The cost of freedom

“The real poetry and beauty in life comes from an intense relationship with reality in all its aspects. Realism is in fact the ideal we must aspire to, the highest point of human rationality.” ― Robert Greene

The man cycled through the busy streets with a blue drum of water which spilled the water he had painfully procured having stood in a long line. Unhappily he got down to tighten the lid with a plastic sheet to prevent water from spilling. As he began cycling it continued  to dribble. The road in the street was burning hot. Each drop of water evaporated the minute it touched the road. There were women who had covered their faces with long pieces of cloth called dupatta in India. The heat was unbearable. Occasionally the sky would turn dark with interspersed heavy clouds giving people the impression that the monsoon would begin but it was a mere illusion. 
People felt the anguish of heat greater with the reduction in the supply of water. There was hardly any water in the catchment areas, there were very few catchment areas with urbanisation and development. Everyone possessed beautiful homes, yet invested in more. The news and media covered the laments of the poor farmers who had lost their crops painfully grown after investing a few thousand to buy crop seeds. The cries of the women whose husbands had committed suicide due to the destruction of crops touched the hearts of people, but they were helpless as the solution was rains. It reminded me of the feudalistic emperors who were cruel yet the people had food to survive. Man is responsible for the passive utilization of nature which has changed with the societal transformation in trade and industry.

                       

Then one fine evening the sky began trickling, a few heavenly drops to be lapped up generously by man, animals and plants. People waited for more, but none came and then it actually began raining. People thanked God for his supreme kindness. The absence of rain had made people understand its value. They bore all the difficulties in going out placidly as they now needed water. It rained every day, each day to the delight of people the intensity grew. We loved it till we heard of the landslide in Pune which had left the whole village submerged with more than hundred and sixty people missing.

The people who were trapped in the landslide were workers who had come to work in the nearby paddy fields. The news said that the ground was saturated with water which caused the mountains tumbledown like a pack of cards. The paddy fields were green with plants but the hutments of their cultivators submerged. People mourned the loss but were no avail. Perhaps it could have been prevented if there were trees planted on the mountains. Their precious lives could have been saved had people not invested in new homes in the nearby areas which used the mountainous soil. The unpleasant incident clearly pictures how a society begins to influence nature. 

Unreasonable abuse of nature will leave no resources for human existence. Sensible and judicious use of natural resources have diminished with the freedom and independence which have led to extravagance and exhaustion of resources in an entrepreneurial system. Are natural calamities in India the price of freedom?

 “In every man there are two minds that work side by side, the one checking the other; thus emotion stands against reason, intellect corrects passion and first impressions act a little, but very little, before quick reflection.” ― Ford Madox Ford,