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Show you care: Seth
Roshan Seth's spell-binding yet laconic discourse on environment held the audience in rapt attention, reports Sajjan Singh Thakur/b.
When internationally acclaimed actor, theatre and TV personality Roshan Seth speaks, people listen. Sunday was no exception when a captive audience listened him with rapt attention when he was giving sermons on the need to "first practice, then preach if we really care for our environment".
The occasion was World Environment Day, celebrated by the World Wide Fund for Nature-India, at its Secretariat's office.
And when he, speaking as the chief guest, stood to speak up for his film fraternity against the ban on smoking in films and TV, though in a guarded tone, the subtle message — "First tackle real issues" — went home. Though this "reformed smoker" — he had been a chain smoker — "would not comment on this issue, real problems lie somewhere else". Likewise, he did not mince words in castigating NDMC for the crime and mess that "have been inflicted upon the Yamuna river". "It's (NDMC) a unique organisation in the world; a product of intense disorder, that has little concern for capital's environment and its residents," he said.
Through Broken Window theory, coined by two American criminal psychologists, the Nehru of Richard Attenborough's Gandhi tried to impress upon the audience, and he succeeded in it too, the need in 'our life not to leave the window broken, so that someone will break the other one too'. Instead mend it. "And show that you care. Only then can we protect our laws and environment."
For the uninitiated, the theory said if someone finds a window broken, while passing by it, and leaves it broken, a chain reaction follows, when it leads others to break more, "as if who cares". It applies to crime and criminal psychology. In present context, people's attitude of "chalta hai" has largely contributed "to the decline in values and environmental degradation all around".
Convincing to the point of impressing even the non-initiates, if there were ones, Seth's experience in narrating stories, much like his Bharat Ek Khoj, that went on to become a classic on the national network, came in handy.
His subtle, spell-binding, yet laconic discourse on environmental issues and concern was a perfect foil to the masterful presentation of a street play and later a dance drama by school children.
The slideshow, street play and a dance drama were a sincere effort at bringing home the point that "humanity mush shun the use of plastics ASAP" and work tirelessly to restore life to "the decaying mother earth" by planting tress and other means of cleanliness.
Later, Roshan Seth gave away prizes to the winners of various competitions. WWF-India celebrated the World Environment Day with a host of educative events for the children, youth and others. The event through various competitions and activities such as face and pebble painting, seed and flower trails, film screenings etc was meant to generate awareness and educate the participants on the importance of sustainable community participation towards the conservation of environment.
Ms Lima Rosalind, director, Environment Education Programmes, WWF-India said, "We are using the World Environment Day as a platform to bring people's attention towards doing a deed for saving the environment. Any conscious effort would go a long way in bettering the environment. We have one earth and it's very important to save it. We have inherited the earth for our children. Leave them a living planet."
"Rapid urbanisation of this kind will lead to great strain on the natural resources, energy production and contribute to the ever-increasing degradation of land and water, polluting our coasts and seas and depleting our aquifers. With the involvement and initiative of people, it is, however, possible to plan spaces which are conducive to a clean and healthy life for both us and our children," stated Ravi Singh, secretary general and CEO, WWF-India.
