E- Friends(Sudeshna Majumdar) The 'E' does not stand for 'electronic' as in e-mail or e-commerce. It stands for the other fixation, 'eco'. Everyone, it appears, is intent on contributing to the cause of saving the environment. There are ads issued in public interest giving tips on how one can make the world greener, by avoiding wastage of water, reducing consumption of detergents, etc. Companies proudly proclaim that their stationary is made from recycled paper.

But some are pushed involuntarily into striking a blow for ecology. It happened in Rourkela. This gentleman was walking briskly towards wherever he had a job to do. It being a very warm day, he paused to take off his hat to mop his brow. Out of the blue a little birdie dropped into his hat, which was upturned, as if it had all along been waiting for just such an opportunity. It was a fledgling, which couldn't even fly. The kind-hearted gentleman moved to the edge of the side walk and was about to transfer the contents of his hat onto the grass, when someone coughing softly drew his attention.

That someone was the guardian of the law who showed his disapproval of the procedure by the look of his face. "There is no law against placing little birds on public lawns, but the act of handling such a small bird could endanger his life," the cop said. By then a small group had gathered, and they agreed with the policeman. Unable to go against the force of such public opinion, the gentleman entrusted the hat along with the contents to the cop. Everyone dispersed, pleased at having done the day's good deed. That is, everyone excepting the gentleman, who had lost his hat for no fault of his.

Similarly, a friend was once compelled to become eco-friendly. When he took up a job in a steel plant, he was allotted quarters in the company township. What pleased him, an avid horticulturalist, was the vast open space around the house. Soon he had a beautiful garden going. The old guava tree got a new lease of life and was bursting forth with fruit. But, the crop brought unwelcome visitors. They came stealthily and plucked all the fruits within reach from the ground. The more athletic climbed onto the tree. My friend did not worry about them. It was the other type that bothered him, those who threw rocks and sticks to dislodge the fruits. Their aim being awful, they smashed the window panes instead. When he had had enough, he persuaded the maintenance department to cut down the tree. When the crew came, a motley crowd of 'Green Warriors' confronted them. They ranted about the damage caused to the environment by cutting down trees; about the ozone layer being depleted by thoughtless deforestation. The crew, not equipped to handle situations not listed in the Maintenance Manual, beat a hasty retreat. The maintenance manager offered my friend two solutions. "Grin and bear it. I will replace the window-panes pronto at company's expense. Or, you can move to the other house available now. But that comes with two high-yielding mango trees.

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