N49             continuation of Tree Lover

  

  Here are some of my likes;

In the book “ Silk Road “ there are some places where they mentioned poplar trees. It is said to be tall and not wide spread. When I looked up for its images I saw that they are pretty trees. When they are planted on roadside in rows they look magnificent. I would like to plant Poplar trees in our country.

   

As I have often written in my blogs and articles I would like to plant new species of Cherry trees in Taunggyi. The few trees that we can see in Taunggyi are some of the leftovers after destroying and cutting down by people who do not love nature and use them for their own purpose. But this year people of Taunggyi has become alert and are starting to plant new trees and Cherry trees as well. But as I have said it will be better if we can plant new species from abroad to adorn our roadside and make them into boulevards for people to enjoy when the blooming season come and maybe we can have Cherry blossom festivals like in Washington and Kyoto.

   

  When I see beautiful trees I always appreciate them. When I went to Shwe  Li some years ago I saw some pine trees there. They cover the whole hill where the Shan monastery we visited situated. The pines or maybe Spruce are so beautiful with the perfect shape of Christmas trees  that I want to bring some home. But I did not put some efforts to do so. So the images of the trees remains only in my mind.

   

  While in Australia I saw some beautiful trees . They have beautiful perfect shapes of a tree and the colours are so green and lustrous. Maybe the environment is so clean that even the trees are not covered with dust like ours. Their parks are generally green lawns dotted with big trees and benches to sit on. There are not even colourful flowers but they are perfect places for strolls and leisure.

   

  In Tasmania we visited a place call Plenty. It is a fish hatching plant where they raise Trout and Salmon. The fish ponds are not just rectangular ponds but with different shapes and sizes to suit the eyes. Beside those pretty fish ponds and green lawns they also have big trees in their compound. They were brought there from many countries a long time ago and they have grown big. They take care of their trees and put label on each tree like Englisha Elm, Japanese Spruce and so on.

     

Big trees in our country , whichever can be used for something have been cut down. I think only Banyan trees remain as they cannot be used for people’s uses.

People  have been moving from place to place since the start of civilization. In this way plants and trees, cultures, religions had spread throughout the world. Trees also had spread from place to place through the efforts of tree loving people like Ernest Wilson.There is no harm in having new trees. In fact they benefit people in many ways. So we should we should 

 welcome new  trees to our land. But it can be realized only if there are people who are willing to bring them in. So I hope tree loving people like Ernest Wilson or some institutions will emerge in our country to make it more greener and livable with green and beautiful trees.

N 47  …… Continuation of Environmental Awareness

I like this programme. There are lots of spare lands in our country. The government should impose such law on the citizens. To plant one tree and take care that it grow well in one’s life. To plant them anywhere , where it is convenient, and not only in their compound. But if so there will be some difficulties for people who live in big cities. But then most people who are living in big cities have their own hometown. They can plant their trees in their own hometown.

    

  Imagining that it will be good if the government impose such law, I in advance planted 4 trees for 4 members of my family, in a school compound near our house in Taunggyi after obtaining permission from the headmistress. Anyway they have some spare land and  are in need of trees which the children had been planting last rainy season but were unsuccessful because there were no fencing. I hope my trees grow well.

    

  One thing I want to add is about the cause of cutting trees. The trees around our town are not part of a big forest , so they  can not  be used for  commercial purposes.  But only  local people cut and  who uses them for firewood. And sometimes fire break out on the mountain devouring patches of the remaining forest.

    

  I heard someone suggest that the government should not sell the country’s gas to neighbouring countries. Instead they should build gas factories and produce gas tanks and let the people use for cooking. This way will save many of our trees and also promote our standard of living.

     

  If we think about the future of our country there are many things to do. Most of them can be done only by the government. But people, individually or by forming groups or organizations can also be of  much help.

     

So I welcome all activities that aim for the good of the country. I welcome the Shan Cherry tree planting group, the foremost Greenland group and all groups involving in all charity and welfare activities.  

 

N46     Environmental Awareness

There is a saying in Myanmar. That is “ One who looks sees “ meaning if we lookwe see and if we turn a blind eye we will not see anything. About our environment some are aware about it and are concerned and worry and are doing something to save it while other people , mostly due to ignorance do not see , do not put them in mind and are even destroying it.

   The earth itself is full of troubles. Beside man made troubles  such as conflicts and wars and many other things it is also  facing troubles concerning the environment. There are natural disasters, pollution of all kinds, climate changes, and  deforestations , to mention a few.   

   The governments are doing as much as they can within their power. People who have awareness are also doing something to save their environment. I think there have been some alertness in Taunggyi about trees lately. I myself did a kind of participation by writing an article in the Ashe Yoma journal about the disappearance of cherry trees in Taunggyi referring to Ellen Thorp’s book “ Quiet Skies on Salween.`”Not long ago I saw an article  written by Shi Ingyin about deforestation in Taunggyi. And I heard about a group called Shan Cherry was also formed and that they had started planting trees on the mountain range on the east of Taunggyi.

  Our country is one of the countries that has deforested most of its wooded areas due to overlogging of trees beyond sustainable yield . But I think most of the proceeds do not go into the Government’s budget. Most of our lands were depleted of its trees and forests and it is only the people who will have to bear its consequences.

    The government is not doing enough to replace the lost forests and trees. There are some good examples we should follow. Let us look what China is doing. In  1981 a law that requires every citizen over the age of 11 plant at least one tree a year was  enforced.  As a result China currently has the highest afforestation rate of any country or region in the world with 47000 sq kl of afforestation in 2008.

To be continued……..

N45   Water Wasting Festival   (Part  2 )

    

But if we think of the water they use for pleasure we will see that it is very wasteful and senseless . Generally we can say  that water is not scarce in our country , but one place and another place , one region and another region are not the same. Water is more plentiful in Lower Burma than the middle part where it is arid. But even then I heard that in some parts of the Irrawaddy Delta drinkable water is scarce.

     

   If we look more widely at the world there are many places where water is a problem. Half of the world’s population does not have access to save pure drinking water and there are many places where using of water is limited. Even some developed countries like Singapore do not have enough usable water resources, so that she has to buy from neighbouring countries . In  Australia too water is not plentiful, so use of water for a single person is limited. There had been countries that went to war because of unequal devision of water like Syria and Jordan.

    

 

  I had once watched a documentary film about Indian women who have to carry water. As is their custom Indian men do not care to carry water for household use. So the burden fall on the weaker sex , the women. Women old and young had to carry water for household use and also for their animals, whether it may be near or far. The northwestern part of India Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are arid regions where water is very scarce . Women have to carry water from very far places like 7 or 8 kilometres by balancing pots and pans on their heads. One time is not enough for the entire household. They have to do that tiring errand many times a day. Girls start to go with their mothers from about the age of 8 carrying the amount of water they can. But in that region water is not pure. They can only get salinated water which is salty and bitter and there are people who haven’t taste a drink of pure drinkable water all their lives. Pity them.

     

  So, what I want to say is, “Should we waste our water because it is plentiful “ And plentiful is not even the right word . People in big cities Yangon and Mandalay and Taunggyi all have experienced times when there is not enough water to use. At such times we have to buy water from cars and carts . But even if we have money to buy, if there is no place to draw water from who will come and sell to us? Water is a resource that can be depleted. We can see and hear about streams and lakes that have gone dry.

    

     If we look at countries which celebrate Thingyan such as Thailand, Laos , Cambodia , China no country uses pipes or hoses to throw water on each other. They just use buckets and bowls and water guns only. Splashing water this way will save much water.

   

  So should we follow customs and traditions that will make our lives become difficult, that is futile for the sake of pleasure? This way of water splashing came into life not very long ago in our country and we can change it back to our old ways again.

    

  But if only we have the sense and heart to do so……..

N44           Water Wasting Festival

Everybody accept that Thingyan Festival is the most distinctive and enjoyable seasonal event of the whole year in Myanmar. It marks the end of Myanmar  calendar year and welcoming the new year. All Buddhists celebrated Thingyan according to their ages and regional customs. Old people concentrated in making meritorious deeds such as going to pagodas and monasteries with offerings, observing Sabbath, giving alms to Sanghas and the needies, free fishes and birds and so on. Some middle aged and young people also does some of these good deeds. But many young people have their hearts on merrymaking only which sometimes  lead them to negative results.

   

  The most significant activity of Thingyan is the water splashing activity. People splash water on each other during the 3 or 4 days of Thingyan. In olden days it was done with good intention , to get cool from the summer time heat, to wash away the dirt of the ending year etc. People even used fragrant water which was put in silver bowl to splash on each other. Some used a bunch of Eugenia leaves to soak water from the bowl and tap the shoulder of another gently and courteously.

     

But nowadays the custom has changed. In big cities big pandals are erected here and there. Water pipes  are installed in a row and young people pay a certain price to get on to the pandal and use the pipe to soak passers by who are moving on foot or by motor cars and are already soaked. The force of water coming from the pipes are made to be strong and piercing , so we can say that they are intended to hurt people. Some young people uses tin cans and throw  water forcefully at other people to make them feel pain. Sometimes water throwers put ice in their water to make people  feel cold. All these actions are not for good purposes, but to do harm to others. So where can we find good intentions of the Thingyan Festival.

    

Some of the activities performed in the pandals are good. Like singing and dancing. Many people including tourists like to watch and enjoy . It gives people happiness and pleasure to watch these performances. But dresses worn by some performers are getting bad to worse and are much criticized by many lately. The dresses are getting much western, more scanty, more revealing and with the use of alcohol and drugs the people on the stage become wild and out of control . There is nothing good to gain for these behaviours. Young people who have some sensitivities should not think only for pleasure but avoid pitfalls by over enjoying themselves.

    

My actual aim in writing this blog is about water. As the name of this festival is water festival , plenty of water has to be used for it. If we are celebrating this festival in the old way the water used will not be too much. But who started to do the way they do today in the cities we don’t know. I mean the  way they splash water with pipes and even fire hoses as they are doing now. By this way much amount of water has to be used for the contentment of people fruitlessly. I think by myself what enjoyment do they have by splashing people who are already soaked again and again. I had watched people celebrating water splashing festival of Thailand Laos and Sipsongpanna of China. They don’t use pipes as we do but they splash water on each other using bowls and pails and waterguns only.

To be continued…….

N43      Books I Translated   4

  During this time Matt received an invitation from an aunt in law who lives in San Diego USA to come and live with her. Although he didn’t want to go he decided to give it a try .

  

 There he met a girl named Tracey who was an animal rights activist . After leading a march through town to protest for dolphins she was  nabbed by the police, fined and told to live peacefully for a year. So she decided to go to La Scammon Mexico, for the whale watch and asked Matt to go with her. Because Petra had told Matt that she would be there around about that season, Matt decided to go and see her.

 They travelled in Tracey’s bike she called Fly and they encountered many hardships  while travelling along Baja Peninsular. In the end they parted to go their own way , Matt to Petra’s father’s house and Tracey with her old boyfriend whom she met again at a seaport.

      

  In short they, Matt, Petra and Skip who was sent by the captain to locate Matt whom he thought was lost , had a reunion at Petra’s father’s house. In fact Petra was the captain’s granddaughter but the father  hadn’t forgiven the old man for disowning his daughter when she ran away with him, a poor unknown artist.

   

  But now the captain’s end was near and Petra decided to go and see the captain . So they all went back to England to see the captain. The lonely captain’s wish was fulfilled when he saw his granddaughter even if he cannot see his daughter. He offered both Petra and Matt his fortune but they declined. Petra accepted his offer to fund a marine biology research center , where Matt who wanted to be a marine biologist like Petra could work later.

   

   The captain insisted they take him to their old place where he died peacefully amid the sound of music of the music night   they hold especially for him.

      In the last part of the book Mathew met with Flite again .  But he had to let it go back to it’s own school and to the sea where  they belong.

    

 I cannot describe the story in detail because it will make my blog so long . But I want to add that there are many scenes that tell us about the plight and dangers the sea animals are facing.

   

   I like this book very much and I also wish you like it too.    

      

N42      Books I translated   4

 

  I will dub my Blog No 1 which is about The Silk  Road  No 3 in my” Books I translated” series. So this blog is  about Dolphin’s Sunrise and it will be No 4 in this series.

    

It is written by Elizabeth Webster . I read it from the Readers Digest Condensed Book . So it is not an original , but a condensed one.

   

  The main theme of the book is animal rights (whales and dolphins ) . Our world now has become an overpopulated one and food to feed all  mouths is one problem. So men is squeezing all they can from land and sea to get food to feed all mankind. From seas and oceans men uses all kinds of vessels, machineries, and nets to catch all kinds of sea animals and even though there are rules concerning  fishing , sometimes they are violated to suit the greediness of human being.So many sea species are in danger of being extinct and some had already been extinct forever. 

   

   The hero of this book is Mathew a young boy of 15/16 . He became an orphan when fire broke out in his flat killing his mother . During this incident Matt rescued 4 small children whose parents were  at work but broke a leg and got some burns. The children’s parents were indebted to Mathew and they took him to Cornwall , a seaside place where they  were going to stay free in a caravan.

    

Mathew was a bright boy who can play the guitar well especially classics and also a whiz in computer. In Cornwall he met Skip the aqua club runner and his girl friend Petra who sometimes come to visit. He also met a lonely old man ,Captain Verney St George who owns a shipping empire and had a mysterious past.  While swimming in the sea he also met and became friends with a dolphin whom he named Flite. Matt and Flite became very much attached to each other.

     

When winter came Madge and her family and many people went back to their home. The captain also went south where there is sunshine and warmth. Before he went  Matt worked the computer for the captain at his request and they came to like each other very much.

to be continued……..