You will be surprised to know that the theme and notion of the environment day celebrated on June 5th every year represent the same as one of the famous festivals named ‘Vat Savitri’ in northern India since time immemorial.
Undoubtedly, it is a religious festival of the Hindu religion, but it is not celebrated in the honor of God, rather than the Banyan Tree, which is worshipped as God. It is known as Kalpvriksha (the wish-fulfilling tree) in Hindu scriptures. The famous story goes like this: Savitri, a married woman, sits under a banyan tree, keeping the head of her husband on her lap, knowing that her husband has passed away. She appears to be very determined to get her husband back from the clutches of death. Her will and determination finally pay off when Yamraj (the death god) bestows life on her husband.
Since that day, every married woman, on the occasion of a new moon day in Jyasthya month (falls between May and June), keeps fast and prays to the banyan tree for the well-being of their husband. Apart from this religious story, science also testifies that the banyan tree produces more oxygen than any other tree in the world. It also maintains the groundwater, which is slowly becoming the bigger cause before the government takes cognizance of it. Also, it has many medicinal properties to let you remain healthy.
More importantly, if you keep sitting under this tree, depression will be at bay. Banyan tree is considered as a sacred tree in Buddhism because Lord Buddha received enlightenment under it, and this tree enjoys a life span of around 1000 years and grows up to 100 feet.
Environment Day came into practice in 1973, but religion has had everything in it for ages to make us understand the importance of nature, trees, and many other resources. All the religions in the world started worshipping nature in the beginning. Shashi Tharoor writes in his book, “The Hindu Way” that the metaphors used by scholars to describe Hinduism have ranged from the banyan tree and the jungle to a kaleidoscope and even a pan of lasagne.
Hence, Vat Savitri is of course a religious festival being celebrated in India, but the notion of the festival goes in sync with science, which observes the same notion in the name of Environment Day.