Kullu: Being a single child, 12 year old Kalpna has come to share her feelings and emotions with nature and looks upon trees planted by her parents as a brother to her that she has chosen to protect.
Come the festival of Rakhi, Kalpna reiterates her sisterly love by tying the sacred thread to the deodar trees and pledging to be a lifelong protector for them.
In the male dominated Indian society, Rakhi is pledge that a Hindu girl draws from her brother to protect her throughout her life by the symbolic tying of a simple thread on the brother’s wrist.
Speaking to Hill Post, Kalpna in all her innocence questions, ”Rakhi is a lasting bond of love and care for sister with her brother and sister; but why is it that we turn a blind eye to towards nature’s contribution in all our relationships.
“Nature is like our mother that gives us so much to live for, but when celebrate so many festivals, we tend to totally ignore the mother nature,” the child observes.
”As I’m a single child, I have been celebrating Rakhi with nature. Every year, since the age of 3, I have been tying a Rakhi to Deodar trees planted by my parents in the year 2002 at Aleu Bihal, near Manali and take a pledge to protect my brother tree. It makes me feel good. I also appeal to the public to come forward for saving environment,” said Kalpna.
Kalpna is the daughter of award winning environmentalist Kishan Thakur. Even at this young age the budding environmentalist has won prizes which include the ‘Tree Life Award’ at Dehradun and ‘Briksh Chitra Award’ by Vanya Sanrakshan Evam Vikas Sansthan, a wildlife protection institution at Manali.
Kishan Thakur says, “I want everybody to do their bit for saving the environment and continue to teach my daughter to respect nature. It’s good to see that she is nourishing a strong bond towards it.”
A theater artist, a script writer and a TV anchor, news is something that grips Renuka. She lives in Kullu.
