Kishor Rithe

 January 12, 2010

 Dear Friends,

“Change” is must in our daily life to make it more beautiful and peaceful. But this should be the positive change. I consider that the religion, laws only gives us an outline but does not provide the micro-details of the actions. We need to think logically, apply our brains, use these outlines given by religions and laws and define the activity whether it is good or bad for the humans on this planet “Earth”

In India, though our traditions and customs have been supporting and following mostly conservation culture, we still have started many modern actions which goes against the “law of nature” to make human happy and live peacefully on the planet earth.

The use (misuse) of aeroplanes and Helicopters in playing sport, showing military drills, showing respect by offering flowers from the sky have been common practices throughout the world. In India too, Governments use the same along with offering flower on some religious places to show the respect. However when the world is facing climate change crisis, and these activities release enormous amount of GHGs in the atmosphere, we need to stop these activities on this planet earth.

This issue clicked me at Amravati district of Maharashtra state in India. Saint Tukdoji Maharaj from Mozari in Amravati district (President of India’s district) was a great person who played an important role in “freedom struggle” by his speeches and patriotic songs. He wrote a Gram-geeta, a geeta (a bible) on sustainable living and village development, the implementation of which actually influenced Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru those days.

“Gram-geeta” actually gave this nation a “mantra” of sustainable development (in 1940’s) and specially how we can protect the biodiversity (including lakes, rivers, birds, wildlife) environment at village level. Today in the “climate Change Crisis” the entire world needs to take lessons from Gramgeeta how every human should reduce the carbon footprint by changing our behaviour and support in strengthening “village economy and ecology”.

The people of Maharashtra are celebrating birth anniversary of this great man. On 7^th January Thursday President of India and Chief Minister of Maharashtra visited the Ashram at Mozari to observe the birth anniversary grand function of late Tukdoji Maharaj. On saturday the Government of Maharashtra had sent two aeroplanes to do rehearsal to shower flowers on his “Samadhi sthal”. On Sunday the planes did their job.

As we know that the Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) is in the form of kerosene and produces roughly about 2.158 kg of CO2 emissions per liter consumed. Mumbai to (Mozari) Amravati air distance is roughly 800 km (one way) which roughly requires 1100 liters for return flight of any Helicopter and more for smaller planes. This produces and emits minimum 2373 kg of CO2 in the atmosphere. So its roughly more than 10000 kg of CO2 emission.

Our Indian Government has internationally announced its position to bring down the carbon intensity by 20-25% by 2020 so we Indians now need to seriously think to avoid such wrong ways of celebrations and showing respects.

If we do so, that would be the best tribute to the great personality like Tukdoji maharaj who gave us a message of sustainable village development and following  pro-environment practices at village level.

“Jay Gurudev”