Needing a Fix

Suddenly from moving up step by step in conservation, I seem to have slid back to the base and am very upset with myself.

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.

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...

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!!!

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?

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... 

The Ancient Mariner

Waves at night

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.
Already, only seven species out of 30 survive. The ancient mariner may become a 'Once upon a time' in no time.

Two Steps Towards Green

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.

The Conservation Effort

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.

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.

When walking around the complex, I noticed a canna and remembered why it was planted two-three years ago.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Imagine if an entire colony undertakes to divert rainwater thus! How much water we can pump back into the ground and start becoming independent...

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.

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.

Bull F(r)ight

That time of the year and that debate again - should Jallikattu be banned?

Not fond of violence of any kind, I have never been a great fan of this game. I am not a convert either now.

The bull is tortured during jallikattu, given arrack, scared with firecrackers and made to run helter-skelter, goring and killing people in the way...

Now, the counter question - what will happen to the indigenous breed if this game is banned? They will be slaughtered... that is the fear.

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.

In this god-given nature, no other creature has any place if it is not useful one way or the other to man.

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?

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?

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?

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.

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...

'Mother' Earth

We call her the bountiful Mother
But desire her like a lustful Lover
Forever fighting
Like dogs in heat
When all we need is six feet

Reaching Up

The dry limbs
Reach up to the hot skies
Mercy they seek
On deaf ears fall their cries

The hot sun beats down
Seeking rivers to dry
But only the riverbed
Meets its pale eye

This Diwali...

Every diwali, I can see awareness campaigns asking people to abstain from crackers. Yes, the smoke, the noise, the pollution...

This year too, I got a mail. " Diwali no more a festival to allay darkness. It has turned into a festival for thickening darkness. With one more bout of fire crackers, the killer pollution, engulfing life in its vice like grip, would only become more lethal."

It talked of the risk to children, the old and the vulnerable. No doubt, even the healthy get affected.

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.

But something in me protests still. 

That same mail went on to say, "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."

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? 

"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.”

Daily intake - not just around the time of diwali but every day...

I will not labour the point. Is this post in favour of crackers? No? Is this against? No, again. 

Instead, I am just confused. I have a host of questions.

We have despoiled earth in the name of development.

We have polluted air in the name of progress.

We have even pierced the sky in the name of travel.

We have dried up water sources to satiate our thirst for wealth.

We are burning cities in the name of hate and fanaticism.

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.

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.

Models for Clay

Clay and some products

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Controlling Pests Or Being Controlled?

It was a horrible, yet familiar sight. My kitchen counter invaded by baby cockroaches.

Photo Credit: Srikant Ranganathan

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Who is smarter, finally? These tiny pests or man?

Lasting Impressions: Better Quality of Life - And the Price

Lasting Impressions: Better Quality of Life - And the Price: The tiger walked at a leisurely pace, unmindful of a jeep right behind it, dogging its steps. The people inside were enthralled to catch ...

A New Leaf

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.

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.

Apparently it has been available in Parry's for sometime now.

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. 

When Will We Stop

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.

For a Rainy Day

I am just an element,

I was in my elements.

I know nothing of joy and anger, 

Nor indeed of safety and danger.

I fall from heavens without bias

Equally on the evil and pious

And on the ground when I fall

I seek new paths ignoring all.

Make way for me

Room to flow to the sea

If you place obstructions

I flow around constructions

Don't the poets admire?

My overcoming situations dire?

Oh you thought I had given up?

And abandoned you to a dry rut?

I thought you will enjoy

And not call me killjoy

I poured hard to make up

But you had no deep cup

To unite with my mother I seek

Flowing through concrete streets

To sink in her arms, is all I desire

But she is lost amidst muck and mire

I go away to distant lands

Will you ever want me back?

I am but one of the elements

Sometimes ruthless, sometimes clement. 

Back to the Village

Lush green forest, a treat to watch. Circled - 2 elephants

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...

Yes, this is history; the story of development, progress, prosperity.

Yes, this is the story of destruction.

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.

Finally, what will earth be left with? What will man grab to grow?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Don't Mess Around!

Give crow rice, it will eat neatly, not a scattered grain.

Koels are fairly clean eaters too. Not much mess around their dish.

Mynah, I am not so sure. One visits occasionally, but by then, pigeons have visited already.

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!

Give crow bread, roti or dosa and it will use its claws as hands, hold it neatly and expertly tear the pieces.

Koels and mynahs don't care for solid pieces of food, ignoring them largely, knowing their limitations probably.

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!

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!

No Tree Frogs, Please!

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!

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.

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!

A tasty hibiscus tea prompted me to buy a few packets of dried hibiscus leaves.

Making herbal medicines

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!

There is a worm in that ring that traps ants!

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!!!

This looks so cute, sleeping in a swing

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.

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.

When I complained later, my brother pointed out that we were out there to be in the wild, close to nature.

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!!!!

Even after I returned home in the city, I couldn't stop scanning the bathroom before shutting the door.

Now, a week later, I confess I feel I was overreacting. Maybe it just needs getting used to.

What's Your Excuse?

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.

And, this is on one of the upmarket localities, though bordering a slum. Can we say that such sights are exceptions rather than rule?

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?

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.

Why not compost?

All you need is one corner in your balcony.
All you need are three pots to manage the food waste.
All you need is 30 minutes a week to stir the pots.
All you need is some time once in two-three months to take out the compost.

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.

What are you waiting for?

Spring Cleaning

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...!

New Friends

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Oh, and my neighbour's dog, with whom I barely kept eye contact, felt confident enough to rub itself against me yesterday.

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!

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.

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?