 It was a wonderful promise of endless growth, of opportunities to harness the Earth and what seemed like its limitless steps, of the black gold that would run the world, from one end to the other, and even beyond. This is a world racing to be richer and richer. But for this world, even the whole Earth is not enough. The Earth has its limits, and if not respected, it revolves in fearsome ways, through the clouds and the seas. But there is another world, both old and new, that has a habit of finding ways to soothe the tired Earth, a way of life that hums with the Earth. You can't miss it, this hum that is healing the injured Earth. These are among the richest forests on the planet. But this abundance is hard-earned. A few decades ago, these forests in Northeast India were over-exploited, their woods sold and wildlife hunted down, until things reached a breaking point and pushed the local people to turn the tide. They voluntarily declared large tracts of community and private areas as protected forests. This is a Sandhya villages conservation area. We have totally banned hunting, fishing, all agricultural activities, and even collection of vegetables and other forest producers are totally banned. And anybody caught roaming around in this reserve without our knowledge, are penalised. The collective decisions of the community are sacrosanct. Thanks to this wisdom, today Nagaland has nearly 500 community-conserved areas that are flourishing without any formal support of the government. This Srikhai CCA area is very rich in biodiversity. In this small CCA area, around 450 hectares we have collected more than 120 species. We have collected like medicinal plants, animal fodders, some trees, bear fruit, as well as some for vegetable purpose. This biodiversity has returned over 15 long years. However, it can be lost within moments. While forests around the world are being brutally knocked down, in some parts of India, they have flourished because of its people. Ordinary people who can show extraordinary colours. This biodiversity has returned over 15 long years. However, it can be lost within moments. Back in the 1970s, a few women from the northern state of Uttarakhand stunned the world with their daring act to save their forest. When the fellas came to cut them down, they hugged the trees and triggered one of the most famous environmental movements of the world, the Chipko Movement. But for a large majority of poor forest-dwelling communities in India, protecting the forest is a difficult choice, especially when it is their only means of sustenance. However, this reality is being turned on its head. Loggers are being transformed into protectors. Across India, several state governments are entrusting local communities with ownership of their forest and giving them rights to guard, conserve and manage them sustainably. Empowered with modern techniques, several communities are shifting to new means of livelihood, leaving the forest to regenerate and flourish. This is India, a fascinating kaleidoscope of challenges, but also hopes, problems, but also solutions. Here, people worship every element of nature. This reverence has played a significant role in sustaining a country of 1.2 billion people. One-third of India is urban and often restless, eager to catch up with the rest of the world. The other two-thirds is calmer and wiser. This India still lives on scarce resources, but it has deep content within. Here, less is more. Unlike some other parts of the world where more is never enough. Massive monoculture farming, laden generously with pesticides and fertilizers, was hailed as a technological triumph. Today, it has ruined the soil, water and biodiversity in most parts of the world. In Jardhargaon, a small village in the Indian Himalayas, a group of farmers have been on a mission to preserve their native seeds. The movement started way back in the 1980s, after their produce declined sharply from chemical-fed hybrid seeds. The nature of traditional farming is self-sustaining, because every nutrient for the crop is sourced locally. The nature of traditional farming is self-sustaining because every nutrient for the crop is sourced locally. The farmers of Jardhargaon maintain a rich seed bank with hundreds of native and robust varieties of rice, beans and a whole lot of other crops. Community seed banks across India are bravely countering the forces behind chemical farming. They believe in the common values of sharing and communicating with the farmers. Hundreds and thousands of small farmers in India have today regained their sovereignty over seeds. Their communities are healthier and they are better prepared to deal with the challenge of climate change. This old wisdom is now getting respect for the people of Jardhargaon, the people of Jardhargaon, the people of Jardhargaon, the people of Jardhargaon, the people of Jardhargaon, this new system is now getting respect from urban India. The demand for organic food in cities is rising every day and its future looks ever more promising. It is the most awaited news in India, the arrival of the monsoon. The rain brings so much along. Two-thirds of India's people depend on the rain for a living. They are a part of its predominantly agricultural economy. But some other parts of India are not as blessed. It is a distressing situation. But droughts are a part of life in the Thar desert. Spread over the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, this is one of the hottest regions in the world. It rains the least here. There are no perennial rivers. And groundwater is saline. The piped water supply often fails to reach remote villages. In one such drought in 2009, the local administration of a town called Barmer decided to challenge the situation. They involved the local communities to drive a mass campaign to revive the traditional practice of harvesting rainwater. Under a national job guarantee program, thousands of men and women were drawn to building new water harvesting structures while renovating the old ones. Over 45,000 household tanks were constructed, each with a capacity to meet the drinking water needs of a family for at least six months. Nearly 2,000 community ponds were built to take care of the needs of the community and their livestock. Almost 500 traditional wells that were lying in neglect were also revised. These could extract sweetwater from the earth even during consecutive years of drought. It is this grit and wisdom of its people that makes Thar one of the most densely populated deserts of the world. Despite the harsh conditions they endure, they live a spirited life. For a world faced with severe water shortages, their message is simple. They live a spirited life. For a world faced with severe water shortages, their message is simple. Don't let it go waste, because every drop counts. Kundai in Odisha, eastern India, is one of the thousands of its villages that is not electrified. And Chanda, one of the millions of women who cook on open fires. The poor cannot avoid the smoke if they have to survive and sometimes they also succumb to it. It's a difficult situation. But in 2007, a campaign called Lighting a Billion Lives took upon this challenge by bringing clean and affordable energy to the doorstep of the poor. In thousands of far-flung villages that are off the grid, communities are waking up to the power of the sun. Smart solar devices are giving them clean lighting and cooking solutions. In the middle of the day, a lot of people come to the village to cook. In the middle of the day, a lot of people come to the village to cook. In the middle of the day, clean lighting and cooking solutions. Relieved from the fumes of kerosene and fuel wood, millions of rural Indians are not only stepping into a better life, they're also doing their bit to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The rows go on as far as the eye can see. With a capacity to produce over 600 megawatt, this is Asia's largest solar park in the Thar desert in India. Today, it is a marvel. But five years ago, a grid-connected solar park was a novel idea, with few takers. The government told me, when I discussed with the government of Gujarat, somebody has to take the risk, and let us take the risk to prove to the world that this is possible, because coal we have to pay, gas we have to pay, nuclear we have to pay, but sun is free. Why don't we harness this sun energy in a big way? It is the big way. Following Charankar's success, nearly 25 major solar parks are coming up across India's vast deserts and wastelands. India's resources may be scarce, but its ideas are abundant. This canal-top solar project on the Narmada Canal in Gujarat, the first such in the world, has avoided the use of precious land and saves millions of litres of water from evaporation. And then there are rooftops. In the city of Gandhinagar, unused rooftops of public and private buildings are feeding electricity into the grid. Taking cue, a host of cities are preparing to tap the sun on their rooftops, helping to make the grid more efficient and secure. It's an idea whose time has come. Meeting the energy needs of the world's second-most-populous country is a constant struggle to fill the supply-demand gap. One-fourth of India, don't even have a basic electricity connection. Millions others suffer through severe power cuts. But one big idea is changing the game, and it is the humble light bulb. Amid great fanfare, local legislators in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh are busy promoting the LED lighting programme in their constituencies. This hysteria has spread to the remotest corners of the country. But it is understandable if you're given a 500 rupee LED bulb for just 10 rupees. All you need to do is return your old incandescent bulb to get a new LED one. So who foots the bill for the stealing of the LED bulb? The LED bulb consumes one-tenth the energy used by an incandescent lamp. As the electricity bills drop almost by half, the consumers will give easy monthly installments to their distribution company to repay the cost of the LED bulb. Beyond homes, cities are also lapping up the idea. The cost of the LED bulb, the cost of the bulb, the cost of the bulb, cities are also lapping up the idea. Welcome to Vishakapatnam, a city that lost most of its street lights to a massive cycler. Now it is re-lit 100% with LED lights. In six months, Vishakapatnam's electricity bill has come down by half. Andhra Pradesh is leading the way. The rest of India is catching up quickly. The amount of energy used in most Indian households is very small, especially when compared to global averages. However, even if they do a small bit of savings and you multiply it by a billion households, that's a lot of energy. The energy saved will be more than the energy used by many countries. That is the kind of opportunity we have.