blue sky above and a green earth under.

Sitting in a specific corner of his 8ftX10ft room in a remote land of Orissa, Raman closed his eyes in a prayerful mood. He could not hold his tears anymore. The evening news was broadcasting the heart-rending devastation caused by the catastrophic quake. All in a moment all of the Japan was upside down. The land of rising sun was covered with dangerous nuclear smoke and radiation. The colossal disaster and mounting death toll in Japan reminded Raman of the super cyclone of 1999 in which he had lost his 3year old sister. 

The cyclones pushed the walls and his small sister came under it. He had cried and did all his best to save her. But in the end the doctor had declared her dead. She had died of serious head injury. That year the cyclone snatched the roof and his lovely sister. 

11 years have passed meanwhile. During the preceding years Nature has issued warning after warning to the greedy man so that he may behave sensibly and in collaboration with nature. But man never heeds to the suggestions of nature. Raman wiped his tears. Lighted a candle before Lord Buddha’s image. He bowed his heads before the meditating deity. In the depths of silence he felt somebody inside him telling, “Rise, don’t shed tears. Crying in darkness will not dispel the darkness. You have to light a candle. Don’t complain of the problem, be a part of the solution. Go to the backyard and plant a tree. And name that tree PEACE.”

Raman envisioned 650 crore people planting trees in their backyards and white doves flying in the blue sky above and a green earth under.