By K Vani
Bengaluru, April 7, 2020: Although I am not a Christian, I believe in Christ and follow His principles.
All my studies were done in Christian institutions and now I am privileged to work in a prestigious Christian college in Bengaluru.
Thanks to all those Catholic priests and nuns who have helped me to imbibe values in life.
Attending so many youth programs at the national and state level, I am familiar with the teachings of the Church. I was so delighted to read Pope Francis’ encyclical (‘Christus Vivit’ or Christ lives) on youth where he speaks about the interest of youth for nature. I do have the craze for nature but I need to make it more concrete.
Let me quote a passage from Pope’s encyclical. “Nature holds a special attraction for many adolescents and young people who recognize their need to care for the environment. The Scouts and other worldwide groups and movements encourage young people to exhibit closeness to nature, through camping trips, hiking, expeditions and campaigns to improve the environment.
In the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi, these experiences can be a real initiation into the school of universal fraternity and contemplative prayer” (CV 228).
Gone are the days when I used to play the whole day with mud on the streets, get so tired that I have a sound sleep and get up fresh in the morning without any worry. Now that I have grown up, I have become a working woman.
Every morning I get up with a heavy burden of stress and anxiety. Thinking of the traffic drains my energy in the morning itself. All the preparation and homework I need to do to be ready for the lecture in the college makes me half dead even before I step inside the college. Is there no relief for these everyday stress and fatigue?
Recently, one of my friends sent me a video of Peepal’s Baba who spoke about gardening as the best activity for stress relief. It sounded nice because I love gardening and I had many flower pots at home. Unfortunately, due to the shifting of the house, I lost all of them. I always wanted to resume my love for nature but I was super busy fighting the traffic and work. My love for nature remained only in my thoughts and words.
I could not make it a reality.
Providentially, these days I got a stretch of holidays. The same friend of mine sent me another video on terrace gardening and composting. I thought it is the right time to get into action.
I thought of Mahatma Gandhi who said, “Be the change that you want to see in the society.” I spent half a day watching YouTube, doing research on what and how it could be done.
I decided to grow my own vegetables. To grow anything we need mud. But in Bengaluru, I found it hard to get some mud.
I called some of my friends went to their houses in the outskirts of the city and got a sack of mud and cow dung, got ready a few pots and gave vent to my creative mind to try all the possibilities. All the plastic bottles and boxes came handy to reuse for the innovative methods shown in the videos.
The next day, I woke up with full energy to materialize my new project. I motivated children at home to help me bribing them with sweets and sweet promises.
The whole day was spent doing the forgotten art which I loved the most. I had a feeling that overnight I have become an urban farmer. We worked the whole day with mud, manure, seeds, plants, and water.
There were those nostalgic feeling of childhood days. But childhood cannot be brought back now. Nevertheless, I was happy that I am making these children play and work with nature.
If all of us can manage our kitchen waste through composting I think I we can make Bengaluru again a garden city and all the cities for that matter.
I just followed the YouTube video to make kitchen waste composting. I am sure it works. I am happy that today onwards no kitchen waste goes out of our house. The daily kitchen waste of my house is going to be black gold for my plants.
At the end of the day, I was so delighted and had a great sense of achievement which I had lost ever since I stopped my studies. I felt so light and relieved. My entire mind was thinking about how my plants would be growing and how I would be harvesting them.
I was so impatient that before going to bed wanted to see if the seeds have become plants already.
At that time I was in great admiration for the farmers who wait for months so patiently for their labor to bear fruit.
I told myself that nothing happens overnight. I need to wait patiently for anything to happen in my life too.
The best thing about this new project is that I forgot all my worries. I never thought about my mobile which used torture me enough every day. I was not at all stressed instead I felt so enthusiastic and agile.
Working with nature surely is the best way to get rid of all the tension and pain. It heals one of all heartaches and burdens. I just forgot myself in the lap of nature.
Attending one of the sessions on ‘Laudato Si’ (the second encyclical of Pope Francis on ecology) in one of the youth programs, the resource person quoted the words of the Pontiff.
“It is very noble to take on the task of taking care of creation with small daily actions, and it is wonderful that education is capable of motivating them even to shaping their lifestyle. Educating to environmental responsibility can encourage various behaviors that have a direct and important impact on caring for the environment” (Laudato Sì 211).
As a youth, I can do a lot more towards nature. I am committed to follow the exhortation of the pope and so many environmentalists.
I will bring about a change in my life and the people around me through my daily actions towards taking care of nature. Let many more young people give heed to the call of Pope Francis in taking care of the nature. It is the best way of getting rid of our daily tensions and worries in life.
(Vani K is a Sector Warden, Civil Defence Karnataka, Youth leader, Bosco Youth Karnataka, and Assistant Professor, Jyoti Nivas College, Bengaluru.)