2:00 pm(IST): Tip, tap, tap, tap, the raindrops were playing on the glass window, the trees were covered with mist, the roads wet with the tears falling from the heavens and the clouds so low that, one could almost touch them. It was a divine scene, for a second it seemed like paradise as our car slowly proceeded up the hill. Finally, I understood why Hollywood actresses took their heads out and flew their scarves. This was a place still untouched by the filthy human hands. The sweet fragrant air and the pristine green leaves with still some dew drops on them conveyed that the humans had still not been able to touch them.

It was pure and serene, and the glittering pearls from the heavens could make anyone forget all their worries, and lose themselves in this plethora of purity. I opened the car window, and took a deep breath, trying to inhale as much as I could in one go. As the air went inside me, I could feel a sense of calmness washing over me. Instantly, I felt the calmness moving towards my hands, my legs and finally engulfed my whole body. It was as cozy as drinking hot chocolate, under a blanket during snowfall. I was transformed to a different world.

A world where humans hadn’t invaded, it is just green, no skyscrapers, no smoke, no litter, no honking, just silence. This is where, the air didn’t make us cough but re-energized us, where the residents were sweet green trees, and the muddy soil, where citizens did not fight but lived in peace and harmony.

5:00 pm(IST):  Scrreeeechhhh! My car came to a halt, and so did my imaginations as I was jerked back to reality, the usual world of pollution, uniform and vertical buildings, smog and cars, as we entered the city.

My musings led me to another train if thought. As I peaked out of my window, I could see the stark difference between the world that God had wanted it to be, and the world that we humans had turned it in. The place was completely muddled with dust, and all I could hear was the honking of the cars that were stuck together thanks to a truck that decided to break down in the middle of the road.

I wondered how did we humans mess up so badly that we are now at a position that pollution levels are so alarmingly high, and a lot of newborns are born with asthma and other lung problems. People, especially in metropolitans like Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi have forgotten how stars look like, because of the thick layer of polluted air that hides the stars behind its blanket. We have reached to a level where no city in this world is safe from the cancerous hands of global warming. Even after innumerable documentaries, and after petitions to save the earth- there are still people- world leaders to be precise who have called this phenomenon a hoax.

5:15 pm(IST): “Yaar, haata na” I was once again jerked back from my thoughts as I heard someone loudly screaming, urging the other cars to move. I watched as I saw the thick black smoke that emerged from the blue car in front of me. It was disgusting, but no one paid heed to it. Everyone was busy wondering how to reach their swanky plush resort and enjoy the rest of the vacation as peacefully and luxuriously as possible. My thoughts went to another appalling visual.

Recently on Netflix, I saw an episode of “Our Planet”. The shows talk about the effects of global warming on various flora and fauna. One extremely disturbing and heartbreaking scene was when walrus’ were falling off from an extremely steep cliff once the ice started melting. This is the kind of effect that we humans have continuously produced.

As David Attenborough said, “ In the last 50 years, about 60% of the wildlife has reached extinction” These statistics are staggering and saddening.

5:25 pm(IST): Finally the truck has moved and the traffic is normal. All I can see around me is mindless constructions and a heavily polluted air. The fresh breeze has disappeared and I realised I was back to a place where the humans have invaded in.

I couldn’t help but despair, that what many believe to be developed is actually destroying God’s creativity, it’s like spilling ink on the Mona Lisa. It is amazing how we are unable to preserve things made by us, let alone god’s creations. The serenity vanishes as soon as we- the humans come into the picture. No, I am not saying buildings and malls shouldn’t have been made, as like most I am an urbane and I after living on top of a hill for five days made me crave for malls and cinema halls, or in short the city life.

But can we at least keep it beautiful and pure? Can’t we at least curb pollution? Can’t we tone down our anger and our voices and take a break sometimes? Can’t we embrace the positivity and make this place more beautiful? We must remember, we are just visitors on this planet, at one point of time we must go, but just like we expect our guests to keep our houses clean and throw a disapproving room if the guest doesn’t as it’s their duty to keep it clean, as it’s OUR HOME, in the same way, we all should keep this HOME of ours pure and pristine.

Image Credit: Conserve Energy Future – Earth Day