MLCU roots for NGT ban
Shillong: The Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) has never erred in its knack for inviting speakers of eminence to its convocations. From His Holiness the Dalai Lama to former Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai the list is impressive. This time MLCU had Mike H Pandey, India’s most renowned and rewarded environmentalist, whose life’s mission is to protect wild life, particularly the whale sharks of India and elephants in particular.
Before the formal convocation address, Pandey had two days of interactive sessions with students and civil society of Meghalaya. While introducing Mike Pandey to the audience at the Convocation, Pro-Chancellor, Dr Glenn Kharkongor asked the audience to raise up their hands to show if they supported the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on coal mining. All hands went up including that of Ampareen Lyngdoh, Minister, Urban Affairs who was part of the audience. Dr Kharkongor announced that MLCU would stand with the environment and the NGT.
Mike Pandey who heads the Earth Foundation and runs a documentary on Doordarshan Kendra called, “Earth Matters,” which is viewed by about 800 million people every week. Pandey is credited with having produced 600 films for the purpose of advocacy. Addressing ) the over 500 graduates, post graduates, PhD, M.Phil, and diploma holders in a range of subjects, Pandey said, “Parents give life to their children but education helps them navigate through life. Education should make people think of the harm they have wreaked on mother nature.”
Stating that in the last five decades or so the earth’s delicate balance has been disrupted, Pandey said this is due to two reasons – ignorance and greed. He said while ignorance can be tolerated greed is what has ruptured the earth’s delicate balance.
“The earth is a delicate web of 24,000 eco-systems. Each one is part of that web so if one strand breaks the web is threatened. One leaf gives enough oxygen to keep a human alive for four days which is equivalent to four cylinders of oxygen valued at Rs 20 -.25 lakhs a year. Annually 87 trillion dollars worth of oxygen is pumped into the atmosphere,” Pandey informed.
Informing the audience that the total capacity of food in store today can only go up to 90 days after which there would be complete chaos, Mike Pandey said this was on account of greed and over exploitation of the earth’s resources. Earlier people fished for their needs; now this activity is linked to greed. 190 million tonnes of fish is taken out of the ocean of which 30 million tonnes of dead fish is trashed and cast back into the ocean. This turns the ocean acidic and incapable of supporting marine life.
Pandey urged the graduates to stop, think and act. “Think beyond yourselves. Think of the earth as your mother. Laws for environmental protection become effective only when people change, when they understand. So make a noise. One person can bring change. We need only 250 grams of food at one time to survive”, exhorted the wild life enthusiast.
In his gentle yet powerful voice Mike Pandey urged the graduates of MLCU to wake up and take a pledge to get the few greedy people out of the system. “We human beings create disasters and then try to find solutions for them. We have just .4 % of water on the earth yet we pollute all our water bodies so unthinkingly because 80% of pollution in water comes from homes. Each one of you can change the world. Develop wings and build nests,” concluded Pandey.
Meghalaya Governor Dr KK Paul who is also the visitor to the University remarked that Mike Pandey’s words would be remembered in Meghalaya for many days to come. Stating that higher education is a privilege that few enjoy, Dr Paul told the new sophomores to be agents of change and catalysts to mitigate the sufferings of people. He exhorted the graduates never to compromise on quality and to love what they do.
“India is the third largest country in terms of higher education and will surpass the United States in the next five years and China in next 15 years. Private universities will have to play a major role but it is important to ensure that they offer courses that are topical and relevant and also have adequate infrastructure so that they produce employable graduates,” Dr Paul said stating that at present a very low proportion of technical graduates are employable. Dr Paul urged the MLCU management to get the NAAC accreditation to add sparkle to the University. He said individual success is desirable but not enough. Social responsibility is more important and this is the value that the University should help imbibe in students. Earlier the Vice Chancellor, MLCU, Mr RG Lyngdoh welcomed all to the 7th Convocation while the Chancellor KM Shyam Prasad listed the activities of the University. In the convocation a total of 345 graduates from the University and 184 graduates from Affiliated Colleges received their certificates.