Many find joy in the pain to attend maramon convention and others

cherish its memories, which have directly or indirectly impacted in

their making. Those attending maramon this year also will have to sit
in the “CHALLA”, in the place of golden soil, where once we
worshipped, listened and dedicated our lives to God. I wish to hear
more that we must be good stewards of nature, because the land is Gods and
we are but aliens and my tenants (Leviticus 25:23-24), at the same time hate
to hear the words “MOTHER NATURE” or “MOTHER GODDESS”, which
is personification of the nature and pagan, which is not my topic.

Current generation sacrifices their lives between “concrete jungles”,

and school/office “jails”. Natural forces God ordained and essential in
realigning and sustaining earth - thunder and rain and fog and sun -
are a nuisance to most of us, invading our free movement removing
comfort. We are fed with erroneous views of white-collar jobs, decent
salary as the sign of “wealth” and “status”, and elements God ordained
to sustain the earth stands against our notion of ease. We are
detaching more from nature finding comfort attaching to concrete
jungles. Our church must address this issue and help our coming
generations mould their views according to Biblical views about nature.
I wish Yuvajana Sakhyam once in a while could assemble under a tree,
enjoying the breeze; and I wish my children could learn Sunday school
under the BADAM MARAM, and conduct small prayer meetings under
“CHOOLA MARAMS”, which I enjoyed.

I wish parents allow their children to play in the rain, and don’t bother
getting dirty curling with mud, kids (especially growing abroad and
living in cities) love. I wish parents during their vacation allow the
children know the smell of the land, know about “THOTTA-VAADI”
plant; enjoy the fragrance of MULLA-POO taste “KANNI-MANGA”
seasoned with salt, and get nourished with the “KARIKKEN-VELLAM”,
enjoying the breeze!

We complain of huge wastes from businesses polluting our rivers, and

modern amenities ruining our atmosphere and realize the huge need
for planting trees. Yes that is a bigger problem, and all our achens and
thirumenis and almeni’s talks a lot about it, but I would like to point
another huge environment impact we all contribute.

The western slogan for going green is REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE

everything. Unlike them we are very good in REDUCING, and
REUSING, but lack RECYCING. Instead we contribute to pollution by
enhancing our habit of throwing things - be it on items or on others.
We irresponsibly throw plastic bags as well as plastic containers
(bottles) to anywhere we feel like, discounting that it is non-
degradable. We throw batteries to our backyards, ignoring its toxic
effects on our fertile land. We throw light-bulbs and tube-lights to
corners of land, discounting its lethal contents. Our backyards are a
good dumping ground for Chinese made electrical, electronic and
plastic items, a contribution of overseas residents. Our backyards are
transforming into medical waste bins with the spike in medical
facilities, making us more dependence on medicines, instead of
trusting God.

What can our Church show in curbing this enormous waste each one of
us contribute? First educate our people of its ill effects, at the same
time facilitate common places to dump toxic wastes, influence and
coordinate this effort with government like the housing project. Teach
everyone how to make compost with our food wastes instead of
throwing it irresponsibly. Teach the importance of waste management
to those living in towns and cities- and educate them the need to
dispose food wastes, toxic, plastic and paper wastes separately.

As prophet Jeremiah warns, God has brought us into a fertile land to

eat its fruit and rich produce. But we came and defiled my land and
made my inheritance detestable (Jeremiah 2:7). Banning plastic at
maramon is a good step. We have to advance more, no walls can hold
any sand you built in river bed, but will be demolished, and the
existing “puttu” and “challa” will washed away, and like the sand the
challa will also be a history to coming generations.

Shibu Thomas Varughese