WATER HAYCINTH

I am water hyacinth, a water plant. I just enjoy floatin in flowin water. In the mo!ern worl!, I am facin se"eral criticisms from !ifferent corners. #eople say that I am creatin lot of nuisance, $loc%in the smooth flow of water. &urther, they say that they are spen!in hu e amount of many to remo"e us from water ena$lin the smooth flow. They are sprayin poisonous chemicals to %ill us en masse. I !on't %now what (ouis #asteur !i! say, $ut e"ery nu%e an! corner of the worl! is $ein fille! with anti$iotic) poisonous chemicals. *ne person says+ rains $rin s !iseases an! for this use our soap.+. Another person says that one mos,uito $ite altere! the fate of the person to lose his chances. Thus e"eryone is ma%in the man "ery much scare! an! use his commercial pro!uct out of fear. E"erythin is to sell his own $ran! of anti$iotic ma%in the human more an! more an! a prey in the han!s of $acteria. Thirty to forty years $ac% we were there nowhere to $e seen si nificantly present as we use! to hi!e in sta nant waters of canals, unuse! portions of water tan%s an! ri"ers. At that time we were not an entity to $e reco ni-e!. As time passe! on ci"ili-ation too% new stri!es with the $oom in the construction acti"ity. #eople starte! mi ratin from "illa es towar!s towns an! cities while the latter starte! e.pan!in in to "illa es. There came up oo! num$er of ma nificent structures on the $an%s of irri ation canals. Earlier, any one feelin thirsty can !irectly enter in to the water canal an! ta%e han!ful of water any times in to his mouth without any ris% of life. E"en the water comin out of the fiel!s use! to $e safe enou h. Try once to !o the same to!ay. You are sure to en! up in a hospital. The hu e structures accommo!atin oo! num$er of people on the $an%s of irri ation canals starte! fee!in the canals with all their waste inclu!in the outlet from the latrines. Thus the canals starte! ettin filthy. The effect use! to $e to much at the time the canals were close! at the en! of the a ricultural season. The canals further $ecame the $ree!in points of mos,uitoes. To et ri! of mos,uitoes, chemicals are $ein spraye! ma%in the situation worse. You are well aware that we $elon to the plant %in !om. You !o not %now that we are ,uite an.ious to clean thin s at our $est. We are really helpful to the man%in!. A$out fifty years $ac%, "illa ers use! to %eep one mem$er of our family floatin on the water surface in the wells as the coul! ma%e water sweet an! tasty. The present people who just !rin% col! water

without any #RANA from &ri i!aire cannot un!erstan! what I ha"e just mentione!. (et me $rin to your notice an inci!ent occurre! few !eca!es a o. It was pu$lishe! in the ma a-ine section of the famous !aily, THE HIN/0. It occurre! at *oti, a col! resort of 1outh In!ia. *ne forei n tourist was tre%%in the ups an! !owns of the hill straits. After some time he felt thirst an! loo%e! for water. He foun! a small rill flowin !own the hill straits. He taste! the water finally to fin! its taste super$ calmin !own his thirst. He later wante! to fin! its source out of curiosity. He slowly mo"e! up alon the trac% of the rill finally to fin! out that it is flowin out from the outlets of the latrines of the uest house a$o"e. The water was smellin foul at the spot. The tourist ot afrai!. He collecte! water at !ifferent points of the rill inclu!in he point at which he too% water. He ot the water teste! at the la$oratory which re"eale! that the water at the point, he !ran% water was a$solutely free of contamination an! !isease causin material. His stu!ies further re"eale! that water ot ri! of contamination while flowin on reen layers of the rass. That is the potential we can offer for you from the plant worl!. I repeat once a ain. You are not ettin any harm from our plant %in !om. You are spoilin the water of the irri ation canals e"en. 2a%e a close o$ser"ation of water $elow our 3Water hyacinth4 lea"es. You can see the water more clear an! pure compare! to the water at the other places in the close "icinity. We are tryin to clean the water at our $est. Yet the !irty matter $ein release! in to water is so much that we are failin in our tas%. We are rowin further to !o the tas% faster. It is !urin this process, e.cess water comin is fin!in its passa e "ery much !ifficult !ue to the pressure from us. Is it not true that you fin! it more !ifficult to mo"e faster in a o"ercrow!e! times of the streets. You, as humans are in a more e"ol"e! state than us. Thus , you may fin! !ifficult to relish our statements. Yet, still, I want to tell you a story. It was a time when /harma was on its four feet. *ne saintly person was wal%in on his way to meet his $rother. He was feelin terri$ly hun ry. There was a man o orchar! with well ripene! man oes han in to the trees. The saint trie! "ery much for the watchman of the orchar! so that he can ta%e permission to ta%e one or two fruit to satisfy his $elly. He coul! fin! none. 0na$le to $ear the hun er, he too% one fruit an! ate it. He starte! feelin "ery much uilty of stealin the fruit. He then wal%e! o"er to the court of the %in rulin that area. He wante! punishment from the %in for the theft he committe!. The %in felt rather em$arrasse! an! trie! his le"el

$est to sen! away the sent without any punishment. The sent !i! not a ree for it. The %in sent messa e to his a!"iser. In fact, the a!"iser happene! to $e the $rother of the saint. *n his a!"ice an! the insistence of the saint for punishment, the %in or!ere! to cut his ri ht han! with which he committe! the sin of theft. (ater, the saint met his $rother. The $rother as%e! the saint to ta%e a !ip in the flowin ri"er near $y. After he came out after ta%in the !ip, he ot his han! intact. The ri"er was later calle! 5ahu!a, meanin the one that a"e the han!. It is flowin in the mi!!le of town Chittor of An!hra #ra!esh. It is no more a sacre! ri"er $ut a !rain for the town. The same is true with another ancient ri"er calle! 6osthani of West 6o!a"ari /istrict of An!hra #ra!esh. #lease chec% up for yoursel"es whether my statements are true or not. Earlier people use! to ha"e oo! "e etation aroun! their houses of !wellin . They use! to enjoy the company of the plant %in !om. The scenario chan e! much at the moment. /ue to their $usy sche!ule of "iewin the hi hly sa!istic themes on tele"isions ali"e an! !ue to their ina$ility to et a oo! wor%er rather cheaply, they feel it "ery !ifficult to clean the lea"es of the plants an! trees an! instea! they want to cement the entire a"aila$le free area. &or et a$out the employe! couples who come late after hea"y wor% at the offices. &urther the $usy house wi"es "iewin the T7's feel shattere! at the shit which the $ir!s lea"e now an! then from the top of the trees. They can ne"er un!erstan! how the earlier eneration people enjoye! the music of the soun!s of the tiny $ir!s on the trees an! how youn chil!ren of the yester years enjoye! playin on the $ranches of trees. What a terri$le association there use! to $e $etween the plant %in !om an! the humans8 The people who feel the nuisance with the fallin lea"es !o not really fin! their responsi$ility in a"oi!in the plastic which can not an! !oes not !e enerate e"en after one la%h years, where as our lea"es !isinte rate in few !ays an! can ma%e oo! fertili-er. #eople for et that that we as plants i"e plenty of o.y en, oo! sha!ow in summer, fruits an! nuts with oo! nutrition an! further always rea!y to i"e you plenty of #rana which the #ranic healers are of. I spo%e much of plant %in !om. I ha"e now somethin to spea% a$out you. *ccupation of our %in !om, namely, the forests lea!in to re!uction of the trees $y humans is lea!in to irre ularity of seasons. The ri"ers an!

canals are ettin contaminate!. In the name of ettin ri! of insects, the soil is ettin pollute! with !ea!ly poisons. If you can a"oi! contaminatin water, where is the scarcity of water for you8 The people on one si!e are pollutin water an! on the other si!e, the same people are sellin water at a$out twent fi"e rupees a litre at the railway stations. We a!"ise you, you nee! not !o research on how to et fresh water at low cost from sea, $ut how to a"oi! your $est contaminatin the water which nature $rou ht close to our !oor step in the form of ri"ers an! canals. Instea! of usin hi hly to.ic poisons for protection of plants a ainst pests, one has to o in to nurture the i!eas of 1u$hash #ale%ar of 2harashtra or 2o$otu of 9apan $y oin in for nature $ase! a riculture. It wor%s out cheaper an! !oes not pollute the soil. We, as mem$ers of the plant %in !om are tryin our $est to clean the pollute! water an! yet we are una$le to match your spee! of pollutin the water. We, hope you, at least at a later !ate can un!erstan! our feelin s, At your ser"ice for e"er, Waterhaycinth.