India, June 9 -- It is 'World Environment Day' once again! Everywhere one witnesses a flurry of 'activities.' There is the usual jostle to plant saplings, the plethora of long, boring speeches on the importance of the environment repeated 'ad nauseam' and plenty of photo-ops with faces beaming towards the cameras. The newspapers are full of advertisements about the environment; several of them are from government agencies - the very ones responsible for destroying the environment and our fragile biodiversity!

Plenty of 'tokenism' and 'cosmetic' action - most of which will be forgotten tomorrow. Trees are necessary, but is there someone who will nurture the saplings and ensure their growth? Public awareness of the importance of the enviro...