CHENNAI: Be it by heritage passed on from one generation to another, by songs made rich by oral traditions, be it by page or the big screen, we return to stories to find our way. Stories have long served to influence the masses to act or hide, to wage wars or make peace, to rise and recover. No wonder when we find history repeating itself — farmers’ protest against the British Raj’s attempt to commercialise forest resources in the 20th century mirrored in the farmers’ protest against the government’s denotification of Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary now — we wield the age-old tool to inspire action among the distracted masses. This is what fuelled the storytelling webinar organised by the Chennai Climate Action Group, in collaboration with Thicket Tales and Siraar Kalam.
What better way to talk to young citizens about the grave consequences of the Environment Impact Assessment draft than through stories, right? “The government has taken an inadvertent stance when it comes to conserving environmental resources in the country. By reaching out to children, we are creating a network of self-sustaining and responsible individuals who are concerned about their future,” says Jyothi Gokul, a member of Chennai Climate Action Group.
It was Lavanya Srinivas, communication coach and story educator, who was made responsible for this storytelling session meant for nearly 200 children (above 13 years of age) and their parents and teachers. “We have heard many stories, but those with morals stick with us. It’s because they are relatable. By highlighting issues via stories, we are introducing cognizance at an early stage. These children are being encouraged to participate in voicing their opinions; only they can they stand up for this right in the future,” suggests Lavanya, who treated the audience to an hour of immersive storytelling, complete with music and pictures. The story she picked for the occasion was that of a little girl named Mathi, who lived with her father and grandmother on a farm.
The two adults worked hard at it and she, inspired by them, wanted to do the same. Impressed by her curiosity, her grandmother marked a small section of the land and allowed the little girl to sow whatever she pleased. Excited and driven, Mathi worked the land the best she could. With help from her grandmother, she learnt how to make channels for the water to flow to the crops, and to remove the weeds. When the harvest came, she was overjoyed.
Lavanya brought to life Mathi’s every emotion, right down to her triumphant little laugh. But Mathi’s story took a turn to darkness when she travelled to a nearby village with her father and grandmother. It was then that she noticed a coat of ash on all the plants and rooftops. She learnt that it was the effect of a coal mine in the village. The unchecked pollution had forced many villagers to sell their land and migrate. Those left behind found themselves watching for bulldozers that would work illegally to move the ash. Shocked by what she had seen, Mathi had nightmares that night.
Her father and grandmother found her curled up near her tiny piece of land, spade in hand, muttering “I have to save my land” in her sleep. As Lavanya ended the story there, Jyothi went on to dissect the tale and talk about its relevance in today’s world. “The most popular argument for land grabbing is that it will contribute to development. Yet, these unassessed constructions disrupt livelihoods,” she pointed out. The EIA is a tool to assess the impact of these projects on flora, fauna and local groups. “We have seen development projects causing adverse effects on the environment in the area.
This is because they are not regulated or monitored in compliance with environmental laws,” she added. Members of the CCAG and Lavanya then presented several excerpts from the EIA draft. They had worked together for two days, trying to simplify the notification and choose what points to focus on, considering the age group of the attendees. “There are many faulty points in the EIA draft 2020; our purpose was to highlight the most simple disruptive point of the notification the lack of provision for public voices to dispute the environmental clearances given to development projects in their area,” says Vishwaja, a member of the CCAG. While the government must be working to strengthen the environmental laws, given the country’s rich biodiversity, it was diluting them instead, she pointed out to the webinar audience. She concluded the session by urging the participants to write to the environment ministry at eia2020-moefcc@ gov.in and register their demand for a revision.