In Indian culture, trees have been regarded with special reverence. The ancient Indian civilization was primarily dependent upon and intimately associated with forests and flora. Over the years forest conservation has been a very challenging topic of discussion. With a group of environmentalists saying that Adivasis are responsible for forest destruction and another group challenging this misleading statement, the issue remains unsettled in the minds of many. Statements by many environmentalists such as “Adivasis kill wildlife by regular hunting. But Adivasis have been very much credited for conserving forests is an established fact in most parts of the country.
‘Forests’ (Greenery) and tribals are culturally and traditionally linked to each other. Tribals have been living in the ‘forest ecology’ (Greenery) and that has shaped their life and the society they presently have. Most of them live in close proximity of ‘forest’ and depend on the forest for their livelihood and sustenance. Tribes worship the trees, bushes, and animals, which dwell in the forests, as a totem and believe that their gods (Nature) and ancestors’ spirits reside in the ‘forest’.
A walk conducted at the Aarey colony to discover the hidden natural and ecological treasure of Aarey. The naturalist or we can say Environmentalist in Mumbai city was invited for this walk. The walk is for information about the trees and their history. The person who was giving information about the trees, she linked each and every trees or grass with Indian Hindu mythology GOD, Goddess, and Traditional stories. Which we can found in Hindu mythological books. She said each tree in the forest have been created by gods or indirectly each tree have Hindu spiritual stories behind them. While conducting the session no one asked her questions for a counter argument even all well-educated people were there and they were seating on earth and demanding for stories, they have shown their interest in stories only which connected with the God.
Some other religion people were also present to listing her but they were also not asked her questions like if Hindu god created the Palm tree and in our religion, we called this tree with a different name then who created this tree your God or our God. So, that questions are arising in my mind if God created the threes, so only Hindu Gods did this? Or the Hindu Gods created the Trees, then in other foreign countries who created the trees? Now in today’s scenario, we can see the most of Jungles in the city like Mumbai are on the stage to disappear so where is the ‘God’ to save the trees. “According to Kurma Purana Brahma has created trees (Vrksa) and herbs (Virudha), and monocarpous plants (Osadhi) have originated from the dermal pores of Brahma”(Hari Shankar Lal & Sanjay Singh & Mishra PK, 2014). So, why Naturalist fighting with manpower only to save the tree, why not they fighting with miracle power also? The whole session was conducted under the professional of Botany. If all trees have traditional stories behind them so where are the technical or scientific things are gone? Such questions we have to focus on it. Tribals are the real habitats of this land and they were restricted to use forest materials for their livelihood and daily used. Now the new trend emerges over the year. The naturalist is running a movement of ‘save a tree, save Mumbai’ but no one talking about the habitats who are residing inside the forest and they were saving this forest over the long years. Even they are accusing tribals for cutting the ‘trees’. But naturalist is don’t know, from long years who save this forest, if tribals are cutting the trees. If environmentalist believing that there is God inside the Tree then why do they need money or funding to save those trees. If God inside the trees then they are able to save themselves.
Urban Epistemology 