Iqbal Masih Iqbal Masih was born in 1983 in Muridke, near Lahore, Pakistan. His family was poor and had borrowed 600 Rupees (less than US$5) from a local owner of a carpet weaving business. Iqbal, just four, became a bonded labour and was required to work for the weaver until the debt was paid off….
Month: April 2020
016. Rachel Carson and ‘Silent Spring’: The launch of the environmental movement
Rachel Carson If you have any interest in environmental issues, you would have read or heard about Rachel Carson (1907-1964). Her book Silent Spring helped launch the environmental movement in the US and elsewhere. She was a marine scientist, ecologist, and also an extraordinary science writer. Researcher and writer Growing up in the rural river…
015. How far can friendship and loyalty go?
The Bodhisatta as a golden swan Long, long ago, the Bodhisatta was born as a swan and became the leader of a great flock of golden swans of the Dhatarattha clan. The beautiful swans lived in a cave in the Cittakuta mountains. Meanwhile, King Seyyassa ruled a kingdom with Varanasi as the capital. One night,…
014. Abdul Kareem: The man who created a forest
Abdul Kareem A mad idea? The story began in Kasargode District, Kerala, India, in the early 1970s. Abdul Kareem spent his savings for a piece of wasteland on a rocky laterite hill. The barren region had hardly ever seen water and was barely habitable. His family and friends thought he was out of his mind….
013. The Cracked Pot
There was once a woman water-bearer in China, whose daily task was to carry two pots of water from a pond up the hill to a merchant’s house. She did the laundry there using the water. When she was young, she made two identical pots and painted one red and the other blue. She was…
012. Wangari Maathai: Nobel Prize for Nature Conservation
Wangari Maathai started a movement that planted 30 million trees in 20 countries. She campaigned for women’s rights and greater democracy in her country. She defied a corrupt regime, was vilified and forced to leave her country for some time and even assaulted by the police once. Green Belt Movement Wangari Maathai studied in the…
011. How much land does a man need?
Leo Tolstoy Farmer Pahom starts with a small plot, but over a period of time acquires more and more land. He is still not satisfied and then he hears about the Bashkirs, who were giving away land at throwaway prices. Pahom goes to the Bashkirs to seek land. They ask for 1000 Rubles and would…
010. Sadako Sasaki and the thousand paper cranes
Two-year-old Sadako Sasaki was living in Hiroshima, Japan, when the atom bomb fell on the city. Her house, which was about a mile from the epicentre of the blast, was destroyed. Her brother Masahiro and their grandmother were injured but, miraculously, Sadako and her mother remained unharmed. They escaped from the collapsed house and fled…
009. The man who planted trees
I was then young and fond of travelling. Once I was walking in an area I had never visited. The land was dry and hot. I walked on for three days and I did not meet anyone. I did come across some villages, but these had been abandoned. The houses and even the temples were…
008. Bishnois: Protecting animals, conserving nature
The Bishnois of Rajasthan have been known for their concern for trees, birds, and animals. There is a legend behind this environmental sensitivity. In 1731, Abhay Singh, the King of Jodhpur, wanted large quantities of wood for burning bricks to build his new palace. He sent his Minister, Giridhardas, with woodcutters to cut the trees…