Today I saw a special on Discovery channel. It was about tigers and their dwindling population in the tiger reserves in India, it was a documentary on the tigers in India and a few dedicated people struggling to protect the tigers. For a common person like me it looked as though the Government of India has decided to sleep on the issue and that the Project tiger (a trust) for protecting the tigers, is probably hand in glove with poachers, as they seem to ignore what nature experts say about dwindling tiger population. The entire tiger population in the Sariska tiger reserve was wiped out by poachers, right under the nose of the Project tiger authorities.

The reason behind the poaching? Illegal trading of tiger parts which includes tiger skin, bones, genitals etc. All these are in great demand in China and other south east asian countries. Obviously Chinese have no love for animals and will probably eat anything. Every Indian today is waiting to earn quick money so when somebody is willing to pay a lot of money for a dead tiger, why not go into a national park and kill a tiger or two. Who cares what happens to the eco system which is already very fragile.

We save for the future. But what are we saving? money? What about the environment don’t we have to save that? Every child knows that the most important thing for us to survive is Air, water, food and shelter. But ask a grown up the first answer will probably be money and not just money but loads of it. So what do we do with all that money, save for our children. Will saving money for our children be enough? don’t we have to save clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment. Human mind if not controlled can never be satisfied; the need is ever growing. We need more of everything! So how are we to know where to draw the line? Maybe not all of us can go to a national park and start working directly to protect the animals and trees there, but there are many things that we do indirectly that will help protect the nature.

Save electricity: This many of us will be ready to do as it directly translates to saving money. Switch of that T.V. and spend more time with your children or parents I am sure everyone will be happier. Have lights on only when it is absolutely necessary, same applies to other electrical/ electronic appliances.

Save water: There are many people who have to walk miles to get a few litres of water. Lets think about those people and save water. When one brushes teeth it is not necessary to leave the water in the tap running, while applying soap turn of the shower. Spend less time under the shower. And having a bath in a tub? Well is it really necessary? In the name of luxury we are definitely creating havoc.

Stop littering: if you don’t see dustbins on the road then why eat on the road. Or if it is unavoidable carry the trash (paper/plastic) in a bag till you reach the nearest dustbin or trash it when you reach home. I am sure that it is not impossible. Where there is a will there is a way.

Buy cotton clothes: I am sure we all can survive if we don’t buy more than 2 clothes a year, is it really necessary to have lots of new clothes every year? And are you going to die if you repeat wearing the same clothes? Or if you have only 2 pairs of shoes. These are all questions we have to ask ourselves.

And last but not the least

Recycle: anything and everything that is possible.

These are all little steps that we can take towards making a better world to live in for us as well as for the future generations. And let’s remember the saying “Little drops of water make the mighty ocean”