Disclaimer: This is a short story based on my conversation with one of my friend sometime back. I have added some of my own ideas before presenting it to you people.
My name is Kanchan and I am 21 years old, I am returning to my hometown Simla for my summer vacations. And while traveling in this luxurious A/c coach I am lost in my thoughts. Since my early childhood I remember summer vacations as the most enjoyable time of the year. It is that time of year when I don't have to worry about homework or exams neither there are any teachers who will try to push all the bookish knowledge into my already tired brain which is not eager to take anymore of this rot. Summer vacation is a carefree time to be with oneself and to play.
Our house used to be situated at the outskirts of the Simla, far away from the crowded locality of the main city. It is surrounded by hills and was enveloped by serene atmosphere. We have been living here since my birth. The hills have an easy climb and were lush green with woods; some of these woods were as ancient as the human memory remembers. Running on the hills and playing hide and seek in the woods was a daily ritual after the school. These woods were my true friends, they always shared my joy and sorrows. During summer vacation I tend to explore beyond the nearby hills. I was always surprised to find another hill after exploring the new one. It took me sometime or rather a few years in school to realize that the whole world is not covered with hills and valleys and woods and springs. But now I wish it to be true so that everybody could have enjoyed the nature’s beauty hidden in these mountains. Then they wouldn’t have ruined it.
It all started a decade ago, when people started earning more money. Traditionally Simla used to be a tourist hotspot. And in the new economic scenario more tourists started flowing into Simla and with them cash started flowing in. Suddenly the hills were abuzz with economic activity. Banks were giving loans and with this new purchasing power people started consuming and wasting more. Because of the economic boom in the hills people from nearby district started coming into the city in search of livelihood and soon the city begun to expand. New housing societies were built in the outskirts of the city and soon I saw the woods being replaced by the concrete jungle. The hills now stand naked in front of my eyes; they were robbed of their woods and I was aggrieved to loose my ancient friends. For those who are not being hewed stand in a pitiable condition. Now whenever I hike across these hills I find the same scene of destruction everywhere. Either there are ugly concrete structures or the crops being grown on the hills, but there are no trees.
For past few years I have been observing a change in the climate, the weather cycle has changed, winters start late summer stays longer, less snow and more monsoon showers.. People say it’s because of the Global Warming, they say that excess quantity of CO2 traps the sunlight and heats the atmosphere. The changes in the weather system are its repercussion. We all have been taught in the schools that it is trees that recycle CO2 in to oxygen and helps sustaining life on earth. If it is true then why do we fall trees? Why are we ruining our paradise? Our greed is so strong that it has blinded us and pushing us to our doom. Still I believe all is not lost yet and we can still save what ever is left with us. Because if we fail to do so, then we will rob our coming generations of the pleasure of walking on grass and playing in a running stream. Being the intelligent species of this planet the onus is on us to preserve it.....
