Restore Harmony

“Hey,why have you closed the doors?  My friends are still on the way,” Ravi eagerly spoke to the waiter at the cafe he had been waiting at for his friends.
As usual,the monkeys arrived in a large group and they would enter every door open. Now a days it has become the biggest problem not only for us but also the neighborhood community. Don’t know why these animals left the forests and are roaming around in the city,” the waiter answered impatiently.
By that time Ravi’s friends entered, cautiously escaping the attack from the monkeys.
The sun hung low over the city, casting long shadows across the concrete jungle as four friends – Ravi, a passionate environmentalist, Suma, a wildlife enthusiast, Arun, an urban planner, and Kavitha, a journalist – sat at a small café. They had met to discuss a growing problem that had captured everyone’s attention in recent weeks: wild animals, displaced by rampant deforestation, were making their way into the cities.
“Did you hear about the monkey attack yesterday?” Suma began, shaking her head in disbelief. “A group of them entered a school and snatched food from the kids. It’s getting worse every day.”
Ravi, ever the advocate for nature, leaned forward. “It’s not just the monkeys, Suma. I read that a cheetah was spotted near the highway last night. It’s no surprise, really. We’ve destroyed their homes. What else can they do?”
Arun sighed. “We’ve pushed them into a corner. Every time I approve a new urban plan, I see forests disappearing on the map. Green spaces are shrinking, and we’re leaving these animals nowhere to go.”
Kavitha, who had been quietly observing, spoke up. “It’s ironic. We’ve got Haritha Haram initiatives going on across the state – planting saplings to make up for deforestation. But, Ravi, you’ve been saying this for years. They’re not planting the right kinds of trees.”
“Exactly!” Ravi’s voice was filled with frustration. “It’s all ornamental. Sure, they plant saplings, but where are the fruit-bearing trees? Trees that actually provide food and shelter for wildlife. Instead, they’re planting decorative species that do nothing for the animals or even the ecosystem.”
Suma nodded in agreement. “I’ve seen this too. Animals aren’t coming to the city because they want to. They’re starving. With no fruits in the forests, they’re turning to human settlements for food. It’s tragic.”
Kavitha, ever the investigator, took out her notebook. “I’ve been covering stories on this for a while now. The government’s intention behind Haritha Haram is good, but there’s no long-term vision. If we don’t start planting fruit-bearing trees, if we don’t restore natural habitats, this is just going to keep getting worse.”
Arun leaned back, a look of deep concern on his face. “It’s not just about the animals. We’re seeing more floods, more droughts, even temperatures are rising. We’ve paved over wetlands, cut down forests, and dammed rivers. We’re so focused on building our cities that we forget nature is our lifeline. And yet, even when we harm it, nature still tries to help us.”
“What do you mean?” Suma asked, curious.
“Think about it,” Arun continued. “Trees absorb carbon dioxide, cool down cities, and prevent flooding. Wetlands filter water. Even the smallest creatures, like bees, are responsible for pollinating the plants that give us food. Nature keeps trying to balance things out, no matter how much damage we do. But it has its limits.”
Ravi chimed in, “Exactly. We take so much from nature, but give so little back. We build our roads and factories, thinking only of progress, but when floods wash away our homes or heatwaves kill crops, we act surprised. It’s like we’re blind to the fact that everything we need – clean air, food, water – comes from the very ecosystems we’re destroying.”
Suma sighed. “It’s human negligence, plain and simple. We’ve grown disconnected from the natural world, thinking it’s something to conquer or manage. But nature’s not an enemy. It’s been trying to support us all along.”
Kavitha nodded slowly, scribbling in her notebook. “That’s the story we need to tell, isn’t it? People need to see that by neglecting nature, we’re only hurting ourselves. And even though we’ve been careless, nature hasn’t given up on us. It’s still trying to help us survive, whether it’s through trees absorbing pollution or bees pollinating crops. But for how long?”
Arun looked thoughtful. “We need to rethink how we live. Urban planning can’t just be about expanding cities. It has to be about restoring balance. Imagine cities filled with green corridors, fruit-bearing trees, and wetlands that help manage floods. It’s possible, but only if we stop neglecting the natural world.”
Suma’s face lit up with a spark of hope. “Maybe we should start something ourselves. A campaign to make sure future afforestation efforts focus on the right kinds of trees. We can get the public involved. I’m sure people will support us if we show them how much better things can be.”
Kavitha jotted down notes quickly. “I can cover this in the paper, write about how critical it is. We could reach out to the government, local leaders, and citizens. Together, we might be able to create some awareness.”
Arun smiled. “I’ll make sure the urban planning council hears about this. I’ll push for fruit-bearing trees and better integration of green spaces. We’ve ignored this for too long.”
As they left the café that evening, they felt a renewed sense of urgency. The challenges were immense, but they knew that by restoring harmony between humans and nature, there was still hope. Nature, after all, had been patient for so long – it was time they started listening.
As they walked through the bustling streets, a lone monkey leapt from a building onto a nearby tree, looking for something that wasn’t there – a sign of the growing disconnect between nature and man, but also a reminder that nature, despite all it endured, still sought to help. It was now up to them to make sure that help wasn’t in vain.
We read in the history books that Ashoka has planted trees on both sides in the road. That gave not only fruits,but also shade to the travellers and animals. Taking a leaf from that, these four friends have started campaign on reforestation that too of useful trees, ecosystem protection, regenerative agriculture..etc . They could get both media and government’s help and support.
They have formed a group named  ‘Go Green’ and created awareness among people about reduce, re-use and recycle. They have also started educating people towards reduction in plastic usage, wastage of food and usage of fossil fuels. They were also successful in making the farmers turn to cow based agriculture. A meagre attempt from a small group of friends has grown multifold and started to give tremendous results.
The ‘Go Green’ group received the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran puraskar for their efforts. The four friends have decided to use that cash prize also for the same purpose. They visited colleges and schools and educated the NextGen the various ways to protect the environment. They propogated one slogan ‘Restore Harmony’.