I Can Save the Earth

I woke up in the morning,
I thought it would be a new beginning.
But when I did peep out of my window,
Shattered was the dream of a better tomorrow.

The sun had an eerie glow,
Draped was the horizon in a smoky robe.
The birds seemed to fly slowly,
The environment was polluted completely.

Withered were the roses and daisies.
Few were the lush, green trees.
The stream was turbid, eroded was the land.
Sounds most disturbing rang like a diabolic band.

Who was it that caused this disaster,
In this heaven like place of the Master,
Which now bared a sad face,
Humans, I realised, are the destructive race.

But I too am a human being.
I am to be blamed too for the animals dying.
I resolved that everyone must,
Do his bit to save the earth’s crust.

Stop the use of polyethylene,
Recycle paper to save the tree.
Check the pollution and the noise.
So Mother Earth can sit in poise.

If you ask me, what difference can I make,
I would say it is for Nature’s sake,
That each one must contribute to the fullest.
For the earth can change with the help of the meekest.

Turpti, B. Indulkar
Bishop Cotton’s Girls High Schools
Bangalore

The night set in,
there is an expected silence in the air.
you can almost hear the dropping of a pin,
apart from the stray dogs, howling without a care.

But suddenly, it happens, a loud Boom,
followed by a second one, and a third,
up into the air, rocket zooms,
while in the distance, more crackers are heard.

This is the scene every "Diwali" brings,
but, along with the lights and fond embraces,
somewhere in a hospital, a telephone rings,
and a desperate parent, cries about burns, cuts and other such cases.

Now the scene shifts to another place,
a dark, and dingy one,
Over-crowding with kids of all ages,
with minds and bodies, deprived of any kind of fun.

"Their little fingers work continuously,
making as many crackers, as they can,
their frail bodies shake occasionally,
with coughs, which the crackers fan.

Some of the kids have seen merely five "Diwali’s"
some, as much as fifteen,
but all, have one or the other disease,
which makes one doubt whether they’ll live to see fifty.

So, is it really worth it ?
All these loud, and unnecessary crackers,
so make a resolution, and keep it,
that we’ll say ‘NO’ to crackers !!!

Bidisha Bharali, XI ‘B’, DPS, Noida

Franklin D. Roosevelt once wrote " The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself". How true it is. But the implied meaning of Roosevelt’s statement is more evident now than it was then. Pollution has become an inevitable feature of ou life and we are fighting against this evil in order to protect our lives. One of the ways in which we can achieve this is by environmental awareness which is being spread by various schools and NGOs. The Environment Awareness Club (EAC) of Carmel Convent School is also trying to contribute to this in its own little way.

On July 23, 1999, the members of EAC with the help of CLEAN planted 1 tree each and pledged to take the best care of it. Twenty such saplings of Tesu, Kadamb, Philkan, Arjun, Bahera and other were planted in the school campus. All the students were then asked to plant trees near their localities. The students and the teachers were encouraged to exchange potted plants instead of gifts.

Another project that we undertook was the collection of old books. We requested the students to keep their old books and pass it on to their juniors through the EAC. The books that we collected were given off for free of cost to the juniors to help save paper and to make them realise the importance of paper.

The response to both these projects was overwhelming.

How true was Robert E Sherwood when he said, ".... Nature is hitting back. Not with the old weapons - floods, plagues, holocausts. We can neutralise them. She’s fighting back with strange instruments called neuroses. She’s deliberately inflicting mankind with the jitters....

It’s time that Delhi’s 13 million people realise that how close is their city to destruction. We as children can definitely make things better. THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.

Plant trees, please plant trees,
For this you need not suffer any fees!
With trees you feel at ease
So try planting one please
For trees you need not pay any tax
So just don’t continue to be lax
I request you to plant trees
Only then, its importance you shall see
Little water daily is that all it shall cost
But then, you will see your tree grow fast
Finally it’ll grow into a big one
And it’ll protect you from hot sun
It’ll also give you fruits and fragrant flowers
And bring along blissful showers
And since it gives shade and an atmosphere cool
Afforestation must be made a rule!
Trees and plants, friends, must again be seen
Lest we forget even the colour Green!

Ashwini S. M, IX Std, Sri Vani High School, Bangalore

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Holi : The Fest of Natural Colours

The fest of colours is here,
So open your eyes and ears.
Play Holi with Non – Toxic colours,
And have a safe and fun filled Holi every year.

Use red sandalwood powder
To make a red colour,
And haldi for a beautiful sunny yellow,
And Tesu flowers soaked in water
Gives a wonderful orange mellow.

Raghav Srivastav, Sanskriti School