Adventures of Raghu - one small step

Raghu got up in the morning and went to look out from the window of his room. He loved the rains and was hoping he would be greeted with a cloudy sky this August morning. 

The sun was however shining bright and the trees and plants were still dry. "The wetness of the rains, those monsoons that had come a few weeks ago, where had they gone?" thought Raghu to himself. It was much drier than usual at this time of the year and the weather definitely did not seem normal. Raghu sat wondering if only he felt the rainfall had been rather scanty this year, or if others felt the same way.

Just as Raghu sat thinking, he noticed Peeku sitting on the branch of the tree outside his room.

Peeku was a parrot. He had lived around the house for as long as Raghu could remember. He would sometimes fly away for a few months to visit his family that lived a few hours away and then return back. Peeku had shared many stories of his flying adventures with Raghu. He had spoken to Raghu of the different landscapes he saw as he flew, the birds he met on his journeys and of how he once lost his way in flight.

Raghu opened his room window and shouted - “Hi Peeku! How’re you doing? It’s been a while since I saw you around here!”  “Hi there Raghu! Yes it has been a while. How can you really expect one to be in this heat! It’s a struggle to find food and water these days. The monsoons seem to have left even before they arrived.” said a rather upset Peeku. “Yes, I was thinking the same thing Peeku. I am really missing the rains and was hoping to wake up to a cloudy sky today. It seems to have hardly rained this year at all. ” replied Raghu.

“I’m not surprised Raghu. I flew to meet my cousins a few hours away from here and I see so much deserted land around Raghu. Earlier where there were trees, now that area looks barren and dry.

Just yesterday I was told 25% of the land in India is turning into deserted land. If we go at this speed, soon the monsoons would completely disappear.” Raghu was shocked – “Don’t say that Peeku, we have to do something about this.” “What will you do Raghu? It’s already such a bad state of affairs” called back  Peeku as he flew off in search of water.

Raghu watched Peeku fly away.  “I may not be able to move a mountain or do anything big, but I can do something small” thought Raghu, “I can at least play my part. What if I plant a tree and ask one more person to plant a tree?

Everyone just has to take care of one tree. If all the people in this town take this up, imagine how many trees we would have planted! Let me call Meera and tell her of my idea!”

Raghu phoned Meera and told her of his conversation with Peeku and his idea to plant trees. The usually bubbly Meera was excited at the thought. “I think it’s a great idea Raghu. In fact we can prepare the saplings and distribute them so that it’s easier for people to plant the tree. With the festive season just around the corner, we can entice people to gift saplings to their loved ones instead of other stuff.

I think it would be wonderful and people would love the idea!” said Meera. Raghu laughed – “Let’s do it! We have to start somewhere.” They both decided to meet at the nursery the next day to learn how to make saplings.