Times of India , Saturday, December 05, 2009

Correspondent : Anand Soondas, TOI Crest

Lalmohan is worried where he'll find Bon Bibi after the forest she dwells in is swallowed by the sea. Darayas Master is anxious about the holy fire his Parsi ancestors brought to Sanjan from Iran. But the fate of some of India's million deities will be the last thing on New Delhi's mind as it goes to Copenhagen. Saipatri of the hundred petals doesn't bloom wildly in the hills of Darjeeling anymore and the gauthali has stopped perching itself atop telephone wires, chirping noisily. The apple has shrunk in Kullu for want of frost and distraught villagers rise up in impotent rage during community gatherings against the ever-increasing drone of ACs in Himachal. Then there are the mosquitoes to swat and flies to smack. Yellow kani konna blooms late in Kerala these days and misses Vishu celebrations. People remember it was in April the bright flowers were usually seen in the markets. Now it is October. But the drongo has started hatching its eggs earlier. Though confounded by what's happening around it, the little bird is cleverly keeping pace. Just as perhaps the kili meen is, which has shifted its spawning season. In Karnataka , scientists who recently rediscovered Madhuca bourdillonii tempered their joy as thoughts of angry floods ran through their head. The plant won't survive the onslaught of climate change that's hit the Western Ghats hard, someone bemoaned . Next week in Denmark, Indian delegates will most certainly haggle and bargain on carbon emissions, bringing the rich versus poor debate to the global table. But there's a lot that needs to be done back home. From west to east, north to south, global warming is gnawing at its heels. Let it not be too late for the saipatri and the gauthali, or for Lalmohan and Darayas.

SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/AND-THE-GAUTHALI-SINGS-NO-MORE-/articleshow/5304587.cms