SHARED ONUS ON STATES TO FIGHT BAD AIR

"THE complete northern region on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated the Guru Purab last week with a lot of enthusiasm and piety.

- SIDHARTH MISHRA

In these times, when this region is in the annual grip of a polluted air, a saying of revered Guru becomes very relevant. Nanak Said, "Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat." Meaning the air is the Guru, water the Father, and earth the Great Mother.

What Nanak conveys is that the natural world is a shared home, and humanity is collectively responsible for protecting it. He envisioned a world built on equality, compassion, and shared moral duty. His reverence for nature expands the idea of community to include the environment, teaching that our collective duty extends to protecting the planet itself.

In today's context, this teaching resonates deeply.

The air that sustains life has turned toxic, the rivers that nurture us are stressed by waste and pollution, and the earth, our great mother, is choking under layers of neglect and environmental indifference. Guru Nanak's philosophy of equality and compassion was not confined to human relations but exwind direction continue to play a major role.