Green Dreams

Green Dreams

The flight from JFK airport took off at 2200 hours sharp. There was just a humming on the runway, something like anti gravity-a Lufthansa aircraft bound for Frankfurt. Very sophisticated interiors. I had no problem with the legroom. The mood in the cabin was mixed. I could see the silent portraits of separation and colorful rejoicing of reunion. These are normal scenes anywhere. The cabin was agog with the Third language, an assortment of phonetics unknown to all. We were at an altitude of about 30000 feet, the pilot informed in his welcome note.The loner in the New York Light House might be gazing at us at mighty heights, a pleasant guess which I always practice. The roar of the Atlantic was far below the audible fathoms.Looking besides the window seat, the tiny lights of the New York City was fast disappearing. I cried through the windows, “good bye, New York”quite passionately disregarding my fellow passengers.
Most of the passengers now settled in their seats, were waiting for slumber, while I recollected my accomplishments. A first year degree student of St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam on her way back from USA? Glory to God and St.Teresa’s. The cultural Exchange group of our college was selected to participate in the Global meet for Green Groups. (Glomegg). That was really due to the relentless initiative directly taken by our principal Sr. Christabelle I was picked up as the Green Champion in our college, impressed by my speech on “Talents Day”, about the ways God wants our planet Earth to be always the nicest place to live on, and hoe mankind negates God, the almighty, by including in activities breaking the equilibrium of life through a million ways. I still feel that the aspect of sustainable development using green and clean technology is to be given added importance.
My sojourn at New York happened to be a mixed bag of emotions and experiences. It is not very often that one finds herself stranded in a big city, solely for the purpose of spreading the message of nature.I was new to New York, but New York was never strange to me. The day the flight tickets were handed over to me by Sr. Christabelle, I started to breathe the air of the city, a type of voluntary simulation. I was unknowingly harmonizing with the heart beats of the city.
As a country, the US had updated knowledge in ecological preservation. They were quite appreciative of the Chipko movement, preservation of hermitage mangroves in Kerala through mythical dictations and India’s unique nature nourishment practices. It was enchanting to find a sense of awe for nature in this highly materialistic part of the world.
As we were summing up our summit, something strange was happening-the declaration of Nobel Prize to Mr.Al Gore,for his efforts to build up and spread knowledge about preserving nature and for checking man made climatic change. The gleaming visuals of the winner, a topic for which we had assembled, was adding new dimensions to our mission. All of us felt individually honored. I was personally enjoying the occasion, and was eager to meet him.
Al Gore being enlisted in the high security category, I had to go through great deal of formalities to get permission to visit him. Not wanting to receive so much exposure he declined my request for an interview. But as I was a student representing India in a US summit on “Glomegg,” he agreed to short meeting at his farm house in Tennessee. I chose to travel by road,a rare opportunity to experience the cross section of the country’s fabric. It was a journey from the concentrations of development to the feeble agrarian settlements, which no one would have dreamt of . Anyway, America promotes the sustainability of virgin forest land and the fragile biodiversity connected to it. There was a profound change even in the wind, it carried with it a brisk whiff of rich tillable earth.
Gore’s farm house stood amidst vast wheat fields, a large wood house. After a short security check at the entrance, we walked through the passage, both sides lined with a blossoming garden. His secretary took note of our credentials and withdrew after exchanging pleasantries.
We were soon ushered in to a wood partitioned office room. Al Gore was already there expecting us,and we were awed by his personality. Gore was particularly curious about me, rather young for such a forum. We all congratulated him.”How did the political debacle in 2000 get to influence you as a green activist?” I wanted to provoke him. But he was very calm. “I am still in politics, as a democrat. I feel I have greater role to perform. The White House demands you to be a country wide service provider, whereas sitting in this wheat house,I feel elevated as the ambassador to Mother earth”
He explained to us, lucidly, about some of his ventures in checking man made climate change, which we call the ‘Global Warming’. He was in no doubt the reason of the devastating hurricane, ‘Katrina’ and the scorching autumns haunting Washington every year. “something has to be done urgently and consistently”. He explained to us about the probable reasons for the series of tremors taking place in Indian Ocean, near Indonesia, the flash floods at Oman as examples from Asian continents. My prejudice about a person seeking flash popularity vanished abruptly and I thought of some of the green activists in India and of their pseudo personalities. Mr. Gore was stressing the need for carbon neutrality, for zero effective emission of green house gases as the first priority for any environmentalist.
It was time to take leave. I thought I should not lose a chance to present my case. I told him of Mother Teresa, who was also a recipient of Nobel Peace Prize. “sir,I am also a Teresian.”He was amazed to hear it but to break the suspense.”Sir, I study in St.Teresa’s College.” He was full of praise for the Teresian community spread all over the world. As a ready reckoner he remained me of the social work the congregation is actively involved in. Rather than advocate social retreat, he lauded the example of sister Teresita, who lead the mass movement in Philippines during the civil resurgence in 1986. That was quite unexpected but rejuvenating. He wanted me to be an ideal Teresian. “An ideal Teresian is a celestial angel!”I was moved…. I felt humbled by this person of unbiased wisdom.I thanked God Almighty for encouraging me to present my case fruitfully.
It took me a great deal of time to convince myself that everything was a dream, mysteriously unfolded in thick sub-conscious transactions. But for me, to come out to reality was quite awesome. I was ejected out of Narnia,my dream world.

Article by: Anju Claranel Thomas