Me Pan Mumbaikar

Hey you! Don’t be afraid! I am not going to harm you, even though you’re in my territory! I mean no harm to you, though I am not sure you mean the same towards me?

Do you realise your trespassing on my territory, destroying my home, cutting off my food supply, and you expect me not to react? And when I do react it’s called animal attack! But then aren’t you doing the same to me?

I heard that you plan to cut down trees and plan to plant new ones on allocated land. But here lies the problem, you’ll cut down trees that are hundreds of year old  only to plant saplings. Trees that have been alive way before your time, will be felled to make way for your greed (cause let’s face it that’s your ulterior motive), and knowing how you are I don’t think those saplings too will survive for long! I’ve seen posters featuring the CM and the PM  who are planning to plant 30 crore or so trees. Isn’t it ironic that the same people who sanction the felling of trees, or do nothing to prevent it promise the planting of more trees.

I heard they want to chop trees to build a metro shed, a parking a lot, a zoo. All this at the cost of the environment. And isn’t it ironic that you want to take away my freedom, putting me in cages and enclosures, and charge people just to see us in captivity at the cost of our freedom.

You have the Fit India Movement, but how can a nation be fit if the air you breathe is constantly deteriorating? With all these wanton feeling of trees, to satiate your greed, it will surely take you the Delhi way. Then how can you have a fit India if the very air you breathe is bad? So you looking at progress bit progress at what cost? The cost of your health, the cost of the environment? Very soon the only trees you’ll be able to see would be in a tree museum, the only leopards and panthers you’ll be able to see is of the stuffed kind, if we don’t survive captivity.

You have celebs and politicians talking about plastic bans and saving the rivers, how about doing something to Save Aarey, saving the flora and fauna that would be lost forever, saving the tribals and the animals who would loose their homes and sources of food. You can email, tweet, tag, those responsible, asking them for answers, questioning  their motives, bringing them to the book. Your one small action can create a ripple effect, can affect a change. If not for us then for your future generations who wouldn’t know what a clean environment would be like, a Wall-e like situation. 

But end please do it for us, after all me pan Mumbaikar. And don’t worry I will wouldn’t eat you, after all I don’t want to ruin my diet!