Ramalingam Karunanidhi, Researcher

In ancient Tamil thought, land was not just a setting for human life but a living companion. Sangam literature used the idea of Thinai to describe an ecological and cultural landscape where people, land, climate, emotions, and livelihoods were seen as one connected system. The five Thinais, Kurinji (mountains), Mullai (pastoral forests), Marutham (farmland), Neithal (coastal life), and Palai (arid land), were not just terrains but ways of living in balance with nature.

What if you enter a completely empty kitchen one day, with no food in sight and the refrigerator bare? Curious and concerned, you turn on the television to hear alarming news: bees and other pollinators have vanished, and there is a global food crisis. This may sound extreme, but it is a possible reality with the rising temperature, pollution, climate change, habitat depletion, diseases, genetically modified crops and pesticide abuse. 

Imagine a world where your job doesn’t just earn you a pay cheque, but also helps clean the air, reduce waste, and fight climate change. As India commits to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and scaling up renewable energy, green jobs are emerging as a cornerstone of both economic recovery and environmental responsibility.