HOPE AND HUMANITY: YET ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED FROM NATURE
As they say, “Every cloud has a silver lining”. Amidst the lockdown, nature has been able to regain the freedom and rejuvenation it had 30 years ago when industrial pollution was nowhere to be seen. From the spotting of Nilgai on the streets of Noida, finding deer on the remote road of Chandigarh reclaiming its’ territory to spotting the endangered Malabar Civet resurfacing for the first time in the Calicut town after 1990, it shows as human beings are jailed, nature’s true beings are getting their chance to explore.
After several animals were spotted across the nation, guess who made their comeback to the waters of Kolkata? Well, it’s none other than the famous Gangetic or the South Asian River Dolphins. The South Asian River Dolphin, considered extinct from its’ early distribution ranges by the World Wildlife Fund has become a rare sight nowadays. Dolphins live in freshwater and there are only 1200 to 1800 dolphins worldwide. However, thanks to the reduced water pollution due to the ongoing lockdown, these beautiful creatures returned to their ultimate habitat, Hoogly River, which had faded away with increased industrial activity.
Indeed, a pleasure to witness the return of the dolphins to where they belong. Metaphorically speaking, the lockdown has rendered us human beings a similar opportunity to take a pause in this fast-moving world and get back to our roots. Some 30 years back, spotting these dolphins wasn’t an unusual occurrence! They used to be a regular visitor to the Kolkata Ghats. This portrays that nature is rebooting itself completely. Similarly, I believe, this pause was important for us to introspect our deeds, explore the person within us that became long lost with the everyday monotony, spend time with our loved ones and enjoy the little pleasures which life throws at us every second. As the dolphins came back, happiness struck the city of Kolkata amidst this prolonged lockdown. Thus, this taught us that one should look at the bright side of life and choose to be happy even if there is essentially not one at all. We have been chasing the materialistic pleasures of life like money and extraordinary living so much these days that the simple and kind gestures such as bringing a smile on the face of our loved ones, helping the needy and old, reminiscing old memories with our families were given a pass inadvertently.
As more than half the world is under lockdown and waits for it to be lifted, I believe the world will be a better place to live in, one with great solidarity once all this gets over. To quote Anne Frank, “I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains”. Indeed, her words put everything in perspective as we tackle the negativity pervading us. To conclude, nature has once again left an imprint on our hearts and taught us an important lesson of humanity, tenderness and hope. Looking at the positive side, I say, “Without a cloud, there is no silver lining”
