Kamal Ghorui
Veteran actress Zeenat Aman has made a heartfelt appeal to the Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, to address the ongoing ecological destruction of the place on a priority basis.What prompted this appeal was witnessing the birth of some Olive Ridley turtles on one of the beaches of Goa.Sharing the once-in-a-lifetime experiences on social media, Zeenat Aman wrote, “The sand was cooling underfoot, and a little huddle of people had gathered to observe one of Nature’s quiet miracles – the mass hatching of olive Ridley turtles. Some weeks ago, hundreds of female turtles had hauled themselves out of the sea to dig their nests and lay their clutches. Now, with the moon rising above the water, those eggs were hatching.(sic)”The members of the Goa forest department assisted in the birth of the newborns.“Driven by primordial instinct the babies are wired to walk into the sea, and with a little help from their doulas they began their journey. I’m told no more than 1 in 1000 of these littles ones will survive to adulthood. And then the adult that survives will have to navigate trawlers, pollution, beach erosion and collapsing ecosystems…Little babies. Not yet minutes old, and in a race for their lives,” the veteran actress added.Zeenat Aman admitted that she feels almost silly to be so deeply moved by the birth of some turtles when humans continue to suffer.“Is it frivolous to lament the challenges faced by baby turtles, when bombs are daily exploded in the faces of children on the instructions of power-crazed men? I think not. By feeling our intrinsic connection to the natural world, the compassion and wonder it evokes, maybe we can hold on to the ‘humanity’ that seems to be slipping away from our societies. “She further urged the Goa CM to take note of the ongoing ecological destruction in the place, saying, “How tragic then it is to learn that today Goa’s waters – rivers and seas- are so contaminated with faecal content that they are unfit for swimming and fishing.” “An appeal to CM @drpramodpsawant to address the ecological destruction of Goa on priority. Else it will be paradise lost”, the post concluded.
