SPEECH ON BIODIVERSITY – SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB RWA SECTOR
46 – JUNE 2023
DINESH K KAPILA
Good evening from my side.
Firstly, I would like to express my thanks for the kind invitation and then for
the lovely evening. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable evening for me. With all
the light peppy romantic numbers, I would like to thank the counselor who's
present here, Mr. Gurpreet Singh and Dr. SS Grewal , in particular for the
warmth and the hospitality and for the pleasant enjoyable evening. The nicely
maintained community center at which we have had this gathering and the songs
created a wonderful ambience.
I would say after this lovely
evening of beautiful songs, romantic songs, I wonder if whether after all this,
well discussions on biodiversity are really in order, but since I've been
invited for the purpose, let me just
take it on. But before I start on that note, I would like to compliment the
singers, the orchestra, and the sound mixer, all of them put together have
really contributed to the enjoyment - of the songs, and it has been a most
pleasant experience. I have enjoyed myself after months. Live singing is always
so wonderful if done well, and it was done really well.
Now, the second thing before,
again, I go back to biodiversity. Dr. Ss Grewal, I have known him the last many
years now. His age 73, 74, is inspiring, as one of those persons engaged in the
very dry areas of watershed development. Springshed development, watersheds, greenification,
Arravali hills and Morni Hills. We have worked in that area. I never thought he
had this side of him. The light, entertaining sight, remembering old songs, and
really being the life of the evening. My compliments to Dr. Grewal, it has been
most inspiring and entertaining as also Dr. Sharma who sang so well. I never
knew. Senior citizens had this hidden talent and love for romance and days
past, it has been motivating considering
the road ahead for me too.
That's all I will say on this for now. Coming
to subject, well, before I come to biodiversity, I just thought. I'll talk
about Alexis De Tocqueville, the French philosopher who went to the USA
somewhere around 1840s, 1850s, and whose books and literature are still
considered a landmark in building of societies and democracies. You are a
collection of senior citizens and the RWA of Sector 46. Well, what Alexis De
Tocqueville did say years back was as he
talked about civil society, what we call it now, in his time, we used some different words. It
was that our association on these platforms resolves critical problems, but
more importantly, allows individuals to participate, collaborate, contribute. You
know, we step out of our private zones, we come forward, we set to each other.
We forego some prejudices, we develop common ideas. Then we work upon them.
This is democracy. This is the foundation of democracy. So what you are doing
is you are building on the foundation of democracy. I'll weave this into the
biodiversity area subsequently.
And if you look what we call non-profit
organizations, voluntary organizations, what,
Alexis De Tocqueville called Public Civil Associations, these are what
we call civil society of today or rather non profit organisations or voluntary
organisations largely, as he did in a way say even way back. Americans of all
ages, conditions, all dispositions, consistently unite together. Hold fairs, hold
seminars, construct churches and such structures, distribute books, well, send
off missionaries. They establish hospitals, schools, et cetera. And they form
an association if they wish to highlight a truth or to develop an opinion by
converging together. So your participation today is very important as it helps
us to set the building blocks of governance and democracy. This is what is
really required.
Well, now if I come to
biodiversity, it’s the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a
particular habitat, A high level of which is considered to be important and
desirable and this is what we are talking about today. Now if we look at what
is happening in Morni Hills today, its just nearby, the development work over
the years. In the hills, SPACE has undertaken good work, below in the semi plains
and foothills, ISPER has undertaken good work. It’s a diverse vibrant
diversity, we need to preserve such areas, this is what will motivate us as we preserve
it and carry it forward. The International Bio Diversity Day was just observed
recently, the Environment Day is tomorrow. Now Morni Hills, It's not just, you
know, the greenery. It has to be maintained. There is no perennial source of
water there per springs evolve from the jungles, which have been preserved the
way they are largely. In the name of development let us not damage the fragile
ecosystem. Or relevant biodiversity. We need to preserve such areas. Set an
example so to say. Do visit this area
and learn.
Climate change is upon us.
Biodiversity has declined and it poses a direct threat to us. And one thing
more, the focus was on industrial pollution in the address earlier. I would
just like to submit that pollution due to agriculture and which means, which
includes within it, agriculture, animal fisheries, the complete compliment of
it is also largely responsible for climate change. It's not simply industry. So
let us keep all these aspects in mind while we discuss biodiversity. Number
two, electric vehicles are certainly required, but yet the issue and concerns
of the batteries are still to be taken up. Earlier Forestry was also discussed,
well, manmade forests are not ideal for biodiversity per se, preferable, Yes,
within our constraints I would say. But are these the real forests? We have to
generate the undergrowth and the trees as per our ecosystem and as we had it,
to restore it to what all species would thrive in. So let us in our sectors,
grow our traditional native trees, plants, shrubs, so that we have all these
put together. This will be a major factor in encouraging a diverse and vibrant
biodiversity. Chandigarh has a lot of biodiversity, but sometimes I find
residents saying we have too many trees, its overdone, its unsafe and they need
pruning. Let's prune them. Safety is important. But we need this green trees
cover, always. It has multiple benefits.
The rich variety and forms of
life forms. They have their interaction with each other and the environment.
And it's happening consistently. This is a continuous process. It is in our
bodies, as microorganisms, backyards in
our kitchens, towns, cities. Wherever it is, we have biodiversity and we have
to have well organized ecological communities and ecosystems. We have to
maintain and enhance biodiversity on land and in oceans, that is how we can
sequester the carbon dioxides in our environment. There are various other means
also like the char systems now under development and being scaled up in Europe,
but preferably it has to be starting with greenery, forests. And encouraging
forests which are diverse, a mix, and even growing plants wherever we can now.
Now let us discuss one more issue and a real concern, mitigation and the risk and management of climate
change, it can be tackled very nicely by biodiversity. It also fulfills our
basic needs. For food, shelter, medicines, mental health, recreation and
spiritual enrichment.
All these aspects,
comprehensively, are the benefits of well conserved or well developed forest, A
good park provide. If you looks nicely around us, Chandigarh has a variety of
parks and some natural pathways re exit. Why do we pride ourselves in this tri
city, particularly for this because we know. We have this, but we have to not
only take pride in what we have, we have to maintain it, we have to grow it,
and we have to make sure we nurture it.
So if we do this, work in it, it'll
be one of our major factors for contributing to a good biodiversity and
enriching biodiversity. And then, now I come back to my original point. Like
you are a Civil society as are many others across the tr-city. Now, how do we
go about it? The Municipal corporation will do, The Indian Forest Service will
do. Is that thought correct. They will
do, the system will do, is normally the refrain. No, they will do what they
have to do. We as a civil society should do what we can do, associate with
them, work on our own, take the permissions. We are required, but collaborate
together.
Your Councillor is present, he is
aware and working on this, as are other Councillors. I am the President of the
RWA in my sector, we also endeavour to do our bit with our officials and
councillor. But we need to go much further. So let us all remain engaged in
this. That's how we can go about it. We have to not only focus on quantity, but
on quality, also quality solutions, and we need to consult various scientists
and people around us. Like Dr. Grewal
here, We should value his contribution. Unfortunately, Northwest India does not encourage or support
intellectual content, which is hands-on and practical. The same work. If Dr. Grewal
had done say in Rajasthan, he would have
been lionized over there. We hardly mention here the amount of work he has done
on small check dams, watersheds spring sheds, in the Arravalis, around Gurgaon
and Rajasthan and in the Morni Hills. He has contributed on intellectual
content also by writing articles, but somehow we lack that ability. It's high
time we build up this ability and
quality also, It'll be a great contribution from our side if you value our
people who have done hands-on work, as it'll encourage them to contribute more
and also build a following, which will then also start doing the same work.
Biodiversity is composed off
degraded lands, polluted rivers, oceans, sustainable agriculture, these are all our challenges. Agriculture, how
to make it sustainable but at the same time feed our huge population. These are
our challenges. Slowly, we will have to look at it. Look at our consumption
patterns. Very difficult to set the clock back, but society has also overcome
all challenges before.
It's a matter of time, I'm sure. Stay
Positive. Work with a positive intent. And with positivity only we can take up
this immense challenge. So be the Civil Society of Change. Bring about that
change, which we can in our working, balance our aspirations and the needs for
development with nature and our bios biodiversity. And if we do this, I am sure
we can build up a good and vibrant ecosystem which is functional, harmonious
with our aspirations and allows us to breathe and work in harmony with nature.
See as people say, I was talking
to a Real Estate developer, he said wherever I build apartments, well in all shaded
areas we make children parks, why me, all do. Now the same way wherever we have
a left out area in our sectors, let there be shrubs, greenery, trees, hedges,
anything. Just let it be. And not always neat and tidy for neat and tidy means
we start pruning it, cutting it down to size. Some areas just let them be as
green and as vibrant and ecosystem as possible. See the amount of birds
congregating there and other species, it'll be an encouraging sign. So we can
do that also as a civil society. So as we go forward bio diversity has the loss
of species, climate stressors, audio, human pressures are there, we have to
logically and with clarity balance them.
So let us work on it. Propagate
it. Minor action even if you undertaken kindly don’t think it is a small step
or action. .In the sum total of it, It makes a big difference. That is the
point I think, on which I'll conclude. Start any action. Let it be minor let it
be anything minor which we do collectively or individually, small sequential
steps, a series of small actions, all matter. It collectively adds to something
bigger than the sum of it.
I think we have to look at it
from this point of view, so let's work on it. Let's encourage our next
generation and our coming generations look around us, talk to each other, build
opinions. And not only for Chandigarh but for our region nearby. Punjab and Haryana,
HP, JK. Let us respect nature, let us build a healthy respect for nature and
the need for balance level.
I would like to thank the Senior
Citizens Club once again and the RWA Sector 46 for this opportunity. Thank you
ever so much. Thank you.
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