Serene Woods - Sample chapters

Excerpt 1

‘Ladies and Gentlemen, as you are all aware, we are at a crucial juncture in human civilization. It is seventy years since the first summit was held in Rio where a comprehensive plan of action was recommended to ensure sustainable development of all the nations. Unfortunately, our collective actions hitherto have not been commensurate with the challenges and today we face a grave threat to the long term survival of mankind on this planet. We have been given a comprehensive overview of the current state of environment and energy availability by distinguished experts. You are all aware that the situation on both these fronts is rather grim. The average temperature of the earth has increased by about 2.5 degree Celsius since our first summit, with regional fluctuations varying from a rise of 1.5 degree Celsius at some places in the tropics to about 5.5 degree Celsius in the Polar Regions. Last year, for the first time in recorded history, we had an ice–free summer in the arctic region. Himalayan Glaciers have nearly melted and the great rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra may be reduced to mere monsoon rivers within a few years.'

Excerpt 2

Supposing I have had a major altercation in the evening and I go to deep sleep with all its residual effects on mind. When I get up next morning, how is my mental state going to be?’

‘It is going to be directly related to the mental state before you went to sleep.’

‘Death is also like a long sleep; the main difference being that the dead ‘person’ awakens in a different body. So it should not be difficult to appreciate that the state of the mind just before death — with all its strong likes and dislikes, unfulfilled desires and revenges – would colour the state of mind just after the birth. These tendencies lie stored in a seed form, quite like the mangoes are ‘stored’ in the seed, and manifest themselves at an appropriate time when the conditions are apposite.’

Excerpt 3

The EFRICHs were being proposed as a Gandhian response to the challenges posed by decreasing availability of oil, increasing global warming and increasing inequity, especially the urban–rural divide. The annual oil import bill of the government of India had reached $1000 billion and even a 2% reduction in the oil import bill would pay for the scheme within five years. It was imperative to switch to renewable sources of energy as far as possible, especially carbon neutral sources like biomass. These were also seen as the answer to the rising aspirations of the rural areas, increasing the employment opportunities there without increasing the oil import bill or global warming. It was hoped that EFRICHs would eventually facilitate reverse migration from urban areas, especially from the areas inundated in last two years by repeated floods and rising water levels in the rivers and the seas.

Excerpt 4

The truth was finally out – Ganga was literally gasping for last few breaths. The Gangotri glacier and its adjoining glaciers had completely melted about a week ago. Water inflow had virtually stopped and the water stored in the dams had been slowly released over the last week. There was less than a ‘meter’ of water available in two of the dams which would also get depleted in a day or two. It was a tragedy of unimaginable magnitude: No drinking water, no electricity from the dams built over last fifty years! Fearing widespread unrest, a state of emergency was declared in the nation.

Excerpt 5

‘Welcome, Apostle of non-violence!’ with these words, and a garland of celestial flowers, the King of devas was welcoming Gandhiji to the devaloka. All his ‘ministers’ were also there at the giant jewel-bedecked gate of this celestial plane, spraying exotic perfumes and flower petals. Gandhiji, visibly bewildered by this sudden change in scenario, looked around to confirm – he was in heaven! Soon, he recognised some familiar faces among the devas, standing way behind the ‘ministers’ – his mentor Gokhale, his secretary Mahadev Desai, Tilak, Subhash Bose, Bhagat Singh and many others; and standing behind them all, his consort on earth, Ba.