Atul Sathe
(Originally published on the author’s personal blog.)
India, like most ancient cultures of the world has been following an inherently eco-friendly lifestyle for millennia. Unfortunately most other ancient cultures of the world do not survive today; but the essence of India’s Vedic culture is very much alive and is evident in many of the daily practices of Indians, primarily in rural areas and also to some extent in urban areas. Let us take a photographic tour of such sustainable practices, while sitting in the safety of our homes.
The bull, which has always been playing a vital role in pollution-free agriculture and transport, is revered as the deity Nandi, associated with Bhagwan Shiva. The presence of Nandi in front of the image of Shiva, thus has scientific as well as spiritual significance.
The beautiful flowers of Flame of the Forest (पळस / पलाश) were (and to some extent still are) used as a natural colour during Holi celebrations. In fact, the festival of Holi also depicts the vibrant world of colours that is seen all around us in the spring season in the form of new leaves and blossoms.
The ubiquitous broom is made from the flowers of the Broom Grass – a nice example of using natural materials for our needs, which can be harmlessly returned to nature after use. This photo was clicked in the Saguna Baug Agro Tourism Farm in Neral, Raigad district, Maharashtra.
The traditional grinding stone (जाते) was used to grind grains, which conserved electricity and provided superb exercise to the user. The fact that this large specimen was photographed in Raja Kelkar Museum, Pune, highlights the point that this device is not widely used today, except some rural homes.
A millet farm in Buldhana district, Maharashtra. Large parts of our country had subsisted on millets such as Sorghum (ज्वारी), Pearl Millet (बाजरी) and Finger Millet (नाचणी) for ages. Its benefits range from being gentle on the environment (since they require less water) and being beneficial to human health (since they are relatively rich in fibre and correspondingly lower in glycemic index).
A Banyan (वड) tree in Beed district, Maharashtra. This endemic tree has been revered by Indians and protected for ages. It has been an integral part of the culture and is worshiped on the occasion of Vat Pournima. It plays a vital role in the ecosystem by providing year round food and shelter to myriad birds and animals and also in carbon sequestration in large quantities.
(The author works as Content Developer – Curriculum & PR, MIT Group. He can be contacted at atul.sathe@mitpune.edu.in)
