Gujarat: The Two Faced Land

On 21st January, right after my Ist semester practical exam, my dad and I went to Vadodara, Gujarat to attend YETI 2018; a workshop-conference related to biodiversity, conservation, ecosystem, and computer programs to develop ecosystem modules.  It was a 4 day workshop which included many items such as Ornithology Techniques,  identifying species, computer languages and techniques to manage websites, etc.

Young Ecologists Talk and Interact(YETI) has been perfectly named because there were many talk sessions held students, poster competition, etc. Along with this, professionals like Dr. Varad Giri, Dr. Pranay Lal, etc took talk sessions.

I was extremely lucky to take pictures with people who have dedicated their life to the betterment of the environment such as DR. MK Ranjithsinh Jhala IAS- he was the Chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India(WTI) and his most noted work was the drafting of Wildlife(Protection) Act, 1972 of India and demarcating many forest as wildlife sanctuaries. I could not find my way back from cloud nine when he said that I am every talented and that my research topic is a splendid idea which will serve good for sustainable environment.

Even though the talks were all about how to conserve the environment and how each one of us should open our eyes to different perspectives to implement it, I found it ironic when I saw a river which flows in the campus to be extremely polluted. No action has ever been made to clean it. The water body is used as a dumping station of all items including toxic wastes such as broken tube-lights which were leaking mercury. Even after telling most of the science students about this matter, none of them were interested to take up the issue. many have not even noticed this polluted river.

On the 4th day, I went to Ahmedabad; the largest city in Gujarat. The first thing I saw just after I landed there left me in pain. A woman, her mother and her daughter striving for a livelihood in the streets. What imprisoned my emotions was the thought that ran across my head : What did that little girl ever do to deserve such a fate? To not receive the opportunity of education, shelter, warm clothes?

It made me realize that the logic of the world revolves around irony. when we fail to see the things around us but preach about everything else. When the hi tech city hides its dark face of poverty, illiteracy and hunger ; I wonder why it has to remain like this.