Green makes sense

It took me a while to figure out the title for this blog, then it came to me.

Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon today. It is already happening and will continue to occur in the future. All the signals point in the change direction with experts in Nasa, environmentalists like Al Gore, Bill McKibben etc. who constantly remind us that the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is way past its upper limit and we need to act now.

So here's my case, we are living in times of constant change. Politically the world is in chaos, Occupy Wall Street has shown has that, Europe is slowly going bankrupt and the Indian rupee in dropping in value almost every week. People are being fired in the west and there is a huge amount of uncontained anger thrown at the rich and government in many parts of the world. But climate is not being addressed, if it is only in talks.

Climate change has many causes, one of course which we all highlight is man's drawback on unsustainable development. Now the other contributing factors which mind you are all interconnected; food, water sources and fuel. Every year close to 6 million hectares of land is cleared for agriculture, an average person in the west consumes 50 litres of water a day and fuel is well guzzled in millions of gallons.

Nearly half the world's population go hungry, about 3 billion especially in developing nations. Livestock has increased to 5 billion in the 21st century alone so you can imagine the amount of food and water required to sustain them. Climate variation will bring havoc to India's crop market. In most north Indian states even a 0.5 increase in temperature can ruin crops like bajra and jowar in Rajasthan. India has always been one of the biggest exporter of pulses, with temperature increase disasters like flooding, unequal rainfall, droughts will bring disaster to the much prized basmatic rice in the country. Another huge factor contributing to development issues is poverty. Almost half of the world lives on 1 US dollar a day and 1 one four children in India are underweight/ malnourished.

If India as an emerging nation uses climate change as a priority with the right policies in place, we can emerge as a shining example to the others. For example employment in the green sector of the country (solar, water, wind, biofuel) require intensive labour which is found outside urban cities. An increase in labour requirement can eradicate unemployment problems to a large extent. This will not only reduce our carbon emissions, but poverty decreases with an earning member able to provide food, shelter and health for his family. We also protect India's assets this way by introducing climate tolerant crops, organic agriculture and protecting out forest and water sources which we depend upon. With employment, education is the next step which every family desires and the dream of sending children to school and college can be met. Working with indigenous tribes, agriculturists and locals have tremendous benefits and inculcate a mutual working relationship paving the way to greater protection and trust.

The ones who suffer are the poor and undervalued, reaching out to them we stand only to gain economically and make the nation viewed with respect and strength.

So in a nutshell, green makes sense.

Gandhi on the path of Sustainable Development

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi was once asked if he expected India to rise to the economic standards of Britain and he replied, “It took Britain half the resources of the planet to achieve this prosperity. How many planets will a country like India require?” Known for his outspoken attitude on India’s industrious future, he always stressed on our rich heritage, history, bounty of mother nature and how the protection of these resources is responsible for India's future success. “From the very beginning man has taken only what he needed. Today every man’s need is his greed”, which is one of the greatest mistakes of mankind, also pointed out by our Bapu.

Attending a conference on ‘Gandhi and the Value of Sustainable development’ in Bangalore, it was motivating to witness the resurrection of Gandhi along with his pearls of wisdom which made me, think would Gandhi be happy with our country today? Is this what he envisioned? My guess is that maybe he just needed to remind us of what is happening, what he predicted-and that he was right all along.

Sustainable development in villages is one of the biggest issues today, something that modern India is yet to realise and wake up to. The employment and empowerment of the rural sector is urgent with over 60% of India’s population situated in villages. The Millennium Development Goals (UN) introduced in 2000 have been a disappointment, their extension of each deadline is not going to help and with the population of the world officially marked 7 billion, I wish them all the luck.

Gandhi was known for the use of chakra for khadi which heralded the swadeshi movement giving way for the sustainable movement in India. The ability of a sustainable livelihood of this manner gave an empowerment like no other, and led to a significant increase in employment, especially uprising of indigenous cultures most all off - Hope. He believed in manual labour and said that that mass production should be need based only. Gandhi believed in toiling for your money pointing out that, “Production should be by masses and not through mass production which leads to greed and poverty.”

Another major contributing factor which I hold the man in highest honour is the emancipation of women. Gandhi as a leader saw that women of India were largely uneducated and stuck as victims of traditions in illiteracy, child marriage and sati. He viewed women as one of the major contributors towards development and education and was noted to encourage schools and institutions for enrolling women. For a family to be educated and well-learned it comes from the mothers first. “If a woman is educated in the family, the entire family will be literate“.

Gandhi sought to resolve issues still widely persistent today – Health, education, child care, gender issues, environment sustainability and bridging the gap between the rich and poor. This mind you was introduced by the UN more than 50 years later. Gandhi’s method of resolving problems was being physically present - Going village to village door to door listening to people’s problems, understanding them and finding solutions. Something that is unthinkable with our netas today who do not think development should be in the interest of the poor and rural.

He opened the door of education, he emphasized on sustainable livelihood and environment protection and He put India on the global map.

More to come.

Fossil Fool

You are a fossil fool

Taking on all earth’s fuel

Eating up our planet in and out

Leaving too much about

Ever wondered what will happen when there is nothing else?

Ever wondered when there will be nothing left?

Just famine hunger and pain

Millions live in poverty, millions more live near the sea

The poor are worst hit, you will see

When temperatures rise and trees fall

When water levels rise, there will be no food at all

Then you will see

You are a fossil fool

Learn from the past

Learn from the future

Reality is that you can’t afford to be fooled for long

Use the sun, wind, water that Gaia has given us

And renew once more

Do not forget that there is still hope and life

We are more than 6 billion in number today

By working as one things can be turned around

Let us be united as one

Tackling the Climate Issue

Climate Change is one of the biggest threats to mankind today. September 2011 saw many movements across the globe on the climate issue - Al Gore’s Climate Reality project very simple stated, ‘They may have the millions but we have the most important fact – Reality’. Bill Mckibben’s 350.org organised a successful global campaign called ‘Moving Planet’ - Away from fossil fuels and dirty energy which saw the participation of more than 2000 people across the globe. Climate Change is going to hit us all sooner than you think - The message in this movements was that by doing our bit for the environment we achieve staggering results if everyone pitches in.

Today the carbon dioxide ppm levels (parts per million) is 390 plus which is more than the permissible level of 350. As population shoots up year by year, consumption, energy, food, water, raw materials also increases. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has estimated that by 2050 there will be approximately 9 billion people on the planet. Our natural resources are already stressed and pushed to the limit, ever wonder what is going to happen by then when more energy is required? The difference in Indian cities can be felt in recent years, an example would be last year's 2010 which was recorded as the hottest year in the past 100 years.

‘Extreme weather events are happening every month all over the world, the signs are everywhere' Al Gore quoted.

We must learn from the past to understand the present so that we don’t repeat our faults. The cooperation of countries worldwide to form legally binding agreements on cutting down emissions has been discussed and debated but if countries like America (who’s per capita emissions are the highest) refuse to cooperate, then we may already have lost half the battle.

The positives - China is the number 1 country in the world which stands well in implementing correct, clean and sensible green mechanisms. The Economist proposed that China will be the strongest economy by 2050 taking over the West, but what is interesting about that this country is that it has been smart in its energy use and efficiency by installing a large number of renewable energy projects and most of all aopting the right policies passing the right policies which allow the nation to draw on renewable energy.

Smart businesses have started realising that looking at long term benefits, having a strong vision for the future, thinking beyond metrics, not forgetting using future scenarios allows them to avoid the convenient ‘quick fix’ and be patient. No doubt success is hard; it is just a question of planning immensely and using climate change as a platform to develop their future strategies. Sustainability is the key of success, and this will be China’s biggest success stories in the coming years.

India is not too far behind; we are the only country in the world to have a ministry for renewable energy. Taking a quick look at India’s response to the climate issue, we find that the country stands in the top 5 in the world in terms of renewable energy capacity: the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission launched in 2009 aims to install 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. With the country’s abundant supply of sunlight this makes India a ‘sun favoured nation’ and heralds the potential of India as one of emerging renewable energy countries. Wind energy in north west India like Rajasthan and Gujarat is already being harnessed while Biomass and Hydro energy are increasing in importance.

More to come as my research in this field continues- Views or comments are welcome.

Looking Back With A Smile

After returning home to Bangalore on August 1, 2011 post a year and a half stint in Bombay, life has given me a perspective to look at and mull over. You can call me older and mature if you like, but I prefer the term 'wiser' better :) My amchi Mumbai was an experience for me; I loved every bit of it and would do it again if the opportunity came by.

Bangalore is too good to be true in comparison; life is so perfect it’s almost a holiday even if you’re working. The convenience, the unbelievable good weather, the ease and comfort of this city is somehow very hard to believe. Most people live their entire lives the hard way, and they do it with a smile. It’s humbling and makes you realise how much you take for granted. Folks, lets just say I value everything much more, one of the take-away's that Bombay taught me.

So now I am back at home. After a week I realise that Mother Nature’s calling and what I mean is my very own mother's frequent calling took a bit of time to get used to, since, well it was a long time! The constant conversations and having people around not to mention friends calling me out all the time was quite overwhelming. No doubt life in Bombay could get lonely, but I am more of the sort who likes the space and flexibility to do as one pleases.

One thing I miss a lot is the sound of the Arabian Sea which used to be quite close to home and also a good place to just meditate and soak in. I think I might have mentioned this in my previous blog but the sound of the ocean is truly the best natural sound. Everything else just melts away when you are near it. The other things like running a house well I definitely do not miss :) Can you blame me? The last week in Bombay was a bit of a disaster with the fridge deciding to shut down and food going bad. I come home to Bangalore to a fridge which is stocked with everything imaginable, yes I might just be putting on a wee bit of weight!

I love seeing greenery around me, the sight of tree's and green leaves outside my window is wonderful! In fact I am planning a trip to one of the wildlife sanctuaries in the state; put my eyes and camera to some use. At the moment the koyal bird and squirrels outside my bedroom window give me a little too much than I asked, although the occasional sweet voiced myna does come by. Its time to travel into the wild and I can't wait.

So here I am, still in the process of getting used to a constant 24 degrees Celsius environment, bountiful trees + noisy birds, lots of food, close friends and family. Did I mention hot water? Yes hot water baths, which were not required in Bombay. The other things which I need (underlined) to get used to is a pathetic night deadline (11 pm, like seriously they may as well not have a nightlife in Bangalore), less freedom of movement (at home mind you) and most of all not having my cat with me. Quite the comfort he was.

Ah well, like they say - Life goes on.

Bombay - the city of dreams

Hi, its been a while since I blogged and much has changed since I last wrote in February this year. I moved to Bombay in April and started working in a wildlife magazine and its been almost 7 months since the move.

Big city Bombay is a wonderful place to be at this stage of my life. The people, the places, the energy, the worklife of every single person inspires me. I loved Bombay from day 1 and always knew that for a long time. Having lived here more than 10 years ago I told myself that one day I will find a home in this great place called Bombay, the city of dreams.

There's something very endearing about each little characteristic that defines the city. Be it the train system, which and I as well as many others may have quoted as the 'life-line' of Bombay. The shoe-polishers who sit at Churchgate station in Colaba working almost in symphony together, the vada-pav which I tasted for the very first time outside this station and even dared to have a pani-puri! The dabba walla system which work like clockwork bang on time every single day dishing out delicious home made food for hungry Bombayites. The huge pavements in South Bombay which cover Nariman Point, Colaba allowing you to take a walk in peace and drink in the city that you want to know about. I remember getting lost around Churchgate but enjoyed it because somehow you manage to find your way and if not just hop into the nearest taxi and they will take you home. Also before I forget Bandra for its young crowd and Colaba Causeway where you can shop, eat, drink and party all within 1 km.

One managed to find a well located flat which has its benefits, close to office and situated behind the city's best malls Phoenix Mills. Whether it was a quick bite or a movie post 10 pm all I have to do is hop across and hop back without any issues. My first 3 months I would say were the most exciting, everyday felt new there was something exciting and unfamiliar not to mention setting up my first home was fun. Small things which you don't think about like vegetable shopping and getting the house cleaned regularly which I had done probably twice in my life, suddenly became important. Identifying the assortments of greens and what is most important, slowly onions, tomato, potato, chillies and garlic become a regular shopping list.

Its been almost 7 months, and after the initial excitement of being by yourself things became familiar and slowly life becomes a routine. After buying a TV which was much required and having internet at home, there's much to do with work and getting home. Would you believe it I can actually cook now! All self-taught, ok not entirely but its a big thing. I also have a cat now so you can say that I am settled in the city of dreams for a while and loving it.

That's all for now :)

Gorgeous Havelock – True blue waters and some amazing diving

It’s hard to describe the beauty of the Andamans. Before I begin this story I would recommend every single person to take off. Go. Unwind and relax at paradise which will leave you truly speechless and a bit mystified… trust me these vacations are worth our time, effort and travel.

They say that Diving changes the way you see things. I say it blows you away.

I decided I wanted to dive in November 09. I told myself its time to take a break from life and work and felt this would be a perfect opportunity to do so. After making all my travel plans I was on the train and off to Chennai where I would be catching my flight to Port Blair the next day.

My trip was for 7 days - the 20th to 27th of January 2010 and since I was travelling alone, I made sure I carried reading books, paper and pen and lots of music on my Ipod to keep myself occupied. Chennai was a one night stop and I caught my plane to Port Blair at 5 am the next morning.

On the flight I was exhausted since I had been awake from 2am in the morning, the only time I opened my eyes was to take a quick bite and fall asleep again. Minutes before the plane landed I looked outside at the ocean and smiled, as I was looking down I see two crests forming on the water, I peer as hard as I can not believing what I just saw. Whatever had surfaced quickly disappeared making it not a boat or a ship that I had first thought. I was told later that I saw whales. I took this as a lucky sign from the ocean and couldn’t wait to land.

I was promptly received at the by ‘DiveIndia’ whom I was going to be diving as well as staying with and was soon on the ferry that would be taking me to the Havelock island.

Sitting on the roof of the ferry was refreshing, enjoying the cool breeze and seeing flying fish darting away in the water. I soaked up the sight of island after island and water on all four sides scarcely believing that I was here and at the same time wishing to always be near sea.

Once I reached the jetty I was off to the ‘Island Vinnie’ also Dive India and happily chatting with the auto driver. I learnt that Havelock is a tiny island about 40 km in length and there is only one main road. Passing small houses and acres of landscape, jungle, tilled land I felt like I went back in time where civilization was still testing waters. I heard that Havelock is largely untouched by commercialization, I had to agree that it was true.

Finally I reach DiveIndia. As I entered, massive tents on either side greet me and a small pathway in the middle lead to the beach and a charming restaurant. I look up and sigh the beautiful blue ocean in full view from the gate!. I was here at last.

I quickly check in, and settle my luggage into a hut and after freshening up head to the dive centre. I am taken through the courses which I opt for PADI which stands for ‘Professional Association of Diving Instructors’ which I ask if I may start right away and am told that my course will start only the next day. At the moment being wide eyes and slightly excited at the prospect of starting my course immediately I told myself to be patient. The first thing I do is run down to the beach and stand in the salty water with the tide coming in and out and take in the smell and sight of a beautiful blue sea, salt and seaweed, and sigh. This is what I have come for.

The next day I was up by 8 and dressed quickly and after breakfast my Dive Instructor ushered me into the video room and left me to watching videos on PADI for the next 3 hours. After completing some quizzes, I was told at noon to take a break and come back later for the briefing.

In the time that I had in the afternoon, I walked along the beach, taking in the ocean sight, picking small shells on the shore and admiring tiny mangroves while clicking pictures along the way and watched amusingly as crabs scuttled away from me. Complete and total solitude, just me and the ocean.

The briefing for my Open water course took place next morning, on the boat which was taking us to a shallow area to practice our first dive. The water was wonderful, with just our snorkels we were taught how to ‘skin dive’ without the scuba equipment which we learnt in no time. We were just off the shore and soon had our dive equipment on our backs, I took my first breathe with the regulator underwater. Adrenaline coursing through my veins we sank under water further till our knees touched the seabed and we were there for the next 20 minutes learning the different techniques of breathing and coping in a dive.

Then our dive instructor decided that we were ready to go for our first dive. I was excited as I had not sighted any marine life as yet and was eager and impatient to start. We came across a lot of kinds of fish and a bit of coral. Tiny fish with yellow and blue markings on them darted past us in a huge shoal I learnt these were fusilier fish and were one of the most sighted, the endearing looking clown fish peeped at us through coral and a huge blue starfish got me transfixed.

This dive site is known as ‘Lighthouse’ as it’s a small reef situated near a Lighthouse close to the Jetty and is on a shallower side so the marine and coral life is not vast. The feeling of gliding through the water with so much buoyancy makes you feel like your ‘flying’. It’s so easy!

I kept floating up which my instructor told me to control through my breathing. Buoyancy control its called, I was like opps here I am getting excited and rising up.

On this day it was a kind of trial and error method to get used to breathing underwater and manoeuvring oneself and the next day we would be taken to 2 dive sites and go down to a depth of 12 meters.

The next day we were off to ‘The Wall’. This coral reef was a sight to behold. A fifty foot wall growing from the seabed which had coral life growing and thriving on it. From huge clams which shut their shells if you went too near, to the most massive groupers, to my first Barracuda fish sighting, astounding colours of fish – triggerfish the size of a small table with midnight blue and light green colours.. this was a dive indeed to remember. And the coral! These are sightings which one never forgets. The coral is the base of all life, without which the rest of life under the sea would be few and far. They protect, provide and let all the animals proliferate. Of all kinds, shapes, sizes and colours, and this was only the beginning.

Our next dive sight was called ‘MV Mars’ which was also done on the same day and was a shipwreck dive. The ship was a 5 year old boat which had sunk and the visibility was not as good as the previous dive. But snappers, groupers and tiny parrot fish all came to investigate us curiously as the same way as us. The ship here acted almost like a protective mother to a wide array of beautiful tiny fish inside which had made this huge vessel a home and peeping inside it was almost like a mirage effect of these shiny silvery fish, a pretty sight I said to myself peering through my mask.

That evening I sat with a book ‘The Kite Runner’ and dint put it down till late, but late was 9 pm since the sun sets at 4.30 and everyone’s usually asleep by 9! After a day of diving and having to wake up early the next day I grabbed a bite and hit the sack soon eager for morning.

I also realised that its wonderful travelling alone. You get to think, be alone which is good once in a way and also analyse things, people, situations without a second opinion or a distraction of any kind. No doubt that company is good, but procrastinating allows solitude and peace.

The next day, wading into the shallow waters and climbing onto the fisherman’s boats to take us out, I heard that we’re heading to SouthButton, which is quite far but diverse and awesome underwater sights. We pass mangroves and islands which are uninhabited and learn their all highly government controlled. Finally SouthButton looms ahead and we’re there soon. Everyone puts on their gear and dives right in.

Wow wow wow!! Was all I could say. I felt like dropping my jaw but I can’t do that otherwise I am in trouble. Barracuda shoals, lobsters, I saw my very first octopus and almost lost buoyancy control with excitement. Huge puffer fish, the most colourful triggerfish spanning a good foot and a half in length and my favourite the fusilier swim past happily.

On this dive I also saw a sea snake, lion fish, the most beautiful coral spanning out like enormous platform umbrellas in pink, aqua blue and yellow colours. The coral sighting at this dive site was by far the best I had ever seen and very exquisite. After a point you feel like its unreal and looking into a museum filled with a painters works.
The next day I took two extra dives since I had an extra day at the centre and did another shipwreck dive which is unforgettable. This ship was half a century year old and had coral growing and thriving all over it. The visibility was good, and we saw lobsters, shrimps, the dangerous scorpion fish. The coral here has spread through the entire ship so much that one can hardly identify the parts of this huge monster. I was amazed at how a life that usually takes millions of years to from has grown in a span of 50 years!

Too soon I realise my time is up and I would need to surface, as I climb and see a small wall of a red garden I tell myself that I need to do this as often as possible and as much.

On my return journey in the fancy Catamaran ferry, my thoughts kept going back to my dives, my stay and the charming people of Havelock. I was already missing my dives the next day at Port Blair and realised that when you take a holiday like mine, you realise the true meaning of money saving and that effort of going through various websites and deals and all you need to do is get on that plane and go.

You never look back after that.