I think it was about a year or so back that I came across Wangari Maathai's video in which she told the story of the hummingbird, Dukdukiya.

When a great forest caught fire, as all animals big and small started to flee their homes to find a safe space, little Dudukiya decided she would not abandon the forest, and would do all that was possible from her end. And so Dukdukiya picked a single drop of water in her tiny beak, and flew back and forth, back and forth, back and a more tiring but resilient forth, dropping the drop of water on the raging fire.

Learning about Wangari Maathai, also introduced me to a new word. "Mottainai" - a Buddhist word that embraces the practice of not wasting resources and of using them with respect and gratitude.
Wangari's life was that of different firsts. First African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a PhD, first woman in Nairobi to be appointed as senior lecturer in anatomy in 1975, chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy in 1976 and associate professor in 1977.

At a time when women were not allowed to speak their mind, or educate themselves, Wangari had managed to get educated, and ruffle powerful political feathers, as she rallied for the cause she truly believed in. She was made of a different mettle than most women then. She continued to develop her ideas that took the form of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), the main focus of which was poverty reduction, women emancipation and environmental conservation through tree planting.

This little book, that was on our wishlist since ages, sent by our dear friend Vijayalakshmi Harish, speaks about her personal and professional life in a very succinct manner. It is a fun book to get kids (reading level 6 years and above) introduced to the ideas of forests, tree plantation, a bit of democracy and tiny bits about women's rights.

You will see the quality of illustrations (they are gorgeous and manage to capture the essence of elements of African art) of this one in the pictures I have shared, but the language is also very moving. It tells us about Wangari's birth, her schooling that was hugely because of her brother and her mother, her struggle with the powers that be in Kenya, her personal life, and her moments of triumphs and courage. It made my eyes moist with the way it spoke of how Wangari never gave up despite facing immense troubles for being a woman with a voice - one more story that filled me with gratitude and admiration for women who carved the paths for many women like us.



She lived her whole life with the words of her mother “a tree is worth more than its wood.” And Wangari's words, "I will be the hummingbird and I will do the best I can", have stayed with me as a motto for life. They define me as a person and while I may not have reached the best possible place yet, and may not be doing the best possible things yet, I know I am doing the best I can at this moment.

Sometimes that is all you can afford to or have the capacity for and other times when I give up, Dukdukiya continues to send little drops of strength from her little beak, when the fire of despair threatens to burn me down.

For the Flight of the Hummingbird story - https://www.amazon.in/dp/1553653726/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7fCuFb4CXVRKW or check it online- www.vidyaonline.net › hum...PDF
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FLIGHT OF THE HUMMINGBIRD (A Parable for the Environment) and Wangari's video is here - https://youtu.be/IGMW6YWjMxw