Bali's nature fading

Bali's nature fading

From Bali Post

Often, I am nostalgic for the environment of Bali during my
childhood in the seventies, when I could play after school was
over. Nature offered so many things to play with, that dusk came
too soon and it seemed I had too little time to enjoy everything.

Among my hobbies was flying kites during the kite season, when
we used to go to the causeways between rice fields for this
activity. We were also fond of catching crickets in the grassy
areas of the paddies, particularly during planting season, with
the rice stalks stretching across the fields like green carpets.
Dragonflies and butterflies were so abundant and easy to catch,
while crows were everywhere, flying about and perching on shady
trees.

We were so happy during harvest season for fruits, reaping
guavas, mangoes and various other fruits. We really enjoyed every
moment, even though we didn't have any technology-based games
like PlayStations and Internet cafes.

Where have all those childhood delights gone today? Can our
children fly kites on asphalt roads or between high-rise
buildings? Can we find fruits to pick on farmland where cafes are
now built? The land and river banks are now owned by different
people of diverse cultural backgrounds. And where can the kids
catch butterflies, if there are no flowers or trees? Or are they
happier now than their parents were in the past?

Various greenbelts in Denpasar have also been converted into
buildings without proper control by the relevant city apparatus.

This calls to mind community figures who have great visions
regarding city planning and Bali's cultural preservation, like
Nyoman Gelebet and Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung. Let's hope they
are capable of maintaining Bali's high values, or perhaps of
restoring its natural conditions to what they used to be during
the 1960s-1970s.

GEDE PUTRA SURYANINGRAT
Denpasar, Bali