We, at Ethereal, are dedicated environmentalists first, and experts second. Our Love and passion is strong embedded in our hearts, our love for Mai Maati, Nisarga, Prakriti, Kudarat, Mother Nature.
Know the Founder and Trustee.
Prof. Luke’s father, Gabriel Santan Mendes’ village is Karankot Village in Mahim west, today called Pitamber lane. His mother’s village is Baigan Wadi (Brinjal farm developed by Dr. Homi Babha now called Babha Nagar) on today’s Hill road Bandra (west) in Mobaim (Bombay). His father was an engineer and his mother was working at a pharmacy company.
Being indigenous to the 7 islands of Mobaim, with a genetic heritage of 60,000 years, a test done by the National Geographic Genome Project, Prof Luke’s ancestry has been connected to Mother Earth since millennia. Our Totem is the Umbaracha Zaar or Ficus Racemosa – the fig tree, a water indicator tree, around which the whole tribe settled. More about the indigenous people of our islands can be found on www.BIPA.in.
Prof. Luke is an environment educator and also was consultant with GIZ (Indo-German Bilateral organization), WWF, WWI and Archdiocese Office for Environment, AOE.
“As a child i always hugged the umbhar tree (Fig tree) that grew right in front of our cottage. This tree is sacred because it guides the whole community. I would climb our house with tiled roof to fix it or adjust the mangalore tiles so that rain water would not drip inside. Being the youngest of the 8 siblings (2 sisters and 6 brothers) my mother would send me on the roof in heavy rains to fix the roof, because i was light and small. I would hug the Umbhar tree and tell it to not let me fall while i was getting to the roof with the help of the tree. I never fell. So i always hugged the tree and considered it is my family. That’s how close to nature i am. Even with a heavy heart i had to trim the branch of the tree. I spoke to the tree to forgive me. And it hurt me but i cut the branch gently and gently carried the branch to the ground. Being indigenous, I would rear black feral pigs behind the house. Even before sacrificing the pig, i would take fresh mud from the ground below the tree and put on my head and also apply on the head of the freal pig asking for forgiveness. I even told the feral pig “may you live through me”. Even when consuming fruits and vegetables, I always give thanks to Mother Nature.
These actions are not written or given in a book. These actions are a sign of being connected to everything, the collective whole.
I became a scuba diver to show the beauty of mother nature below the surface of the water. Setting the right intention in the heart before any class session or training session, was given to me directly by Mother Nature and the Universe. This is to give you an understanding of how we should be in tune with mother nature.”
Prof. Luke runs Fisheyeschool.com to make marine conservation trendy. He is founder of Bombay’s Indigenous Peoples’ Association (www.bipa.in) founded in 2008, is a charitable trust and society. He mentors 3 villages below Bhimashankar forest reserve. Does beach cleanings, mangrove cleaning drives and trains the indigenous on how to take care of the forests they live next to. He also is upset with the current ‘green washing’ done by some corporates and NGO’s who are only thinking that environment and its nurturing, is trendy and seek to make profits out of it. It’s really sad, the state of such affairs.
In a recent meet, the global north mentioned that India lacks credibility when it comes to authentic data and implementation of projects on the ground.
We at Ethereal-India, plan to create models of credibility, where even 3rd or 4th parties can verify the data set and outcomes measurable on the ground.