Eco-friendly Ideas from India!

April 29, 2013

When we talk about environmentalism, what comes to our mind – tree hugging activism that opposes all development or funky new innovative ideas that change the way we live? Thanks to ‘sustainable development’, we no more need to sacrifice the environment to ensure our development. It means there is a way to develop our economy through good ideas that can enable us to lead a better life without harming the environment. Fortunately, these eco-friendly ideas are not such a burden on your budget!

Despite all the talk about environmentally-friendly living, it seems like all the good ideas are originating from the West! We Indians always yearn for better ideas to emerge from our innovators that are affordable and adaptable our local needs. Thankfully, there is a growing list of simple yet innovative ideas that are not only eco-friendly, but also are economical. The great Indian Jugaad of eco-friendly ideas are capable of changing the world and are already doing it!

Eco-friendly Idea – Recycled Tetrapak roof sheets

Recycled plastic furniture by Daman-Ganga

Problem – Piles of plastic waste generated in urban areas has become a humongous problem for both residents and civic authorities. Recycling of plastic material is beginning to happen in a large scale, but it is proceeding at a painfully slow pace. Particularly the recycling of Tetrapak food packets has been a bigger headache since they are made up of composite materials. Tetrapak is a patented food packaging material which consists of layers of polyethylene, aluminium and paper.

Solution – Gujarat-based Daman Ganga Paper Mills has innovated on a new technique to recycle Tetrapak into reusable building material such as roof sheets, furniture, etc. Shredded Tetrapak and plastic material are dried and cleaned. The shreds are then spread between two polythene sheets and laid on a hot press bed. Once the sheets emerge from the press, they are give a wave-form shape and left to dry. Daman Ganga’s Tuff Roof sheets actually better than the conventional fibrocement and corrugated G.l. sheets they replace. They are waterproof, rustproof, and absorb much less heat.

Eco-friendly Idea – Banana fibre paper

Banana fibre lamp by Jenny Pinto

Problem – India is the world’s largest cultivator of bananas producing 29.7 million tons in 2011. After the harvest of banana fruit, huge quantity of about 60-80 tons per hectare of waste biomass (pseudostem, leaves, suckers etc.) is generated. Presently, almost all of this biomass is discarded as waste.

Solution – The use of banana fibre for textile and other purposes is a new concept in India. Earlier the coarse fibre extracted from banana stems was used as ropes. However, after the banana fibre separator machine was innovated by the Tiruchirappalli Regional Engineering College’s Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park, this humble fibre got a boost. This machine helps in extracting large quantities of banana fibre for commercial purposes. Innovators in South India have utilised this multi-purpose fibre for interesting uses. Utilising banana fibre as cloth, handicrafts, bags and fashion accessories has become the latest trend. The most dazzling use has been the banana fibre paper innovated by Jenny Pinto, an artist based in Bangalore. Check out her table lamps and stationery material. Now there are suggestions to produce high value paper for making currency notes as well!
Details – http://jennypinto.com http://www.ecogreenunit.org

Eco-friendly Idea – Bio-toilets for railways

Eco-friendly Ideas India - Bio-toilets developed by DRDO — Bio-toilets developed by DRDO

Problem – Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest railway network that carries 25 million passengers every day. However, maintaining cleanliness at railway stations and in trains is a major problem. Particularly, when train toilets unload human excreta and urine directly onto the tracks, the stench emanating from the filth is unbearable at times. Apart from the environmental problem posed by these toilets, corrosion of the railway tracks is another major issue. Cleaning the filth strewn at railway stations has been a messy job, which was highlighted on TV programs such as Satyamev Jayate as well.

Solution – The Indian Railways has at last joined hands with the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop ‘Bio-toilets’. Bio-toilet is a self-contained device that breaks down human waste with the help of anaerobic bacteria placed inside a tank filled with 125 litres of water, converting it into harmless and odourless gas and water. Estimated to cost about Rs.1 lakh each, these new age bio-toilets are manufactured at Kapurthala Coach Factory. Although, at present only 9 long-distance trains with 436 coaches are fitted with bio-toilets, the Railway Ministry has targeted installing 2,500 bio-toilets on trains during the 2012-13 Rail Budget.
Details http://www.thehindubusinessline.com

Eco-friendly Idea – Biomass-based Husk Power Systems

Husk Power Systems in Bihar

Problem – Lack of access to electricity is the biggest issue faced by rural households in India. The problem is chronic in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa, where 80-90% of households are without electricity. Villagers rely on kerosene lanterns for household light and diesel generators for irrigation and commercial power. Both are expensive and destructive to health and the environment. Decentralised power that is easily accessible is the need of the hour to empower rural India.

Solution – Fortunately, biomass and biofuel-based power sources are abundantly available in rural areas. Utilising this resource, a company called ‘Husk Power Systems’ has provided reliable and affordable option for rural electrification. Husk Power utilises rice husk – a waste product in rice milling – to power a 40 kilowatt power plant, which provides electricity for 500 village households for around six to eight hours every day. At present, the company has installed more than 85 plants across different villages in Bihar. At Rs. 2.2 per watt, the company’s rates is cheaper than the subsidised power provided by the government electricity boards!

Eco-friendly Idea – Mitticool earthen refrigerator

Eco-friendly Ideas India - Mansukhlal's Mitticool refrigerator — Mansukhlal’s Mitticool refrigerator

Problem – A refrigerator is an essential appliance for households to preserve food and water during the heat of the summer. However, most Indian households are unable to afford a simple fridge that costs at least Rs.10,000. Even if you own a fridge, the frequent power cuts in rural areas render it useless. Petty shops and retail outlets that store soft drinks and ice-cream face a major issue.

Solution – Mitticool is a classic example of Indian jugaad innovation created by utilising local resources that provide the best solution. Innovated by Prajapati Mansukhlal Raghavji, the Mitticool refrigerator is a really cool replacement to the modern so called energy efficient fridges. At the top level of the Mitti Cool fridge, there is a storage chamber of 10 litres capacity, where water is poured in, which percolates down between the double-layered terracotta walls. During this process the water evaporates by convection and keeps the storage chambers cool. The bottom compartments hold 5-7 kg of vegetables, fruits and milk at 8-10°C below room temperature. In 2006, Prof Anil K Gupta from the National Innovation Foundation funded Mansukhlal with Rs 2 lakh to set a company, which has today sold over 7,500 refrigerators and has an annual turnover of around Rs.30 lakh!
Details: http://indiatoday.intoday.in

Check out more Eco-friendly Ideas

Waste Not Wealth Management – Part II

Levine Lawrence

April 26, 2013

Continued from Waste not Wealth Management – Part 1

Sensible models of waste management and resource creation through recycling are emerging across a few cities of India. This is a collection of four case studies of waste management in Indian metro cities – Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Surat.

Pune pioneers the cooperative model

Swach Coop workers with uniform and id cards sort garbage

Pune has emerged as one of the fastest growing metro cities in India powered by the talented workforce emerging from its educational institutions and its proximity to Mumbai. However, this fledgling cantonment city has grown haphazardly due to expansion of business activities and the steady influx of migrants. Matching with the city’s march to rapid growth is the growing pile of rotting waste strewn across landfills on the outskirts of the city. However, in 2007, a ground breaking initiative was launched in Pune, which has now become the perfect model to emulate across other Indian cities.

In 2007, Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) collaborated with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to create the SWaCH Cooperative initiative (Solid Waste Collection and Handling). KKPKP is a trade union of sanitary workers and rag-pickers that was established in 1993 to safeguard municipal worker rights. The SWaCH initiative became India’s first wholly-owned cooperative of self-employed waste pickers, which is today an autonomous enterprise that provides front-end waste management services to the citizens of Pune.

Unlike other cities where municipal corporations collect the garbage from residences and commercial establishments and charge them a fee, Pune took the lead in empowering the waste collectors to charge the fees as well as sell the recycled waste to generate income. SWaCH Cooperative trains rag pickers on waste collection, segregation and professional behaviour as well. Organic waste is composted to create manure, while solid dry waste such as paper, plastic, metal scrap are recycled and sold. Residents are asked to place soiled diapers and sanitary napkins in a separate disposal bag.

Each pair of SWaCH Cooperative workers, equipped with identity cards, cover 250-300 households in a locality and hand over the collected and segregated waste to trucks. Every day, they collect around 600 tons of solid waste and about 10 tons are composted. Apart from these initiatives, the SWaCH organises the ‘V-Collect’ voluntary drive to collect newspapers, old clothes, e-waste and other unwanted household material that cannot be thrown in daily garbage. SWaCH Cooperative hopes that these activities change the perception about sanitary workers among people.

Plague city to clean city – Wah! Kya Surat hai

Clean streets of Surat

Large Indian cities are chaotic, dynamic and are full of vibrant life. They are culturally rich with heritage, but despite their proud legacy, our cities cannot claim to have one thing – cleanliness. Cities across the country are dirty, polluted and filled with noxious substances. However, there is one city in the country that has consistently claimed the title of being the cleanest city in India – Surat. The last time we heard about Surat was that it was the only city in modern times to have suffered the dreaded outbreak of plague. So how did this magical transformation happen?

After Surat suffered the plague outbreak in 1994, both the authorities and the citizens woke up to the harsh reality of garbage strewn across the city. A massive drive to clean the city was initiated, which was led by the then municipal commissioner, S R Rao. Under Rao’s able leadership, the Surat Municipal Corporation took up a few key activities that restored faith –

The city was divided into six zones to decentralize the civic responsibilities
Door-to-door collection of garbage was introduced
The Gujarat Government’s Municipal Act was amended to include a provision to penalize littering with a fine of Rs 50
Night time sweeping of streets and cleaning of gutters was introduced
Private contractors were involved in the transport, collection, and disposal of solid waste
Unauthorised structures and petty shops built on pavements were demolished
All persons whose pending municipal taxes exceeded Rs 1 lakh were targeted

Further, the Surat Municipal Corporation implemented concepts like zero-garbage roads, waste-to-energy plants and micro-level management of cleaning activities as well. Obviously, these initiatives yielded dramatic results within two years. Soon, Surat became the model city to emulate after it was rated among the top three cities for three consecutive years (2008-2010) in the National City Rating under the National Urban Sanitation Policy. During the last decade, municipal officials from across the country have visited Surat to understand the city’s transformation.

Factfile –
http://www.indianexpress.com
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://wastematters.theoutsider.in

Alternatives to Plastic Bags?

Cscope Staff

April 21, 2013

The first time I heard that the preservation of our environment was the “need of the hour” was in my fifth class. More than 10 years later and innumerable conferences later, the deteriorating condition of the environment still seems to be the “need of the hour!” If anything, the situation seems to have worsened, what with the global warming and all.

Alternatives to plastic bags — Newspaper-bag

I feel the main problem is that we just talk about it and make pretentious speeches. We declare that we SHOULD do something for the environment instead of ACTUALLY doing it. When I was 12, I took up an assignment that kept me busy all summer, while simultaneously helping me to do what I can for Mother Nature. I collected all the old newspapers I could lay my hands on (they were going to go the Raddiwaala anyway), took a pair of scissors and gum from my mother’s cabinet, and made paper bags.

Dozens and dozens of paper bags made from premier quality English newspapers. I didn’t stop just yet. I went down and handed these bags to every shopkeeper I frequented and requested them to use them as often as they could. Who could possibly say “No” to an enthusiastic little girl! I was ecstatic at the success of my eco-friendly plan. Eventually, I ran out of newspapers and my summer vacations ended as well, so did my big plans to single-handedly save the environment!

Today, rising awareness has opened the eyes of many young Indians to alternative lifestyles that could be easily adopted. I see people using trash cans for a change and even reuse things; I see people reprimanding strangers who assume the world is one gigantic dustbin. The flea markets sell a lot of cloth and jute bags. Current fashion revolves around the environmentally conscientious individual. Cloth-based bags such as jute, cotton are great alternatives as they are both biodegradable and reusable. Although paper bags seem to be a good choice, it causes more harm than good because it is sourced from wood, leading to destruction of forests.

Wicker baskets have also become trendy these days as gifts are being packaged in these bags, making them aesthetically as well as environmentally pleasing! Further, reusable nylon bags such as the ones made by SmallSteps, which can be folded down to the size of your cell phone, are another good option as they are quite handy. A reusable shopping bag, or so called ‘bag for life’ is made of canvas, woven synthetic fibres, or a thick polymer that is more durable than disposable plastic bags. Leather bags are also an option, but will not last long if used for shopping veggies and groceries.

Here is a list of alternatives you can try instead of plastic or polymer bags –

Cotton bags – simple and elegant but low lift strength
Jute bags coated with plastic – trendy and waterproof
Newspaper bags – neither reusable nor waterproof
Nylon bags – foldable, reusable and extremely handy – SmallSteps
Banana fibre bags – trendy, eco-friendly and durable

In 2002, the Irish government imposed a plastic bag consumption tax (called PlasTax), which has reduced consumption by 90%. The tax of $0.15 per bag is paid by consumers when they check out at the store. Big retail chain stores in India like Bigbazaar, Lifestyle, Spencer’s and others have begun charging a nominal amount for plastic bags, thereby encouraging customers to carry their own bags!

While the awareness about plastic waste was rising, but I feel the tide really turned when people realised that drainage pipes clogged with plastic and other waste material caused the massive flooding in Mumbai in 2005. Soon village panchayats and cities across the country began to ban plastic bags. Some eco-sensitive hillstations such as Ooty, Mahabaleshwar have gone in for a complete ban of all plastic and polymer bags, while bigger cities have chosen to ban only plastic bags with less than 50 micron thickness. (Bags thinner than this level, are not feasible to collect and recycle)

The Dapoli Nagar panchayat (a small town in Maharashtra) not only banned plastic bags, but also provided a solution in the form of bags made out of old sarees (Jusapi). The panchayat persuaded vegetable and fruit vendors to discard plastic bag usage for at least 1-2 hours daily for a week by which time they were convinced that a plastic-free existence was, indeed, possible.

Video – DIY Newspaper Bag

Factfile –
http://asiancorrespondent.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch

Waste not wealth management! Part I

Levine Lawrence

April 19, 2013

The issue of waste management in India is a much debated topic which needs no introduction. Everyday, large space is dedicated in the media to highlight the problems of urban waste. Politicians often use it as a talking point, while commoners make it a point to crib about it. Meanwhile, as tons of solid waste continues to pile up in the outskirts of cities, nothing seems to happen on finding a permanent solution to this everyday problem. It is hard to believe that a developing country like India which suffers from severe resource crunch in almost all natural resources, can afford to create such enormous piles of waste.

Thankfully, some models of sensible waste management and resource creation through recycling are emerging across a few cities of India. This is a collection of four case studies of waste management in Indian metro cities – Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Surat.

Awareness adventure by Saahas, Bangalore

Photo courtesy: Saahas.org

India’s IT hub Bangalore’s (Bengaluru) population doubled from 4.1 million in 1991 to 8.4 million in 2011. Various initiatives for waste management through door-to-door collection, waste segregation and recycling were attempted, including the ‘Swaccha Bengaluru’ initiatives launched under the Bangalore Agenda Task Force project in 1999. However, like all government top down-oriented initiatives, this too bit the dust in 2004.

Around this time, a small NGO named Saahas began to make independent efforts build awareness and create infrastructure for waste recycling. When people had no consciousness about waste pile up, educating them about reducing waste and recycling it was truly a daunting task. Since I was a volunteer for Saahas during 2008-09, I very well remember the disdain citizens had for waste segregation and plastic carry-bag elimination activities.

Under the leadership of Wilma Rodrigues, Saahas has been able to convince a few large corporate enterprises to begin electronic waste (e-waste) collection and recycling activities. Soon e-waste kiosks came up across the prominent shopping locations in the city where people could drop batteries, CDs, chargers and other worn out electronic gadgets. This was India’s first e-waste initiative created along with other partners such as WeP Peripherals and E-Parisaraa.

Apart from e-waste, Saahas took up the challenging task of organic waste composting and dry waste recycling in corporate offices. Large companies generate enormous volumes of organic waste such as discarded food, tea and coffee grounds. When this waste is mixed with dry waste material such paper, cardboard boxes, tea cups and plastic, these useful items could not be recovered.

Saahas convinced a few large companies such as State Bank of India, Texas Instruments India, and Microsoft India to create a proper system for waste collection and segregation which not only eliminated the task of waste disposal, but also generated revenue from recycling. Similarly another interesting activity by Saahas is to collect waste tetra packs from various schools in Bangalore and send them to Damanganga Paper Mills who convert them into furniture!

Truly a WoW initiative in Hyderabad

Photo courtesy: CIPS-ASCI Case Studies-WOW, 2010

Hyderabad is another large south Indian city which grew big during the IT boom that followed the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Just like Bangalore, the city was fortunate to get a state government that was eager to develop the city’s urban infrastructure. In 2007, 12 different municipalities were merged to form the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Despite this merger and government intention, waste management in Hyderabad remained a messy activity.

Fortunately, private companies and concerned individuals stepped in to manage the humongous waste generated in Hyderabad city. ITC, the leading FMCG company, joined hands with a few NGOs and resident welfare associations (RWAs) to create the Wealth out of Waste (WoW) Initiative in April 2007.

RWAs appoint volunteers for each locality or housing complex to encourage households to segregate their dry waste. Volunteers distribute storing bags specially prepared for dry waste and collect them back. White colour bags for waste paper, while blue colour bag is meant for plastic and metal items. ITC pays Rs. 2-5 per kg for plastic and metal items, and pays Rs. 4-5 per kg for paper material. The collection is done every week or once in 10 days based on the collection of each locality. The collected material is then transported to the junkyard where it is segregated and sent for recycling. Paper waste is baled and sent to ITC’s reprocessing plants in Bhadrachalam. Apart from this, wet waste is collected daily by the GHMC.

The monetary benefit acts as an incentive for residents to participate actively in the WoW initiative. Today, the WoW initiative covers about 27,000 households in 250 locations in Hyderabad. Apart from Hyderabad, resident welfare associations in 15 municipalities located in Andhra Pradesh have joined in. ITC has a business motive to launch this initiative since its Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division in Bhadrachalam needed steady supply of recyclable paper and polymer material.

Continue reading Waste not wealth management! Part 2

Factfile –
http://saahas.org
http://bangalore.metblogs.com
http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in
http://www.itcportal.com

Rangoli – A riot of colours!

AmbikaNagaraj

April 15, 2013

It was about 2.30 in the noon when my desk phone rang. The call came from my friend who was the HR executive at office. The next day was Ayudha Pooja, the pen-ultimate day of Dasara festival which is celebrated with religious fervour at most work places across India. She had called me to know if I could draw a traditional Rangoli pattern at the entrance of our office. When I said “no” to her, the reply I got was quite annoying. “Sigh, there are about 64 women employees in this office and not even six of them seem familiar with the traditional folk art”, she said. I wondered “Why is it so?”

Image Source Flickr

Rangoli, a traditional Indian folk art also known as ‘Kolam’ in the south, is a decorative pattern religiously created in front of the courtyard of all Hindu households every morning. Practiced since time immemorial, the Rangoli patterns are believed to be the ‘greeting zones’ for gods created at the entrance so as to invite their blessings into every home with a view to bring prosperity.

While Rangoli is created with simple patterns on regular days, they are elaborately drawn with intricate designs during festivals, weddings and other celebrations at home. With the floor itself acting as a canvas, women can bring their creative best to the fore, by drawing beautiful Rangoli patterns the first thing in the morning each day. I think these colourful patterns inspire the Indian housewife to take on the day-to-day challenges head on!

Image Source mykolam.blogspot.in

There are diverse types of Rangoli patterns made using rice flour or chalk powder that adorn the Indian households. Noteworthy among them are –

Pulli Kolam or Chukki Rangoli – the regular monochrome design drawn through lines and dots
Ezhai Kolam or Elay Rangoli – complicated line drawings using geometrical designs with spaces filled with colour
Pookkalam – elaborate designs are drawn using flowers during the festival of Onam

With evolving times and changing lifestyles, this age-old tradition has begun to slowly fade away. While it is quite a rare sight to see such decorative designs adorning the entranceway of Indian home these days, those living in urban apartments hardly bother to draw a Rangoli in their house doorway. Justifying the lack of knowledge, Sumana, a housewife residing in an apartment at Bangalore says, “Firstly, I do not know how to create a traditional Rangoli. From the time I started residing in an apartment, I could heave a sigh of relief about me not knowing the art form as no one gets to see even if I have drawn a rangoli before my door.”

While some people like Sumana do not know how to draw the patterns, others have not learnt the art, simply because of lack of interest. Nagashree, a homemaker in Mysore says, “Though my mother always stressed upon me learning to draw traditional Rangolis, from the time I was a school going kid, I showed no interest. But now, being a mother of two young girls, I feel sad that I am unable to pass on the folk art to my little girls as a tradition, since I myself do not know how to draw one.”

Image Source Flickr

Gone are those days when we saw our mothers and grandmothers leisurely decorate their courtyards and doorways with these traditional line drawings and intricate, decorative patterns using rice flour soaked in water. Today, the only thing we mostly get to see is the modern day avatar of ready-made Rangoli patterns created on translucent plastic sheets, which can simply be bought and pasted.

– Fact file –
http://www.dodecals.com
http://kolangal.kamalascorner.com
http://www.speakingtree.in
http://www.rangvalli.com

Let there be Cricket in India… And, We’re All United

probirbanerjee

April 8, 2013

It is not a joke to face a Brett Lee’s ball that would approach you at a speed of 140-150 km per hour. You have to decide, position yourself and take action all within nanoseconds. You cannot think about anything else; just concentrate and pray. It becomes harder when you know a long queue of ‘wannabes’ stand behind you, who are ready to pounce at your position.

In a country of more than a billion, selectors have an immense choice of players and your career may vanish within, well, nanoseconds! But wait, you may strike gold as well. After all, we have the Sachins, the Dravids and the Gangulys. In India, these idols are more than just cricket celebrities. They are demigods!

Let the cricketing season come again and you would know why billions are glued to their televisions, and even big-screen shows. It does not matter where you are, it would be blasphemous if you’re not tuned in. You are not a “good citizen of India” if you do not cheer when India beats other nations, particularly Pakistan!

Gully-Cricket — Gully Cricket by Proshanto Mahato

Cricket makes us crazy, cricket snatches our sleep away and it makes us skip meals too. However, one thing that makes it all loveable is the fact that it unites us. In this retrospection, renowned historian Ramachandra Guha argues that “The institutions that kept us together are those bequests of the British: the civil service, the army, the railways, and cricket.”

Emily Crick writes in her paper “Cricket and Indian National Consciousness” that during the 2007 World Cup, “Cricket had finally achieved for the nation, that level of unity that she had dreamt of for so long.” She reveals some deviating perspectives too, including the fact that many Indian Muslims may support Pakistan when it is playing with other nations. However, Indians are smart enough not to engage in conflicts when the subject is as fine as cricket.

cricket-india — Gully Cricket – Sanjay Austa

Many people also believe that the hype about cricket is a detrimental factor for the nation’s sport itself. In her recent article on the Hindu, Maneesha Roy reiterates “This gentlemen’s game takes us back to the past, binding us to the same old opponents year after year. It has made us a regional prisoner, stopping us from looking beyond our own subcontinent. It is becoming increasingly profit-driven, something that’s taking away from the true essence and integrity of the game.” She ascertains that cricket is such a behemoth that it suppresses the quest for achievement in all other sports.

Maneesha Roy, however, accepts the fact that cricket does unite the nation when she says, “Such is the power of cricket, the sport that not only provides great entertainment but also the adrenaline rush that comes with a feeling of pride and patriotism. The social harmony that is a lost legacy resurfaces as a reminder that all is perhaps not lost. As long as cricket provides the glue, there is hope for the idea of India.”

cricket-nostalgia — *Zia-ul-Haq with Rajiv Gandhi*

Apart from making people bite their fingernails in tension, cricket plays a major role in international diplomatic relationship too. In his University of Southern California’s blog, Paul Rockower writes, “Cricket has a long history as a platform for diplomacy, particularly between India and Pakistan. In 1987, amid a period of rising tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and with both armies on high alert at the border, Pakistan’s President Zia ul-Huq accepted an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to attend an India-Pakistan Test match held in India. That visit helped ease the rising tension between the two sides.

Moving away from these perspectives, I do feel that the love for cricket in India is truly a great sign of peace and progress. I see a dream of probably becoming the next Sachin in the eyes of many teens who carry a huge “cricket-kit” bag on their shoulders. The dream is justifiable in true sense. They are dreaming to cherish sportsmanship, drifting away from devilish subjects such as terrorism, war and hostility. The charm of a moving bat and ball, and the passion of a cricketer can only be understood by people who have spent the entire day on the field, running after the ball, with the ball and against the ball. Others, are just critics!

– Factfile –

http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.ipcs.org
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org
http://www.tribuneindia.com
http://500px.com

Time for some Individual Social Responsibility

Levine Lawrence

April 1, 2013

India is a country of shocking contrasts – incredibly rich in culture, heritage and wealth on the one end, painfully poor in resources, nutrition and healthcare on the other end. While the country moves ahead at a rapid pace powered by its people’s intellect and natural resources, there is another India or Bharat where people suffer from abject poverty and social injustice.

We can debate endlessly about what the government should have done in the past 66 years since our independence. Animated discussions about the role played by politicians, state bureaucracy and large corporations lead us nowhere.

Whenever the issue of charity and voluntary service comes up, we prefer to discuss what large companies, the super rich and the government have done to change the situation on the ground. We prefer not discuss what we have done to change the world around us. It’s time we question ourselves about what our contribution have been as individuals.

Recent news reports indicate India stands at a lowly 133rd rank among 146 countries in the 2012 World Giving Index, which is based on surveys of charitable behaviour around the globe. It is high time we individuals work towards changing this sad image.

Forums on cyberspace and media reports indicate that educated Indians are hyperactive on every possible issue under the sun. We sign petitions, we protest on every possible forum, we gherao our netas, we blog, we tweet, and we hog the media spotlight whenever a new controversy erupts – all classic signs of Armchair Activism!

Some of the working professionals among us do contribute a paltry sum to our company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and feel contented with it. However, have we done enough as part of our individual social responsibility (ISR)?

I agree that as working professionals we have to struggle to make to ends meet and there is literally no time left for real activism. I remember how much I had to struggle to get a few hours permission to join Youth For Seva’s candle light march against corruption during the heydays of Anna Hazare’s satyagraha.
So what could be done when we are constrained by limited time, money and resources? Pose yourself a simple question – Tigers are dying in the forest, children are starving on the street – can I could something about it beyond signing petitions?

There are hundreds of causes out waiting to be taken up. Instead of being an armchair activist who constantly talks about issues, let’s become Weekend Warriors who do what is possible during our free time. Here is a list of activities we could do along with some leading NGOs in the field –

Educate underprivileged children by sponsoring their school education – CRY, World Vision
Lend money to NGOs that offer micro-credit facilities to farmers and micro entrepreneurs – Rang De, MicroGraam
Provide healthcare insurance to our housemaids, security guards, etc – Maid in India, Babajob
Adopt a govt. school to teach as well as provide educational kits ¬– Teach For India, Youth For Seva
Nurture poor but promising sportspersons to excel in their sports – Lakshya, Magic Bus
Join a resident association in planting trees and cleaning garbage – Green Hills Group, Trees For Free
Adopt an abandoned street dog or help NGOs working for animals – People for Animals, CUPA
Persuade your company’s management to hire physically disabled persons – Association of People with Disability, Jobability.org
Help a cultural institution in preserving India’s heritage – INTACH, Nrityagram
File a Right To Information case to eradicate corruption – RTI India, Centre for Good Governance

– Factfile –
articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com
http://youthforseva.org
http://www.clutchmagonline.com

Move Away from Hazardous Holi

Priyadharshini

March 25, 2013

Holi is the most exuberant and colourful festival of India. It is truly a festival of joy, fun and frolic where people of all ages lose their inhibitions to play with colour. In fact, Holi festivals are organised in places as far as Utah in North America! According to North Indian tradition, Holi marks the harvest festival and the arrival of spring. In the Hindu lunar calendar, Phalguna Purnima is the last day of the year and this full moon heralds the ‘Vasanta-ritu’, the spring season. In south India, it is celebrated as ‘Kamana Habba’, the festival of Lord Kama, the deity of desire. Naturally, showering colour was the best way to express the arrival of spring!

However, the modern day Holi festival has become a hazardous play of chemicals with the increasing use of synthetic dyes. These synthetic dyes contain harmful chemicals such as Lead Oxide (found in black colour), Copper Sulphate (green colour), Aluminium Bromide (silver colour), Prussian Blue (blue colour) and Mercury Sulphite (red colour). These can cause renal failure, eye allergy, puffiness, temporary blindness, cancer etc.

Before the arrival of modern industrial chemicals, used to prepare their own colours from the dried flowers in the form of powders ‘gulal’ and boiled them to get concentrated, deep wet colours. Red, green and pink were made from flowers like palash (Flame of the forest), marigold, hibiscus, rose and other organic derivatives. These colours were good for the skin and did not harm the human body and had therapeutic value as well.

Today, there are three categories of colours available in the market – pastes, dry powder and water colours – all of which are hazardous. The hazard increases when these are mixed with oil and applied to the skin and these “rogue” chemicals sneak easily through the skin into the body system

Colour	Chemical	Health Effects
Green	Copper Sulphate	Eye allergy, puffiness and temporary blindness
Silver	Aluminium Bromide	Carcinogenic
Blue	Prussian Blue	Skin Dermatitis
Red	Mercury Sulphite	Skin cancer

Source: Vatavaran

Fortunately, some voluntary organisations have endeavoured to build awareness about toxic Holi colours. However, when there are no alternatives, people did not have any choice but to use synthetic colours. Thankfully, in the last few years, various institutions have made serious efforts to provide eco-friendly natural Holi colours that can be easily used as powder and paste.

Youth for Seva (YFS) has been the leading the movement inculcate the usage of natural Holi colours among the youth in South India. In the last few years, Hyderabad Goes Green has organised a sale of natural Holi colours made from leaves, fruits, roots, barks and flowers of plants. In fact, you can make your own Holi colour kit made of natural pigment dyes.

Colour	Method of Preparing Pigment Colours
Yellow	1) Mix turmeric (Haldi) powder with chick pea flour (Besan) 2) Boil Marigold or Tesu flowers in water
Yellow liquid colour	Soak peels of pomegranate (Anar) overnight
Deep Pink	Slice a beetroot and soak in water
Orange – red paste	Henna leaves (Mehendi) can be dried, powdered and mixed with water.

Firsrt Image – commons.wikimedia.org

– Factfile –
Source: Holifestival.org
http://www.holifestival.org
February 2000 Factsheet no 8 The Ugly Truth Behind The Colourful World
http://www.utahkrishnas.org

Prevention Steps and Remedies for Contaminated Water

Caleidoscope

March 25, 2013

Remedies for Contaminated Water — Image – Pixabay

We all are enlightened about the importance of water in our life. It is rightly said that ‘Water is Life’. We need water in almost everything. We cannot imagine life without water. It is required for everyday activities be it domestic use or industrial purposes. But if the water gets contaminated by any chance then our life and the full ecosystem comes in danger. So, we need to save water from getting contaminated.

What are the Effects of Water Contamination?

Effects of water contamination are endless and detrimental. Here we have mentioned few effects which top the list.

Diseases in Human Beings

It is said ‘Water is your best friend for life’ but with contaminated water humans as well as animals can get diseased and effected from destructive diseases that can even take life away. Consumption of contaminated water can cause several diseases which happen due to bacteria, germs, viruses, arsenic and parasites. Most noxious diseases that can happen if contaminated water is consumed are –

Diarrhoea
Cholera
Hepatitis
Abdominal cramps
Vomiting
Nausea
High fever
Muscle stiffness
Poliomyelitis
Dengue
Malaria
Cryptosporidiosis

Effect on Ecosystem and Food Chains

Contaminated water creates a remarkable effect on the ecosystem and food chains as water is one of the major components on both the natural procedures. As all the factors of the food chain and ecosystem either depends on water or is water itself so water contamination leads to the destruction of the whole cycle of mother earth.

Here are a few facts based on Survey

There are innumerable death cases that have occurred due to the consumption of contaminated water. Here we have mentioned a few facts:

Research and survey show innumerous deaths occurred due to the consumption of contaminated water. Death has been reported in every State in India by diseases like Cholera, Viral Hepatitis, Enteric Fever (Typhoid) as well as Diarrhoea.

In 2018, from January to September 1412 diseases occurred due to contaminated water. If calculated, it comes to the result which shows 1 death happens every 1hour which definitely have to be stopped.

From January 2014 to September 2017, 8324 deaths occurred due to water contamination usage.

What are the Prevention Steps and Remedies for Contaminated Water?

Usage and Usefulness of Water Purifier

Water Purifier should be installed in homes, offices and schools to purify water that is used mainly for drinking and cooking. Good quality Water purifiers are extremely useful in decontaminating and filtering water and making it ideal for drinking. It filters water from prominent and lethal pollutants like arsenic which can cause malignant diseases like cancer. Water Purifiers treats water in several layers and sterilizes it.

Water Purifiers not only filtrates water but also makes it taste and smell better. You can use the purified water for drinking, cooking or even bathing without any worry. Consuming purified water makes you detoxified and your skin hydrated. Also when you intake purified water, you become much more able to absorb nutrients which you input with food items.

Awareness among common people

The major reasons for water contamination occur due to unawareness among people about the possible malevolent drawbacks of polluted water intake or consumption. Creating awareness programs and making strict laws for the disposal of wastes in their assigned places should be arranged so that people from do not discharge agricultural, domestic or industrial wastes in water bodies.

Water Contamination has become a very major, damaging and inescapable problem for society. This problem should be nurtured with extreme care and awareness or else the rhythm and flow of ecosystems and the food chains will be vandalized leading to massive destruction of Mother Nature.

How does water get contaminated?

Water contamination is caused on various grounds that has become unavoidable nowadays and due to innumerous loopholes in the process of waste disposal, water contamination has become a very general thing.

Outlawed release of waste

There are several factories and small-scale industries who dispose off the waste in an illegal process to avoid the charges properly levied for waste disposal. They often dispose off the waste in the nearby water body which lets the water in the water body get contaminated as well as the connecting water body also gets infected. The sewerage pipes that carry the waste out from the factories are often connected to a water body and therefore hazardous wastes get excreted in the water body.

Not only, industrial waste, several households also dispense their trash in water bodies, hence adding some more pollutants in water.

Mining activities –

When mining is done, it usually deals with the squashing of coal which further leads to the release of harmful sulphides and trace metals. These substances lead to the formation of sulphuric acid in the company of precipitated water.

Overspill of agricultural waste

Agricultural wastes that get spilt in water bodies contain chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and other chemicals that are added in the field for healthy crop growth or plantation. Hence, contaminating water to a high extent.

Sewerage leaking

There are several loopholes from where wastes get leaked from malfunctioned sewerage pipes. Such wastes contribute trihalomethane and other pollutants in the water. As water is a universal solvent, therefore, it dissolves any sort of chemicals in it making itself contaminated.

Stormwater spill

While there is a natural calamity like acid rain or storm, dust along with roadside wastes containing highly hazardous substances get spilt in water bodies and forms a top layer which further forms a top layer on it.

Plastic waste

Plastic waste is considered to be the most effective and harmful to the contamination of water. Plastic, which gets degraded slowly, if by mistake gets disposed of in water can affect it in the worst possible way.

Stagnant water and mosquitoes

Mosquitoes lay eggs on fresh and stagnant water. This not only makes the water contaminated but also allows breeding of germ-carrying mosquitoes.

Desert Festival in Jaisalmer – A feast for the senses

Devangini

March 18, 2013

If you would like to see a local fair in an Indian town, transformed into a global phenomenon that has been widely publicised, I would strongly suggest that you book your seats for next year’s Desert Festival in Jaisalmer. Being in Rajasthan, I didn’t want to miss the famed Desert Fest. Held annually in Jaisalmer, this fest is known for a strong local flavour, rejoicing in an explosion of colour and candour.

The annual Desert Festival in Jaisalmer is an endeavour of the Rajasthan Tourism Department. It attracts large number of participants and revellers from various parts of Rajasthan including Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur and even beyond; along with foreign travellers who plan their trip to coincide with this great event. To begin with, this fair, or mela, started out as a typical fair in most parts of the country, held every year where traders and buyers converge so that people may stock up on goodies. In Jaisalmer, this humble town fair has transformed into a colourful festival that is conducted on a huge scale.

Desert-Festival-in-Jaisalmer-2 — The imposing fort of Jaisalmer – Source

This year, the festival in Jaisalmer began on 23rd February and ended on the 25th. The venues were changed on all the three days. On the first two days, the two stadiums within the town of Jaisalmer were utilized, with Ferris wheels and local competitions organized amidst ribbon cutting ceremonies and the welcoming of dignitaries.

The best part about the festival was the competitions held on the first two days. The handouts specially mentioned that these competitions were meant for foreigners to participate. Much furore and laughter ensued during competitions like turban tying. The turbans were all over the place and the tying party were in splits as the foreigners tried to balance them on their heads. The Rajasthani turbans, one must remember, are known for the intricacy of layers and knots, some of them weighing a few kilos. So it is no wonder that the foreigners were a little more than just overwhelmed.

Exquisitely carved watch tower in Jaisalmer pond

Other competitions included camel racing, dune bashing, tattoo drawing (another one of my favourites), and many more. Local delicacies rubbed shoulders with now “glocal” Indian fare, without which any event is incomplete: chats, paani puris and more.

On the third and final day of the festival, camel rides and Rajasthani folk music concert were organised on the sand dunes of the Sam (pronounced as some). The dunes were dotted as we arrived and within no time at all, the sun set in one quick dip even before people could finish clicking those precious few moments. Slated to carry on until midnight to celebrate the beautiful full moon, this one was a spectacle indeed. ‘Mr Moustache’ and ‘Mr Desert’, newly crowned as well the recent winners, jostled for crowd support as camels sat next to jeeps and jongas.

We went on a camel ride covering five dunes in all but not before some serious haggling to reduce the price to Rs.200. The camel owner painted us a beautiful picture with words before he stated the figure of Rs.1000 for the ride! After being assured that we were mere domestic tourists, and not NRIs, he decided to succumb and agreed on the paltry sum that we reluctantly offered him. My husband laughingly told that a litre of petrol would have come cheaper!

Jaisalmer sand dunes — The never ending sand dunes of Sam

After the sun had set, we settled down to watch the proceedings on stage. The wonderful folk songs and coy dance movements were well appreciated and the audience gentle clapped as the cold breeze got stronger and stronger. Thankfully, we had bundled ourselves with warm clothes. The songs covered themes such as the 13 household chores that women lovingly perform, all depicted through a dance that the ladies performed as they sat – a wonderful departure from modern day gyrations in the name of item songs, along with folk tales on how lovers would exchange white hankies with a mirror and sugar, to show their love in the days of yore.

Jaisalmer singers — Folk singers at the Jaisalmer Desert Festival

As I watched these events, I realised the sheer evolution in the Indian cultural landscape. Local spectators sat comfortably on the dunes along with foreign tourists to watch the show. These festivals have become the cultural melting pots of sorts even as the theme of Rajasthani culture is kept alive. While it is all quintessentially Rajasthan, there is also a strong focus on India. For the unassuming foreigner travelling in India, this festival may seem like everything that India is all about. For these people, it is very difficult to comprehend that so many cultures can so happily change style, pace and even colour, to dramatic proportions, just across a few hundred kilometres.

Jaisalmer sunset — Golden glow of sun setting amidst the sand dunes

The festival itself is a major highlight of many tour itineraries. The train journey from New Delhi to Jaisalmer felt surreal for me; jam packed with travellers from America, Europe, Japan, and other countries, the train felt like it was moving against time. All these travellers could talk about was the impending festival even as they used their iPads and phones in the almost Victorian looking quarters of our humble Indian Railways!

– Factfile –
http://www.jaisalmer.org.uk/desert-festival.html

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Colour

Chemical

Health Effects

Colour

Method of Preparing Pigment Colours

Usage and Usefulness of Water Purifier

Awareness among common people

Outlawed release of waste

Mining activities –

Overspill of agricultural waste

Sewerage leaking

Stormwater spill

Plastic waste

Stagnant water and mosquitoes