From despair to hope

The term environment has been understood as the living space for all life forms spanning our immediate surroundings in particular and the vast space spanning the earth in general. However, the worsening scenario of environment in our immediate surroundings seems to have been bestowed concern in informed circles leaving the deteriorating state of environment in the latter case for debates in seminars, symposia and conferences for the knowledgeable flock to debate, coming out with their valued prescriptions on the rules of the environment game, including the do’s and dont’s, mostly noted, perfunctorily though, but not acted upon. The relentless moves by agencies of activists to create awareness among the masses about the value of environment protection and its role in wellness of environment itself and all life forms seems to be of no avail. The level of their ignorance about environment is so appalling that one is prompted to quote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the German Statesman who has said: “Nothing is more terrible than to see ignorance in action.”

Maybe, but for the ongoing climate change happening globally in general and more so in some regions particularly, seriously impacting agriculture, environment concerns would not have cropped up to the extent being witnessed lately. In any case, the air is abuzz with despair about threat to human life with virtually no hope of conditions supportive of life returning to the ideal.

While the top brass in governments and think tanks with their unheeded advisory on framing policy and pragmatic actions relating to environment as it is superficioulsy perceived continue to be pre-occupied with other agendas, people will do well to turn their attention on what is happening to environment in their homes, offices, hospitals, industrial space, trading sector, educational institutions at all levels and so on. The factors relating to environment in these spaces, both favourable and hindering, are not only in a long list but  also complex beyond words. The rapidly growing mass of vote-seekers across the land are leaving no stones unturned to vitiate the country’s social environment beyond repair.

In the foregoing backdrop, the initiative taken by the authorities of Bangalore University to introduce environmental studies as a compulsory subject in its undergraduate curriculum has happened not a day too early. However, the other elements of environment mentioned above is the onus of society to move from despair to hope.