A Perception of Nature : Changed

By : Navya Nair

We have all been facing difficult times these past few months due to the consecutive lockdowns. For many, the monotonous boredom is the main cause of distress; whereas there are others who are unable to find basic means of survival.

It has correctly been quoted that 'an empty mind is a devil's workshop'. In these times, with nothing to fill our time, people are gravitating towards harmful activities. This is evident by the sudden surge in crime and petty theft, as recorded by our police force. On May 27th, in the Silent Valley National Park, in the Palakkad district of Kerala, a person fed firecrackers hidden in a pineapple to a pregnant elephant. These crackers are thought to be "pig crackers" which are commonly used to scare off wild boars and bigs from agricultural fields. Two suspects were interrogated for this incident and only one person was arrested by the police. It is also assumed by many, that these crackers may not have been deliberately fed to the elephant, as many farmers keep such explosive fruits around their fields to protect them from wild animals.

The elephant and her unborn child both died three days later, in what can only be perceived as excruciating pain.

This tragic incident has spiked the interest and misery of thousands of people throughout the nation. Numerous poems, articles and poster depictions have been made on this with millions receiving virtual forwards on this incident.

It calls for all of us thinking about the complete lack of conscience and humanity needed to commit such a heinous deed. Even if this act was not a deliberate one, we mist still consider the amount of pain and shock it must bring to wild animals who make the mistake to feed upon them. It is no doubt immensely cruel on our part to fill an animal's food with explosives, even if it is to protect our own crops. A government official had correctly quoted in the poem that he had written about this incident, that if we continue to commit such crimes against nature, then we can only expect nature to retaliate in the form of floods and cyclones.

We must remember that nature does not need us, whereas we are dependent on mother earth for our survival. We must once again work towards being good global citizens by correcting our methods and treating our environment - not as a buffer than can handle our abuse, but as a natural entity that our life depends upon. Changing our perspective is the first step towards building a brighter future.