The Earth had been a beautiful place to live in, until the power of intelligence was realized to have more scope than Nature or life could afford. But we felt that it is never too late to start redressing the errors that have been committed solely through irresponsible human activities. And therefore we have made a beginning with ‘SHER’, our very own initiative to contribute to the cause to which many others have vouched their dedication long time ago. So, ‘Society for Heritage & Ecological Researches (SHER)’ is not driven by an idea that is original but rather by an instinctive fear that however optimistic we may be, the coming generations will be deprived of the basic right to lead a healthy and safe life. A few directions in which we intend to concentrate our endeavour to start with:
• People have known from the beginning that the only means to avoid an environmental catastrophe and maintain ecological harmony is conservation of wildlife. It is a fact that a total of 17,291 species on this planet are facing the threat of extinction today. And most of us do not even recognize how closely related our own destiny is to this apparently distant piece of information. The aim of ‘SHER’ is to make people aware and make conservation a common goal - conservation of ecology, conservation of environment, conservation of wildlife. It is the only way to reclaim and restore what once belonged to us – clean air, pure water and prosperous earth.
• It is also our objective to widen the span of our effort through extensive research and study based on science, sustainability innovations and process advancements that have proved to work. It is also important to make people aware of legislative procedures that help the cause of environment and the need to resort to legal activism if required. We would arrange seminars and symposia on relevant aspects of environment and ecology protection and try to involve participation from experts to formulate programmes that prove to be worthwhile.
• ‘SHER’ will also work in the direction of preservation of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people living in areas considered vulnerable as per environmental norms. Our projects will maintain a strong focus on improvement of livelihood opportunities amongst the economically weaker sections and improvement of health and hygiene amongst marginalized families. Initiatives will be undertaken in association with both Government and non-government agencies to facilitate need-based interventions and explore alternative employment opportunities for communities sharing space with forest neighbours. To make the most of possibilities it is imperative to proceed collectively and seek cooperation from every individual. At this juncture it does not matter whether participation is willing or not. ‘SHER’ does not care to oblige personal ignorance; we consider it our duty to get everybody involved. And that is why we have chosen to be ‘SHER’, it represents the essence of survival…and it has a voice that is impossible to disregard. The letters of our name SHER represent ‘Society for Heritage & Ecological Researches’
Listen to the plea; it’s the only way to appease the ‘fearful symmetry’ called life.
