tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75362467904835046172023-11-15T23:46:07.515-08:00One EarthMeerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-29905067491055803142017-07-29T23:08:00.004-07:002017-07-30T00:13:38.873-07:00Needing a Fix<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Suddenly from moving up step by step in conservation, I seem to have slid back to the base and am very upset with myself.<br />
<br />
My children had started cycling to school in the last term of the previous academic year. I was using that time to walk with them, and though they would be way ahead, beyond my sight, still it served two purposes - of conserving petrol and getting my exercise. But this term, their school has shifted and the roads that lead to the school are congested with traffic. Not feeling confident about riding along that path with heavy school bags, we are again picking up and dropping them by car.<br />
<br />
I had been composting at home, managing it on my own with some help from the maid when I had one, and then the children. Dumping the kitchen waste in the composting pot is the easier part; sorting them once they are done, more time and labour intensive. Still, for a year I plodded on. Then, there was good news as one of my neighbours initiated a common effort at composting and I was relieved to add my kitchen waste there. I had been using the garden pots for composting, and they were used now to house some more plants. But suddenly last month, that common initiative was stopped and I am without my own devices to compost. Feeling a bit lost, though I know the solution is just one shopping trip away...<br />
<br />
What has bogged me down further is the acquisition of an RO water purifier. Having resisted it all these years, I had to give in reluctantly. And now, drinking water has become a joke at home. Whenever my husband and I hear the purifier working, we turn to look at the outlet pipe, crudely put into a collecting vessel that is woefully insufficient to meet the waste water needs! I am scared to drink water now!!!<br />
<br />
Yes, there is a solution to every problem and we will find one. But this makes me wonder about all those who throw the kitchen waste away, and let the waste water go down the drain without recycling it. How are we going to sustain? Is it all about our own health and comfort? What about that of mother earth?<br />
<br />
Much of these problems can be dealt with at the individual level, though some of it may work better with community participation. Take the first step and walk alone till others join along... </div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-5450920788289091772017-03-11T10:08:00.001-08:002017-03-11T10:09:19.729-08:00The Ancient Mariner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqm9bIMUDQQqKLjqRCRuu8T2iy_pPKLTZ8uz18jUjeBXz_juRsavIAlSH9NbMT9c5uWkwU3aDwflpfnoUQwVsnYTsbMBeannymqRnq0yQuwLQe6HvgUjsR5JPhV69JFx5v6bAV3rhl7r-/s1600/received_10158277735860034.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqm9bIMUDQQqKLjqRCRuu8T2iy_pPKLTZ8uz18jUjeBXz_juRsavIAlSH9NbMT9c5uWkwU3aDwflpfnoUQwVsnYTsbMBeannymqRnq0yQuwLQe6HvgUjsR5JPhV69JFx5v6bAV3rhl7r-/s320/received_10158277735860034.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waves at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the oldest surviving reptiles seems ready for extinction. Having survived the worst of catastrophes, over the millennia, it meets its match in the human, who has devised ingenious ways to destroy all forms of ecosystems - land, air and water.<br />
Already, only seven species out of 30 survive. The ancient mariner may become a 'Once upon a time' in no time.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Industrial fishing, which involves trawlers going to the deep sea and picking up fish right from the bottom of the ocean, also traps turtles and dolphins, snakes, and other non-fish animals. The turtles need to come up to breathe every one hour. But crushed under the weight of the fish they can't. Other non-fish creatures too get crushed to death.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmz54RhIF8UQAZilw1tH3FXtLlnEAziMEoFdrQYyJPFe0zaFYc1TtjqSDs9O7hADvGb-RNBIKlOJdGRpABTsLtWk0vPf9xCSxCxUEltdmy8ftfPLcEtVSaLMARk5ckdkAA8fTRmDpXy-Li/s1600/received_10158277736475034.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmz54RhIF8UQAZilw1tH3FXtLlnEAziMEoFdrQYyJPFe0zaFYc1TtjqSDs9O7hADvGb-RNBIKlOJdGRpABTsLtWk0vPf9xCSxCxUEltdmy8ftfPLcEtVSaLMARk5ckdkAA8fTRmDpXy-Li/s320/received_10158277736475034.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtles on their walk home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Earlier the carcass was thrown back into the sea, but now they are ground and used as fertiliser apparently - an additional source of income, no doubt, for the fish trawler owners.<br />
<br />
Though the government brought a law about the trawlers, which had to have a turtle hatch to let the turtle escape, apparently 5 % of the fish also escaped. This loss apparently is not acceptable. Lives can be lost, but not money, no!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aIwpkAGnHejeeR2DdNe4CQlPnLdMtsRtE4LiRWHaZ0mlF2KmxDgyfWe4CbVWIF43rfU7MgEQ93rKKD7BhKk-c9EHdJhQLVO7k0vlUH4FVPxmsvfXXnH1RN1emPMy1Gnqkot0ZX0y2Qj-/s1600/received_10158277736265034.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aIwpkAGnHejeeR2DdNe4CQlPnLdMtsRtE4LiRWHaZ0mlF2KmxDgyfWe4CbVWIF43rfU7MgEQ93rKKD7BhKk-c9EHdJhQLVO7k0vlUH4FVPxmsvfXXnH1RN1emPMy1Gnqkot0ZX0y2Qj-/s320/received_10158277736265034.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being guided by torch light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If that is not trouble enough, then the second challenge is the well-lit beach. No doubt they increase the safety of the nocturnal humans who just have to be out at unearthly hours. But the hatchlings of the Olive Ridley Turtles, programmed to go to the brighter horizon - the eastern one where the sea is - now go towards the road and get crushed and killed by the traffic, and the predatory dogs.<br />
<br />
That's not going to change, is it?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2FTUkVaXDNYnwRjMnugkcCNkHWNk9QYWBOOTYhWdMdQneg4mIkmQu7CRVfGTUy0Peudha5E0ER26EA_r88_bTIRZTRFQIKxbByIE7OOX2Ecr42zOAnxXRnQvZ0QjXnCWiOZNQN1H48wk/s1600/IMG_20170311_050333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2FTUkVaXDNYnwRjMnugkcCNkHWNk9QYWBOOTYhWdMdQneg4mIkmQu7CRVfGTUy0Peudha5E0ER26EA_r88_bTIRZTRFQIKxbByIE7OOX2Ecr42zOAnxXRnQvZ0QjXnCWiOZNQN1H48wk/s320/IMG_20170311_050333.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three who also gave up sleep one night among many</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Apparently, only one in 1,000 turtle babies survive to adulthood. It maybe disappointing to know that man is not entirely responsible for this high mortality, and a few noble people also give up their sleep at night to parade the beach, relocate the eggs into a hatchery and then guide the baby turtles back to the sea to improve the chances of their survival.<br />
<br />
They allow the public - within a reasonable number - also to join them in the walk that takes roughly 3-4 hours - to join them and create awareness about how we are affecting the ecology and what little we can do to harm it less.<br />
<br />
I was part of it for the second time. The first time, I saw a nest and a dead turtle. This time, I was blessed to see the release of a few baby turtles into the Bay of Bengal. Even as they toddled guided by the light from the phones to indicate which side they had to move, the world seemed cruel and these tiny little infants helpless. They are on their own as the female leaves after laying the eggs and the male does not even come out to see them being laid or hatched or enter their world...<br />
<br />
What can we do? We can only make sure that we consume less. What relationship does it have, you may well ask. Only one.<br />
<br />
I remember the times when everything was available in limited quantities and so we consumed less. Now we are willing to pay to get what we want. This encourages people to exploit nature to sell more at the cost of the limited natural resources. If there is limited demand, they will be discouraged to do so.<br />
<br />
The traditional fishermen, it seems, are more in tune with nature, fish within limits, only that which they need, during the season, and then give a break for the fish population to regenerate.<br />
<br />
It all boils down to only one thing - consumption and exploitation. May our awareness increase.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>My blogging journey began with a post about the Turtle Walk I had undertaken in February 2011: The <a href="http://meera-lastingimpressions.blogspot.in/2011/02/turtle-walk.html">Turtle Walk</a></i></div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-55107024849109623272017-03-02T21:58:00.002-08:002017-03-02T22:06:15.836-08:00Two Steps Towards Green<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-ZN1pgxLUHqgZmyyTIZ9ODMSbZCJqFFoCHKYJi_qMsIdYFs8QhVnUgWqWeaE4NUqODJS9g914gn3XjuFvTQSwBu4FeD2aeBI56kc0Z-kpkvPOOQKtDMmBYc6hXId-Df7m0GIAASdNktE/s1600/cycle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-ZN1pgxLUHqgZmyyTIZ9ODMSbZCJqFFoCHKYJi_qMsIdYFs8QhVnUgWqWeaE4NUqODJS9g914gn3XjuFvTQSwBu4FeD2aeBI56kc0Z-kpkvPOOQKtDMmBYc6hXId-Df7m0GIAASdNktE/s320/cycle+2.jpg" width="240" /></a>When driving my children back from school, I would watch the children from government schools walk back, chatting, playing, enjoying themselves. I used the school bus till the eighth, from 9th to 12th, and I traveled by the public transport with my friends and remember the long chats, the jokes, the general fun. I started feeling sorry for my children. Though we do have our laugh sessions and jokes, I felt that that moment of childhood when they are on their own, without adult supervision, and enjoying their surroundings is an integral part of growing up that they seemed to be missing.</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
But to make them walk that distance is impossible. It is not the distance, in fact, as it takes just about 15 minutes one way. Rather, the daunting burden of the school bag that they carry automatically makes this an impossible option.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ58XAxBEdrcHuM6Bxem4gJl7UudS4I9FUFclctB5-iFqsVnbSo4G2TPu9jIKOyP45hx-kr9xJXiTxeDkXb4IZbjOVZ-qc9P-rM6zGHdQwjFBRzcPYFs8ufj3E21BLj9SjJap33nqh9Tl5/s1600/cycle+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ58XAxBEdrcHuM6Bxem4gJl7UudS4I9FUFclctB5-iFqsVnbSo4G2TPu9jIKOyP45hx-kr9xJXiTxeDkXb4IZbjOVZ-qc9P-rM6zGHdQwjFBRzcPYFs8ufj3E21BLj9SjJap33nqh9Tl5/s320/cycle+1.jpg" width="240" /></a>The thought of their cycling to school was also intimidating. To reach the school, they would have to cross two main roads. With insensitive, rash and undisciplined driving by even the educated, there were enough reasons to skip that option. But every time I drove down to drop and pick my children up from school, my heart pricked guiltily. Every time I watched the other youngsters jaywalk down the bye-lanes, I realised that they had no choice, and that made their life simpler. I, on the contrary, had a choice. And I was taking the easier way out.</div>
<br />
I shared my thoughts with my children and was pleased to see them enthusiastically jump at the idea. But they need practice, I dithered. The lunch bag is uncomfortable when riding, I complained. <br />
<br />
Even as I delayed the actual day they could start, I was startled to see other classmates of my older one cycling to school. Still I waited.<br />
<br />
No more, screamed my two. We are starting today, they insisted. And they did one day. Still the (surprisingly) protective mother, I walk down and am left way behind. I check the school cycle stand to make sure their cycles have reached.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I hope to let them be independent soon. However, I may not. I enjoy the walk down the avenues and finish a part of my exercise too! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-13114592992240769122017-01-25T23:56:00.000-08:002017-01-25T23:56:38.812-08:00The Conservation Effort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmc75cJX3XSRDGZBFXggo5SAKlDRKj5hHMsQgtq4YPt2XSa1tRAHE1KAQpqGh48r7JnaZ16hgkJ76_ZMPIsRZkQoBVgoliMM4zyTyuWVi7aT5CCXmaeU_dgmqXsxeQqjYddIvuI_N0Rn_/s1600/green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmc75cJX3XSRDGZBFXggo5SAKlDRKj5hHMsQgtq4YPt2XSa1tRAHE1KAQpqGh48r7JnaZ16hgkJ76_ZMPIsRZkQoBVgoliMM4zyTyuWVi7aT5CCXmaeU_dgmqXsxeQqjYddIvuI_N0Rn_/s320/green.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Almost every tree in our complex and in the adjacent land - trees that we had been seeing for the last 10 years of living here, had been bent and broken by the merciless Vardah in December 2016.<br />
<br />
Today, on Republic Day, we not only hoisted the flag as we do every year, but men, women and children participated eagerly in a drive to plant trees and recover the green.<br />
<br />
When walking around the complex, I noticed a canna and remembered why it was planted two-three years ago.<br />
<br />
When we were renovating our complex, on advise from one gray water expert, Mr Indukanth Ragade, we dug a well - a traditional well. It is dug where there is spring underwater and is also connected to our rainwater harvesting system. Being shallow, it is easy to recharge and improves the ground water level. This well is then connected to the underwater borewell so that the harvested water is pumped back into the system.<br />
<br />
The canna bed receives water from the bathrooms. It is apparently good at treating the chemicals and also retains water underground... Thus adding to the water table.<br />
<br />
While we may have the money to buy water, it disturbs me that we do nothing to conserve water available to us and also starve other regions by carrying away water from there.<br />
<br />
We may still not be completely independent, but I think our dependence of water lorries have come down tremendously. The beauty of the shallow well is that you don't need to live in an independent house or a large complex. If there is water under your car park, you can dig a well there and keep it closed with cement slabs. Just make sure that it is connected to the RWH system as well as the borewell and is not going waste.<br />
<br />
Imagine if an entire colony undertakes to divert rainwater thus! How much water we can pump back into the ground and start becoming independent...<br />
<br />
I am not an expert and have tried my best to convey it the way I have understood. Rain Centre in Chennai maybe a good place for those living here to find out how to do it. I am sure other cities has such experts too.<br />
<br />
Where the solution is within our reach, let's try these small methods to contribute and flourish. Water is precious and limited. Let's use it responsibly.</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-17028617712932434132017-01-12T23:10:00.003-08:002017-01-12T23:43:10.733-08:00Bull F(r)ight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
That time of the year and that debate again - should Jallikattu be banned?<br />
<br />
Not fond of violence of any kind, I have never been a great fan of this game. I am not a convert either now.<br />
<br />
The bull is tortured during jallikattu, given arrack, scared with firecrackers and made to run helter-skelter, goring and killing people in the way...<br />
<br />
Now, the counter question - what will happen to the indigenous breed if this game is banned? They will be slaughtered... that is the fear.<br />
<br />
All these points and counter points are frustrating. It is again and again about human beings, how they use the animals and what they do when that animal becomes useless... If a bull is bred, then, of course, it has to have an ROI and that is jallikattu. If it cannot be used for that purpose, it has to at least become meat. Or leather.<br />
<br />
In this god-given nature, no other creature has any place if it is not useful one way or the other to man.<br />
<br />
It occurred to me that unlike stray dogs (which are also neutered and killed because they are useless...) we do not get to see any stray cows/bulls. Do we have free horses or are they bred only in captivity?<br />
<br />
What animal rights are we talking about then? Are we the custodians of all creatures on this earth? If a bull is useless, why not just let it roam around freely?<br />
<br />
Long back, when I visited the beneficiaries of an NGO, I was struck by the fact that the cows they owned, when in heat, are impregnated with frozen and thawed semen of Jersey bulls. Isn't the animal allowed to even indulge in that one act one season in a year while man needs no season or reason to copulate?<br />
<br />
The frustrating emptiness of our way of thinking does not even shame us... We question, support or dispute based purely on the assumption that the decision is for us to take.<br />
<br />
Let the animals lead their lives. Let us lead ours... Where our lives intersect, let us respect the animal. We have a need, let us use them with maturity and restrain. But beyond that, let's not presume too much on our intelligence. Time and again, it has failed us. It is doing so on this matter too...</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-3010878126877009792017-01-08T08:33:00.003-08:002017-01-09T03:56:31.749-08:00'Mother' Earth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We call her the bountiful Mother<br />
But desire her like a lustful Lover<br />
Forever fighting<br />
Like dogs in heat<br />
When all we need is six feet<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
We want her benign and kind<br />
But our own eyes turn blind<br />
Loudly we cry<br />
Our throats wry<br />
As we drain our world dry<br />
<br />
Cut trees, fill it with concrete<br />
Kill every creature, make it extinct<br />
No animal, insect or bird<br />
Is safe from the knife<br />
Man cuts down everything in sight<br />
<br />
Yet she holds promises deep<br />
Sends up shoots as we weep<br />
New life springs<br />
Hope takes wings<br />
The heart has new songs to sing<br />
<br />
In a never ending cycle<br />
Of hope and destruction<br />
Who will win<br />
Free us from sins<br />
Is in our end our only redemption?</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-18786834644065905952016-11-26T06:21:00.005-08:002016-11-26T06:23:29.586-08:00Reaching Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU69wizRR_JQI1CpxckvJw-fz-DQgxO4iwFYr7imrTTcASYQhoEbth_F08GfSK3-_yxZm1nZdgz2kspUDnkG4H52h4M497pmf5T1fF-N4qDbqzJH1QjT3a_VPKl0r8igHB2LgPDp1L08N/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU69wizRR_JQI1CpxckvJw-fz-DQgxO4iwFYr7imrTTcASYQhoEbth_F08GfSK3-_yxZm1nZdgz2kspUDnkG4H52h4M497pmf5T1fF-N4qDbqzJH1QjT3a_VPKl0r8igHB2LgPDp1L08N/s1600/tree.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
The dry limbs<br />
Reach up to the hot skies<br />
Mercy they seek<br />
On deaf ears fall their cries<br />
<br />
The hot sun beats down<br />
Seeking rivers to dry<br />
But only the riverbed<br />
Meets its pale eye<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I am dry and hot<br />
The sun answers<br />
Thirsty and burning<br />
But where is all the water!<br />
<br />
Wherever I seek<br />
I see nothing that shimmers<br />
Only dry twigs and trees<br />
Which cry for water to me!<br />
<br />
I am a ball of fire<br />
I can but help make clouds<br />
Drawing from what is yours<br />
Giving back amidst thunder loud<br />
<br />
I am not drunk on the elixir<br />
Given to you abundantly<br />
Ravaged and savaged mindlessly<br />
Now, everywhere, drought I see!<br />
<br />
In earth, a rival I perceive<br />
With no water bodies<br />
Another ball of fire it will be<br />
Watch out before you burn every tree.</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-55097936058121740662016-10-24T04:50:00.001-07:002016-10-24T05:12:22.702-07:00This Diwali...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGhh_498CDDZPrRN3LDq5kdFB5lgv3bp3cpptYpkqmxHCMZHm_bpTqVIfPLyJfXI2prrP_hKushlFzHX_ywxe7jBjjblBNV3Bzta8YYjb39BroU3pKbh9AWs08yqiP3ahNeiS1SCMQSX_/s1600/Diwali-firecracker-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGhh_498CDDZPrRN3LDq5kdFB5lgv3bp3cpptYpkqmxHCMZHm_bpTqVIfPLyJfXI2prrP_hKushlFzHX_ywxe7jBjjblBNV3Bzta8YYjb39BroU3pKbh9AWs08yqiP3ahNeiS1SCMQSX_/s320/Diwali-firecracker-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Every diwali, I can see awareness campaigns asking people to abstain from crackers. Yes, the smoke, the noise, the pollution...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">This year too, I got a mail. <span style="font-family: inherit;">"<b style="color: #222222;"><span lang="EN-IN"> </span></b><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Diwali no more a festival to allay darkness. It has turned into a festival for </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;">thickening darkness. With one more bout of fire crackers, the killer pollution, engulfing life in its vice like grip, would only become more lethal."</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It talked of the risk to children, the old and the vulnerable. No doubt, even the healthy get affected.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any debates? None at all. I don't even believe that we should sustain that industry just for those employed in it. They suffer as much, and though it may help them make ends meet, they are probably better off finding alternative employment rather than continuing in that industry.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But something in me protests still. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That same mail went on to say, "</span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to a Report by Save the Children, every 4th child in India lives in urban areas and they fall sick every month on average. They fall sick because of lower immunity. What affects their immunity? Essentially, ground water and air pollution damage immune system of children. Doctors associate high levels of suspended particulate matter and sulphur dioxide with increased mortality, morbidity and impaired pulmonary function."</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every month, the report says. But diwali is not celebrated every month. It is not even celebrated for one month. Just one day. So where does the pollution come from the rest of the year? </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">"</span></span><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;">As per International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, our daily intakes of vegetables contain 21 times higher metal content. So apart from air and ground water pollution, our eating pattern also impact immunity. Having exposed to such conditions, a kid is prone to catch respiratory, liver and kidney problems.”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;">Daily intake - not just around the time of diwali but every day...</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;">I will not labour the point. Is this post in favour of crackers? No? Is this against? No, again. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;">Instead, I am just confused. I have a host of questions.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;">We have despoiled earth in the name of development.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">We have polluted air in the name of progress.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">We have even pierced the sky in the name of travel.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">We have dried up water sources to satiate our thirst for wealth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">We are burning cities in the name of hate and fanaticism.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the space we aspire to conquer - they all bear the brunt of our indiscriminate exploitation and insatiable greed.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Fight against crackers by all means. But if the rest of the year, we are going to continue to destroy this world, then this is mere tokenism. Meaningless and empty.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-70487235926378317102016-09-05T06:04:00.001-07:002016-09-05T07:29:37.249-07:00Models for Clay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yB6gTCjH5TauxjKFg79DwTOhQRM2Q8QwD4m4zZM-LnXrbm5X338LJIU7SGTDRBDR1RLVkWiySpA837EM64DMfMddxgpIJkplqe6Em8MTgpdzR1zLbiQ1q3F_Ov_luO76C-pA4If_sAcC/s1600/clay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yB6gTCjH5TauxjKFg79DwTOhQRM2Q8QwD4m4zZM-LnXrbm5X338LJIU7SGTDRBDR1RLVkWiySpA837EM64DMfMddxgpIJkplqe6Em8MTgpdzR1zLbiQ1q3F_Ov_luO76C-pA4If_sAcC/s320/clay.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clay and some products</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When Chennai reeled under the unprecedented rains last year, one of the causes was that the riverbeds in the city had not been cleaned in eons; all the muck that we had generously donated to the river built up into a mini dam at the point where the ocean and the river met; and the river started flowing back into the city, flooding its many streets and low-lying areas; many of which were built on beds of water bodies such as ponds and lakes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It brought on discussions about how once upon a time, communities around the water bodies took it on themselves to clean them periodically and prepare it for the oncoming rains. The beds were desilted, removing extra clay and clearing the spring/fountainhead so that the ground could soak in the water and hold it for the communities to flourish around it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The clay then - what happened to it? Why, it went to the potters and apart from the regular products made of clay, and during religious occasions idols of various sizes would consume a large part of the clay. Natural colours would embellish it and flowers and cotton garments would be draped around it. It gave a temporary boost to businesses and also gave people cause for celebration and hope before the harvesting season later.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When the time was ripe, these clay idols would go back to their source, the river, where they would dissolve easily without polluting the water.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Last year, a magazine ran a story on how Ganesha idols immersed indifferently in shallow waters are a potential environmental hazard. They are made of artificial materials, draped in polyesters. It is tragic to see a wonderful tradition, which was also introduced to synchronise with the natural cycle, slowly becoming a threat to the ecology.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Last week, I was heartened to see a video of clay Ganesha models with seeds inside them. Keep it in the garden after the puja and watch plants sprout. Yes, with care and thought, we can keep the tradition alive and enjoy the season without harming the environment. There are many rituals that are pointless. And many that have great depth and understanding of the natural cycle. If we can separate the grain from the chafe, and strengthen meaningful ones while discarding the rest, we can once again revive our national pride even while doing our bit for our culture, tradition, environment and the small scale industry.</div>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-24337710149923885472016-07-12T10:31:00.000-07:002016-07-12T10:31:52.308-07:00Controlling Pests Or Being Controlled?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a horrible, yet familiar sight. My kitchen counter invaded by baby cockroaches.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOcqMcgUQY2si8mKyXfx56aPVUTRXRKR95DzbiNaJEvJpl2DBLxcgj7B2iwPb4x_SH7WbD5cn_Ya3lroVGJ5OhnfBLnx_XrioFhFNkjszSFqndsQc1G1bE2Y3tH1HznS5PaPPH2a2Fia7/s1600/mosquito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOcqMcgUQY2si8mKyXfx56aPVUTRXRKR95DzbiNaJEvJpl2DBLxcgj7B2iwPb4x_SH7WbD5cn_Ya3lroVGJ5OhnfBLnx_XrioFhFNkjszSFqndsQc1G1bE2Y3tH1HznS5PaPPH2a2Fia7/s320/mosquito.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Srikant Ranganathan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unable to stand the sight, I got the pest control people to 'clean' up my home. I was assured that the pesticide being used was not harmful and that it was safe for humans.<br />
<div>
<br />
Since then, since so many years ago, I have been 'clean. I get periodic pest control done and have been cockroach free. Then when I got termites, I did termite control too done.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As a consequence, I do not have lizards in my house either. Or the one or two that come go away on their own due to lack of sufficient nourishment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But am I happy and content? No! The king of pests, the mosquito, seems to have taken over my house. As I read and think more and more about the food cycle and human interference that is disturbing it, I am wondering if the same is not happening with regard to the mosquito menace as well. Who are their natural predators? Whom have we eliminated from the insect food cycle because of which we have such an overload of mosquitoes? We either have to keep all our windows and doors closed, cutting off all natural breeze, or have chemical means to reduce this nuisance.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A hard question to answer. I dread allowing cockroaches to invade my home. But I hate this forced self-caging to protect my skin and that of my near and dear ones from the mosquito bite!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh yes, my pest control service provider has something for mosquitoes, but that is effective for two months only! There was a time I was told cockroaches can survive even nuclear bombing. But I think someone overlooked mosquitoes. They can survive much more!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Who is smarter, finally? These tiny pests or man?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-6777848818610856022016-05-14T10:18:00.001-07:002016-05-14T10:18:37.886-07:00Lasting Impressions: Better Quality of Life - And the Price<a href="http://meera-lastingimpressions.blogspot.com/2016/05/better-quality-of-life-and-price.html?spref=bl">Lasting Impressions: Better Quality of Life - And the Price</a>: The tiger walked at a leisurely pace, unmindful of a jeep right behind it, dogging its steps. The people inside were enthralled to catch ...Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-34868613382321156372016-04-11T22:25:00.000-07:002016-04-17T22:48:03.132-07:00A New Leaf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWm5xbNvwsq3_VnOsPn8u8_vNvswro-R2MD1T2bNijtKupdlX6hxJaesxfyqJMryC-BI4WIM6T5tQaCne7Sefyj2aq5vbF-20Ir-rtWipXUTqz5VjyFsjgWphuUkvVNZfiX80kC656Zb5/s1600/recyclable+leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWm5xbNvwsq3_VnOsPn8u8_vNvswro-R2MD1T2bNijtKupdlX6hxJaesxfyqJMryC-BI4WIM6T5tQaCne7Sefyj2aq5vbF-20Ir-rtWipXUTqz5VjyFsjgWphuUkvVNZfiX80kC656Zb5/s320/recyclable+leaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The music troupe that had met at Anandam Old Age Home in Ambattur was invited to a sumptuous lunch prepared by the inmates - all destitute old people.<br />
<br />
I saw this leaf placed on the table and thought it was a place mat. But this is the leaf! Shaped like banana leaf, this is in fact recyclable paper. Very light, it is water proof and does not tear though we had the regular south Indian meal.<br />
<br />
Apparently it has been available in Parry's for sometime now.<br />
<br />
I like the idea of pakku mattai plates and cups also. But they look solid! Still, this was an interesting concept and thought of sharing. </div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-9436619879717228282016-01-15T04:45:00.003-08:002016-01-15T04:45:52.217-08:00When Will We Stop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqklNI7vx0HOpy1PCXNhkLStNumL4dKlLqEeTA2nkdF88ZOJAVbPluAY0HvwB7m5uxEjshMmkJ5PTf561TxW04qpcWgBfjQsC46-GN39JVZVqA7aP0p97xbsikwUcOiiErNmTw_mQnkWg/s1600/garbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqklNI7vx0HOpy1PCXNhkLStNumL4dKlLqEeTA2nkdF88ZOJAVbPluAY0HvwB7m5uxEjshMmkJ5PTf561TxW04qpcWgBfjQsC46-GN39JVZVqA7aP0p97xbsikwUcOiiErNmTw_mQnkWg/s640/garbage.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">However many times it takes for us to realise, I shall say this. The Government gives us the garbage bin. But if we do not use it well, it is not the Government's mistake! They get it cleaned everyday, but that does not mean we can dirty it beyond human tolerance. What caused this, I do not know. A load of bricks, maybe dumped carelessly, made it topple. Maybe a dog jumping off the bin tipped it. Maybe a human, while dumping the bricks, couldn't care to do it more carefully enough... But the result is this...! And till someone clears it, it will remain thus.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-87334823149036309722015-12-07T09:48:00.000-08:002015-12-07T09:48:42.883-08:00For a Rainy Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am just an element,<div>
I was in my elements.</div>
<div>
I know nothing of joy and anger, </div>
<div>
Nor indeed of safety and danger.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I fall from heavens without bias</div>
<div>
Equally on the evil and pious</div>
<div>
And on the ground when I fall</div>
<div>
I seek new paths ignoring all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Make way for me</div>
<div>
Room to flow to the sea</div>
<div>
If you place obstructions</div>
<div>
I flow around constructions</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't the poets admire?</div>
<div>
My overcoming situations dire?</div>
<div>
Oh you thought I had given up?</div>
<div>
And abandoned you to a dry rut?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I thought you will enjoy</div>
<div>
And not call me killjoy</div>
<div>
I poured hard to make up</div>
<div>
But you had no deep cup</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To unite with my mother I seek</div>
<div>
Flowing through concrete streets</div>
<div>
To sink in her arms, is all I desire</div>
<div>
But she is lost amidst muck and mire</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I go away to distant lands</div>
<div>
Will you ever want me back?</div>
<div>
I am but one of the elements</div>
<div>
Sometimes ruthless, sometimes clement. </div>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-33301446952619597872015-10-17T11:59:00.001-07:002015-10-17T12:00:09.553-07:00Back to the Village<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eoD1TpGTqzf7Pp5y_paduBqOMF2pNiSxnGdCQLQTpC6gg0_Yin1QhHSazn2y36428BCOKcLK09mthG4WURvwgANeMKnt0hlxuVxScBG3Ig9EAaDWLEhqZ5HXxs4JH4165v289F4o-WSQ/s1600/distant-elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eoD1TpGTqzf7Pp5y_paduBqOMF2pNiSxnGdCQLQTpC6gg0_Yin1QhHSazn2y36428BCOKcLK09mthG4WURvwgANeMKnt0hlxuVxScBG3Ig9EAaDWLEhqZ5HXxs4JH4165v289F4o-WSQ/s320/distant-elephant.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lush green forest, a treat to watch. Circled - 2 elephants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Around the water body came human dwellings. Trees were cleared, dwellings constructed, farms came up and industries were set up to service the people living in the vicinity. The region prospered, started supplying to other regions. Roads were constructed, faster, better transportation infrastructure, storehouses, production methods...<br />
<br />
Yes, this is history; the story of development, progress, prosperity.<br />
<br />
Yes, this is the story of destruction.<br />
<br />
It seems natural, the direction we have taken. From the prehistoric man's struggle with other inhabitants of the jungle to the modern man's struggle for space, it seems inevitable that more and more of that which sustains him should also be destroyed - forests, water, flora and fauna. It is scary, how this Development gobbles everything along the way. Most of it goes into connecting two remote points by land, water or air, destroying everything that stands in its way.<br />
<br />
Finally, what will earth be left with? What will man grab to grow?<br />
<br />
In destroying nature, is he not destroying himself too? Lifestyle diseases, killing commutes (which kill not only in the literal sense), long working hours in artificial conditions are upsetting the balance in urban lives. In parallel, rural life is also suffering.<br />
<br />
In this depressing scenario, sometimes I hear sane voices. Voices that reflect the need to be cautious, march but watch where the next step takes them. Earn, but with responsibility.<br />
<br />
More than townships, some builders in Chennai are looking at green constructions beyond just the measurable terms needed for a certification. They are talking of an entire ecosystem being created around the ecosystem - workplaces, educational institutions, commerce - the entire gamut that cuts down the need to commute to reach the place of choice.<br />
<br />
More importantly, developing and maintaining a small organic farm within the township to meet the food needs at least partly; composting and solid waste management; rainwater harvesting and water recycling - these efforts maybe drops in ocean, but these are happening.<br />
<br />
Do customers understand these benefits? Tragically not. Most are trained only to think of ROI, and only a few want to know how their household can become economically and environmentally viable.<br />
<br />
To me, it seems plain common sense that we return to the old village model. Self-sufficient townships maybe the new term for villages, but this is the model we will have to follow if we wish to remain sane. Produce and manage locally primarily and reach out only when needed.<br />
<br />
Of course, this model will go through a phase of rigidity and closed mindedness. Then we will try to spread out, build long bridges. But hopefully, by then, nature would have been righted and the destruction can begin afresh.</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-38549833006385496382015-07-04T07:07:00.001-07:002015-07-04T19:18:46.964-07:00Don't Mess Around!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3hyx8w41ztNvii8744sro-_DUhCtcEfDC2Gahj144c7hsApAgE3WoIM3qk47zckk6SfbPsEOa3aVqOps1TIlVMptFEKcYtonTv6048nWSbxWHzM2SUShIt2RHgBIzr2OFO3yM_bn9JZ3/s1600/IMG_20150705_072254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3hyx8w41ztNvii8744sro-_DUhCtcEfDC2Gahj144c7hsApAgE3WoIM3qk47zckk6SfbPsEOa3aVqOps1TIlVMptFEKcYtonTv6048nWSbxWHzM2SUShIt2RHgBIzr2OFO3yM_bn9JZ3/s320/IMG_20150705_072254.JPG" width="320" /></a>Give crow rice, it will eat neatly, not a scattered grain.<br />
<br />
Koels are fairly clean eaters too. Not much mess around their dish.<br />
<br />
Mynah, I am not so sure. One visits occasionally, but by then, pigeons have visited already.<br />
<br />
Pigeons, sorry to say, are quite messy. They eat less and scatter more! Of course, they also keep the surroundings dirty - balconies become dirty thanks to them! But at least while eating they can show more respect!<br />
<br />
Give crow bread, roti or dosa and it will use its claws as hands, hold it neatly and expertly tear the pieces.<br />
<br />
Koels and mynahs don't care for solid pieces of food, ignoring them largely, knowing their limitations probably.<br />
<br />
Pigeons, on the other hand, don't know well enough to leave it alone! They peck and the bread pieces fly in different directions. What is the use of looking puzzled, pigeon dear? You can't keep walking and eating. Learn to sit in one place and use those claws effectively!<br />
<br />
Nowadays, the state of my balcony tells me about my visitors. Till it was just the crow, I didn't have trouble with my balcony floor, which remained clean more or less. But if half my floor is covered with bread pieces and rice, I know that pigeons came a-visiting too!</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-41678296900486100172015-04-25T05:45:00.000-07:002015-04-25T05:45:01.982-07:00No Tree Frogs, Please!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNb42mU5dPwiTceAetIujwdZfqPmDF2POzJowVH3WAtr3Ngm2qOExtoxgxEfhY1KrHvL8LWeq63btuvGwN9xGCv2OX-Z6LpDnuWXxQFGR6hd6Jo-prkzrDBiGHuL6nBLWUdOCH-czicAo/s1600/hut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNb42mU5dPwiTceAetIujwdZfqPmDF2POzJowVH3WAtr3Ngm2qOExtoxgxEfhY1KrHvL8LWeq63btuvGwN9xGCv2OX-Z6LpDnuWXxQFGR6hd6Jo-prkzrDBiGHuL6nBLWUdOCH-czicAo/s1600/hut.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6njISMjD_Rv97iLY3w5IXo6IzOe1O38tnwEtH8qouD4Pj9btNyFxfb7u5XxgaJJkR9AF91tRe4yZ_EqD4cZfhv7m6SKF7iCmB4qGsVwXmtZDHytHvZJr82PS-Py0aToW8epn-31FhZAKE/s1600/IMG_20150418_151009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6njISMjD_Rv97iLY3w5IXo6IzOe1O38tnwEtH8qouD4Pj9btNyFxfb7u5XxgaJJkR9AF91tRe4yZ_EqD4cZfhv7m6SKF7iCmB4qGsVwXmtZDHytHvZJr82PS-Py0aToW8epn-31FhZAKE/s1600/IMG_20150418_151009.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Nature, lovely nature. When I saw the three basic but intelligently made bamboo huts in Karadimalai Camp in Chengelpet, I was excited. We were in a forest, with a hill for a backdrop. The hut was raised on short stilts with water at the base to keep out crawlers. Wow! That was just cool!<br />
<br />
Silent, except for the chirping of the birds. No sounds of traffic or human beings even. We were the only couple there at the time, with one boy to tend to our needs.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97I1uQZs31v1AChXNgWlbgLJ6Ijp34ljRiW_HWAnh0kK71UMBD1e5A5Tpd4oLC1ualaj4p33j3c8s9wml0QIvO-231yMgFMQ8lucwFE2CroH12VU5wmG8naDSjn-czCOkw-llyjoNhHv1/s1600/IMG_20150418_151135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97I1uQZs31v1AChXNgWlbgLJ6Ijp34ljRiW_HWAnh0kK71UMBD1e5A5Tpd4oLC1ualaj4p33j3c8s9wml0QIvO-231yMgFMQ8lucwFE2CroH12VU5wmG8naDSjn-czCOkw-llyjoNhHv1/s1600/IMG_20150418_151135.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEicfXQAGl53FNnYBD8FVm6ofTXNDMjK2R_ygdmsFmQ_PbE3ybixLa41i-Ro-h3RUfitq7GmjU-Q4wUjFc2zJlQG49gRAE8K-jl3Jzp3mdLMno5LWuzfRyUwIa-tKVj8jSPl0a1h3WZzVm/s1600/IMG_20150418_151116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEicfXQAGl53FNnYBD8FVm6ofTXNDMjK2R_ygdmsFmQ_PbE3ybixLa41i-Ro-h3RUfitq7GmjU-Q4wUjFc2zJlQG49gRAE8K-jl3Jzp3mdLMno5LWuzfRyUwIa-tKVj8jSPl0a1h3WZzVm/s1600/IMG_20150418_151116.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>We went to a Tribal herbal centre in Tandrai 20 minutes from the resort. Many plants look like common garden plants, but have medicinal property. What a pity we don't remember much of how it is used. There seemed to be a leaf for everything - right from common cold to kidney stones!<br />
<br />
A tasty hibiscus tea prompted me to buy a few packets of dried hibiscus leaves. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqsMM907ZhCdioGSpg3QV00K7RPDBxP3_4MnzRyRZGd5iu9fc_IjEYM4T81O06vQCSxFO1GTaq4_pTSXMj3RMWa7vC87WToiXKDUbjxYWNrc-fsaoONdOXpNFNdsv1pP8ZbdNT_Z0z8KG/s1600/IMG_20150418_153513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqsMM907ZhCdioGSpg3QV00K7RPDBxP3_4MnzRyRZGd5iu9fc_IjEYM4T81O06vQCSxFO1GTaq4_pTSXMj3RMWa7vC87WToiXKDUbjxYWNrc-fsaoONdOXpNFNdsv1pP8ZbdNT_Z0z8KG/s1600/IMG_20150418_153513.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7Z500PQLFheFX2co-2XEWKy67fvGVxKWUTV_QT2wNi-nHirMRzXxg3pb1N8LIPPoVA7TJiXCyapQz_QRKnOp_WsFtgv98vMmJ3aD5k_hH3S8bf36OIXZ1E3UJOt5BYSA9j7jdDyLLggZ/s1600/irula-herbal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7Z500PQLFheFX2co-2XEWKy67fvGVxKWUTV_QT2wNi-nHirMRzXxg3pb1N8LIPPoVA7TJiXCyapQz_QRKnOp_WsFtgv98vMmJ3aD5k_hH3S8bf36OIXZ1E3UJOt5BYSA9j7jdDyLLggZ/s1600/irula-herbal.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making herbal medicines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A bonus - a sudden excitement in the centre when a bronzeback snake fell on the fence from a nearby tree. You can't probably make it out in the photo on the left - it is so well camouflaged!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-MPPdXFt853goxANmUZcdu5GkpwD5pmY-7eZW1_dZXVZejIttF5FMyKveZzEkbz4dv-EnoTy3feXGr09QE9s5oRngu45NnTwoBgjA2fA-ELE-ZueALiQnmsG4PtZX2qDm8eAoK4XPiug/s1600/sri-janaki-trek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-MPPdXFt853goxANmUZcdu5GkpwD5pmY-7eZW1_dZXVZejIttF5FMyKveZzEkbz4dv-EnoTy3feXGr09QE9s5oRngu45NnTwoBgjA2fA-ELE-ZueALiQnmsG4PtZX2qDm8eAoK4XPiug/s1600/sri-janaki-trek.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCC7MW-ZEvcSsK0bUPn_V63XerBMhgIaeOZwZh8BIs27BbY-3jP-hz18breAQWdpxw6fW04ZgZzepx_lB-qp_nXnHcWEW2hWU5pdIEASqrSSr-uLa11FiI9egisLJvwRMrm9Ln6T_hHZKO/s1600/worm-hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCC7MW-ZEvcSsK0bUPn_V63XerBMhgIaeOZwZh8BIs27BbY-3jP-hz18breAQWdpxw6fW04ZgZzepx_lB-qp_nXnHcWEW2hWU5pdIEASqrSSr-uLa11FiI9egisLJvwRMrm9Ln6T_hHZKO/s1600/worm-hole.jpg" height="117" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a worm in that ring that traps ants!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That evening we trekked up the hill. That's Janaki Lenin, wife of Romulus Whitaker - the Snake Man - leading us up the hill. Apparently they had lived here for almost 10 years before they came to know that the hill was visited by a leopard. They got to know because their dog, Karadi, was killed by it. And incidentally, that's why it is called Karadi Malai, and not because it has bears!!!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCp6doMCLlJa526tNI6GOSCe44s-4dlXs4bFT6vOc5C9zIIp8oGgiYr7ND8uMj73p2gWjXRYq7i1wR9KY4xbMdj2f-ER4NwAVs-z48xpO_kBBcQzoXdN-HGT0WWKuZNkYcNX5m64uPyyt/s1600/frog-roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCp6doMCLlJa526tNI6GOSCe44s-4dlXs4bFT6vOc5C9zIIp8oGgiYr7ND8uMj73p2gWjXRYq7i1wR9KY4xbMdj2f-ER4NwAVs-z48xpO_kBBcQzoXdN-HGT0WWKuZNkYcNX5m64uPyyt/s1600/frog-roof.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looks so cute, sleeping in a swing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next morning, we went on a snake trail, seeking these slithering friends in the field. More of that some other time. But I was amused. While out in the open, I am willing to meet any number of animals. I hoped to sight the tiger and the wild cat and the porcupines on the hill. I desired to see the snakes on the ground. Scorpions and spiders seemed almost cute.<br />
<br />
But what I was not prepared for my cohabitants in the hut - the tree frogs. We saw one in the room during the day and one in the bathroom. But at night, 2 became 8! That was not fun. Mercifully there was a mosquito net. But when we woke up in the morning, a bat was busily circling our bed. The frogs were hopping around and so were we, trying to get out of their way.<br />
<br />
When I complained later, my brother pointed out that we were out there to be in the wild, close to nature.<br />
<br />
Yes, I was in the wild to be close to nature. But I realise that when I am back in my fortress at night, I want the wild to remain outside! My love for nature has limits!!!!<br />
<br />
Even after I returned home in the city, I couldn't stop scanning the bathroom before shutting the door.<br />
<br />
Now, a week later, I confess I feel I was overreacting. Maybe it just needs getting used to.<br />
<br /></div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-32958415463061912912015-03-19T21:26:00.001-07:002015-03-19T21:26:43.715-07:00What's Your Excuse?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgfARlobbec9K9ZUMZVJpf2_-mB11_g93-jeBja1DuKki_3xjk3UKjxVukZBlDatu_uVaQaUFD9VcTvOwcMeT_6ph297n8d0DBYit9ztaDCmGz8E0T5UEsttLtAjSFj21hpAiZ1cX5cXM/s1600/IMG_20150312_200214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgfARlobbec9K9ZUMZVJpf2_-mB11_g93-jeBja1DuKki_3xjk3UKjxVukZBlDatu_uVaQaUFD9VcTvOwcMeT_6ph297n8d0DBYit9ztaDCmGz8E0T5UEsttLtAjSFj21hpAiZ1cX5cXM/s1600/IMG_20150312_200214.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
On a busy thoroughfare near Mount Road, Chennai, on a narrow stretch between the footpath and the flyover, stands this dustbin occupying the pride of place. Vehicles crush the garbage bags that fall on the floor, scattering the food waste. Pedestrians have no way of crossing this stretch except by stepping on the mess.<br />
<br />
And, this is on one of the upmarket localities, though bordering a slum. Can we say that such sights are exceptions rather than rule?<br />
<br />
We screw our noses, walk on tiptoe and crib at the state of waste disposal in the city. What do we do to make sure we do not contribute to the mess?<br />
<br />
Composting is not easy, but then, nor is balancing family and career, passing exams or even driving in the city. Yet we do it. Day in and day out.<br />
<br />
Why not compost?<br />
<br />
All you need is one corner in your balcony.<br />
All you need are three pots to manage the food waste.<br />
All you need is 30 minutes a week to stir the pots.<br />
All you need is some time once in two-three months to take out the compost.<br />
<br />
Even if you don't have plants, even if you throw the compost by the roadside, on muddy patches, where trees grow, no one will notice. It will not stink. It will not be an eyesore. It will fertilise the soil at no cost.<br />
<br />
What are you waiting for?<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-60267418529366458482015-02-28T23:05:00.003-08:002015-02-28T23:05:27.126-08:00Spring Cleaning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Rats had taken over the ledge above one of my bedroom windows that opened into the balcony. One of my composting pots had a lid that it could easily remove and it found an easy source of food.<br />
<br />
Though I managed to keep the lid tightly closed and eliminate the first round of rats heartlessly poisoning them, we found them invading our balcony a second time. It was hard to say whether the rats managed to make a home this time for though we saw one on the ledge one day, and we saw the droppings on the balcony floor a couple of times, it was not like the last time, when every morning we would see evidence of the presence of the rats.<br />
<br />
Then, two days ago, I felt some Presence in the balcony, some hectic scurrying around, lots of excitement and activity, but couldn't catch the culprit. Lots of rat droppings on the floor the next morning and I felt heavy at having to resort to means to eliminate the menace yet again.<br />
<br />
Then day before yesterday, I felt something heavy falling. I rushed to see two squirrels busy cleaning the ledge, pushing all the evidence of the rat presence out of the way to make it its home.<br />
<br />
I smiled, and of course, noted my prejudice. I was ready to welcome the new family, and convinced my husband that this will keep the rats away. He promises it will turn out to be a bad decision.<br />
<br />
What struck me was the diligence with which the new occupants quickly pushed any signs of the old occupants out. If we had given them paint, I am sure they would have painted the ledge with a colour they liked! They aren't very different in their outlook from us, are they? They want only their own imprint in their residence...!</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-12566993776708773882014-10-24T23:05:00.001-07:002014-10-24T23:05:24.944-07:00New Friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An earthworm struggled on the gravelly road near my children's school. Once upon a time, I couldn't put enough distance between us. But that day, I picked up a twig, let it curl around it and dropped it on the mud patch nearby. My children and I watched as it burrowed quickly in.<br />
<br />
After the rains, yesterday, I had walk to reach somewhere. I had to put my foot into slush covered by water. Once upon a time, I would have been mortally scared of insects catching my foot and whittling it to bone in no time. But yesterday, I confidently put my foot in, worried only about the water dirtying my feet rather than of being 'footnapped' and killed.<br />
<br />
My balcony, with its plants and compost, has become home to several kinds of insects. Rains bring out the earthworms from the pots, and I am glad to see my daughter diligently trying to put them back in the pots.<br />
<br />
This rain, black leeches started crawling around. Rather than being disgusted, I was curious to read up about them. Apparently there are many varieties of leeches, and one of them feeds on larvae and other insects. Reassured that they had come for the larvae in the compost, and were not going to stealthily attack my family, I had them collected in the scoop and put out in the garden downstairs.<br />
<br />
Oh, I used to place water in the balcony for the birds and was horrified when a raven started using that small bowl to soak its meat in. I stopped keeping water, also because it has been raining on and off for the last few months. I now fully appreciate the wisdom of our forefathers in keeping only food, and fell into that practice. A young raven is as demanding as my little one, cawing every morning by 6.45 for its breakfast. It got addicted to bread since that is the easiest to give at that hour, but am slowly weaning it away by giving rice, chapathi, dosa etc. when I can.<br />
<br />
The raven, which had got so used to me that it would only move a few fingers away when I brought food, now stays put, making just a token move! For the past two days, it has been bringing a friend, girlfriend?, who is yet to get used to me and flies away if there is any movement in the attached kitchen.<br />
<br />
Oh, and my neighbour's dog, with whom I barely kept eye contact, felt confident enough to rub itself against me yesterday.<br />
<br />
Years ago, a cat laid kittens in a room I had to live in for a couple of days. We had an understanding. If she wanted to come in or go out, I would go to the door and she would slip in through the window. The rest of the day, she was confident enough about me to leave them under my care!<br />
<br />
I can't say I was just as thrilled when a mouse built a nest in my balcony... It felt very bad to be destroying that home, but it had to be done.<br />
<br />
All this makes me wonder how we have the heart to kill and destroy animal habitat. When will we learn the implications of our actions and give the animals the space they need, while making a home and hearth for ourselves? <br />
<br />
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-65384696963243820102014-10-02T10:30:00.000-07:002014-10-03T00:14:29.458-07:00A Night with the Reptiles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHoOBSMcSngcG5zXzWTdMu201LGju1NRlufq209uvLHX-Pn8koaungF9sbmSwuE6c3xuXIu5uU9eErlhKDhs4qtQAxoHXmIUJTi4JLcoc5g3T2ooPi2GImDUsyxFYWXUKc-8hxIGuJ0lE/s1600/IMG-20140930-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHoOBSMcSngcG5zXzWTdMu201LGju1NRlufq209uvLHX-Pn8koaungF9sbmSwuE6c3xuXIu5uU9eErlhKDhs4qtQAxoHXmIUJTi4JLcoc5g3T2ooPi2GImDUsyxFYWXUKc-8hxIGuJ0lE/s1600/IMG-20140930-WA0001.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A relaxed evening by the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj3Nq3w5fW7A7w22-5VI6aHlg5lCybql9aWzBwINPajdgLWWjpKN0yUvP3IV-UKgIJznAp2k9r2HpHaRb1HlgAB6K2NTkTe6jXmFh7fXrFo0JjjKbTLrUrG341voRvp6D2IOpr5Oxzjza/s1600/croc-eyes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj3Nq3w5fW7A7w22-5VI6aHlg5lCybql9aWzBwINPajdgLWWjpKN0yUvP3IV-UKgIJznAp2k9r2HpHaRb1HlgAB6K2NTkTe6jXmFh7fXrFo0JjjKbTLrUrG341voRvp6D2IOpr5Oxzjza/s1600/croc-eyes.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stars on earth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My children had been to the night camp at crocodile bank in Chennai through school on two different years. I didn't know adults could visit too. When a friend asked if we should, I said yes, not quite knowing what it involved. It involved many things, novelty, excitement, relaxation, amazement, fulfillment and introspection.<br />
<br />
Can you guess what these lights are? Headlights reflected in the dark?<br />
<br />
You are right. On the night walk, when we flashed the lights in the pen that held magar crocodiles, it was like looking at red stars on earth! Amazement personified!<br />
<br />
I hoped to catch sight of some snakes roaming free in the camp during the night walk. That didn't happen. We entered a bat-infested cave-like enclosure reluctantly and was rewarded with the sight of a normally sleepy python emerging from a water body in her cage and rub against the metal cage. That is the process of molting - when the skin gets loosened by soaking and then the snake rubs against the hard surface so that the skin can peel. What a beautiful sight.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpzhkAt4Xk4Czr6g80aVn1bfmMqNawhXvogdC2kLqY2j0FSA35YRcOZMHYkdWQEvv16y3gIHlYC3jsMfYocX4Ph3A2aB07P5ecSqqzUbJxwxT-iuzfz-2w-bK3cgw4pDGDDC9hPRfMan-/s1600/IMG-20140930-WA0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpzhkAt4Xk4Czr6g80aVn1bfmMqNawhXvogdC2kLqY2j0FSA35YRcOZMHYkdWQEvv16y3gIHlYC3jsMfYocX4Ph3A2aB07P5ecSqqzUbJxwxT-iuzfz-2w-bK3cgw4pDGDDC9hPRfMan-/s1600/IMG-20140930-WA0004.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting into action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Oh, that's me, scrubbing the pond in the tortoise pen! Soon after we cleaned it, the biggest male pooed in the pond - as good as tell us to go to hell! That was a hilarious sight!<br />
<br />
This brave young man works closely with crocodiles and is feeding the American alligator, which followed him around like a puppy. That was to make it get some exercises, since otherwise the crocs and their brethren do not get enough place to stretch their muscles.<br />
<br />
The guide who took us around showing us his work and his creatures had me thinking. He was into many things before he drifted into the crocodile bank. And his choice of profession definitely did not make his family celebrate. Yet, he seemed content. His basic needs taken care of, and maybe a little more to keep his body and soul together, he had chosen a profession that I had not even known existed.<br />
<br />
Another girl said she used to just take care of accounts and keep away from the animals. But the way she treated them and moved about, I envied her her fearlessness and confidence.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-19f7wdY_IJWSD9OljB1dDw1no7lfTKEM6DTt6F2QkRw79yrAzI6U8Bkfm67vAbfDXq3YRFAayqSqTOxYqh8Nl_PA_f_gSh2T1TjN8mVcGCEVcVkpqb7Sy1gfJb3yJReK_g8ngB4DkZg_/s1600/IMG-20141002-WA0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-19f7wdY_IJWSD9OljB1dDw1no7lfTKEM6DTt6F2QkRw79yrAzI6U8Bkfm67vAbfDXq3YRFAayqSqTOxYqh8Nl_PA_f_gSh2T1TjN8mVcGCEVcVkpqb7Sy1gfJb3yJReK_g8ngB4DkZg_/s1600/IMG-20141002-WA0007.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awestruck seeing man and Ally the alligator</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There was a volunteer who is a lawyer by profession but comes to work with the crocs whenever she can. She said, "I love animals," by way of explanation.<br />
<br />
Mere love for animals cannot make one do this! It is something more, some passion, some deep care to take care of the ugliest and creepiest of the animal kingdom.<br />
<br />
Most of the crocodile varieties here are facing extinction either due to hunting or their habitats being destroyed. I was reminded of a horrible video about the kind of torture snakes are subjected to for their skins. And I thought of these people, nurturing their wards like their own children, keeping them safe from the greatest of predators - man.</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-30130597347563773312014-08-23T11:28:00.002-07:002015-10-15T22:59:46.715-07:00Water, Water Nowhere<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">The Rime of the Ancient Mariner lines come to me often (the only two lines I know):</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<dd style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 20.363636016845703px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Water, water, every where,</span></dd><dd style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 20.363636016845703px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nor any drop to drink.</span></dd><dd style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 20.363636016845703px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></dd><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">From the time I shifted to Chennai a couple of decades ago, my refrain has been: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Water, water, nowhere, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Nor any drop to drink.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Though it has been raining almost every year, since Chennai receives rains </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">only</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">during northeastern monsoon, the summers are dry and water lorries rule the roads - water pouring generously from all directions though similar oil lorries seem to be able to seal the precious liquid more tightly. And I wonder for how long this can sustain. How long can water sources from nearby villages sustain the water needs of the growing city of Chennai?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Then I heard that despite the heavy rains that Mumbai experiences, there is still a water shortage in the city and water lorries feed the city. Cherrapunji, the place with heaviest rainfall, is facing water shortage because of deforestation and water running off the hills! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Can this be a sustainable solution? Isn't there an alternative? We may have money for the water lorries, but soon, will we have enough water to buy? RO plants are criminal in the water that gets thrown out as waste. How then can we access safe water and improve our resources?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">When the discussion for budget for water came up in my apartment complex, I remembered speaking to one Dr. Ragade a few years ago. I met him sometime in 2005 for an article in a magazine and knew he had done something for water management in his building. His logic was simple and his solution elegant. He reminded me of how water was recycled in each home and he had replicated that model in his apartment complex of roughly 32 flats. Could it work for us? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Opportunity presented itself when I did another article on his solution for another magazine and realised how basic and yet sensible his solution was. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Dig shallow wells, connect them to the rainwater system on the one hand and the borewell on the other. The shallow well can be kept closed, so it can even be in the parking area in small apartment complexes. All one needs to check is the quality of the soil - is it conducive to retain water without stagnating.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">We also thought the quality of our ground water was bad since the bath water, which is what the groundwater was used for, was yellow and dirty. We got water tested in a lab but could find nothing wrong. It was embarrassing how he went straight to the root - the source of water - with just a long nylon rope knotted to indicate the feet and a lota. Worse was to know that the water was excellent and the yellow colour was due to the water from the latest borewell that had been dug which was yielding yellow water. Since it was being mixed with rest of the water in the tanks, even good water was turning yellow. I was thinking that in our dependence for modern technology, we do leave common sense behind!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Under his guidance, we just finished constructing a shallow well 6 feet wide and 23 feet deep in our complex. Apparently, we struck water at 10 feet from ground level, going up to 12-13 feet below. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">It is early days, but according to Dr. Ragade, who also works with the Rain Centre in Chennai, and has authored the book </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, non-serif; font-size: xx-small;">'Self Reliance in Water - A practical manual for city and Town dwellers', </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">the rain that Chennai receives is enough to cater to the needs of the city-dwellers. In a couple of years, the well will be enough for us. If entire neighbourhoods dig shallow wells and divert rainwater to these wells, the water situation can improve.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Even if we do not completely eradicate the need to buy water in the short term, I am hoping that this system will at least reduce our dependence on water lorries. It is not just the direct cost incurred that will be saved, but we will be contributing less to the water loss that happens in transportation, and also decrease the demand for such water.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">I am taking the liberty to post some links not just about Dr. Ragade but others who have tried various techniques to increase water sustainability and sufficiency. May we take a leaf out of their lives and do our bit. Even small apartment residents and independent house owners can implement these simple measures and motivate others to do so too. Surprisingly, it does not involve anything complex.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.86px;">Links: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15.859999656677246px;">http://cseindia.org/node/1637</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.859999656677246px;">http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-propertyplus/canna-plant-solve-your-water-woes/article4933047.ece</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.859999656677246px;"><br /></span>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-54024164269845314832014-06-20T22:50:00.001-07:002014-06-20T22:55:31.516-07:00Seeking Answers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I turned the car a/c knob to 2, turned the vents towards me and wondered at the change I had undergone.<br />
<br />
There was a time when I hated the a/c in the car. But increasingly, even if my children want the windows down, I discourage them because of the heat and dust. But even if the a/c was on, I would turn the vents away because I hate the cold air blast directly on me. I would keep the knob turned at the minimum because I don't want to feel cold, only cool.<br />
<br />
But now, even after turning it up from 1 to 2 (in my 13 year-old car, 1 is stage 1 of cooling, 2, higher and so on). Even at 2, and with the vents facing me, I felt no respite from the heat outside. Chennai is living up to its hot, hotter, hottest climatic pattern. But what is worrying is that at a time it should have come down to 'hotter', it is still at 'hottest'.<br />
<br />
And I wondered at the change. In me, in the climate outside. The road stretches with no respite, covered endlessly with gravel and tar, radiating heatr. Denuded of trees, there is no hint of shade of any kind. The famous sea breeze is missing and even after 6 in the evening, hot winds blow - like the <i>loo </i>of Delhi. Maybe it is a sign of the change of winds in Delhi blowing across the country, but if it is going to be this hot I may have preferred status quo!<br />
<br />
I wondered at man and his evolution. Cars are a great luxury that allow us comfort while covering long distances. But they demand more space to enable those distances. And trees have to give way to create those roads and parking spaces. And because there are no trees, the temperature keeps climbing. So we need cars to cover those distances comfortably... And so we cut more trees... And the temperatures keep rising up.<br />
<br />
Oh, did I say that already!<br />
<br />
Does everyone know this already? Am I saying nothing new? And yet we continue to live this way?<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-44065188147773377542014-05-22T22:12:00.000-07:002014-05-22T22:12:07.581-07:00Debut Compost<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkvUGTETwRrj46kPePeMCI-rmSDLCJ_E0mEa7kq2uGxLps0jsVC1Yf86G7fROz5ffbJPf8EZoUb5cO2TWS4iiUnRlZf3UoQIaUm6Z3iJNOU2vU2LIKg5YUsaAcrV6-mVPnpW9PRAZgi2m/s1600/compost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkvUGTETwRrj46kPePeMCI-rmSDLCJ_E0mEa7kq2uGxLps0jsVC1Yf86G7fROz5ffbJPf8EZoUb5cO2TWS4iiUnRlZf3UoQIaUm6Z3iJNOU2vU2LIKg5YUsaAcrV6-mVPnpW9PRAZgi2m/s1600/compost.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Can you imagine, this is my kitchen waste! And now, it is mud!!!!<br />
<br />
Started with the process around Feb 23, with two small pots. Was worried about smell, worms and what not. Mercifully, there was no smell. But, suddenly, the second pot was filled with maggots because the garbage was too wet. My westside balcony with its more than kind sunlight to the rescue! Sunned the mush and wow, back on track!<br />
<br />
The two pots were filling up quickly - I mean, the old one halved in sometime, and then I had to transfer from the second to the first as the second was overfilling. Finally, had to buy a third pot. But that was the right decision since for almost a month, I didn't have to touch the first two. In that one month, the garbage in both the pots decompositioned (is that right?). Yesterday, finally, decided to sieve them and separate the compost material from the other dry lumps that need further breaking down.<br />
<br />
Today, planted fenugreek in a small pot using a small amount of the compost because I believe that is a good way to know if the compost is good. Meanwhile, the third pot is going to lie idle and the first one starts getting fresh garbage.<br />
<br />
I feel sad that we have lost the surroundings needed to let organic waste compost naturally. We crib about things being thrown without a thought on the roads, of people urinating in public and spitting. Yes, I hate it too. But what I hate more is the absence of enough soil to absorb these natural wastes which were absorbed by the soil and broken down to components that fertilised the soil.<br />
<br />
Instead, we have more tar and plastic which have created needs for artificial disposal of waste - a problem that is not going to be easy to solve. The least we can do is to recreate the natural cycle and put the organic waste back into nature so that our waste disposal problem comes down, we don't have stinky garbage bins on public roads and are able to put the waste to good use.</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536246790483504617.post-76070635198002932942014-05-09T09:38:00.001-07:002014-05-09T09:38:12.252-07:00What kind of mother are you?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1a0e07; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Trebuchet Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 3px; text-indent: 20px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY5uqZoQwJbyjAi7yqGNIgMjmV27M8fw5536mppIQS75R2pBMsD0o-pNKw42_R7NStX2yWUEAbo0F1jTfriKJtf1jqLMZikNW29_tuL694vpUsXhIId-O-EQEy8nfTcZFHrEcAZj_MT1e/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY5uqZoQwJbyjAi7yqGNIgMjmV27M8fw5536mppIQS75R2pBMsD0o-pNKw42_R7NStX2yWUEAbo0F1jTfriKJtf1jqLMZikNW29_tuL694vpUsXhIId-O-EQEy8nfTcZFHrEcAZj_MT1e/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="320" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1a0e07;">How can I miss the action elsewhere - </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1a0e07;">mother langur rushes on. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1a0e07;">"Mommy, take me too!" the young one clings.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My father often teased me that of the two types of mothers referred to in our scriptures - cats and monkeys - I belong to the monkey category. When I saw these langurs one morning at close quarters in Kabini recently, I was reminded of this, especially when the baby langurs were casually left behind as mothers rushed to participate in a fray that seemed more exciting than being a responsible mother.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1a0e07; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Trebuchet Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 3px; text-indent: 20px;">
A net search revealed that in Bhakti Yoga, ancient Yogis used the wisdom of animals to help us understand the correct way to live our life better. In that context, they have referred to the differences between the way monkeys and cats transport their little ones from one place to another, to illustrate the difference between jnana and bhakti practices.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1a0e07; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Trebuchet Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 3px; text-indent: 20px;">
The baby monkey clings to the mother who moves around freely. It is the infant monkey that has to remain safe as if he lets go, he will fall and die. The cats, on the other hand, grasp their offspring by their neck and and in fact, the kitten must remain still to remain alive. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1a0e07; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Trebuchet Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 3px; text-indent: 20px;">
According to my father, I belong to the monkey category. What type are you?</div>
</div>
Meerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07110354912079188360noreply@blogger.com0