Heaven If You Are Not Here On Earth - Kuvempu

The poem , ' Heaven, If You Are Not Here On Earth', gives a message that man should not search heaven somewhere else but here on the Earth. Man  has live on the Earth peacefully without creating chaos. 

According to the poet, 'Heaven, God ,Nymphs'  are just the creation of man. The poet is inspired by nature, as it gives subject to his poetry. We can enjoy the heavenly bliss in looking at the nature. The poet states that one need to experience the heaven looking at streams, rolling surf, waves of ocean, tender sunshine, on the verdant grass and the moonlight and asserts that one need to enjoy the heavenly bliss , when watches the splendor of the nature.

 Nature inspires the poet to write the poetry , through which he imbibes and spills the song of nectar and creates heaven on Earth through his poem.

This the poet believes Heaven lies on the Earth. To quote , ' It's the mind that makes the heaven a hell, and hell a heaven.' 

Everything I Need To know I Learned in the Forest - Vandana Shiva

 Introduction

The lesson, ' Everything I Need to know I Learned in the forest ' by Vandana Shiva, is about how Vandana Shiva learnt about environmentalism from the uneducated women of Garhwal, Himalaya and about the forest that taught her values of diversity, freedom and co- existence.

Navadanya Farm/Movement 

Vandana Shiva learnt about diversity inthe Himalayan forests , which she transferred to the protection of biodiversity on their farm. She started saving seeds from farmers' fields and realised that they need a farm for demonstration and training. This Navadanya Farm was started in 1994 in the Doon Valley, , located in the lower elevation Himalayan region of Uttarakhand Province. They conserve and grow 630 varieties of rice, 150 varities of wheat and hundreds of other species. They practice and promote a biodiversity- intensive form of farming that produces more food and nutrition per acre. They worked with the farmers to setup more than more than 100 community seed banks and saved more than 3000 varieties of rice. They help the farmers to make transition from chemical based monoculture to bio-diverse ecological systems nourished by the sun and soil. This biodiversity has been the teacher of abundance and freedom, of co-operation and mutual giving

Earth University

Earth University teaches Earth Democracy, which is the freedom for all species to evolve within the web of life, and the freedom and responsibility of humans, as members of the Earth family, to recognise, protect and respect the rights of other species. Earth Democracy is a shift from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism. As we all depend on the Earth, Earth Democracy translates into human rights to food and water,.to freedom from hunger and thirst. Earth University is located at Navadanya,a biodiversity farm, participants learn to work with living seeds, living soil and the web of life. Participants includes farmers, school children and people from across the world. Most popular courses of the University are "The A-Z of Organic Farming and Agro- ecology" and " Gandhi and Globalisation."

Dramatic Chipko Movement

Chipko is the non-violent response to a large scale deforestation, that was taking place in the Himalayan region. One of the dramatic Chipko Movement took place in the Himalayan village of Adwani in 1977, when a village woman named Bachani Devi led resistance against her own husband, who had obtained a contract of cutting trees. When official arrived at the forest, the women held up the lighted lanterns although it was broad daylight. The foresters asked them to explain and the women replied that they had come to teach them forestry. Foresters retorted as forest to them is all about profit ,resin and timber. But the women sang a song about the importance of forest as they believed it bore pure soil , water and air.

 

Rights of Nature on the Global Stage

The concept of the rights of nature emphasizes recognizing nature as a living entity with its own rights, not just a resource for human use. Ecuador became the first country to include the rights of nature in its constitution. In 2011, inspired by this, the United Nations General Assembly and Bolivia held a conference on Harmony with Nature to mark Earth Day. The focus was on moving away from systems that dominate nature and instead build partnerships with it. The U.N. Secretary-General’s report emphasized that environmental damage results from ignoring that humans are part of nature. South African environmentalist Cormac Cullinan highlighted the issue of "eco-apartheid"—a false separation between humans and nature. Just as the world ended racial apartheid in South Africa, it must now end the separation of humans from nature to ensure global ecological harmony.

The Dead-Earth World View

The Dead-Earth World View reflects a mindset where nature is seen as lifeless and meant for exploitation. This idea began to grow during the industrial revolution when the living, diverse Earth was reduced to “dead matter” to provide raw materials. Monocultures replaced natural biodiversity, and the concept of Terra Nullius—meaning empty land ready for use—replaced Terra Madre, the nurturing Mother Earth.

This passage shows us the  historical shift in how nature was viewed, beginning with Francis Bacon, known as the father of modern science. Bacon promoted the idea that science and technology could control and dominate nature. Philosopher and historian Carolyn Merchant explains that this change in perspective—from seeing nature as a nurturing mother to viewing it as lifeless matter—supported the rise of capitalism and scientific exploitation. Merchant highlights how earlier cultural values that respected and protected nature were replaced by aggressive approaches that saw nature as something to be conquered and used for profit.

Short Note on “Tapovan” – Essay by Rabindranath Tagore

In his essay “Tapovan” (meaning Forest of Purity), Rabindranath Tagore highlights the role of forests in shaping Indian civilization. He states that India’s finest ideas—both material and intellectual—came not from cities but from forests, where people lived in harmony with nature. Forests offered peace, encouraged spiritual growth, and supported the intellectual evolution of man. The forest culture influenced Indian society with its diversity, which changed with species, seasons, and senses like sound and smell. Tagore emphasized that this diversity led to democratic pluralism, making unity in diversity the foundation of Indian civilization. He believed the forest symbolized freedom, wisdom, and renewal.

II PU English - Match The Following ( Solved )

 Lesson : Too Dear

1. Reckon up                 - calculate 

2. Gave up                     - surrender/ quit

3. Look over                  - check/examine 

4. Straight out               - directly 

5. To get rid of              - discard /eliminate 

6. Got out of the way   - stop doing something 

7. Turn their backs      - deny/reject/abandon 

8. Be hanged                 - kill/suspend 

9. Rake in                      - earn /gain/ make

10. Hard to put up      - difficult to accept 

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Lesson : Everything I Need To Know I Learned                      In  The Forest 

1. Broad Day light  - happening during day

2. Held up                - support/ carry/hold

3. Put Behind          -  forget/ ignore 

4. At play                 - active / available easily

5. Grow into            - develop 

Lesson : Sunny Morning

1. Resign oneself - retire /rest

2. Idling away      - wasting time

3. Take liberty      - to be free

4. Make peace      - agreement / reconcile /settle 

Lesson : The Gardener 

1. Take recourse      -  take help

2. Out of hand          -  out of control 

3. Suck in                  - absorb 

4. Passed away        - died

5. Chance Upon       -  meet by chance 

6. Shy Away             -  avoid 

7. Well versed         -  skilled 

8. Better at               -  finer / superior 

9. In a flash             -  immediately / quickly  

10. Vanish into thin air  - disappear suddenly 

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Lesson:  The Voter

1. In a fix                     - dilemma/ difficulty

2. To throw away      -  discard / useless 

3. Pass by                     -  to go past

4. In a soup                  - in a trouble 

5. Landslide victory   - triumph 

6. Full swing                - highly active 

7. Leapt into                - jump out

8. Gave out                  - radiate /announce 

9. Dashed off              - to move /do quickly 

10. Flew out                -  move somewhere 

II PU English -Match the expression with its meaning ( Solved )

 Lesson :  Japan And Brazil ....

1. Laid down                  - to establish

2. Straighten up             - to stand erect 

3. Clear cut                       - to define

4. All & sundry               - everyone 

5. Tread on                      -  to step on/ stumble 

6. be inclined                  - likely to believe 

7. Leaps and bounds     - rapidly or quickly 

8. Look-out                      - to be vigilant/careful 

9. Turn a deaf ear          - Refuse to listen 

10. Cut in                         - interrupt 

11. Get into                      - affect / influence 

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Lesson :Where There Is A Wheel

1. Zip a long      - move quickly 

2. Give up          -  cease / stop

3. Swept across-  spread/cover smoothly 

4. Put up with   -  tolerate

5. Turned out    - emerge / happen 

6. Run into         -  meet 

7. Taken to         -   to become fond of/ begin                                              something 

8.. Hit out           -  criticize/denounce/attack 

9. Cut Off            -  stop/discontinue 

10. Paid no attention - ignore