Manoj Chaurasia in Patna
In a novel campaign to save trees, painters
of the Madhubani school of painting have taken up their brushes to paint trees
with images of Hindu gods and goddesses, applying coats of vibrant colours. The
movement is anchored in the belief that the images would put the fear of god in
those who are armed with axes and saws to cut down trees for crass commercial
gains.
The movement is in a way a continuation of what a few years back a
senior official in the state did ~ paint a notoriously lawless town in south
Bihar with soothing shades of pink in the hope that it would foster communal
harmony. The unique campaign to conserve environment ~ a little different
from the Chipko Movement started way back in the early 1970s in the Himalayan
region to protect trees from being felled by hugging them ~ has been launched
in north Bihar’s Madhubani district which shares its borders with Nepal. This
is the first time that the residents have turned to “divine therapy”, as it
were, by using deities as a cover to discourage the public from felling trees.
Local artists from Madhubani have been roped in to paint tree
trunks and leaves with images depicting various tales from Hindu epics or of
deities to ensure the locals do not fell trees, for fear of incurring the wrath
of the gods and goddesses. Hundreds of trees have been painted in the district
so far which has not only given a colourful look to the roadside trees but
boosted mass awareness about environmental conservation.
“People ruthlessly chopping trees with axes and saws always gave
me a lot of pain. I tried to convince them that this is not good for
environment but they never took it seriously. So I hit upon the plan to paint
scenes from Hindu epics or images of gods on tree trunks thinking it can
work wonders, and, it has really begun working now,” said Mr Shashthi Nath Jha
who has launched the campaign to protect environment in Bihar. He said around a
hundred artists have joined the campaign painting trees with images of deities
after taking time off their studies.
The basic themes being painted are Sita swayamvara, Radha-Krishna
love lore, various moods of Meera etc. “Apart from strong natural colours, we
are also using chemical paints to colour trees so that they can survive rain
and heat and last long,” said Mr Jha, who is also working for women empowerment
and child labour rehabilitation thorough his NGO, Gramin Vikas Parishad.
Local artists are voluntarily joining in and their tribe is
increasing by the day. “This gives me a lot of satisfaction to be associated
with such a noble cause. I have been painting images of gods and goddesses on
trees so that people think hundred times before cutting down trees," said
Seema
Das, who is adept in the art of Madhubani painting.
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