Newsletter - June 2024
Dear Friends,
Namaskaram.
5th June is celebrated as World Environment Day. This year the focus is on land restoration, halting desertification and building drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future.
According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world’s population. The number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 per cent since 2000 – without urgent action, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world's population by 2050.
We at Green Rameswaram are trying our best to reduce the soil degradation by planting trees every month in some or the other areas of Rameswaram.
This month’s newsletter has the following highlights:
- Dr.Sanjay Banerji started a new blog on “Sustainable Living”
- Shri.Rangarajan continues to translate a few shlokas from the rare book on Ramanathaswami Temple
- Usual work carried out by Hand in Hand Inclusive Development Services in “Solid waste management”
- Dr. A.Abirami, Programme Officer of the C.P.R. Environmental Educational Center, Chennai writes on the herbal plant – Kandankathiri (Kantkari)
- In Social capital - Teertha Poojas, International Yoga day and Environment day celebrations, Cleaning campaigns, Miyawaki Forest plantation, Green transport, Webinars and finally newsletter by the students and for the students of Rameswaram.
With best wishes,
Editorial TeamGreen Rameswaram Project
Mahabeer Dharmasala
Rameswaram - 623526
Tamilnadu.
Ph: 04573 - 222296(office)
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.greenrameswaram.org
Sustainable Living - 1
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Amrita.
Beginning this month, we plan to start a new series on the theme of Sustainable Living / Sustainable Lifestyle. At the outset, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Working Group on Inner Sustainability, initiated by Vivekananda Kendra – Nardep, Kanyakumari.
A Rare book - Dhevaiula
on Ramanathaswami
This classical work on Sri Ramanatha Swami of Rameswaram was composed by “Palapattadai Chokkanatha Pillai”. This work was discovered by Sri U.Ve. Saminatha Iyer after comparing multiple versions. He also wrote a commentary on this rare text.
With the blessings of Lord Ramanatha Swami, Mother Parvathavardhini and Lord Rama, here is an attempt to provide a reasonable translation of this work, in English. Any error can be ascribed to me.
Solid Waste Management
Door to Door Waste Collection and Segregation Programmes:
Door-to-door waste collection and source segregation are crucial steps in ensuring effective solid waste management (SWM) process. Once waste is collected and segregated at the source, it opens avenues for further processes, such as separating degradable and non-degradable wastes. This segregation allows for more efficient handling and treatment of different types of wastes.
Herbal Garden (Muligai Vanam)
Kandankathiri
Distribution and Habiat:
S. xanthocarpum is a small, semi prostate, annual and herbaceous plant belongs to the family Solanaceae. The plant is distributed worldwide in the tropical and sub-tropical areas. It grows as a weed in open spaces, along roadsides and in wastelands throughout India.
Social Capital
Green Rameswaram Trust
Teertha Pooja
Our work of involving community in doing Teertha poojas is going on smoothly. SHG members are trying to take the ownership of the programme. In this month, we could carry out Teertha poojas at 26 Traditional water bodies with 280 volunteers participating in the activity.