In the light of the setting sun, several children and adults can be seen sitting on their knees at Girgaum Chowpatty drawing butterflies and hearts on the sand. These were elements of a story narrated to them by certified ecotherapist Victoria Smith, who is in Mumbai to spread the message of man's oneness with nature through ecotherapy.
Ecotherapy, a fledgling profession, derives from ecopsychology which deems that several problems of human beings stem due to alienation from nature. "The more high tech the world becomes, the more crucial it is for people to connect with nature if they want to achieve a healthy lifestyle," says Vicky.
Her journey began in Bangalore, where introspection from long hours sitting near lakes inspired her to write a story for children. She followed this up with a storytelling activity near the lake, that taught kids about climate change in simplistic terms and left them with the message to care for nature. "Story telling, I believe, is a useful tool for enabling social and environmental changes, especially among children," she explains.
Smith has, since then, developed this venture into a wider project, using ecotherapy to reach out to children and adults in urban spaces who have little to no sense about their alignment with the natural world called Cities need ecotherapy. "Shrinking natural spaces and stressful lifestyles is exactly what ecotherapy seeks to change," she says.
The story she is narrating in Mumbai is titled 'Mystery of the Arabian Sea', inspired by her time spent in the natural beauty of Goa. It follows 'Little Miss Compassion', the protagonist of all of her ecotherapeutic stories, as she solves the mystery of the suddenly silent sea. Characters like the Curious Crow and the Cheeky Monkey are her travel companions as she goes to Lord Ganesha, known for to helping in overcoming obstacles, for help.
Smith uses the influential character of Ganesha to convey the message of her interactive story — the sea is silent as it feels unloved. The waves will start again only when Little Miss Compassion looks into her heart, and finds compassion for nature in it. "I wanted to use an association that children can relate to. Ganesha being an immensely popular icon in Maharashtra seemed to be the best suited," she adds.
Having worked with school children, Smith also encourages ecotherapy to be integrated into school curriculums.
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