hymn: " I in voke th e vast and beauti fu l day and night, heaven and earth, Mitra and Varuna with Aryaman, lndra the Maruts, the mountains, the waters (of earth), the Ad ityas, heaven and earth, the waters (of tl)e firmament), the whole (host of gods)" The twenty-fifth Rio principle ta lks about how ··peace, developmen t and envi ronmenta l protection are interdependent and indivisible". In ancient India, it was wel l understood that eco logical balance is dependent on act ions, good or bad, of indivi du als and society. The Vedas are great treasures of kn ow ledge. The sc ienti fie approach prese nted by th em in viewing various entities of Nature and visuali sing the proc ess of creation is amazi ng, g ive n that modern tools of scientifi c enquiry were not ava ilable then . It is unfotiunate that we have forgotten the golden principles set our in them and are proceed ing towards self– destruction. Courtesy: Tire Business Line. 6 June ()2. !' I.J SHOCKS & SPARKS Smile and get the IVorld infected Smiling is infectiou s, yo u catch it li ke the tlu , when someone smil ed at me today! I sta rted smiling too. I thought about that smi le, then l realised its worth, A single smile, just li ke mine, could travel round the earth. When I walked this morning. someone greeted me wi th a smile, I smi led at the next person and he statted grinning, on my way back I saw several people greeting me with a smile. Lets start greeting smiling and get the world infected. Most households arc happier, when the mothe r is relaxed and thi s is far more impo rt ant than an immaculate home. There is more to home mak ing than housekeeping and more to parenthood than hygiene. A simple meal eaten in a ha ppy atmos phere is fa r more enjoyable and better digested, than a gourm et dinne r served by an exhausted mother see thing with irritation. SloiV and Steat~V 1vins the Race - When you watch, the water