I'm involved in issues that hurt us the most: Prakash Belawadi

If your memories of old Bengaluru are replete with visions of flaming gulmohar trees, pink Tabebuia, lilac jacaranda, gorgeous rain trees, and shimmering water bodies, it is easy to get cynical about its hip and urban makeover now.

But it’s no time to look backwards and slip into nostalgia, say activists in the city. We need to look into the future, preserve our natural resources, and do what we can for the environment and for Bengaluru today.

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In an attempt to raise public awareness of urban ecology and environment issues, ‘Rotary Avani’, a 45-day festival of ecology in Bengaluru, is now underway in the city. The eco-fest that was launched on Earth Day, has the theme ‘Urban Ecology Redefined’. Among the many events planned for the event, the festival will include a parade of bicycle floats, a film festival, exhibits, dance performances, musical evenings, and a comedy play.

Avani is planned as an annual city event. This time, there are plans to work on urban afforestation and tree planting, air pollution monitoring, green boards, QR coding of the trees in Lalbagh, and RO drinking water installations. The organisers are also planning to provide quality air pollution prevention masks, designed by Wipro, to 4,000 traffic policemen.

In an exclusive interview with YS Weekender, actor and activist Prakash Belawadi, who is at the helm of this event, speaks about the festival, and why it is always important to be involved in causes in your part of the world.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

YS Weekender: Can you tell us the main aim of the Avani festival in Bengaluru? What is your role?

Prakash Belawadi: The objective of Avani is to create a higher degree of awareness of and sensitivity towards the environment, particularly urban ecology, so that people, together with government and institutions — academic, corporate, and others — will participate in scientifically-designed efforts to improve our urban ecological health. I’m involved as a member of the Rotary Club of Bengaluru, Lalbagh, formed a couple of years ago, with the specific theme ‘Urban Ecology Redefined’.

YSW: What are the topics that the event will focus on?

PB: We will focus on the five Elements - Sky, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, which are common to all life and humans, regardless of race, religion, caste, language, region, age, and gender. The elements have to be in a stable and harmonious relationship with humans, their biggest users and abusers, for a sustainable, living planet.

YSW: It is believed that in a few years, the migrant population in urban areas in Indian cities will touch 400 million. Can you comment on this?

PB: According to Census 2011, just over 30 percent of the Indian population lives in urban areas. But satellite data suggests that it could well be twice that size already. What is alarming is the UN prediction that India will add, by migration and population increase, 400 million more urban dwellers by 2050.

This will constitute “the largest urban migration in the world” over the next 30 years. By then, India will be most populous country in the world, with also the largest number of urban consumers of the five natural elements, polluting them and compromising the life and health of all creatures on the earth.

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YSW: What will the art exhibition, the parade of bicycle floats, and Ben Elton’s play in your festival feature? 

PB: The five Elements, the discernible states of matter, and general aspects of ecology and its present state, will be featured in our art exhibition, in both celebration and concern. The bicycle floats will be based on the theme for International Mother Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, 2019, ‘Endangered Species’. “According to the Earth Day Network, species are going extinct at between 1,000 and 10,000 times the normal rate, and we are in the midst of the largest species extinction in 60 million years.” As for the play, it’s a funny and “breathtaking” comedy. By the way, this year’s theme for World Environment Day, held on June 5, is ‘Air Pollution’. Coincidental and appropriate.

YSW: Which areas of the project do you plan to highlight?

PB: Public participation is the key. It’s going to take a while before we can report any “success”. But success is possible.

For example, if just people in the Rotary network in and around Bengaluru alone could take a pledge to “Plant a Sapling, Nurture into a Tree,” we could add 100,000 new trees this year. So, the cultural programme is to create awareness by evocative narratives. The real answer is in scientific and rational policymaking, fostering more sensitive and better ecological practices, and public participation in these efforts.

YSW: What are the highlights of the event that you think will really impact your cause?

PB: We are going to experiment and learn from this year’s event. We have 45 days to study and learn. We are blessed with great partnerships: the beautiful new venue and enlightened membership of Bangalore International Centre, wise and caring counsel from people like Rohini Nilekani, Hari Hegde (Wipro), PG Diwakar (ISRO), Ashish Verma (IISc), water expert S Vishwanath, architect Naresh Narasimhan, lake conservationist Anand Malligavad, environment activist Leo Saldanha, Miyawaki method experts at Afforest, actor and director Suresh Heblikar, Dr Meenakshi Bharath, Raviraj Joshi, and concerned sponsors... The impact will become visible.

YSW: You have been a part of both theatre and movies. Which do you love more and why?

PB: Theatre. I can’t help it... I just calculated that I have spent about 5,000 days of my life in practice or performance.

YSW: How did you get into theatre and what was the best aspect of the experience?

PB: I was born in an amateur theatre family. The house I grew up in is still called Green Room. My late father first met my mother backstage, doing make up. This is karma. Theatre is the only form of presentation to media, which is not wholly dependent on sponsorship, commercial interests, and government patronage. That is its outstanding aspect.

YSW: You have acted in movies like Madras Cafe, Talvar, and now The Least of These. Do you enjoy doing films on real incidents?

PB: I’m an actor. I don’t decide the themes or scripts. All I do is choose roles offered to me. And yes, I like films grounded in real life, fact or fiction.

YSW: Why do you think it is important for everyone to get involved in important causes in their cities? Which ones are you involved in?

PB: We will all grow older here or in another city. Our children will be born and brought up here and somewhere. If we continue to poison our air, sky, land, and water - we will become sicker and die younger. So, we must take care, for our own good, at least. I'm involved in the issues that hurt us the most - dreadful mobility, air pollution from never-ending construction, and vehicular emission, cultural degradation of community, identity, and language.

YSW: On the personal front- what projects are you looking forward to in the near future?

PB: I'm working on a couple of film scripts. I’m acting in one of them, hoping to direct the other. I have half-a-dozen acting projects, and I’m hoping there'll be novel somewhere down the road.

YSW: On the Avani front - what is the outcome you are hoping for, and what are its plans for the future?

PB: We will do a round table with Rotary representatives, Bean Town Union creative professionals, and Friends of Rotary Avani (FoRA) at the end of the event on World Environment Day. We will come up with a set of recommendations for government policy change, better ecological practices and interventions. We will make it an annual city feature.

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