New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- In recent decades, a lot of the conversation related to festivals has been around Diwali on Amavasya, or the dark night. As a result, we tend to diminish the importance of Govardhan Puja, which comes just two days later. Yet, in these times of climate crisis, it must be revived. According to the Bhagavata Purana, the story goes like this: Lord Krishna nudged his followers to think beyond worshipping Lord Indra, the Hindu God of weather, and pay homage to nature -- trees, rivers and the Earth -- which sustained them. They did this, and attracted the ire of Lord Indra, who sent them a flood. Terrified, they turned back to Krishna, who lifted the Govardhan mountain and shielded them from the torrential downpour. As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, India is besieged by floods, extreme heat, droughts, forest fires and melting glaciers. We must reduce our consumption of pernicious materials through policy and social shifts, and push the world to do the same. Along with this, let's not lose a part of the festive season. Rethinking a fading festival, recovering it and reinterpreting the festivities is vital today. This Wednesday, step out and do something for nature: deconcretise a tree, remove artificial lighting from plants, get your Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, stop burning fireworks or even just compost. We may not get shopping discounts during Govardhan Puja, but this beautiful Braj tradition reminds us that the Gods, too, believe that our planet deserves our attention....