Superheroes

Don’t you just think about saving the day when watching Superman, Batman, Captain Planet - our superheroes? Wasn’t it always exhilarating to imagine ourselves as the neighbourhood friendly Spiderman? Watching these people transform from the usual, dull-looking, average humans to life-saving warriors of the planet makes us want to be more than what we are – someone extraordinary – someone different.  One that wants to fly and shut down a chemical dumping factory with special laser vision, save the ozone layer from depletion with a breath of air, use the mighty hero’s cape to protect little children from the effects of a tsunami – make a difference. Then we get back to our monotonous lives and the superhero dream dies a swift death.

The metaphorical change is indicative of our inner strengths and our desire to change the world as an individual.  Not too long ago, my mentor recounted her memories of nature trails, Baba Amte’s ashram, an orphanage and many other interesting tales that were rather unexpected and surprising. The stories left a huge impact on me and that was when the superhero in me was born. I wanted to work for a bigger cause, and I had vowed not to let this superhero in me die.

I began reading about real people who made real changes in the lives around them and came across names like Rachel Carson, Al Gore, Sunderlal Bahuguna, and many more. Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ was born out of sheer observation of birds in her garden, an inspirational story of how a childhood habit got the world to notice the disastrous effects of chemicals like DDT in our food chain. Sunderlal Bahuguna, deeply inspired by Gandhians, transferred his ecological perspective to save the falling oak trees, along with hundreds of locals by embracing the trees in what came to be known as the ‘Chipko Movement’. Al Gore traveled across countries to educate people about the astounding and yet widely ignored facts of global warming through his documentary movie ‘The Inconvenient Truth’. These people were a testimony to the fact that even a little can achieve much, motivating us to actively work towards saving our future.

Each one of us has a superhero within us. And we alone can decide whether he lives or dies. We need no Superman or Batman to save our dying planet, only our initiative to fight for it. As Captain Planet and the Planeteers would say, “The power is yours!”

- Ruchi Sanganeria