MUST INCLUDE BUCKET LIST IDEAS: BEFORE YOU GO TO YOUR ETERNAL ABODE!

Have you ever created a bucket list before? As an ardent environment awareness fan, I believe that you must include the following ideas in your bucket list and try fulfilling each, whenever and wherever you can! When we put our ideas in black and white, it becomes a motivation for us! It helps to keep your goals alive in your thoughts and instigate you to act!

In the present world of pandemic and environmental crisis, we must think a hundred times, of what happiness nature has bestowed on us, what we have experienced and what legacy we are leaving behind for our children! It’s their right too, to be blessed by a beautiful surrounding and enjoy it’s bliss! So let’s get going about it!

·       Trees are our benefactors, try to plant a tree whenever you can.

·   Preserve all seeds after eating fruits and sow them in an appropriate place in an appropriate manner.

·       Protect all those plants that you have planted.

·      Gift plants, whenever you have to gift something.

·     Think about your surroundings in your leisure time and think of how you can constructively add to it.

·       While throwing anything on the road, think twice if you are doing the right thing?

·     Never never spit on the road or perform your daily chores on the road; you are spoiling the health of others.

·      Do not throw plastic on the road as it stays for thousands of years without getting degraded.

·      Our rivers are our life lines, don’t litter them, don’t spoil them; keep their banks clean so that you can enjoy their beauty!

·      All degradable waste can be used in your gardens as fertilizer.

·       Do not waste water or electricity, it is precious, it is the property of our nation.

·     Travel all over the world and learn about how they preserve and protect their environment; try to implement their small though very important ideas in your daily life.

·      Whenever you go to any tourist place, keep it clean and tidy and avoid, “Let them not say and say it to their shame, that all was fine and clean, until you came!”

·      Do spread this message.

Green Blogger

Prof. Dr. Mrs. Jaya Kurhekar

भय!

As we enter the second major lockdown with Covid affected cases increasing day by day, I realise that we are in a different mindset now, as compared to April last year! We are more aware of the virus, the medication, the situation but still ........... the calamity goes on! There is a scare, a fear, a yearning for the situation to get better at some point now; we are eager, anxious, ready to comply but .... still something is wrong somewhere! See if you identify with my feelings............

भय इथले संपत नाही, मज तुझी आठवण येते,

मी संध्याकाळी गातो, तू मला शिकविली गीते.

 वाऱ्याबरोबर गाण्याच्या ओळी तरंगत आल्या आणि माझ्या अंगावर काटा आला! खरंच सध्या कोणत्या परिस्थितीत जगतोय आपण? आजूबाजूला बघावं तिथे भय आहे, भीती आहे, उद्याची चिंता आहे, सगळं काही नीट कधी होईल ह्याची मनात धाकधूक आहे! मार्च २०२० उजाडला आणि आपल्या आयुष्यातील, न भूतो न भविष्यति असा कालावधी सुरु झाला! जानेवारी महिन्यापासून आपण बातम्या ऐकत होतो, पहात होतो, कानावर गोष्टी येत होत्या पण जोपर्यंत त्या लांब होत्या तोपर्यंत आपण ही त्याचा फारसा विचार केला नाही. “दृष्टी आड सृष्टी” ह्या न्यायानं आपण सुरक्षित आहोत ही मानसिकता सगळ्यांच्यात रुजली होती. मार्च मधल्या एका भल्या सकाळी फर्मान सुटलं की जिथं आहात तिथं थांबा, घरी जा, इकडं तिकडं भटकू नका आणि मनात शंकेची पाल चुकचुकली! काय करणार आपण घरी जाऊन, घरी राहून? त्यापेक्षा आहे ते काम पूर्णच करून टाकू या, असा विचार मनात आला; मात्र सगळ्यांनाच घरीच धाडण्याची घाई झाली आणि आता पर्याय नाही हे लक्षात आलं! तिथूनच भयाची मालिका सुरु झाली!

मार्च महिना आला आणि गेला, एप्रिल तसाच गेला, मे गेला! कुठं जाणं नाही, येणं नाही, उन्हाळी कामं नाहीत, परीक्षा नाहीत, आंबे नाहीत, एका भयाण अवस्थेत घरात बसून सगळेच केवळ वाट पहात होतो! कधीतरी परिस्थिती बदलेल, आपण बाहेर पडू, पुन्हा पूर्वी सारखे हसंत खेळत काम करू! पण नाही, प्रत्येक जण शंकित, भयभीत, जाऊ कि नको ह्या चिंतेत! दुसऱ्या गावाला कामाला गेलेले लोक थिजल्या सारखे जिथल्या तिथं! गाड्या बंद, बसेस बंद, रिक्षा बंद, जायचं तरी कसं आणि कुठं? केवळ पुस्तकात वाचलेलं प्रत्यक्षात उतरलं होतं. जे कधी खरं वाटलं नाही, ऐकलं होतं तरी देखील कपोलकल्पित वाटलं होतं, ते पुढं उभं ठाकलं होतं! महामारी खरी असते?

मानवजातीवर कोरोना विषाणूचे ब्रम्हास्त्र सुटलं होतं, अजूनही आहे! पृथ्वीवरचा सगळ्यात लहान इटुकला पिटुकला जीव पण केवढी अफाट ताकद! सुमारे ३८५ कोटी वर्षांपूर्वी पहिले अतिसूक्ष्मजीव अवतरले, ज्यांनी साडेतीनशे कोटी वर्षे पृथ्वीवर राज्य केले. अगदी वातावरणातील टोकाचे बदल त्यांनी पचवले. 'विषाणू' हा हानिकारक अतिसूक्ष्मजीव, पेशींच्या आत जाऊन, आपलं बस्तान बसवून, प्रजनन करून एका दिवसात २८०००० अब्ज जीव जन्माला घालतो. आपल्या मानाने त्यांची प्रजनन क्षमता जबरदस्त असते! आपण स्वतःला सर्वात बुद्धिमान, ताकदवान समजतो पण खरं तर त्यांच्या समोर आपण काहीच नाही! मानवानं आपल्या बुद्धीनं बऱ्याच गोष्टी निसर्गाशी खेळत, त्याला डावलत केल्या परंतु निसर्गाच्या भात्यात अशी काही अस्त्रं आहेत, जी आपल्यावर उलटू शकतात ह्याचं भान त्याला राहिलं नाही.

अगदी साध्या, आपल्या पैकी प्रत्येकाला होणाऱ्या सर्दी खोकल्यासारख्या या “करोना” विषाणूच्या रोगानं  जनमानस भयभीत झालं. हवेतून पसरणारा, हवालदिल करणारा हा विषाणू कोविड-१९ करोनाच्या रूपात आला, तो औषधांना बधत नव्हता.  खरं जैविक जग हे माणसाच्या निरिक्षणापलिकडचं आहे. पृथ्वी हा जसा 'जलग्रह' तसाच 'सूक्ष्मजीवग्रह' आहे. खरं तर ते सूक्ष्मजीव आपल्यामध्ये आहेत, येतात, हाच मोठ्ठा गैरसमज, तर आपण त्यांच्यामध्ये, त्यांच्या समुद्रात रहात आहोत, ही वस्तुस्थिती! आपण जगत आहोत कारण त्यांनी आपल्याला जगायला परवानगी दिली आहे.

खरं तर बरेचसे रोग पृथ्वी तलावरून हद्दपार झाले आहेत, असं आपण गर्वानं सांगतो, जसं प्लेग, देवी! पण गेल्या चाळीस वर्षांत विषाणूंनी आपला पार भ्रमनिरास केला आहे! त्यांच्यापासून होणाऱ्या भयंकर नव्या रोगांनी आपल्यावर आक्रमण केलं; सार्स, मर्स, चिकुन गुन्या, डेंग्यू, स्वाईन फ्लू, करोना हे रोग त्यापैकीच!

अचानक असं काय झालं की हे विषाणू इतक्या वेगानं आपल्याला पछाडत आहेत? नैसर्गिक जनुकीय बदल, दीर्घकाळ सुप्तावस्थेत राहिलेला विषाणू परिस्थिती बदलल्याने सक्रीय होणं, द्वेषानं, स्पर्धेसाठी प्रयोगशाळेत बदल घडवून बनवलेले जीवाणू आणि विषाणू, मानवाची अनैसर्गिक वागणूक, खाणं, पिणं आणि संभोग, ही काही कारणे असू शकतात! सूक्ष्म जीवांची घरं, नैसर्गिक स्थानं आपण नष्ट केली, त्यांच्या पर्यावरणाला धक्का पोचविला. मानवानं विषारी रसायनं, वायू वातावरणात सोडले. अनेक वर्षं समृद्ध जैवविविधता बाळगणाऱ्या परिसंस्था वेगानं मोडीत निघाल्या. जंगले सपाट केली, जाळण्यात आली. नैसर्गिक रचना, हवामान यात मोठे बदल झाले, तापमान वाढत गेलं. कोट्यावधी वर्षांच्या निसर्गाच्या प्रक्रियांकडे दुर्लक्ष झालं आणि ह्याला बदलती जीवनशैली बऱ्याच अंशी कारणीभूत होती.

माणसांचे छोटे समूह परस्परांपासून वेगळे होते, तोपर्यंत जीवन शक्य झालं. शहरं व पर्यटनांमुळं विषाणूचा प्रसार वाढला.

आनंदाची शारीरिक व्याख्या, सुखलोलुप जीवनशैली, विषाणूंची संहारक क्षमता, हवा - पाण्यातुन प्रसार या गोष्टी एकत्र आल्यावर, मानवाचा 'न भूतो न भविष्यति', असा संहार सुरू झाला आहे. विशिष्ट सूक्ष्मजीवांच्या कृपेनं मानव जगला. पण भौतिक विकासाच्या नावाखाली त्यानं वृक्षं, जंगल, नदी, सागर नष्ट केले. काळाचं चक्र वेगानं उलट फिरवलं जात आहे. जाणाऱ्या प्रत्येक वर्षाबरोबर आपण आपल्या विनाशाच्या जवळ पोचत आहोत.

आपण “जैविक युद्ध” ही संकल्पना ऐकली आहे पण कदाचित सध्या आपण ती अनुभवतो आहोत! 'करोना विषाणू', हे जैविक युद्धातील एक आक्रमक अस्त्र असु शकेल. प्रयोगशाळेत जनुकीय बदल घडवून आणून तयार केला गेलेला हा विषाणू असेल तर तो अस्त्र म्हणून ज्यांनी वापरला त्यांच्यावरही उलटू शकतो. अर्थात हे आपण अनेक बाबतीत म्हणू शकतो; समुद्रात भर, नद्यांमधील पाणी रोखणं, वळविणं, रसायनांचा मुक्त हस्ते वापर, प्राणी आणि वनस्पती यांचा  खाण्यापिण्यात अनिर्बंध वापर, नैसर्गिक संसाधनांचा अमर्याद वापर, या सगळ्याच गोष्टी धीम्या विषबाधा करणाऱ्या आहेत आणि या गोष्टी हळू हळू मानवाच्या लक्षात येत आहेत. कुठेतरी निसर्गाला शरण जाऊन, त्याच्यावरचा अत्याचार थांबला पाहिजे, थांबविला पाहिजे!  

औद्योगिकरण व शहरीकरणामुळं तापमानवाढ आणि नवनवीन प्रकारचे विषाणू तयार होणारच! ह्या प्रक्रिया नैसर्गिक जीवन साखळ्यांच्या विरोधात आहेत. तात्पुरते उपाय आपण अनेक करतोय, भरपूर पाणी पिणं, कडक ऊन टाळणं, सतत हात धुणं, अंतर राखणं, नाकावर मास्क घालणं पण हे विषाणूंना रोखण्याचे उपाय नाहीत. तथाकथित भौतिक विकास, निसर्ग विरोधी जीवनशैली थांबवणं हाच फक्त उपाय आहे. एवढेसे विषाणू मानवजातीला पृथ्वीवरून पूर्णपणे नेस्तनाबूत करू शकतात. आपण निसर्गा विरूध्द जातो आहोत, तो कोपल्याशिवाय रहाणार नाही, आपला पराभव अटळ आहे!

भय आहे, भीती आहे, पण उपाय ही करावे लागतीलच! पुढच्या पिढ्यांचा विचार आता करायलाच हवा! आजचं चित्र पाहता, आता ही भीती आहे की आणखीन १०, २५, ५० वर्षांनी काय चित्र असेल? आज असा प्रश्न पडतो की खरंच आपण मार्च २०२० पूर्वी मोकळेपणाने फिरत होतो का? मागचं सगळंच स्वप्न होतं का? वेळ खरंच विचार करण्याची आहे!

आता धडपड केवळ,  मानवी अस्तित्वाची,
पापे भरली शंभर, पर्यावरणीय नष्ट्चर्याची,
सर्व तऱ्हांनी करण्या, विषाणूस नेस्तनाबूत,
उतरले सरसावूनी मैदानी, मानवी दूत!
थोडासा विवेक, थोडे आत्मभान,
शमवील धडपड, राखेल सर्वांची शान!

DR JAYA KURHEKAR

GREEN BLOGGER

A generous donor should keep giving!!

Here is an English translation of a beautiful poem by Vinda alias V. D. Karandikar, which narrates very beautifully how a donor can keep giving and transform a recipient to a donor, Law of Nature! 

Same applies to our Mother Earth, Nature, our environment; it keeps giving and we keep receiving, taking, snatching! When will we become donors and return what we have taken from it?? 

A generous donor should keep giving, 

A recipient should keep receiving! 

A colorful green yellow shawl, 

From blooming colorful green yellow farms! 

A protective shield for the brave chest, 

From the cliff of Sahyadri ranges calm! 

Various weird shapes from, 

Crazy weirdly shaped clouds, 

Affirmatives from mother Earth, 

For dire burning bloody quests and doubts! 

Take a mad foaming mane, 

From maddened foaming sea waves, 

Take Tukoba's beady prayer string, 

From brimming Bhima, as she overflows! 

A generous donor should keep giving, 

A recipient should keep receiving! 

But as days go by and as he receives, 

The recipient should enter the donor's shoes, 

 Becoming a donor, as he profusely gives! 

 *Original Poem देणाऱ्याने देत जावे!  in Marathi by*: V. D. Karandikar

 *English Translation by*: Professor (Dr). Mrs. J. V. Kurhekar

Green Blogger

Dr Jaya Kurhekar

KEYWORDS : FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT, human emotions, humanity, empathy

Me; a woman!

Like every year, the International woman’s day is just round the corner, beckoning me to pay heed! Do we truly need a day like this; a day when we are thought about, we are felicitated and honored? No, that’s not my idea of a woman’s day! Rather every day is a women’s day; just imagine a day without a woman and realization will dawn, whether you accept it or not, but a woman plays a major role in whatever is happening in your life, whatever has happened and what is going to happen!

Here are a few lines, which come to my mind, on this day, which I am penning down;

 YOU ARE POWERFUL!

1. 
   

    Again talking to you after a long time; wondering where the world is going and when all this would be an ended chapter? I am sure, all of you feel the same way as I do; I am waiting for that moment, when I would very safely be able to say, "Thank God, the bad chapter is over! Now we can look forward to a greener earth and a greener hope!" Very unfortunately, the chapter doesn't seem to be closed as yet! We still remain to pay the heavy price for all the chaos that we have created. The brighter side is that, as human beings we have been endowed with an intelligence that no other species on the earth has and we can create heaven or hell, with that intellect! Choice is ours!  

   We are powerful! Each one of us is equal to a thousand, provided we make use of our inner strength! We are filled up to the brim, with an inner power, of which we are unaware. 

   It is an age old experience that we are, what we think! So if we think we are, we are; if you think positive, positive will happen; if you crib, you will be handed over with more cribbing! If you feel that someone has insulted you, it’s your own feeling, may be that was not meant to be! The feeling itself will leave you insulted, having a negative impact on your body and mind! If you feel you have been wronged; look at the other side, maybe you will change your perception! 

   We are humans, brought up in a particular way, trained to think in a particular way! We can train ourselves to be positive, think positive and make positive happen! Affirmations can help us! Affirmations are positive statements you can keep saying to yourself! They help us to rewire our brains to think uniquely and differently, to think what and how you want it to think.

   Changing our habits will help us be positive. This will make our vision and the world positive! Nature has given us abundantly and it is our duty to maintain it, preserve it and see that it blooms! Keep saying positive things, keep repeating them; when we believe in them, nature will help us achieve them. 

    

   My favourite affirmatives are;

   Whatever is happening is for my good!

   Whatever happens is by the will of God and he has better designs for us!

   No one can hurt me, because no one is negative, the situation may force us to think otherwise, but basically all are intentionally good! 

   I love all and likewise people love me!

   One wrong doing never changes a lifetime of good work! 

   I am happy and satisfied and I can see happiness around me! 

   Every dark cloud has a silver lining and I will wait for it! 

   I am changing for the good and that’s great!

   I can see the good in every circumstance.

   Each one of us can think of many more; pen them down and keep repeating them, it will miraculously turn true!

   Happy mind changing!

    

   Green Blogger:

   Dr. Jaya Kurhekar

   
   

A YEAR THAT WAS!

A YEAR THAT WAS !!!

Hi dear friends,

I truly feel lost on this last day of the year 2020! When I turn back and introspect, I wonder if I really did go through 2020? I am sure all of you will identify with me, when I say, this year never came! But all said and done, we are on the threshold of 2021, bidding a farewell to 2020! We have lost many things and gained a lot too! I pen here my feelings, with a heavy heart, hoping to witness a new dawn, with new hopes! 

 

One such year was truly here!!!!

One such year was truly here,

Difficult to believe but it’s true,

When we all were aghast,

Till March 2020, nothing we knew!

 

Marching came a tiny being,

It took us all for a ride,

Neither could we do anything,

Nothing was in our hands, to decide!

 

Little did we know, what was going to happen?

How we take everything for granted,

Our whole life was to change,

Nothing was as we desired or as we wanted!

 

There was no aroma of pickles,
Neither a cup of ice cream and cake,
No shops of sugarcane juice,
Neither a glass of mango shake!

No one gave wedding invitations,
Neither were we called for the preceding eve,
No chance of paying heartfelt homage visits,
Neither could we attend death rituals and express grief!

There wasn’t an expectation of branded apparels,
Neither was wanted expensive makeup,
Neither did we buy costly shoes,
Nor got gold jewellery made up!

No one bought railway tickets,
Neither bus reservations were hooked,
Empty were all hotel rooms and
Neither were any flights booked!

No chance of visiting maternal abodes,
Neither the taste of mother’s cooking,
No visits to friends’ places,

No get-togethers or outings!

There were no temple bells,
Neither the squabbles for worship queues,
Nor did we donate at piers,
Neither were we fed holy laddoos!

Though many good things the year brought,

It made us think and collect our thoughts,

It made us look inside and introspect,

It made us look at everyday things with respect!

 

It showed us how to live at home,

To live with minimum and demand less,

It taught us self-dependence and self-help,

To do more and expect crisis to face!

 

It showed us how important health is,

How fitness counts and immunity develops,

How to indulge in proper, healthy eating

And what to eat and how it envelops!

 

The year brought us closer,

As family members and friends,

It showed us how significant it is,

To have a shoulder that befriends!

 

Things we never had time for,

Would take up any time, we assumed!

Books became important,

So also hobbies were resumed!

 The students were at home,

But teachers met them online,

Teaching continued,

With full vigour and in time!

 

Conferences and Seminars halted,

But zoomed in Meet and Zoom,

Proving once again,

How man overcomes doom!

 

Many business endeavours halted,

But many flourished,

God was visible,

In doctors, nurses, health workers and police!

 

It was a year that,

Brought forth the fact,

That never is all lost and

Keeping together keeps all intact!

 

It was year that brought anxiety,

Depression, uneasiness and poverty,

It stressed the importance of meditation,

Belief and faith in our beloved deity!

 

The year once again stressed before us,

That environment is God!

The more you tamper with it,

The more you will face the odd!

 

This 2020 will always be remembered,
As a year never awaited,
One such year was truly here,
Neither anyone dreamt, nor baited!


Dr Jaya Kurhekar

Green Blogger

KEYWORDS : FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT, FASCINATING LIFE, HOPE, FEAR, EMOTIONS,  EMPATHY, CARE, HYGIENE 

 

 

 BE HAPPY

It’s been quite some time since I last conversed with you! Yes, its been a year, very different from the others that we have ever experienced! A year that truly held us at a tenterhook, a year that was totally unpredictable and a year that doesn't know what is coming up next? We all are in a fix, we don't know what's coming up next and how do we take it all? 

What best can we do in such a situation?

I believe what we can do is "BE HAPPY!"

It’s a great wealth to be able to be happy! It is a function of Positive Thinking, some Special Skills, a Great Mindset and Active Actions! I know it’s difficult in adverse situations but then, what's the harm in trying?

I have tried out some things, which I am putting down before you, see if it helps? 

First thing we can do is not to think about the past or the future and Live in the Moment!

Stressing about the past doesn't make one happy and worrying about the future wouldn't make one happy! Let’s try to focus our energy on the present. The present moment is the only one we have and we can do something about it! We can learn from our past errors but without lingering on it and we can plan for the future without getting too involved in it! 

Every moment is a gift from God, so let's cherish it and focus on the good that's happening in this moment! Let us thank God for that He has given us which many do not have! 

Happiness is inborn, innate, inside us, it can’t be concocted! Its in our own hands to be happy! Create your own happiness by being grateful and living in "NOW!" 

Bless me and my people, my God,

Give me strength to face all odd,

I would remain grateful to you,

For keeping me satisfied and happy,

In the sense true!

Green Blogger

Dr. Jaya Kurhekar

KEYWORDS : FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT, LIFE. HOPE, EMOTIONS,  EMPATHY