By Felix Anthony

Miao, Feb 1, 2019: A school in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh celebrated the feast of Don Bosco with an exhibition themed ‘Peace with Nature’ on January 31.

The Light of the World School (LWS) at Miao celebrated the feast of the friend and father of the youth, with the exhibition to promote friendship with nature.

Explaining the theme to the parents, the school headmistress Sr. Rose, said all recent natural calamities point to the lack of love for the nature.

“Environment is the fountainhead of life. It not only directs but also determines sustenance, development and growth of the living species and all other activities. The quality of our life bears direct relation to the quality of our living environment. Human civilization is rooted in the eco-system and our actions have direct impact on them”, she said.

The school patron and chief guest Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao appreciated the children for choosing such a relevant theme. Echoing the words of Pope Francis in his latest encyclical Laudate Si – Care for our common home, the Earth, he said the fate of our tomorrow depends on what we do with the nature today.

“We are stewards not masters of our Earth”, he reminded the parents and children. “Each one of us has a responsibility to care for the gift of God, creation.”

The Salesian prelate encouraged everyone in his diocese to plant trees and to protect and promote the environment. Under his initiative, the Miao diocese has earned plaudits for the novelty of greeting the guests with saplings instead of the customary flower bouquet since 2013.

The paintings and the models the children prepared focused on the care and appreciation of nature and on living in peace with it. Green energy, wind mill, recycling, car pooling, forestation, and kitchen gardening models drew much attention of the audience.

The children also held placards with themes like ‘Be a part of the solution, not part of the pollution’ and ‘Trees are the poems that the earth writes upon the sky’ at the entrance of the expo to send out a strong message.

“We hope this leads our students and parents to develop a stronger friendship with nature, said Bablu Gogoi, the in-charge of the Expo.