31, March 2007 - bandh(total shutdown) in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. As a hail from this state and the state (or should I rather say the ruling party) has called for bandh in protest of Supreme Court order. I wonder if protesting a SC order is legitimate under our constitution? Or the better of my sense seem to remind me that its we who created these constitution and anything goes in this world. I believe this is enough of digression from the subject of this blog to the points am making in the above sentences.
Yeah - why am liking this bandh? I have never seen so many people being in their homes (respective homes, btw) and just about finding ways to wile away their "forced" break. It is funny to see the kind of activities they resort to 1) sleeping 2) cleaning 3) TV taking the major chunk of activity on this day and all other worldly matters comes as the 4th point. But, I'm not liking this band for these reasons also. It is some thing more and a thing for which I'm so passionate about, the nature (Earth - wow our only place).
To think of the number of Vehicles off road in TN in this 12 hour time period is mind boggling. It is estimated that almost 98 % of vehicles (that would normally ply on any other day) would be off road for this 12 hours. I'm so happy coz this is the time frame that the nature mends herself. To the number of ecological and other natural damages we have done to our very own environment, it stands as a pathetic testimonial to our lives. The pollution of vehicles, the industrial activities and all other activities (phew other bad acts of our pollution are not coming to my mind now :( ) that has quite literally left our nature in coma. This bandh could just give a break to the eternal pollution of our lives, though it is momentary, in relative terms to the earth's lifespan and our acts of pollution. But I'm still glad and liking it.
We always under estimate the nature's capability to mend herself. Left to its natural activity , this nature could amazingly spring back to its original form of past years and make Chennai less pollution free in a short span of time. The advantage of this are manifold. Decline in the respiratory problems of people ,better water, and more cohesive ecosystem that could turn out to be a better place for us to live and share.
A better nature is the panacea for all our present troubles and that begs the question why we aren't looking in this direction of achieving the same.
