M G Chitkara
53 books
Many countries because of population explosion are unable to feed themselves, and are locked in a cycle of spiraling environment degradation and grinding poverty. In India also, we face the dual problem of population growth and poverty. To these we can trace almost all our major environmental problems like the denutation of forests, overgrazing, sewage pollution, malnutrition, communicable disease, etc. Simultaneously in part of the country the environmental ...
The ecologically fragile environment of the Himalayas is under grave threat from big dams deforestation and mining activities. All these have led to increased landslides flash floods etc. Shiva is not going to dance alone. Shiva is prepared to lead us to new dance alone. Shiva is prepared to lead us to a new dance. As we dance so we build our Karma. Our industrial headless materialist dance has produced the Karma of pollution. Our new ecological reconstruction is ...
Ecological challenges and environmental problems, by definition and global. There are simply no partial solutions to such problems as global warming; attenuation of Ozone layer, river and ocean pollution; carbon dioxide emission, deforestation; desertification air and atmospheric pollution. The global ecosystem and the present and further evolution of life on earth are seriously endangered and may well end in a large scale ecological disaster.
Human beings and ...
There has been a long-standing need for a comprehensive compendium of terms relating to environment, ecology and pollution. In writing a compendium, the author’s first concern was to meet the needs of students, research scholars and environmentalists. When a compendium dictionary of this kind is being compiled, it becomes essential to depend upon the work of many authorities and seek the advice of colleagues, to all of whom the author is deeply indebted. ...
Most countries is South East Asia have inherited a colonial system of administration and have adopted a development strategy imported from the Western countries, whose economy was built on the basis of exploitation of nature and the colonies. This was alienated the policy makers and the administrators from the common people who are struggling for survival. Wanton exploitation of nature continued with modern technology was created serious environmental problems ...
Cosmic Being created all the five basic elements, viz, ether, air fire, water and earth, as well as the creatures. Philosophers believe that Sristi process of creation used the five basic elements to determine the physical characteristics of all creatures. These five elements are known as sky, water fire air and earth. The coexistence of soil, man, beasts, birds, trees, mountains, rivers, and air is now endangered. Man’s love for relationship with nature, ...
Prof. V. Ranganathan recently highlighted the need for intelligent environmental rule making. Environmental damage must be factored into decision making. But this does not imply wooden, babu-driven rules with either display ignorance of the environment or simply fail to make a proper trade-off between costs and benefits. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute is our chief-fountain of expertise, but is inadequate in breadth and depth. There are ...
Mr. Justice Ranganathan in a judgementin case Charan Lai Sahu Vs. Union of India, AIR 1990, SC. 1480, there is suggestion, that either the Fatal Accidents Act, 1855 should be amended or fresh legislation should be enacted, to deal with the victims of mass disaster. Amongst other, the suggested legislation should deal with matters enumerated hereunder: a) Fixed minimum compensation on no fault basis, pending final adjudication of the case. b) Creation of special ...
The situation of water pollution is taking a serious turn. The hazard of water pollution in a developing country like our arises directly from the following two causes: i. The made race for industrialisation and ii. A disproportionate increase in its population. One being contemporary of other i.e. increase in population necessitates increase in industrialisation and both ultimately lead to increase in pollution. One way to control it at this stage of industrial ...
The World Commission of Environment and Development has noted that while stainable development is essential we do not pretend that the process is easy or straight forward. Painful choices have to be made. Our marvels of science and technology and matched if not outweighed by many current tragedies including human starvation in some parts of the world and extinction of other life forms.
A different great society cannot be built if it just copies the western ...
Both natural flora and fauna is wildlife because of the fundamental and intimate interdependence of plant and natural life. In every aspect of life there is diversity. This diversity and coexistence is evident in the ecosystem-system in which all living creatures, however, small and tiny, have their place, function and utility.
Animals have always received special care and consideration. Numerous Hindus texts preach that all species should be treated as children. ...
Women have a special role to play in the society. They lend to accept the norms which men have made and even when there is a talk about equality, they do not really examine it closely or consider what is good or an ideal situation for implementation. Men and most women are unaware of the potential ability of women. It may be remembered that men will not know their true selves until and unless they allow women to develop their full potential.
The modern woman has ...
Environment in Buddhism takes care of internal as well as external eco systems. Prince Sidhartha of Kapilavastu an Avathar in his own right renounced the world and its comforts. He attained Buddha hood and showed the world that such a state of equanimity and Ananda is attainable by all. He preached ahimsa and compassion as a way of life. Non-violence does not mean the mere absence of violence. It is some thing more positive and more meaningful than that. True ...
Forest resources decline when their use exceeds their growth. Utilisation of renewable natural resources is often linked with sustenance of man, and utilisation of such resources should be allowed for the extremely poor, people in and around the protected forests, where conservation of biodiversity is contemplated.
Tribols people in and around the forests have been ecosystem people. Their living has been more or less compatible to the ecological processes and in ...
Centuries pass but the stupa and its legends endure. Because legends and folk tales of divinity are so much more reachable than a thousand scriptures though they both signpost a path to that which is everlasting. Scriptures require the skills of interpreters. Legends need only a mother and a child and a story. Faith follows. Myth is from the Greek term mythos meaning ‘legend’. Hence, narrative accounts taken to be true, but ...
World peace is myth; it is a kind of mirage. We have never acheived it. And because we have never acheived peace, it is a real necessity that we look into all avenues of creating peace. Many of the world's problems and conflicts arise because we have lost sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a human family. We tend to forget that despite the diversity of race, religion, ideology and so forth, people are equal in their basic wish for peace and ...
Of late it has become the custom of most people to identify the word Vedanta with the Advaitic system of the Vedanta philosophy. Advaitism is only one branch of the various philosophic systems that have been founded on the Upanishads. Vedanta covers the ground of dualism, of qualified monism and advaitism. In an age repelled by the excesses of ritualism, casteism, there was the rise of Gautama, the Buddha decrying the Vedic tradition, questioning the existence of ...
The Dhammapada consists of 423 melodious Pali verses, uttered by the Buddha on or three hundred occasions, to suit the temperaments of the listeners in the course of his preaching tours during forty-five years. Circumstances that led to these noble utterances are presented in the form of stories, together with traditional interpretations of the Pali verses and technical terms, in the voluminous commentary initially written by Buddhaghosa. The Dhammapada has ...
The most widely known aspect of Hindu mysticism, beginning from the Vedas to the Upanishads that ultimately blossomed into Vedantic philosophy of Sunyata; (emptiness) and Tantrayana the aphoristic Yog Shastra of Patanjali. He has also tried to enumerate the conceptual tenets of Hinayana the original text of Buddhism now known as Theravada, and also Mahayana Buddhism, which his holiness the 14 Dalai Lama has termed as ‘Democratic ...
The natural environment sustains the life of all beings of the world. The world is a sanctuary in which humanity and nature can live together in harmony. The Buddhist attitude is one of contentment, and there may be some connection with our attitude towards the environment. Buddhists believe not to indiscriminately consume. They put a limit on their consumption. They admire simple living and individual responsibility. They considered themselves as part of ...
Every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of non-existence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by non-existence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn’t want suffering but rather wants to make ...
Nirvana is derived from two a Sanskrit words, nir and vata (wind or air). When later on the word nirvata came to be used exclusively with reference to desire instead of wind, the suffix ta changed into na. Consequently, nirvana literally means without desire, or freedom from desire, or the extinguishment of all desires of life. People who indulge in worldly activities and pursue worldly ends will never realise truth, nor attain salvation. Only those who have ...
