ഗവൺമെന്റ് എച്ച്. എസ്. എസ്. ഫോർ ഗേൾസ് നെടുമങ്ങാട്/അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം/ A CLEAN GREEN STORY

A CLEAN GREEN STORY “Hello friends! I am Grandma Janaki. Presently I live with my son, wife and two children in Thiruvananthapuram City. I know you are also at home due to the nationwide COVID - 19 Lockdown and getting very bored like Meena and Manu, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all a very interesting old story as you all are fed up of video games and Facebook. Join us!” Long long ago there was a village in which I lived as a little girl. It was a clean and green one with lush fields and sparkling streams. We were kind to our animals and did not kill them for their meat or dump wastes all over. Nature was divine and we never had less or more – we shared amongst each other what we produced in our fields and gardens. There was never any feud on trivialities like property, religion or wealth. We did not believe in fancy gadgets, luxury or fast food. Our health was good as we ate less and exercised well. Our village school was small and the children loved the teachers and Headmistress a lot. She had come from the city but loved and adapted to our simple ways. To us she narrated of how slowly things were changing in the world around us. In the city, all were fond of luxury and rushed to the Middle East and other foreign countries to earn money. There was not a single person who had ventured out of our cosy village and we didn’t agree with this practice. One day our class teacher informed us that our Headmistress had to leave as there was a great epidemic in the city and her parents were affected. There was a great death toll as it was SARS and had come from the Middle East. It had spread from consuming infected camel meat we heard. It startled us as we never ate our livestock. We did not hunt wild animals either. We planted saplings every now and then, maintained personal hygiene and washed hands before every meal. We never experienced such fatal illnesses. Now things began to slowly change. Youngsters from our village wanted to pursue higher studies in the city. Despite the warning of the Village Elders, they left to get settled there. Neither these youngsters nor our Headmistress returned. The process of migration continued and the Village got transformed completely. It became a small town of sorts and the cleanliness and simplicity lost. Then came the dengue fever, cholera and such dreaded diseases. My father got a job in the city and we moved. How sad I was to shift and lose my health entirely here. “Now tell me children, if you prefer to live in a clean village like I mentioned or in a pandemic-stricken polluted city like ours? “Grandma, can’t we change our lifestyle and change this situation? wondered Meena. “Why not Dear? Everything is made possible by you who are our future,” said Grandma. Manu added excitedly, “Surely we have learned to live with a lot more simplicity due to this lockdown and understand the importance of hygiene and health more than ever before. “My first suggestion is that you join me in our kitchen garden to help plant vegetables and fruits so that at times such as this, we do not face shortage and eat pesticide -ridden stale vegetables and fruits, “said Grandma. “So you see My Dear Friends, we have decided to lead a more sustainable lifestyle even after the lockdown is over and never succumb to pandemics. Take a vow today to get rid of a toxic western lifestyle and embrace our Indian heritage and culture for a healthy and disease free tomorrow!” DEVIKA S S 8 C, ഗവ ഗേൾസ് എച്ച് എസ് എസ് നെടുമങ്ങാട് നെടുമങ്ങാട് ഉപജില്ല തിരുവനന്തപുരം അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം പദ്ധതി, 2020 കഥ  സാങ്കേതിക പരിശോധന - Sathish.ss തീയ്യതി: 12/ 02/ 2022 >> രചനാവിഭാഗം - കഥ