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As I lie breathing my last
somewhere
one more tree is being chopped
so that enough wood is available
to make a pyre
The last bed of my earthly life
To commence my journey yonder
And my devoted son
is crying.....
Reminiscences of the past float by......
Born a Hindu
every now and then
the family would perform
Puja and Havan
burning wood
pouring Ghee
And on my first "Lohri"
when I was barely 4 months old
Wood equivalent to one big tree
was burnt.
Blessed was the male child!
Then Holi!
And Holika burnt again with wood
This burning has continued
all my life.
The birthdays
The marriage
The anniversaries
The birth of my children
On all occasions
A Havan
Burning of wood
with Vedic Chants.....
And what did I do?
I remained a silent witness
To the Deforestation
Endangering Species
Environmental Pollution
Ecological Imbalances
Not once did I plant trees
although I consumed dozens of them
in the rituals and traditions.
A price of being a Hindu!
Simply planting bushes in the pots
is not a substitute
to the destruction of trees
that happened because of me.
Son,
Cry Not
But Remember
Your Hindu obligation
of planting and growing more trees
And
while Yama still is afar
and I am living with a few breaths more
help me
so that I can plant One Sapling ....
... and become the image of Nirvana.
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