Earth used to provide enough free resources.

"Free ka maal"(goods for free). These words bring a glint of happiness in every human eye. These words sometimes make our day. We end up boasting the stories of stuff we got for free among our friends and family. The stories that make us happy are, the free pizza we ate because the delivery person missed the deadline of 30 mins, the dinner set we got for free after shopping a lot. Our favorite words these days are free calling, free WiFi, free data, free time to use unlimited free data. It's the world's oldest marketing technique. Every customer falls prey to the words "free, free, free." In a few years, the same marketing genius will be applied to things mother nature provided us FREE, for generations. Alas! Not for long. Get ready for advertisements like "Buy 2 cans of oxygen and get one free." Or "Buy 3 jars of drinking water and get a jar of hard water free".

Let's practice speeches for our future generation. "You know ours was the golden age. The Earth was beautiful, not covered with smog, like today. Oxygen was available for free, water came out of taps in all the houses." When they ask you "why didn't you take steps to evade this?" Keep your answers ready for that as well. "We were an ignorant lot, who loved pushing problems under the rug."

You know who is going to have the most difficult time when there is absolutely no water available? You might have guessed the people in villages. They already struggle with so much. Isn't it? But I am sorry, wrong answer. It's people like you and me who are able to read this blog today, are going to face hell. Because of the fact that we are accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle. We don't walk miles and miles just in search of water. We don't cross a deadly bridge on foot just to reach school.

NITI ayog's report says, 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater next year and 40% of our population will have no access to drinking water till next decade. So, let the rehearsal of walking towards self destruction begin. Let's save money today to buy water and oxygen tomorrow and then blame the government for not taking steps. Isn't it? Remember. If humans are selfish (yes we are!) then the ones on the chair are our Kings and queens. They won't care to save environment unless their chair is at stake and moreover taking care of our own home, should be collective responsibility of every individual. Not that the  government hasn't done anything. They have already taken many steps, formulated policies. But we the people, believe in breaking rules. Don't we? It's a shame that we haven't even helped in the implementing plastic ban and this is just one example of our ill-disciplined nature.

I know, this blog post isn't going to reach many, even if it reaches, no one is going to read till the end. If you read it till the end, you will shake your head in dismay and say " sad, apna kuch nai ho sakta."(sad, We are good for nothing and helpless) and forget about this article. Some might feel motivated and resolve to do something about it, then forget about it in few hours. I am writing for that one who decides, genuinely, to make changes in his/her lifestyle for the greater good and thus help delay Earth's destruction. Even if the one is me and only me then I will think that my efforts to wake up people bore some fruit. All of us know, what we need to be done. It begins with baby steps. The question is, do we care enough to save our "Free ka maal?"(goods for free).

-Swati Iyer