World Environment Day reminds us to listen to the trees

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This World Environment Day, author Purva Grover encourages people to reconnect with nature through stories, memories and a deeper appreciation of trees.

As occupied as our lives may be, we often dream of doing our bit to make the planet a greener haven. We switch off electrical appliances not in use, slip into sustainable outfits, and have a fair understanding of global warming. We may or may not have a green thumb or a degree in environmental studies, but we do possess a heart that has indulged in the shade of a tree (all those times when you wished to park your car under one included), eaten a fruit from another, and even stopped by one to admire it (even if for the ‘Gram).

Knowingly or unknowingly, trees have always been a part of our lives. Did your dad go to a barber who sat under a tree? Have you ever bought a pack of mints from a vendor who sits or sleeps under one? Do you relish juicy mangoes? Do you like the smell of henna on your hands?

So why, then, do we do so little for trees?

Trees ask nothing of us, just as we take what they give us freely. How can we reciprocate this love? Yes, studies, university application forms, career goals, chilling with friends, and life in general get in the way. Not to forget, it’s easy to get lazy when you have a Netflix subscription! And looking after trees, as expected, takes a backseat for most of us—myself included.

However, you don’t have to be capable of recognizing a tree by its leaves or estimating its age by looking at the rings on its trunk to do your bit. You don’t have to be an activist or an environmentalist to save trees. I am neither.

You can start by simply sharing your experiences—one thought, one sapling at a time. Let’s do this from the comfort of our air-conditioned homes, even. Let’s talk about the summers we spent on a swing tied to a tree or how we would climb them—how we, sadly, engraved the bark to confess our love or used trunks as wickets to play cricket.

What we do for the environment need not always take the form of a protest or a product launch; in some cases, it can simply be a personal story.

I’d say my inspiration to write The Trees Told Me So, 11 short stories that revolve around trees, stemmed from the fact that each one of us, with our challenges and limitations, wishes to make a difference but feels we aren’t ready or don’t have the time. Nowhere in the book will you be asked to plant a sapling, water a tree, or turn into an environmental activist. You will simply flip through the pages and feel a connection, one story at a time.

And on World Environment Day, I am just asking you to do the same. Share stories around trees. If possible, gather under one and hug another—but if not, simply recognize that your life does and will always revolve around them. Once this thought takes root in your heart, real change towards saving trees—and the larger planet—will follow naturally.

Start today. Tell a story—or tell the ones that the trees told you. Listen carefully, for #thetreestoldmeso!

About the book: If trees could talk, they’d have so much to tell: The story of two broken hearts, that stolen first kiss, those last words of a mother to her son, endless cups of tea, and never-ending chatter, of nostalgia, an act of brutality, and a tale of passion. In this collection of short stories, The Trees Told Me So, Purva Grover draws a beautiful and poignant picture of love, life, and loss, with an honest voice.

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