Borjhar, Jan. 1: It's a 'farewell to arms' for a green planet.

Art of Revolution, a Guwahati-based nature conservation group, is trying to inculcate the importance of a green Earth by displaying a unique artwork themed on peace and survival of humanity and other forms of life, at the Chandubi festival.

The artwork, which depicts three soldiers who decide to leave the battlefield and instead help each other out to fix an uprooted tree, attracted several inquisitive eyes at the five-day festival that began today.

The work draws a parallel with Ernest Hemingway's novel, A Farewell to Arms, where the protagonist, Lieutenant Frederic Henry flees the battlefield, unable for bear the cruelty and devastation and also for his love, Catherine Barkley.

The fifth edition of the festival is aimed at making people aware of the present dangers looming large over the environment, preserving the rich bio-diversity of Chandubi and promoting folk culture and traditions through eco-tourism.

Chandubi, surrounded by low undulating hills with moist deciduous forest and patches of semi-evergreen forest, is a permanent freshwater lake situated 65km from Guwahati.

Raj Ahmed, leader of the group, said, 'The message conveyed by the artwork is the need to join hands to protect the environment from destruction.'?

'A tree which is a home and a source of food for birds keeps our environment clean by absorbing carbon dioxide. But in the name development we are mindlessly destroying precious assets of nature like forests, wetlands and rivers, regardless of their ecological contribution to humanity.'

'War is the outcome of a senseless and cruel world. After war, there is a trail of devastation and destruction. War drives out love, peace and tranquillity. Likewise, if we go ahead with plundering nature, the downfall of humanity is imminent,' said a volunteer of the group.

Worse still, in the 21st century, wetlands and rivers are treated like dumping grounds for waste disposal. 'Such a mindset will be the undoing of humanity in the years to come,' Ahmed said.

The 14-member group, comprising six foreigners, is also exhibiting two structures - an earth-ship and a super adobe house (two self-sufficient solar homes) - made from waste material like unused rubber tyres, glass bottles, soil and sand to give a message on sustainable living.

Naba Kumar Nath, a nature lover who visited the festival today, insisted on the omnipresence of such meaningful artwork. 'A degraded environment needs people's care to ensure a secure future for all living organisms,' Nath said.