Never Mind Yaar

Birthday Parties - A Different Perspective

2012-02-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

When we first came to NZ, our kids were young. We celebrated their birthdays exactly as we did in India. A party for at least ten young kids and their families, a gourmand's experience, games and prizes and some entertainment. Face-painting was very popular. There were gifts all around - some for our kids and going-away gifts for their guests. For a couple of bithdays, just to make it different we celebrated their birthdays at MacDonald's and other kids' places. Then that was passe so we had to be inventive again. Birthdays were always made much of - in India and here. Later, our kids began developing their own tastes. My daughter wanted five special friends and a sleepover for them at our house. My son wanted games arcades and tons of friends.

And then they grew up some more. On his twenty-first, I remember my son organised his own get together. I was allowed to make a plateful of sandwiches, no more. And he made a fun cake with a decadent choc layer and bought a few packets of chippies. He'd booked a room at the pub for the evening. That was it. If his friends wanted a drink, they could go and buy one for themselves. I was scandalised but my son reassured me that was how it was done in his circle. And since many of his friends had turned twenty-one before him, I suppose he knew better.

Many of his friends were living at or close to university, studying for a degree and working at some job - a retail job as sales staff or hotel staff etc to pay for their education and day to day living. They were independent and cheerfully cash strapped. Some of them had parents helping them with college fees and the rent for their living quarters but not with their day to day living. Most of them had to manage rent, food and everything else. Why did they do it? By eighteen they felt the need to try things out for themselves. Besides, everyone else did it. (They still loved their parents and visited them as often as possible, make no mistake.)

The exceptions were our Indian kids. Almost all of them lived at home with their parents unless they'd come to study at the university from another city. Then they moved into quarters at the Uni and had their parents foot the bill for everything. This was definitely a cultural thing. We felt it was best for them to concentrate on their studies and not on money worries. That would happen once they started working full time.

What I did not realise was that our kids would want to move out and have a taste of independence too, just like their friends. I expected our son to but definitely not our daughter. She was our little girl.

When we moved to another city they did not come with us. Yes, both of them decided to stay back. Our son promised to look after our little girl. She was still in her teens. We were worried but couldn't help seeing the excitement in her eyes. We decided, with us not too far away and ready to catch them in a safety net if need be, perhaps this was the best way for her to spread her wings. Under her brother's wing! With a tight knot in our hearts we reluctantly let go.

They still did not have complete monetary independence but they learnt to pay their own electricity bills, to manage their own time, make the effort to entertain on a budget, manage their own bank accounts and do everything necessary to run a home. I am glad they gradually slipped into independence and not suddenly. Both of them took a year off studies to get work experience. (Many take a year off to travel. They call it their BIG OE or overseas experience.)

Coming back to gift giving, they've learnt to be circumspect. They feel it isn't right to be extravagant. They entertain on a budget - something simple - no five course meals. If they go out, each one pays for himself or herself. They seem to spend a bit on going for a show or a music concert or an art show. It is good to see them make these decisions for themselves.

What made me think of this today? It is my daughter's birthday.

Hope you like the gift, (dare I say it), baby.

Is Reality TV Breaking up Relationships?

2012-02-22T14:13:00.000-08:00


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A good TV show strikes at raw emotion or appeals to the intellect. Guess what some producers today have discovered doesn't cost much, and yet, has at least one of the above two ingredients. It is reality TV. The stars are ordinary people, often strapped for cash and hesitant to question their amazing luck and the sudden bounty. As for the audience - according to the ratings they love watching what ordinary people have to say, think or feel - they can't seem to get enough.

I do enjoy some of these shows but not all. And not always. I like our talent shows - dancing, singing competitions. "Kaun Banega Crorepati" is an all time favourite - both the English and Indian versions. A caring nanny teaching kids in a positive way to behave better is another favourite as are some cooking and home improvement shows. But people bickering or "firing" others in public to gain an advantage or show they can are the pits.

What's frightening is that it can easily influence our young. It can change a culture. So many begin to believe that clawing your way to the top or to fame or fortune is acceptable. Put downs become the norm with a total lack of empathy or respect for other people's feelings. Values we used to prize are given disparaging names like "old fashioned" or "outdated" or "weak and ineffectual". Well, to me, such values are very much part of being human. I doubt if they will ever be upstaged just because someone makes them sound derogatory. Yes, we don't wear them on our sleeves and we don't expect applause everytime we espouse those values. They simply make us happy. I believe there is nothing wrong with, for example, being warm or polite or kind and everything wrong with someone who thinks it is smart to be the opposite. Nothing will convince me the latter can ever be winners in the long run. Others will simply try and get away from them instead of supporting or standing by such people.

Yesterday I had the misfortune to watch one of the many bad reality TV shows that have taken over a lot of what comes off our screens. The formula stipulates they have to have an "emotional" angle so the audience is moved to react. And I fell into the trap. My reaction was to watch this young couple, horrified, hoping they wouldn't break up because of this show. The presenter did everything to put them on the spot, one partner pitted against the other, by showing up the disparity in what they liked. They were encouraged to blurt out things they realised the other partner liked that they disliked. A frown, a sudden burst of temper, unkind words spoken in haste which they regretted later. It was just so disheartening to watch.

Most successful couples know how to arrive at a compromise; to be tactful as they try to work towards things they both enjoy. NO two people like exactly the same things. This poor couple didn't stand a chance. They were given a fat allowance each; they were encouraged to indulge their own pet likes; they were constantly reminded this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to show who should count with themselves.

What attracts people to do these shows? As I said earlier, it might be the temptation of earning some money or the hope (just like any normal human being) that they will be plucked from anonimity into stardom. Even the presenter is in the same boat and knows if he or she won't, someone else will do the show.

I hope the audience is more discerning. They don't earn money to watch a show. They pay. They are the only ones who will force quality into our programmes. How? Simply by changing channels if they come across something that literally preys on people's emotions and vulnerabilities. The ever important ratings are the only driving force to make producers realise what the audience wants. Wish I'd remembered all this yesterday and turned the ruddy TV off. The entire time I kept watching to see signs of a break up between that couple. I mentally kept rejecting the petty ploys of the presenter, hoping the young couple would see through this person's intent and that they wouldn't lose each other. In the end, in spite of the best efforts of the anchor, it didn't happen. Ha! Or who knows? Perhaps it didn't happen on TV :-(

Next time, however fascinated I am (for all the wrong reasons), if exploiting someone's human vulnerabilities is the intent of a TV show, I must force myself to change channels.

Here's another interesting article I discovered about how some of our presenters have learnt to stress on the inane, ignoring important issues and how politicians shout each other down and don't contribute anything worthwhile to our knowledge of said issues. His exact words, "screeching on television" The detail and examples that this blogger has given are amusing, vexing and frustrating. Guess what my solution is to such shows? Yes, you guessed it - let your fingers on your remote do the talking. The producers are sure to sit up and listen.

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Leibster Blog Awards

2012-02-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Well I never! I've received a blogging award - "The Leibster Award" to be exact! I'm lost for words. Best to let the person who gave me the award do the talking

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Thank you lady, for those kind words. I now have the honour of choosing five fellow bloggers for the same award. But first, a little about Perspectives and prejudices (PP) - the wonderful lady who gave me the award. Her articles are based on real life experiences that have had a profound impact on her. When I read them, I always feel the emotions she felt at the time. Take the article she wrote for "Violence Against Women" (an organisation we've both written for and where I first came across PP). The incident she described disturbed her enough to want to share it. It stayed with me too. How best do we balance our desire not to interfere with our concern for a fellow human being who might be in trouble. Is it such a difficult dilemma that we would rather not front it head on? Simply circumvent it with a sigh and a "Never Mind Yaar"? Take the one she wrote recently titled, "Are People Born Evil?" It made me feel helpless, worried, even scared for our vulnerable young. And the callous indifference of our institutions made me angry. It again boils down to lack of funds and since last year we all know where tax payer money goes.

Pp is the one who brings many and varied issues to our attention - all with the power of her pen.So I feel especially honoured that she singled me out for the award.

Before I mention the five blogs I've found consistently interesting, here's a little info about the award - say something about the blogger who awarded you and link back to his or her blog (I needed no prompting for that. Click on any of the 3 links above to go to PP's blog); choose your top 5 favourite blogs and award them by linking back to their blogs; post the award on your blog. And last but not least, enjoy the love and appreciation you’ve got and share the blogging karma!

There's only one rule - your chosen blogs should have less than two hundred followers. If you get more than one award, simply name five more favourites. And believe me, it isn't easy to single out just five from so many. There are many bloggers I continue discovering and enjoying. Or to put it more accurately, I enjoy their posts. The posts I love I put up on my blogroll, just below the "about" section in the right hand column of my blog. It is an ongoing project.

Here are my five LEIBSTER AWARDEES. Just to make things interesting, I've shared a post or two from each that I've especially enjoyed.

Freebird - Mostly contemplative, sometimes reflective but always tongue-in-cheek. That's her very apt tag line for herself. Add to that - "always thought provoking and a pleasure to read. English must be her first language", and you've got mine for her. All her posts are interesting. Here's an open letter by google. Her latest touched a chord too - another must read for (grown) kids to realise their mums and dads are not to be underestimated. Besides, if you are dispersed in far-flung places, this can help stay in touch.

Look out, for here comes Zephyr, the cybernag. Zephyr talks about issues that strike a chord with many. Take Shooting Down Stereotypes. Again, there are many posts on this topic by many in blogosphere. It seems to be of particular interest to young adults in India right now. But Zephyr has gone one step further. Read the post for its unusual angle. Also, don't miss her views on real education versus degrees. Ouch!

Secular Right India How do I inform this person of his award? He doesn't have an email address for me to write to. His was the first blog I subscribed to. And I haven't stopped reading him since. I'll just leave a comment in one of his posts - the one on what a difference it would make if people discussed things from one of three layers of communication. Secular Right feels we don't. And we end up talking at, instead of with, each other. Here's the post.

PK (Parashar Krishnamachari), the Grumpy Atheist, counters religious viewpoints with logic. I am sure PK's posts will interest many and even if you disagree his heartfelt viewpoints deserve to be heard. "The History Channel Must Change its Name to Comedy Central " is one of many posts I hugely enjoyed. It isn't only PK who feels that recently, it (the History channel) has unfortunately gone from being fascinating to sensationalist. And PK's written to tell us exactly why he thinks so. His latest on dogma in religion focuses on people who are inventive and who try to give their beliefs credibility by linking them to difficult-to-understand scientific knowledge.

Finally, Shreeji Ka Kheda: After living in the US for a few years a young couple went to Bhilwara for a few months. Their aim? To empower the community there, especially the women. This very interesting blog tells you of the young couple's journey, the problems they faced and some of their ingenious solutions. One thing is clear. It ain't easy but in the end, it is so worth it. They've devoted one section to how people can get involved and help. Here's the post that really touched me and I've read at least two on the same topic by other bloggers since. Their last post was last year - 2010. But, I still feel this blog is worth visiting for its insights and suggestions. (Another similar venture is the Jagriti Journal mentioned in a respected Indian newspaper, the Hindu.)

So congrats Leibster winners. It will be interesting to read about your five awardees. Hope your membership grows. This blogger believes you certainly are worth reading.

.

A letter from PP :-)


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How do we Decide a School is GOOD?

2012-02-15T16:25:00.001-08:00

I went to an all- girls school. I believe, in those days, it was the right decision my parents made. Of course, the fact that it was a Parsi Girls school and my parents were proud Parsis might’ve had something to do with their decision. That the teacher who taught my favourite subject turned out to be a non Parsi is, to my mind, ironic and amusing. Whatever the reasons for my parents' decision, it was made with the best of intentions.

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What triggered this thought was something someone mentioned to me. He said he’d moved his daughter from a local school to one in another, far-away suburb. I wondered what his reasons for the change were.

“It means her travelling time has increased. But, it is worth it. The school has a good reputation.” His face conveyed how impressed he was with the school.

“Oh. If it is good, I suppose it is worth the time she spends travelling,” I said doubtfully, thinking of the poor girl wasting an hour each way, getting bored, tired and hungry.

He might’ve seen the doubt in my face and felt compelled to justify his decision some more, for he added, “It is a girls’ school and has a wonderful reputation. At her local co-ed school she was distracted.”

“Of course,” I smiled, hoping my face conveyed understanding. “Congratulations.”

As I continued walking, scarcely knowing where my dog lead me as she joyfully ran from one tree to the next, I wondered with an inward smile what exactly he meant by ‘distracted’. Were her hormones kicking in, in spite of her good and decent upbringing? Perhaps it was the boys' raging hormones; or perhaps the boys were too boisterous and noisy, not letting her concentrate on her studies? I smiled, amused by my thoughts. I wondered idly if girls and boys today were any different from girls and boys in our days.

In some ways, we will never change. It is nothing to do with our culture or beliefs. It is the very nature of humans. But in others, we have. Our decisions for our kids are based, as always, on what we think is best for our kids. But, what we think is best is based, not only on the reality that is today but also on the reality that was at least two decades ago when we formed our values and opinions.

I remember reading, a long time ago, that girls were better off in all-girls schools. In co-ed schools they felt intimidated and rather than risk being laughed at by boys for asking questions, clearing their doubts or even answering the teacher’s questions, they kept quiet. In an all-girls school they had no such inhibitions.

On the other hand, boys were better off in a co-ed school. If they were segregated, they either put girls on pedestals or thought of them as an alien species but not normal human beings. The habit of long association made them behave more normally.

Today, girls and boys intermingle more easily than in our days. Yes, there are some from either sex who have this undeniable urge to smirk at everything the other side utters, never really taking in the actual words. But on the whole the intermingling has benefitted both. Girls aren’t intimidated enough to quash their questions to, or clear their doubts with, teachers. Their confidence in themselves and their abilities has grown exponentially.

Wonder if it is time for us to rethink the reasons we get out kids to spend hours commuting to “good” schools far away.

Also, what is the definition of a good school? To my mind it is one where the kids are taught many life skills, practical skills, outdoors and academic skills; where the ratio of teacher to student doesn’t exceed 1:30. This is easily quantifiable. If we look at the school’s curriculum and web site we come to know heaps. Today, a few good schools have sprouted up in the cities of India with less than the average ratio of 1 teacher:70 students in each class.

Hopefully our schools will work towards reasonable (not exhorbitant) fees, NO cash donations, teachers who don't over-burden our kids with homework and who give them many and varied skills apart from an academic education. Is this too idealistic? I don't think so. Not when we think of our kids as India's future.

What isn’t quantifiable is the quality of each individual teacher. Given that his or her knowledge of the subject is good, do we ever come to know the teacher’s ability to teach the subject right at the outset? It depends on so many factors and to me the most important is the teacher’s nature – empathy and patience with the kids being of utmost importance. There are others like making the subject interesting, perhaps even fun; not offloading the responsibility of teaching by burdening kids with too much homework; being approachable, not intimidating and still in charge.

A tall order? Not if training is involved. Otherwise, a "good" school remains too much of an ambiguity, a chance, the luck of the draw.

7 Experts Who Helped Us Buy A House in NZ

2012-02-11T02:10:00.001-08:00


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Wherever one is in the world I think the anxiety and excitement of buying one's own property is universal. We were scarcely able to believe that we were finally taking the plunge. And we had no clue as to what was involved.

We started off by peeking into houses as discreetly as possible. We drove around on weekends looking for "for sale" boards. We boldly ventured far, as, the further we went from the city, the cheaper and more spacious the houses seemed to get.

We trudged around visiting "Open Homes", drove around looking for "For Sale" boards, read the classifieds and ...nothing. What we loved wasn't for sale and what we didn't, was! We felt tired and dispirited before we'd even begun.

There are many ways to search for houses and for us, the best was "TradeMe" - New Zealand's answer to Ebay! The only problem was that the agents - all of them - took wide angled photos of each room so that the room looked bigger than it actually was. We had to gauge how stretched the rooms looked in the photos compared to their actual sizes by looking carefully at the ridiculously stretched furniture - cabinets, sofas and micros. But these photos are taken with the agents banking on most people not looking at the furnishings as much as the rooms in which they are placed. The idea is to get people to actually visit the property before discarding it. Can't help wishing housing agents stopped doing that.

After many false starts we finally decided on the house we wanted. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled we were. The housing agent was wonderful and showed us around the property.

The Housing Agent (or broker) is the first professional one meets when one decides to buy property in NZ. It is quite a hard job to be in as the agent gets a commission only if he or she notches up a sale. No sale, no pay. It is in his or her interest to ensure the process moves along smoothly.

If buyers have done their homework, they know the government valuation of the property and what houses in the area have recently sold for. Government valuations are revised every three years (I think) and if one wants to know the current value of the property as compared to a three year old valuation, one can, if one wishers, employ the services of a valuer. This involves a fee.

The valuation is a good starting point for the buyer. The seller has an asking price. The housing agent helps with the negotiations. This, to my mind, needs great delicacy and tact. The buyer and seller don't meet till negotiations are over. The agent needs to keep both positive as they hammer out a compromise. The agent also needs to be a mind reader. For example, at what point in the negotiations will/won't/can/can't the buyer or seller call a halt? If they settle for a price it is a major hurdle overcome but there's still plenty the buyer has to worry about.

How on earth does one find out if everything is above board and the property is sound? That is where the other experts come in.

The professionals we dealt with were the housing agent (as above), the city council, a certified builder, our lawyers, the bank and the mortgage (loan) agent. Here’s what each of them did for us.

We applied to the city council for a LIM report. LIM stands for Land Information Memorandum. It lets us know whether the land on which the property stands is safe to invest in. Involves a, to my mind, hefty, fee.
For peace of mind, it is best to invest in a certified builder for a builder’s report on the state of the property one plans to invest in - what needs painting or repairs or redoing. One pays a hefty fee for this service too.

But in the long run, these reports are invaluable for what is right or wrong with the property and the land it stands on. Just to give an example, the property we finally bought had something wrong with the drainage system and we managed to get the cost of repairs off the asking price.

Once we decided on the home we wanted to buy, we informed the sellers through the housing agent, negotiated and settled for a price and signed a conditional contract.

The conditions in our case were:

subject to finance from the bank,
subject to the LIM report from the city council which really took a long time - ten working days, and
subject to the builder’s report.

We'd picked a lovely property and were all ready to sign on the dotted line when we received the builder’s report. That wasn’t satisfactory and put a halt to the proceedings. Oh the dejection, the desire to ignore what was in the report and having come this far, to go ahead anyway. But in the end, thanks to the advice of a friend experienced in the property line and of course, the builder's report, good sense prevailed. It was worth the fee we paid the builder or we would’ve made a terrible mistake. For a lifelong investment and possibly something one would like to leave for the kids, one cannot afford to make such mistakes.

The search was on again. We were lucky the second time around. Somehow, it was a more subdued affair. The house agent (a different one for a different house in a different locality) stood by quietly as many hopeful buyers wandered through the property looking for the pros and cons on "Open day". The agent was there to answer any questions potential buyers might have and we had plenty.

The builder’s report had a long list of exactly what he thought was wrong with the second property we liked. We noticed they were mostly minor repairs or associated with normal wear and tear. Keeping in mind the time frame, the kind of repairs to be carried out and what was RIGHT with the property, we picked out a few repairs we considered essential and asked the seller to attend to those. The seller agreed. Then there was no going back. We were committed. We were full of misgivings and doubt, our experience having told us anything could happen at the 11th hour. Yet, along with the fear there was that undeniable little knot of excitement and elation.

All three conditions above were met within a certain number of (specified in the contract) days and the contract went unconditional. It was now over to the bank and our lawyers. The housing agent sent us a gift basket with chocolates, cheese, crackers, gourmet jams and other goodies including a thoughtfully provided packet of special spices to make "Bombay Potatoes". This was her own personal touch. With or without the goodies, she comes highly recommended by this family of buyers.

The lawyers and bank were essential but our mortgage agent was invaluable in securing the best possible terms the bank could offer. Without his help we couldn’t possibly have known what to ask the bank for. He negotiated hard on our behalf. The papers he ensured we had ready for the bank were a thick wad (I think about 80 pages) but they helped the process along smoothly and rapidly. The bank, after satisfying itself that we would have the wherewithal to pay, ensuring if anything happened to us, at least our insurance could, mortgaged the property to itself at the current rate.

The final professionals we employed were the packers and movers. They were wonderful. Their work is punishing and yet they were cheerful and efficient. What they lifted and moved in one day would’ve taken reasonably strong and ordinary folk a week. There was no damage and perhaps minimal loss.


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After we moved in, we stepped out for lunch one afternoon. When we got back we had the shock of our lives. We'd been burgled. Not everything is rosy in New Zealand and having lived here for many years, we don't see it through rose spectacles either. It is just that when things go right, one tends to forget what could go wrong. We ought to have remembered to install an alarm system; we ought not... no point in hashing all that up.

Our insurance covered our loses and now, we have an alarm system installed. Our neighbours were really supportive and we feel we can finally begin to enjoy our new home.

This post was prompted by Smita's experience of buying a house in India. Her first post on the series is here

A Healthier Option to non-stick Teflon - an Indian Innovation

2012-02-04T02:32:00.000-08:00

Technology and innovation spring out of need and sometimes, there are heartwarming stories of how some people overcome hurdles to meet those needs. Here's one.

After a devastating earthquake the poor people of Gujarat in western India had their earthenware water storage pots broken and couldn't afford new ones. Mansukhlal, a school dropout, started working on an affordable option to a fridge to keep water cool in one compartment and store veges in another. He worked on it from 2001 to 2004 with his father urging him to give up on it and join him as a labourer. Mansukhlaal didn't give in and finally succeeded in making his refrigerator.

Perhaps you've heard of Mansukhlal's "Mitticool". For the benefit of those who don't know, Mitti simply means earth or soil. In this case it is clay soil from Gujarat. Mansukhlal sold his Mitticools for Rs 350 - 400. (USD 7 to 10) to the poor. Today it might be a bit more but will always be way cheaper than a fridge. And guess what, it doesn't need electricity. Milk stays fresh for a day and veges for a week.

picture from http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Feat+of+clay/1/93164.html

His wife couldn't afford a non stick frypan and in 2005 he set out to invent a hot plate made of clay (a tawa) which costs less than a dollar. Tata chemicals conducted a food grade test and pronounced it safe. Much safer than non-stick pans. Non stick pans are coated with PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals). Unfortunately, we use PFCs in many common everyday objects. To find out more and especially for the harmful effects of PFCs, read what Jennifer Hass, PhD, has to say here.

One of the effects is that children are born with poor immune systems making them vulnerable to diseases, and weak.

According to Jennifer, "Almost all disease is a combination of genetics and environmental exposure. We can't do much about our genes, but we can do something to make our environment safer for ourselves and our loved ones."

Mansukhlal's non-stick pan is a much better option. Not only is it non-stick, it can rival any teflon coated product for the minuscule quantity of oil needed to turn out a tasty dish.

I've heard Anil Gupta on Ted.com (India's hotbeds of invention) say it is safer than Teflon, that it is energy efficient and affordable. Incidentally, Anil Gupta talks of innovations of the poor from all over the world - not only India. His link:
http://www.ted.com/talks/anil_gupta_india_s_hidden_hotbeds_of_invention.html

Mansukhbhai's products are seen everywhere in markets and he's received orders from as far away as Africa and the US. To see pictures of his products, click on his link: http://www.mitticool.in/Mitticoolrefrigerator.htm.What true grit. What determination. What courage against all odds.

What you can do to reduce your exposure to PFCs at home: Use cast iron, stainless steel, or glass cookware or Mansukhlal's non-stick pan. Avoid pans with non-stick coatings.

For more recommendations on how to save yourself and very young kids from PFCs, please visit this site.

A Brilliant Idea by India Against Corruption

2012-01-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

In 2011,

from the site http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org

in spite of the majority of ordinary Indians wanting a strong anti-corruption bill
in spite of India Against Corruption (IAC) and hundreds of thousands of Indians out on the streets demanding one
in spite of the government promising one if Anna Hazare, the head of IAC, stopped his fasts

the government eventually came up with such a weak version of the bill that the ultimate decision of policing corrupt individuals in government and ensuring their accountability, remained in the hands of ..... you guessed it, the government.

Today, IAC knows exactly what it is up against – the deadly curse of endemic corruption in too many individuals in politics. It is a sobering thought that it won’t be easy to get rid of. But the IAC have come up with a brilliant plan.

They acknowledge they've learnt a lot from last year. For example, they would like the ability to be directly in touch with the masses. Often, last year, ordinary members wanted some of their doubts clarified and questions answered and the core team were dependent on the media to do so. Whilst acknowledging their gratitude to the media for keeping them in the news, IAC also realised that often, the media was unable to write or speak about their reports in their entirety. These were drip fed to the public losing their impact and often, even the true meaning of what the core team had said was lost. The main issue, therefore, was to find a way to maintain direct contact between the public and the core team.

This is what IAC have come up with:

· Volunteers to get groups of ordinary Indians together throughout India to listen to one topic a week.

· This topic would be a Youtube discussion between the core team members.

· This discussion would generate a lot of questions from ordinary Indians which would be noted by the organiser of their group.

· These questions would then be passed on to the IAC core team through the helpline 97185 00606 or through the email address, indiaagainstcorruption.2010@gmail.com, by the organiser of each group.

· The core team would then answer the questions they collect, to try and quell our doubts.

If you'd like to be a volunteer, this is the site to visit:
http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/start-your-discussion-forum.html

All you'd be expected to do would be to get your group together, organise a meeting to watch the current IAC video, facilitate the discussion after and collect the questions that arise out of the discussion to pass on to the core team. You wouldn't be required to answer those questions. Those would be answered by the core team.

Another advantage of getting together with ordinary Indians like ourselves is the obvious one of discussing issues we care about firsthand - with other, like-minded people. Further down the road, we could easily come up with united action plans ourselves. Right now, once our doubts are clarified, the action plan would be decided by the core IAC team.

Gives "social networking" a whole new meaning.

Can We Prevent Unplanned Urban Development I?

2012-01-14T03:08:00.000-08:00

This graphic picture is from Greenpeace. Here's the link.

I used to be a fan of Tavleen Singh's columns in the eighties. Recently I’ve rediscovered her and have started following her on twitter. One of her tweets baldly declares, "Unless we realize the vital need for planned urban development India will become the largest slum in the world. And, sooner than we think." A dire warning, if ever there was one.

Planning of cities and distributing resources has to be undertaken by the government. It cannot be left to individuals or corporate interest. Take migration to our cities. In the eighties I remember reading something that stuck in my mind - that a thousand people migrated to Mumbai every day. That means one thousand more people used the same, unchanged resources of Mumbai daily - resources like water, electricity, land, our roads and footpaths. I don’t have the numbers for today. This is a huge burden on the city’s finite resources and there simply might not be enough to go around unless our government has plans to increase those resources. There will come a time when people will use any means simply to be able to get their hands on these fast depleting resources. Take land in our cities to build on. In the sixties and seventies there was enough for everyone. Then, as demand outgrew supply, our flats started getting smaller and more expensive.

If our builders had their way, they’d build wherever there is space. Take Gilbert Hill in Mumbai, for example. It is one of only two 65 million year old rocks on Earth. The other one is in the US and is declared a heritage site - protected and preserved by the government. The one in Mumbai is hemmed in by tall buildings and desecrated by humans, has a temple on top with a resident caretaker and builders are trying to get permission to build on it. Over 33,000 people have signed the petition to save Gilbert Hill.

What chance do the poor have to live in comfort? They simply put up shanty houses and now, we have shanty towns within our cities. They also encroach on our footpaths, railway stations and any public place – as long as they can remain in the city to eke out a living and feed their families.

Villagers come in their droves too as there is no proper infrastructure in their villages. I have written about their investing in wiring for their houses in anticipation of the government’s promise of an electricity grid. The government did not fulfil that promise in thousands of our villages. Thanks to private enterprise and having to re-invest again, they now have solar panels. (The post is here) I leave it to you to judge whether the government is short of funds or whether individuals in the government siphon off funds allocated for various noble sounding projects for the good of our villages. And that is just one of their (the villagers’) problems. There’s the lack of pucca roads. No infrastructure and no connectivity? It is difficult to eke out a living under those circumstances. The obvious solution for many - why not migrate to our cities?

Cities like Mumbai attract the well heeled, villagers, farmers and the poor alike. Tavleen is right. Urban development in Mumbai is definitely unplanned.

When they migrate, the well-off get assimilated more easily and their adding to the burden on the city’s resources is less visible. What problems do the poor face and how do they affect the city’s resources? Their living quarters are crowded and cramped. They either have relations in our slums or they encroach on our footpaths. They have nowhere to carry out their daily ablutions. It has to be public places. They can only afford coal or kerosene as fuel. These aren't good for the air we breathe. In crowded and cramped conditions with so many people breathing and going about their daily lives, coal lacks enough oxygen to burn efficiently. As a result, the end product is not only carbon dioxide but carbon monoxide. This is poisonous. The quality of the air they breathe suffers. Their health suffers. And to think they've had to leave their villages and farms where the air they breathe is much less poluted!

Part II discusses Garbage and what we can do. One of the most obvious outcomes of unplanned migration to our cities has been garbage. Some known and unknown facts about this monumental problem...

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Can We Prevent Mumbai's Unplanned Urban Development - II?

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Picture from Greenpeace

Part I discusses space being at a premium in our cities and why farmers, villagers, the rich and poor migrate to our cities. It concludes that migration to our cities is definitely unplanned.

Part II - One of the most obvious outcomes of unplanned migration to our cities has been garbage. This has reached monumental proportions.

The poor have no place to throw their garbage so it collects on our roads or clogs our waters. Come to think of it, our kachrawalis might take away our garbage from our flats but who knows where she takes it? In December 2010, when I was in Mumbai, I saw at least five huge MOUNTAINS of garbage in just one suburb, which were definitely not there the last time I was there. Our Municipality doesn’t clear it away.

A Possible Action Plan: Perhaps we should all inundate them with phone calls or emails to come and clear it away from outside our homes. Perhaps we should get together, plan, organise and act unitedly to ensure it is done.Perhaps we should find out who's in charge of taking away our garbage and publish this person's contact details online.

Facts about garbage and its odours: Garbage in Mumbai includes spit, rubbish, urine and faeces. Everyone knows it is an eyesore, attracts rodents, roaches and other pests, is not good for our health and the environment and smells awful. Without being too conscious of it, we live with these smells in Mumbai. These smells badly affect our olfactory and other systems. As a result we have varied reactions like eye irritations and sore throats, coughs, drowsiness, asthma and even depression.

At the same time, most of us have learnt to stoically ignore and not complain about our symptoms of discomfort.

Odours disturb concentration and diminish productivity as our disgust with our environment remains uppermost in our minds. Work force populations vary in levels of discomfort from odours because of exposure history and habituation. But whether we may, or may not realize the possible risks of consistent bad odours, they affect human health and well being. Productivity in such an environment goes down considerably. Our ability to perform tasks may decrease as our dislike for particular odours increases.

Garbage dumps shouldn’t be on our doorsteps to start with, but in designated places far away from where most of us reside. The municipality should take away our garbage regularly to these designated dumps. But it doesn’t happen. The garbage piles get higher and more densely compacted with their own weight causing all the above symptoms in our health. Methane - a greenhouse gas that captures heat and causes global warming is one of the end products of these dense piles of garbage. This might be an appropriate place to mention how, with the advance of science, this methane from garbage is being used to make new energy. A very worthwhile investment once it is made. Hopefully, we'll see the last of garbage clogging our city streets yet. Whether the government and business get together to exploit the benefits of garbage to create new energy or not, garbage from our city streets has to go or we have to keep paying megabucks to doctors for our health.

Garbage is only one aspect of the unplanned migration to cities. Some more resources that get affected due to overcrowding of cities are

water (increased usage, increased pollution and a threat to marine life)
air – with so many more people sharing the air we breathe, with so many more households cooking, with so many more cars and trucks on our roads, the air we breathe gets polluted. There’s an increase in greenhouse gases that trap heat and make our cities hotter than ever before; there’s an increase in the emission of deadly dangerous gases like carbon monoxide (as explained above), carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide as also smog and acid rain (which I’ve written about here) This, in turn, pollutes the soil in which we grow our food.

A Possible Action Plan: Walking, cycling and public transport whenever possible; shared rides to work; buying local goods that haven't used up too much oil to get to our shops; making informed decisions (for example - buying goods that aren't wrapped in too much plastic), reduce-reuse-recycle; composting our garbage...

Other Aspects Of Overcrowding Our Cities: There is an increase in noise levels; in energy consumption; various social problems due to shortage of space and other resources; perhaps crime because of the disparity in living standards and hunger as also, increased use of raw material and manufactured goods

As our cities spread, there's a loss of land that ought to be conserved - like wetlands, grasslands, forests – a natural habitat for so many different species. In fact, here’s something we need to be aware of right now.

"Green Dream Foundation" - an NGO started in India by two young Delhi men (Ashish Sachdeva and Abhishek Agarwal), consistently provides a lot of information on factors that affect our Earth. Green Dream's latest "Why this Koyla Mining Di" informs us that corporates are cutting down our forests to mine coal. Here’s Devinder Sharma linking policies that take away community control over natural resources like water, forests and farmlands to hunger and migration to cities by our farmers and villages.

A Possible Action Plan: Want to get involved? Join Green Dream; Become a “citizen” of Junglistan to protect our natural resources from corporate interests. Watch this video by Abhay Deol who interviews farmers who’ve become landless and jobless.

If there is one thing IAC - India Against Corruption taught us last year, it was that we've ignored "government by the people" and that the government has ignored, "government for the people". Getting together with other like minded people and speaking with one voice is one effective way to get our point across to the government. After all, whose voice is more effective?

A billion lone voices or a billion strong force?

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Stories Affirming the Ordinary, Mainstream, Middle-Class Indians

2012-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

There was a time, not too long ago, when a huge number of Indian authors wrote stories of people living on the edge of society, extreme poverty, degradation, male chauvinism, rampant corruption, bribery, superstition, religious extremism and courage in the face of all the above. Such themes were popular in India and abroad. In fact they still very much are.

But now, there is another genre that is seeing the light of day. More and more Indian authors have started writing to celebrate and affirm the ordinary, mainstream, middle-class Indians. It is taking some people who haven't seen India in all her colours a bit longer than others to accept this change.

Indian authors today, more than ever before, write about the carefree and light hearted years of college, friendship, young love, secular Indians, strong and independent women, loving and thoughtful family men.

I believe affirming and celebrating the ordinary, mainstream, middle class Indians alongside stories of extreme poverty, male chauvinism and superstition help to give a more fully rounded picture of India as it really is.

MORE POWER TO THE INDIAN PEN!

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Blending Cultures II

2011-12-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

In Part I described what’s changed for ordinary Indians - some changes happened simply because we made conscious decisions and had more choices. Others were a necessity. The one change we should have the strength to resist is peer pressure or any pressure from others to change.

What was it about the other culture that so fascinated me? Why did my husband and I give up good careers, our home, our family and friends and a good life to move to New Zealand? Yes, it was the clean environment, the disciplined traffic, the (relative) lack of corruption, the ease of getting things done without jumping bureaucratic hoops, and knowing everyone paid the same, fixed price for veges. It was also the fun of interacting with a different variety of cultures - Asians, Middle Easterners, Afrcans, Europeans, the English - to name a few. And a lot of it was rose spectacles. We've been here for over twenty years so the blinkers have come off. I can honestly say we are settled, familiar with the place and culture, with realistic expectations and reasonable optimism.

How has it changed me? I have learnt to be a bit more independent. To varying degrees so have my counterparts back home. Have I completely capitulated to the west? I don’t think so. I enjoy being Indian way too much. I was born Indian and although I live in another part of the world, I will always think of myself as Indian first.

Diya by Zeimusu, free clipart

Introducing new elements in a culture should unite or blend the best of both worlds but doesn’t have to change a person completely. The ease with which we absorbed the best of both is something, to my mind, uniquely Indian. (see Mumbai's Psyche). If a person is confident of his or her core values, whatever they may be, no amount of outside pressure will make them give those up. If a person does give up certain traditions (with no outside pressures, overt or otherwise), it is only because they’ve always wanted to anyway.

Christmas Carols, free clipart by Gustavorezende

As for becoming a boring homogenous race, there is one unpredictable factor in all human beings that will never allow that. It is the variety of human emotions at any given moment. Humans, as such, might have made progress in leaps and bounds where technology is concerned. But we still have the same basic emotions - both positive and negative - that we had right at the very beginning of our existence. Our values are, and always will be, unique to each of us. On a day to day basis, each one of us feels differing emotions at different times. The permutations and combinations of these day to day emotions are numerous and seemingly contradictory. While some of us feel happy, others are sad or angry in similar situations; there’s generosity or envy; wile, guile or innocence; boredom or lively interest; and so on. And this is on any given day. On another day, it might be completely different. Besides, we are the sum total of our experiences and there’s too much out there for us to ever absorb in a single life-time.

Here’s a completely opposing viewpoint written by an American who travelled through India, witnessing the "erosion" of Indian traditions and culture. I do believe he has underestimated us Indians. Our American doesn’t have faith in Indians being able to resist the “buy-buy-buy” culture. Some folks will never give up on retail therapy whichever culture they belong to. For the rest, feverish consumerism, after a while, does slow down. Besides, there is a new reality in this day and age which forces us to think before we buy - how will buying this product impact our environment?

The American thinks capitalists have no regard for differences in culture. He thinks a market economy leads to unequal distribution of wealth, and therefore, of power. He may be right, I don't know.

What I do know is, given any type of economy, people compete for a piece of the pie – some by fair means and others by foul. I believe that in any system, people with more wealth exploit the ones with less, and people with more power exploit the ones with less. It isn’t the system per se. It is base human nature (read vices) that has created that system. And I can say with conviction that there's an even sprinkling of every type of human (nature) throughout the world.

As the philosopher, William Pfaff, suggested, “Only if we recognise that base nature as well as what we are capable of by way of our highest ideals will we be able to scale heights as never before.” I so believe in the wisdom of his words, I've used them as the foreword to my book. The exact words are here.

Our American has also romanticised the clearly demarcated lines between the sexes that exist in India. He’s rued that it is blurring. But to my mind, the less we see people as different simply because they belong to a different sex, the more we simply see them as human beings the same as everyone else, the better relaxed we’ll learn to be with each other. The more lines are demarcated, the more someone determined to enforce those lines will allow, or even commit and justify, crimes against other human beings. (She looked at him - I'll teach her a lesson by pawing her. My lust isn't the issue here. It is the fact that she is besharam for casting her eyes on him and needs a lesson which I will give her. He spoke to her - stone him to death.)

If life is to be preserved as it is, we might as well live in a museum. Life is ever evolving as are cultures. They change with time, circumstances and necessities. It is our core values that we need to make every effort to preserve for they are what make us the person we are.

Blending Cultures

2011-12-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

The other day I passed a bunch of kids returning from school in NZ. They were laughing, kidding one another and generally having a jolly old time. What struck me about the group was that it was totally multicultural and yet, undeniably, each of those kids sounded like New Zealanders or Kiwis. This set me thinking - will the blending of cultures eventually produce one homogenous block of humans who, whether in London, Mumbai, Brazil or China, will lead disgustingly uninteresting and similar lives? Mere shadows of one another?

Well, for starters we already do. Giving in to peer pressure, be it to people who belong to the same community or to different communities, is much the same thing. When someone insists and we capitulate (eagerly) to their demand that we look and sound exactly like them before they accept us, it is a subtle play of dominance-subjugation. It happens, to varying degrees, wherever there is a majority or, wherever there is muscle power. Youngsters are especially vulnerable. I believe objections to such capitulation are justifiable. Don't give up a part of your cultural identity simply because it might be more circumspect and convenient to do so. Children being especially vulnerable, teach them to appreciate those aspects of your cultural identity that you like, respect and enjoy.

Peer pressure aside and purely because we are human, we pick up things from other humans. It is a natural instinct. It stems from the desire for self preservation, safety and a sense of belonging. It makes us fashion ourselves along the lines of other humans we admire, enjoy or feel safe with, or, would like to call our inner circle. If an aspect of another culture is sometimes more enjoyable to some folks, the communal minded are umbraged. [How can someone like something from the other culture so much that they are willing to give up part of ours?]

When we migrated to NZ, my family and I were following a dream. We wanted to be amongst people of various cultures, especially cultures that we didn’t see much of in our own neighbourhood. We read about them, were fascinated by them and in some ways, identified with them. An objective outsider (or an insider from that other culture) would have rightly said, we had romantic notions of this other culture. When we did settle here we realised it was a mixed bag. Not everything (nor everyone) was as wonderful as we’d imagined. There was much that we thoroughly admired and wanted to absorb from the new culture. But there were things Indian that we realised we preferred and wanted to preserve.

These are some of our initial reactions – that the local kids weren’t able to shine as much as our Indian kids at studies; but they were really good at sports and music (which were much harder to earn a living off, weren't they?); that we enjoyed our culture of home cooked food versus fast food; stay-at-home mums who welcomed kids back home from school, helped them with their studies and generally provide stable home lives. But guess what?

Our perceptions began to change. We slowly began to understand that our kids were brilliant because of rote learning; that experimenting, researching and looking at knowledge from different angles, questioning the written word and drawing our own logical conclusions was brilliant too; that fresh air, the outdoors and enough play time was essential for our kids and not just being bogged down by mountains of homework and mugging what had been taught; that besides being lawyers and doctors there were many fields they could follow; that one could actually link one’s extra-curricular activities and interests to one’s earnings.

Next, our ideas about stay-at-home mums started changing slightly. Of course they started changing in India too. Sheer economics, a desire not to waste qualifications, to be out and about amongst peers, made us stay-at-home mums seek careers. Were we giving up our culture by going off to work? Perhaps, to a degree – but it wasn’t because of pressure from the west. It had not only become a necessity, it was quite desirable too. Mums started working while their kids were away at school. Here in NZ we’d secretly felt sorry for kids who were sent to baby-sitters by their career oriented mothers. Now we were considering the same. What we began to understand and appreciate was that women here had managed to combine both, their professional and family lives, with a tougher set of options than their counterparts in India. In India, we had the best babysitters in the world – grandparents, to nurture and supervise, as also cheap, paid help to do the hard domestic chores of cooking and cleaning. Over in NZ, the extreme anxiety of having to leave kids with relatively unknown people had produced a win-win outcome too - professional baby-sitters. They underwent training, learnt how to deal with emergencies, their houses were inspected for cleanliness and safety and, there was a strict ratio of the number of children to the number of trained sitters looking after them. And if we found someone who, over the months, proved to be kindly and affectionate with our children, a little more of our anxiety gave way to relief. Another tradition sacrificed? To my mind, just two different but equally good choices made available – one from our traditions and one from theirs.

We appreciated the fact that we could earn a decent wage working part time. So some of us worked part time to be back in time to welcome kids home from school. Whether we did so or stayed longer at work, when we got home, there was no paid help to do our cleaning, washing, cooking, repairing, building, painting and gardening. We – both partners - did most of it ourselves. Or, if we got paid help, we paid a good rate by the hour, which couldn't be less than the minimum wage as set by the NZ government. The paid help drove up to our homes, worked for about two hours each time before driving off until the next week or the following fortnight.

Continued as Part II: Do I think, after we’ve incorporated so many changes that suit our family’s life style and beliefs, that we've completely capitulated to the west?

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Anticorruption Bill 2011 Postponed Again

2011-12-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

The New Bill 2011 to fight corruption in India (the lokpal) has been an eagerly awaited non event - since the past sixty years! After Anna Hazare's hugely popular fast was ended with the government promising Anna that they would discuss the bill in the monsoon session of parliament in 2011, everyone had started hoping it would ATLAST become law. Unfortunately from the monsoon session it was carried forward to the winter session and at the last minute the Congress balked and backed out. "Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley also said that the government had choreographed chaos to dodge a vote." (see http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lokpal-Bill-put-to-sleep-at-midnight/articleshow/11298043.cms)

Here's a short, award winning video on how corruption isplayed out in, and affects, India ..

In any case, the government's version of the lokpal (anti-corruption bill) was weak. This is what an editorial in a respected Indian newspaper, "The Hindu", had to say about it."The Centre, which has retained administrative control (read: promotions, transfers, etc.) of the CBI via the Ministry of Personnel, knows better than most that he who pays the piper calls the tune.".

One of my previous posts explains the problems in the present anti-corruption systems of India and the role of the CBI. Here's ten different people who've answered the following question - "why do many political parties in India question CBI's credibility from time to time?"
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101114114515AAYRZAP
All ten seem to agree that the CBI is used by the party in power to keep the opposition at bay:

Here's what I think the current government is scared of: An agency that polices the Congress plays right into the hands of the opposition. There are too many in the Congress and its coalition who've been tainted by corruption. Some of these politicians are influential. To have any of them under the scrutiny of an independent anti-corruption committee is to weaken and maybe even topple the coalition (UPI) government. The Congress is not about to jeopardise its hold on power.

The main opposition is the BJP - a right wing Hindu party. They would try their utmost, and probably succeed, in destabilising the ruling coalition. We all know there's corruption in those corridors too, apart from the non-secular politics they practice.

How does one eliminate the cancer of corruption then? What choices do the people have when neither party is free of corruption? when individuals from both treat tax payer money as their own?

One option would be to look out for a third alternative to the current government+coalition partners and the opposition - perhaps an independent, someone totally new and inexperienced :-( BUT starting on a clean slate.

We'd have to wait till 2014 for that and we don't know what laws the government would try to push through before that to protect individual, influential looters.

Here's a suggestion from the former director of Infosys, Mohandas Pai - a split in the CBI - the wing that takes care of the opposition to government, and the wing that takes care of corruption. This is what he says: "The challenge in India for corruption cases has been the lack of investigation, the lack of resources and the lack of integrity in the investigation. If we don't want a Lokpal that is impotent, CBI needs to be under its control or it is not going to work."

Justice V.N.Khare has expanded on this further in an interview with the Times of India. His reply to the following query by the times reporter, "Is there any merit in the Team Anna argument that the CBI should be brought under the Lokpal?" is as follows: I don't think that the entire CBI can be brought under the Lokpal. The CBI is a huge organisation whose investigative capabilities are used for so many things other than fighting corruption. At best you can put 50 or 60 CBI officers on deputation with the Lokpal. However, if the CBI is under the government and the government is the prosecutor, there is a clear conflict of interest in prosecuting government corruption. I believe the CBI should be autonomous in any case.

Which brings me to Team Anna's option: "India Against Corruption" (IAC) want an anti-corruption bill with a lot of teeth. They've drafted the Janlokpal bill. Team Anna’s demands include total independence of the CBI from the likelihood of government interference. Till team Anna came on the scene we knew about corruption in politics but we didn't know how these greedy individuals got away with siphoning off for themselves, what belonged to India and Indians. Team Anna made a lot of effort to expalin the loopholes in the anti-corruption systems. Who can deny what Prashant Bhushan, one of the members of Team Anna and one of the drafters of the Janlokpal bill had to say at Ramlila Grounds, Delhi,"This movement has forced the Government to pass a bill, however weak. It had to make a Joint committee, standing committee and then pass a bill. It is a weak bill, no doubt, but it is your pressure that made it happen." He said this before the government scuttled the bill yet again after the winter session of parliament.

IAC has shown us we need not feel so helpless - that we can, and must, agitate if we think the government won't bring in a strong anti-corruption bill. Government BY the people isn't only voting every four years and then letting those voted in have a field day looting India. I know lobbying is too hard and won't show results immediately. But if you believe there is rampant corruption that affects the ordianry people of India, it is worth making the effort.

There are some who feel team Anna's version of the bill would give too much power to the 9 member committee who would control the anti-corruption agencies. Arvind Kejriwal, from team Anna says that is a deliberate attempt to mislead the people; that the 9 member committee wouldn't have the power of impeaching anyone - just lodging the fir - the first information report. The impeachment procedure would remain unchanged and would be through the courts. (Listen from 2 minutes and 27 seconds of this Youtube video.)

I wonder what our cynics think of the version the government has put up - that bill, for starters, declares the government will pick the team that will police them. What's more, that team will be beholden to the government for promotions and transfers etc according to the newspaper editorial above. How can they not toe the government line? Also, what credibility does the government have now, after scuttling the bill again and again? Till we have a law to prevent or punish corruption, we've seen proof that they will continue looting the money Indians pay for India's safety, security, infrastracture, progress and the environment.

Everyone hopes the people of India win. We hope their hard earned money and taxes are used to benefit them and not greedy individual politicians. To make that hope a reality means making your voice heard. And whose voice is heard loud and clear? A billion lone (armchair) voices or a billion strong force?

My hope is that the eyes of the WORLD are trained on the non-violent movement. That can happen if more of us join the protests, making it clear as team Anna does, that our protest is against corruption - not against any political party.

Follow team Anna and India Against Corruption as they unfold their action plan once more. And if you are able, join the protest.

Is There An NRI Stereotype?

2011-12-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

My next post "Is There an NRI Stereotype" is on Purba Ray's Blog, A-Musing. After thoroughly enjoying "I'd Rather Be a Bitch" on her blog, I was hooked - a regular visitor. Purba started visiting my blog too and we soon started corresponding by email. In one of her emails she said, “Btw I love your blog title –Never Mind Yaar...Makes me think, Damn! why didn't I think of that!!” Typical Purba :-) I guess it tickled her funny bone.

To be perfectly honest though, “Never Mind Yaar” isn’t meant to be funny. It is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems, give up and move on with a sigh and a "never mind".

For more, please head on over to A-Musing.

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Mumbai’s Psyche

2011-11-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

Today, we know there is nothing unusual about living with diverse cultures. It is a world wide phenomenon. But there is this other dimension to Mumbai, which makes it so unique. Except for scholars of religions, no other people in so many numbers seem to know so much about the philosophies of different religions.

The knowledge almost seems to be acquired by symbiosis. If analysed, it may, no doubt, be very superficial and even inaccurate. But borne out of this has been a slight blending of faiths. Thus, it isn't unusual to see, a Parsi lady paying her respects to Sai Baba - offering Indian sweets and praying fervently for all things most human beings pray for (health of a loved one, success in an exam) - without losing her devotion for and prayers to Zoroaster; a non-Buddhist declaring a fast on Thursday out of respect for Lord Buddha; Many Mumbaikars, irrespective of the religion they were born in, believe in putting garlands of Marigold at the entrance to their homes for good luck during Dusshera - the day Ram returned to his kingdom, victorious, after defeating the evil rakshas or demon, Ravan, who had captured his wife Sita; And many believe in the Hindu Goddess of Wealth - Laxmi, (the word is now synonymous with wealth in many an Indian vocabulary) who, it is said, only enters brightly lit places during Diwali.

Rachana - Mrs. D’Costa’s maid - being a very devout Buddhist, celebrated Lord Buddha and prayed to him through the year. But she also went on foot for seven continuous Wednesdays, to attend the ‘Novenas’ at the Church of Mahim, about 5 km from her home. Over there she prayed to the Virgin Mary to turn her alcoholic, wife-beating husband into a new leaf, which was asking for nothing short of a miracle.

Perhaps it is sights like these - the willingness to gain succour and strength from saints of other religions without feeling one is letting down one's own - that has made Mumbai so unique in the eyes of her residents. And perhaps, that is why, so many of them seem to have this implicit belief in the truly secular nature of their city.

This is an excerpt from "Never Mind Yaar".
http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/p/about-book.html
http://www.nevermindyaar.com/
It seemed apt here because of comments in my previous post, "India or US"

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India or US?

2011-11-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

So many Indians living abroad feel like he did. My fear is this – what if I feel the same? I definitely don’t want to.

An Indian who was living in the States decided he wanted to go back to India and settle there. The family packed up and flew home with hope and excitement in their hearts. Within a year of reaching India, although he had all the trappings of a good life, he went back to the States. It wasn’t the life style that let him down. It was, he felt, the person India forced him to turn into. He was unable to deal with other, less fortunate human beings incessantly tapping him for loans; he was unable to tell whether they were lying or telling the truth with their tales of woe; it was the insensitivity of Indians laughing at the expense of people from other Indian communities; it was having to deal with unadulterated nosiness – for example, people wanting to know his sub caste so that they could fit him into a mould rather than see him as a unique person. He couldn’t handle it and went back to the States, defeated by it all. The article is worth visiting as are the thought provoking comments after. Here's the link -
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/why-i-left-india-again/

So many Indians living abroad feel like he did. My fear is this – what if I feel the same? I definitely don’t want to.

Perhaps it doesn’t have to be like that. He dealt with work colleagues, his family, his daughter’s school principal, teachers and the home help and driver. They served a purpose – they were all there, in some form or the other, for him. And he for them.

What if he would’ve sought someone outside of his own or their needs? Would that have made a difference? More to the point, do I think that might make a difference to me? Spending time not only with people I need and who need me but with others who devote their energies to something outside of themselves? With someone who wants to make a difference, who fights to ensure every kid gets a basic education, a meal a day if they attend school, who tries to inform and educate the public on the environment so that the air we breathe, the water and soil we depend on are clean and don’t poison us?

There are many and varied NGOs and charities in India trying to make a difference. People who care. My search for “NGOs in India” resulted in quite a few links – here’s one: http://www.indianngos.com/ Ask them and they’ll tell you – once we are working for a cause we passionately espouse and meet others who feel as strongly about it, we tend to forget which community or sub caste individual members belong to. Our appreciation is for that individual’s dedication, wisdom, compassion and intelligence. In turn there is something in us that he or she appreciates.

Perhaps if more of us joined NGOs and charitable organisations the way we've joined "India Against Corruption", a movement to fight corrupt politicians who steal from the Indian treasury and get away with it, the more we give our time – as much as we decide we can spare for a cause that benefits others, the more we rise above ourselves, the happier we'll be within ourselves irrespective of where we are. Of late there's been talk of some NGOs using their organisations to convert black money to white. The solution is simple - Don't donate money till you are sure they are above board. Simply donate your TIME.

As Sumedh, the guy who started this introspection rightly put it, it isn't India. It is us.

Credibility of Indian Politicians

2011-10-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

What Platform will Indian Politicians Fight on in 2014? What rhetoric will they be able to spew out with conviction?

The 1993 synchronised bombs in Mumbai left Indians in shock. The feelings uppermost in Indian minds were disbelief that anyone could hate us so much, and fear.

Indian flag by gsagri04, open clipart

The attacks from gun totting Pakistanis in '98 left us reeling with the same feelings. But added to that was pride in the way Indians helped fellow human beings plus an awareness that our enemies wanted India to descend into chaos and a determination not to let that happen. Indian communities came together in a show of unity and strength. There was also a slow burning anger at the Indian government for taking so long to send help.

When the Zaveri Bazaar bombs went off in July this year, Indian anger at the government reached boiling point. Some government official tried to get a photo op. out of the whole hopeless mess - going to the scene of the bomb and giving a speech, calling Indians brave and suggesting the Indian spirit will survive. That was the final straw. Indian anger boiled over. They said "never mind our spirit, what are the government's plans for our safety?" and more words to that effect. here's one link out of millions - Bombed, Doomed and Living On

Indians are aware that the first instinctive thought of any politician is to kill the opposition. Indians can live with that. They know leaders of major parties try and ensure that party line are followed. But safety is beyond petty party politics. Indians are angry that their safety and security isn't of paramount importance to our politicians. Political parties in any mature and responsible democracy throughout the world understand it is non-negotiable. This is possible in India too, according to http://ibnlive.in.com/news/devils-advocate-why-has-india-failed-to-combat-terror/183168-3.html

The next elections are three years away. Can we afford to wait that long to ensure the safety and security of our country is on our politician radar screens? Indians need to see the two major Indian political parties hammer out differences on this vital issue now. Or, the Indian public is willing to look for someone who will - perhaps an independent.

The other big issue is, of course, corruption. We've come to know how Indian MPs have been looting the Indian treasury. In states ruled by both major parties the degree of corruption is mind boggling. It involves lakhs of crores of rupees where 1 lakh crore is


Sabsey bada Rupaia - Indian rupees by beshra, free clipart

Rs 1,000,000,000,000.
(At the current rate, that is 20,393,596,410 USD)

And they get away because our anti-corruption agencies are hopelessly under-staffed, under-funded and not independent of the government. Files investigating MPs land on the desks of staff working under those very MPs. Who would investigate their boss? And there's more as explained by "India Against Corruption" or http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/p/india-against-corruption.html

The outrage and scorn for our MPs has boiled over. And the irony is that both major parties have declared in almost all their previous party manifestos they will fight ... you guessed it, corruption.

Here are a couple of links to Congress’s "common minimum programme" of 2004. http://pmindia.nic.in/cmp.pdf straight from the PM’s office or http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3757269.stm from the BBC

A few points covered in the common minimum programme are, no privatisation, abolition of POTA (Prevention of Terrorism) that made the minorities feel threatened, uplifting the poor, education, economic reform and growth, women’s rights and corruption.

The BJP’s agenda in 2009 included life and job security to all citizens, prevent corruption and achieve speedy development. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-04-08/mysore/28057435_1_bjp-leader-l-k-advani-prime-ministerial-candidate

Is life any safer in 2011? Has poverty been eradicated? What about the quality of the air Indians breathe, the soil we grow our crops in or the level of pollution in our waters - factors that directly impact our health and our doctors' bills? Our factories to a large extent, know they can easily bribe our politicians to let them continue breaking environment laws instead of ensuring what they spew out or empty out into our rivers and soil as by-products of their cash-making ventures, don't harm the environment. What about electricity grids for our villages? Or pucca roads in India. Are India’s poor any better off, women safer or terrorists less able to execute their anti-human plans in our country? Would the BJP guarantee the safety, security and independence of minorities and women? Would they re-introduce POTA? Most important of all, are any of our politicians less corrupt or did both parties mean to be the exceptions to their corruption platforms?

Indians blame most of these issues on weak anti-corruption laws that govern our politicians. Funds for any project are siphoned off by individuals, thereby compromising the said projects. Indians are harassed for bribes at every step. There is determination that a strong anti-corruption bill will be passed to curb the ability of politicians to loot Indian funds and get away with it.

Glib politician rhetoric

without a properly spelt out action plan,
without a proper budget and
without indications where exactly the funds for any glib promise will come from

will not easily take in an enlightened Indian public any more.

Neither major party will be able to use "corruption and safety-security" as the platforms they fight the 2014 elections on. Indians have openly started heaping scorn and disgust on such speechifying from corrupt and callous politicians.

The only hope Indian politicians have is to put these two issues - corruption in politics and safety-security in India - in order, well before the elections.

Indians Scared To Speak Out?

2011-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

There are any number of Indians who have always been outspoken about the state of affairs in India. Courageous souls, mostly from the media, who the rest of us have admired for their outspokenness. And we've agreed with them about the sad state of affairs. Many of us have berated the people responsible for it too - but always in private. Until now.

Anna's movement, Anna's team has had all of India speak out with one, effective voice. The latent energy of the people's anger has erupted never to be bottled again. What are the lessons to take away from this most inspiring of movements?

We need to, however embarrassed it makes us, accept that we haven't taken a stand before. And it isn't too difficult to see why. So many people have given their lives for speaking out. The latest victim - hopefully the last to give up her life in so blatant, unafraid and open a murder, was Shehla Masood. Has the guilty party been punished?

Indians know, with the system as it is, they never will.

What's more, Indians have always known this to be the consequence of speaking out. It's made us afraid for our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We've learnt to be cowed, to give up and give in with a sense of hopelessness and frustration.

I hope India never feels afraid to speak out again. If there's unity and a well thought out action plan there is no need to be afraid. Today ordinary Indians are pitted against a powerful foe - corruption in politics. India Against Corruption has clearly spelt out what politicians have been getting away with and why. It has made ordinary Indians angry. IAC has made them understand that democracy won't work unless they take an active role in questioning each and every move made by these politicians. That means giving up a bit of that most precious of resources - time.

And IAC are under no illusions that people who've benefitted from the system will give in meekly. These people are bound to resist any moves to change the status quo. IAC has said only one thing will ensure their accountability. UNITED ACTION. Otherwise they will carry on doing what they've done before.

They will

create a parellel economy through bleeding Indians and India dry

through demanding bribes and
through scams to siphon off for themselves, what the tax payer gives them for India.

not allow access to even the basics - good pucca roads that last and footpaths made to walk on, clean air to breathe, electricity, water, a basic education and an equal chance for everyone to be able to hope for a better future - benefits that every Indian should rightfully be able to expect. But most dastardly of all,

kill anyone who dares to speak up against their corrupt actions.

The lessons for us:

Being scared is a vicious cycle. It keeps corruption alive.

Yet, being afraid is prudent unless we are united, have a well thought out action plan and the lines of communication are always open, not only between us but between the media and the movement leaders as well.

In a democracy, ordinary people have to participate to make politicians accountable.

I am a proud member of "India Against Corruption" (IAC)

Activity: IAC is the movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal against the cancer of corruption that is eating away India. Our current aim is to get a strong anti-corruption bill (The Jan Lokpal bill) passed by the parliament in the monsoon session.
Details: We have a few PPT\'s, FAQ\'s and pamphlets which can help the bloggers get a bit more clear idea about the movement and the bill. Moreover the 2.2 version of the bill is also available on the website for those who are interested in the legal aspects. We also plan to start hour long webcasts about the bill every weekend very soon. Interested people can join us there too. Contact us for more details. (Ankit Lal is also a blogger and is responsible for online activities of IAC. His blog links are: ankitlal.blogspot.com, naivereader.blogspot,com)
Support: Corruption
Note: There is a lot of misconception in the public about Anna\'s movement, Janlokpal and the aftereffects it would have. Our aim is to clear the air and make the public aware about JLP.
This post is a part of BlogAdda's Bloggers Social Responsibility (BSR) initiative. I am exercising my BSR. You can too with three simple steps. Visit http://www.blogadda.com/bsr/ and support the NGO's.

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Indian Public Wary of Copycat Fasts?

2011-09-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Was Anna's fast immoral? Was it illegal? If not, will others try and arm twist the government in the same way to justify any old demand?

On the 14th of August, 2011, Manish Tiwari, Congress spokesperson, had declared the fast illegal. He'd asserted that Anna had "violated basic courtesy" and that he "had a lot to answer for" without substantiating those vague accusations. He'd declared Anna corrupt. Everyone knew that was the politicians' plan A - discredit team Anna and malign their characters.

Gandhiji's words making it clear what fighting anyone in power entails

Besides Mr. Tiwari, many Indians had written in the papers declaring the fast illegal. They blithely ignored the fact that most Indians felt

cornered, angry and helpless by the daily harrassment they faced from the municipality;
by huge amounts of tax payer money disappearing into the abyss of individual politician pockets;
that it was the result of sixty years of rule by all parties in power at various times in those sixty years and none bringing in the anti-corruption bill as it did not benefit them personally - just India and the common Indians.

To want an anti-corruption bill with teeth that benefitted India and knowing that the only people who had the power to make it into law were against it, was a very hard place to be. Team Anna knew what they were up against. The fast was the only way to bring the issue of wanting strong anti-corruption laws to the fore. They did not know for sure how many Indians would support them but there was a groundswell of support for Anna's fast. If they ensured the protest was peaceful and non-violent, they were within the law to protest by fasting. It was perfectly legal.

Deciding to take on this machine of greed was hardly immoral. Team Anna was obviously not doing it for themselves, for glory or for power. They were doing it for a better, less corrupt India. Team Anna had the backing of so many Indians because of their impeccable reputations. Indians felt they could trust team Anna and came out in their droves to support the fast. The common Indian's desire for noncorruption in government might not be in the interest of individual MPs greedily slurping up tax-payer money, but whether politicians like it or not, Indians have, once again, realised

the power of uniting for a common cause,
for laying themselves on the line, to be counted for and
for ensuring, through well organised groups, that tax payer money is spent by the government on India - not on themselves.

After all, whose voice is clearly heard? A billion lone individuals or a billion strong force?

As for fasting to arm twist the government to bring in a law that benefits all of India except the corrupt few who won't allow it to happen for sixty years, you tell me if that isn't justified. Besides, the government has only allowed for it to be discussed and sent to its standing committee for final approval. Their decision will be made on the 24th of September, 2011. All of India and Indians the world over are waiting and watching closely to see whether they still try to get away with bringing in anti-corruption laws with no teeth so they can continue looting the country.

One word of caution - only exceptional, well organised people of high moral fibre are able to get away with such "arm twisting" - if you'd like to call it that! It happened after sixty years of various individuals trying through the normal channels. It shouldn't be tried by lesser mortals unless they don't mind being the butt of amused jokes and light hearted ridicule. People aren't fools. They are wary of someone fasting for their own individual benefit and not for the common good of all Indians and of India. Don't expect them to come out from all corners of our country in support.They did this time because team Anna's cause was their cause too and the team had impeccable credentials.

Julian Hanton about India

2011-08-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Julian is a travel reporter who travelled to India. His closing comments on his video on India were,

The ever widening gap between the rich and the poor and the blurring lines between religion and business is what India will have to contend with in the very near future.

Why did he say that? When he travelled through India every poor person wanted his money which happens in all countries. But there are too many poor in India. The volume compounds the issue. Till people in power stop looting Indian tax payer money and instead spend it for the benefit of India and Indians poverty in India will never be addressed.

We've heard of scam after scam where huge sums of tax-payer money have been siphoned off by individuals; The newspapers and TV report it is lakhs of crores of rupees where 1 lakh crore=Rs 1,000,000,000,000.
we've heard how the Indian anti-corruption laws need changing so that a case against a corrupt person isn't addressed by people under the very person who has been charged with corruption;
we've heard of people demanding that every rupee illegally swallowed up by individuals should be returned;
we've started hearing of Indians, fed up of the level of corruption that is endemic in the country, starting to speak up;
we've heard of a huge movement, gathering momentum in India against corruption. We've started hoping again;
and of course, we've heard the government is fighting the ordinary people's desire to bring in the strong anti-corruption bill tooth and nail.

If you haven't heard of this movement - "India Against Corruption" and their action plan, here's the link: http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/

On a lighter note, this movement has gone viral. Here's a comment after the song "Mother" by Pink Floyd.
"Mother can I trust the government?" sing Pink Floyd, "Hell no!" says helen11937, "Just ask an INDIAN!"

Here's the link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBkTUzKAiXQ&NR=1

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Bombay In Her Heart - K.Mathur Interview

2011-08-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by the Hutt News for Never Mind Yaar. It looks like the interview, in writing, ends abruptly. Still, I enjoyed the experience and managed to talk about everything I feel strongly about beside the book.

Please click on the photo to enlarge and read the interview

In NZ the book is available at The Best Little Bookstore
In India, it is with the editors and will be available soon.
Also available on Amazon, USA.
For more on the book, please visit the "About Never Mind Yaar" section.

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The HOME project

2011-08-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most comprehensive, hauntingly beautiful, yet frightening videos I've seen on the environment. You still come away with an upsurge of hope for our beautiful Earth, for life, for the only place we call HOME.

===============================================================
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU&feature=watch-now-button&wide=1
===============================================================

The Earth is a Miracle - image from the Home Project

Gombodorj Byambajargal (Mongolian) starts off the singing which is somehow so fitting to the stunning images. The music is composed by Armand Amar.

The video entreats us to get involved and join them at
http://www.goodplanet.org

The commentary tells the story of Earth as it was, interspersed with compelling images of what we've done to it, how we've depleted our natural resources and changed the climate of our planet. According to the blurb under the video, We've got ten years to change all that.

"The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.

For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.

HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet." Yann Arthus-Bertrand

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10 things to know about Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill

2011-08-18T03:10:00.000-07:00

Did you know Anna introduced solar panels and wind mills in his village 25 years ago? Read on...

Copied and pasted from Danish Aftab’s post on the India Against Corruption Facebook Site.

‎

1. Who is Anna Hazare? An ex-army man. Fought in the 1965 Indo-Pak War.

2. What's so special about him? He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralegan_Siddhi.

3. So what? This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills. In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest villages in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, eco-friendly practices.

4. And...? This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded the “Padma Bhushan” and is a known figure for his social activities.

5. Really? What is he fighting for? He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India. How can that be possible? He is advocating for a Bill, The Jan Lokpal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman’s Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), bureaucrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds. It's an entirely new thing, right..? In 1972, the bill was proposed by the then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit their theft (corruption).

6. Oh.. he is going on a hunger strike for the passing of a Bill ! How can that be possible in such a short span of time? The first thing he is asking for is: the government should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed.

7. Next, they should make a joint committee to DRAFT the JAN LOKPAL BILL. 50% goverment participation and 50% public participation - because one can’t trust the government to independently create a bill that doesn’t suit them.

8. Fine, What will happen when this bill is passed? A LokPal – a committee will be appointed at the centre. It will have autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, a similar committee – the Lokayukta, will be appointed. The job of the Lokpal at the centre and the Lokayukta at the state levels will be to bring all individuals in the government accused of corruption, to trial within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished. Not like the Bofors scam or the Bhopal Gas Tragedy cases, that have been going on for the last 25 years without any result.

9. Is he alone? Who else is there in the fight with Anna Hazare? Ex. IPS Kiran Bedi, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwalm, and just about every ordinary person. Prominent personalities like Aamir Khan and Shekhar Kapoor are supporting his cause too.

10. Ok, got it. What can we do? We can help spread his message. How? By joining his website and facebook https://www.facebook.com/IndiACor sites, by actively commenting, sharing status messages, links, video, by believing in his cause and spreading the message and by understanding the flaws in the government's weak anti-corruption bill. He is fasting from 16^th August 2011 for a week. We are welcome to join the fast in a public place at any time (and stop at anytime). But he won’t stop until the government agrees to introduce the Jan Lokpal – a strong anti-corruption bill and not their weaker version which allows them to be the exceptions who do not come under the ambit of the bill.

(For a comparision of the government Lokpal Bill and the IAC's Jan Lokpal bills see

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bwgjs_Sh0LjJOGVkYTM3ZmQtODg4Mi00NjhkLTg0NGUtZmRlMGJiMDc2MWQ3&hl=en_US

http://news.indiaagainstcorruption.org/?p=3319
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-05/india/29854353_1_lokpal-bill-lokpal-law-team-anna

The government jailed Anna before he could begin his fast but with a public outcry from his followers and others who called the government move unconstitutional, they were forced to relent and free him.

Let us support Anna Hazare and the cause for uprooting corruption from India. Let us hope that his Hunger Strike does not go in vain. Let us hope that he remains safe and well. Power to the people.

Here's what the BBC says about Anna http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14525537

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India Against Corruption - Anna's Message

2011-08-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

My Dear Fellow Indians
================================================

A decisive battle against corruption has begun. We are not against any political party. We want systemic reforms. We want a corruption-free India.

After all, what are the people asking for – a strong anti-corruption law which provides for honest and time-bound investigations and trials that result in jail for the guilty, confiscation of embezzled money and their dismissal from service?

Are we asking too much?

For two months, we were talking to the government. Government seems unwilling to take even small steps against corruption. Government appears insincere. We have met all prominent political leaders. We have tried everything. What do we do now? When I announced my indefinite fast from the 16th of August, the government threatened that they would crush us the way they crushed Baba Ramdev's peaceful agitation.

Friends, this is a historic opportunity. We can't afford to lose it. We are determined to fight to the end. If they arrest us, we will peacefully offer ourselves. If they use batons and bullets, we will happily lay down our lives but will not leave the place. We will not retaliate. It will be a completely non-violent movement.

“If you fast on 16 August, you will be crushed” – this is what they are saying. “We will impose section 144 on Jantar Mantar” – this is what they are thinking. But I say that if every citizen in this country takes off from his work from 16 August, comes on the streets in front of his house, at the crossing, with a tricolor in his hands shouting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and raising slogans against corruption, they will fall short of batons and bullets.

The government may arrest one Anna Hazare but how will they arrest 120 crore Anna Hazares? They may
impose section 144 at one Jantar Mantar but will they impose section 144 on the whole country? And let me tell you – the police and army is with us. At traffic signals, policemen stop us, express their support
and wish us well; at Raj Ghat, the policemen donated generously for the movement!

So, will you take off from your work from 16 August? Will you descend on the streets with me? This year, the country will wait for 16 rather than 15 August.

In solidarity,
Anna Hazare

(Please make copies of this pamphlet and distribute it in large nos.)

For more on India Against Corruption please go to http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/p/india-against-corruption.html or http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/

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Another Review From India

2011-08-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

"Overall, a lovely book that will flood your brain with fond memories of college , friends and first love." says reviewer, Bhargavi, of Hyphenatedsemicolons, about Never Mind Yaar.

"The book not only makes you nostalgic,but also makes you think and want to make a difference."

The link to her review -

http://hyphenatedsemicolons.blogspot.com/2011/08/never-mind-yaar-by-kmathur.html

Thank you Bhargavi.

Hopefully, the book will be available in India soon. For Excerpts and a reading from the story, please go to the "About The Book" section. http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/p/about-book.html

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Necessity the Mother of Technology Advances in Rural India?

2011-08-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

I remember in the seventies and eighties even we, living in a mega metropolis like Mumbai, couldn’t get a telephone line and in the nineties, at a heavy cost to India (please google "2G scam"), cell phones took off in India. Suddenly, even our villagers had connectivity. So many of them might not have had light, clean water to drink or proper roads to walk on amongst other things. But they had cell phones!

The light they used was smokey kerosene lamps that polluted their air, gave them breathing problems and made their eyes water. But now, guess what? Fed up of kerosene lamps, our villagers are powering their houses with solar panels. They kept waiting for a power grid, one that was promised by - you guessed it - their Government. But year after futile year of waiting and the electricity grid never did reach so many of their villages. It just remained an empty promise. Many of them had invested heavily in getting their houses wired in anticipation of the grids being introduced in their villages. Unfortunately, it was hard-earned cash that went down the drain. Now, thanks to the private sector, they've shelled out once more to have solar panels installed on their roofs.

Solar powered houses have one or two problems. The main problem is that the installation cost is high. But when villagers are shown how they make up the cost in no time at all by not spending on kerosene which gives them so many health problems, they've started buying in enthusiastically. There are other problems too. Without getting too technical, it is to do with ac-dc currents and batteries. But the advantage is that solar panels are relatively maintenance free. And the more they are used (as in Germany) the cheaper they get.

As for the government electricity grids which have already cost them dearly, they have been forced to write that expense off. Still, they are thrilled and who can't help but be happy for them.

Links used to write this post:
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/solar-lamps-transform-indian-village/
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Solar_energy_could_help_light_up_Indias_villages-nid-37425.html
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-21/interviews/28008346_1_solar-power-solar-panels-pv-modules
http://environment-msnbc.newsvine.com/_news/2011/07/02/6998926-indias-rural-poor-give-up-on-power-grid-go-solar

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August 16 Indian Independence Day?

2011-08-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

August 16? But didn't India gain its independence on August 15?

Ah yes. But that was in 1947. Since then India has slowly but surely moved towards anarchy from its own representatives. They rule supreme. And whilst they rule, they indulge in looting. Scam after scam has been exposed by the Indian press but Indians have been mute and helpless against the all powerful parties in power. The anti-corruption bill has been stacked against whistle blowers, many of whom, if accounts I've been reading are true, have lost their lives; the anti-corruption bill ensures that corruption charges against politicians ultimately land up on the desks of people working under the very person who's being investigated. (see the post
http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/04/problems-in-present-anti-corruption.html)

Anna Hazare and India Against Corruption have come up with an alternative - an anti-corruption bill that is for the people, for the tax payer, for whistle blowers and against the looting of tax-payer money. The government is fighting this bill, the Jan Lokpal Bill, tooth and nail. They want their own watered down version, the Lokpal Bill, implemented, whereby the scammers and looters continue walking off scot free. (http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/questionanswer.html)

Indians have joined Anna and India Against Corruption in their droves. The battle of the mighty government Goliath and the people of India is on. Anna wants to start a fast to force the Government's hand - to insist that the IAC's Jan Lokpal Bill is implemented so that scammers and looters are brought to justice; so that future scams and looting is prevented; so that past scammers and looters are excused provided whatever they have looted is declared a "national asset".

The fast starts on August 16 2011. Many Indians will join the fast. The venue was supposed to be Jantar Mantar, N.Delhi. It is a popular venue for citizens' protests. The latest protest was the "Slut Walk" just a couple of days ago. (See my post on the "Slut Walk") Now, the police have banned peaceful gatherings of more than 4 people at Jantar Mantar.

"The Hindu" has come out with an Editorial on this "Undemocratic Ban". Here's the link: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article2311296.ece

This Editorial deserves to go on everyone's web, blog and on all our facebook pages.

We do want to ensure no harm comes to Anna on the 16th of August 2011 and that Jan Lokpal is implemented to stop corruption, looting, the daily hardship borne by ordinary Indians when dealing with the municipality / government and the feeling of disgust Indians feel towards their representatives.

So what's it going to be - the people's victory or the looters'? Tune in to India on August 16 to find out.

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Anger Out of Control in S.Asia?

2011-07-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to Shekhar Kapur's blog as I find it informative and well thought out. Take a recent article. It's about anger and how Shekhar feels it is going out of control, especially in S.Asia.

Ale Enfurecido by Alepando, free clipart

What are the benefits of getting angry?

Anger is agression - a natural defensive human condition. People get angry when they are hurt. Most people find that anger is also very manipulative. Angry people, very often, manage to get their own way which must surely be very gratifying. If getting angry helps us get our way, why would we want to control the emotion?

The downside is that it rarely makes the hurt that accompanied our anger go away. Uncontrolled anger makes us uncaring of the consequences for just a fleeting moment. In that moment, we lose control so completely that our anger controls our actions. It leaves us feeling sorry afterwards, full of regret for what we said or did. We wish we could take it back. Our anger makes the other person angry too. It rarely resolves the issue that made us angry with that person in the first place. In the long run it loses us a lot of friends and makes us feel hostile and unfriendly towards people. Of the two - a person with a cool head and one with a short fuse, I know who I would prefer to trust.

The best time to teach this skill is when people are young, very young. Which brings me to parenting skills.We are not born with parenting skills. Yes, most of us are nurturing by nature. But are our well meaning intentions for our kids enough? Is it enough that we want the absolute best for our kids and nothing less will do? Don't we, especially first time parents, need some basic training too?

For example, how do we best handle kids who throw a tantrum? How do we empower them with skills to express their anger in a constructive way? How do we teach them that resolving an issue is the only way to get rid of their hurt, and consequently, their anger? That the momentary gratification of throwing a tantrum will only leave them feeling lonely and bitter for a long time afterwards?

What are these constructive ways of expressing anger? Let me put it this way - if our kids are ill we take them to specially trained people, in other words, our doctors, for cures. If, or rather, when our kids get angry, we, as parents, need first to learn, and then to impart, constructive anger-channelling skills. Where do we learn these skills?

Online? Courses? Books? There's a lot of information out there on anger management. One of the best parenting skills books I've read is, the very wordy but worthy title

"How To Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen to Kids when They Talk"

Do parenting skills make our kids perfect? Assuredly not! We are humans with human failings and emotions. But parenting skills do give our kids the ability to express their frustration and hurt much better than before. It helps them quickly move on to happier emotions.

One last note on anger in our young ones - the makings of an aggressive bully. It is a habit to be nipped in the bud through adult intervention. It is neither good for the bully nor the bullied. The bully learns to use aggression to overcome what's in his or her path and when that doesn't work in adult life - at the office, for example, becomes frustrated, angry and eventually, probably isolated. I remember a young mum who used to attend school during breaks (in Mumbai) simply to prevent her toddlers from being physically hurt by bullies.

Good on Barrack Obama and Michelle for addressing bullying in schools. When it makes kids commit suicide, it is time for grown ups to step in. This link will give you the details to that story. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2035621/Why-bullied-children-worse-grades-school-left-alone.html

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Slut Walk

2011-07-24T03:14:00.000-07:00

The international "Slut Walk" movement that began in Toronto and went around the world was supposed to happen in Delhi on Jun25 2011. Not sure if it did go ahead. If it did, I doubt if the men who were targeted even began to get the message.

No two people are the same. You cannot designate behaviour to an area, a city, a country or a culture. You will constantly be proved wrong. I can honestly say that most of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances of the opposite sex are relaxed in the company of women. Women, to them are just other human beings to laugh with, to have a chat with and enjoy being with, as are other men.

Still one unavoidably meets others who foist their unwanted attention on women. This is how they try and justify themselves:

· women who wear tight or skimpy clothes are asking for it, whatever “it” is.
· women who smile and chat with them aren’t simply being friendly but asking for it
· women who are out and about by themselves are asking for the same “it”
· women who go out with a man before marriage are also asking for it (from any man, especially from themselves)
· if women are asking for it, they are only too ready to give it
· that a man is only giving a woman what she deserves when he rapes he
· that his lust which makes him paw her or rape her in the first place is an issue to be sidelined
. that his desire to "punish" her legitimises his lust
. that society has to overlook his lust and give his actions credence because he says he only wants to dish out deserved punishment.
· that his having no control over his lust isn’t the issue.
· that traumatising another human being isn’t the issue

To change their mind set will take more than a slut walk. If anything, a slut walk will reinforce their conviction that they can and should do all of the above with impunity.

To change their mind set will take these men to start thinking of women as human beings, equal in intellect and sharing a common bond of humanity. More than anything it will take the fear of swift punishment from the law. It will also take my friends, colleagues and acquaintances and all of civil society to indicate clearly that only the perpetrator of the crime is guilty and never the victim.

We are a huge country with many different communities and varied ideas of what is okay and what is not, living side by side. If some men use the flimsy excuse of women's mode of dress to justify their touching or molesting women, let civil society not let them get away with it. Let it be as abhorrent to civil society as to the women who are so violated. Let civil society indicate clearly that the perpetrator of the crime is the guilty party and never the victim and that under the common umbrella we all share, the Indian constitution, the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

My First Review from INDIA!

2011-07-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

I said I would let you know when "Never Mind Yaar" is made available in India. I said I'd celebrate the milestone with a link to one of my favourite songs. Well, the song might be just a bit premature because the book is with my Indian Editors. Not yet published in India. They would like to get rid of my explanations for Indian words. I mean everyone, but everyone in India knows who a Daadi or a Chacha is.

Why write all this today? Well there is a very special reason. I received my first Indian Review. Here it is.
http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com
http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/2011/07/never-mind-yaar.html

To celebrate, here's a reading from the story.

Shalini, the main protagonist, listens to her Daadi telling the story of “Bhabuti Naaie, Bhabuti the Barber” (old Rajasthani folklore) to her young cousins.

Hope you like it.

(Click on the arrow that appears in the bar below to start listening)

How Best Can Secular Indians Get Together?

2011-07-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

How do Secular Indians Organise in a safe and uplifting environment? The answer is guaranteed to surprise. It is simple, do-able and very effective.

A previous post in June 2010 exhorted secular minded Indians to organise. The communal minded already seem to have, under the umbrella of a communal minded politician. The secular minded are happy to co-exist and work or socialize with anyone they like, irrespective of the community they belong to.

In today’s climate, with the hardened attitude of the communal minded towards anyone who is different or anyone who from their own community is ambiguous about those differences, our laid back, easy going attitude is simply not enough.

There are a lot of suggestions, some very good, about what we can do to stem an intolerant communal mindset towards anyone who is different. But our efforts will come to nought if we don’t learn to organize first. Who would be more effective in combating the supreme power our politicians seem to enjoy - a billion lone individuals or a billion strong force?

Part II: Accountability is a very important aspect of any organization. (A link to accountability at the end of this post) We generally feel accountability is what is lacking in many of our politicians - communal or otherwise. Why is India-Against-Corruption effective? We feel it's leaders like Anna and Arvind Kejriwal have a possible solution to the blatant corruption and looting of tax payer money. They have taken great pains to show us why our current anti-corruption bill is ineffective in curbing the excesses of our politicians and they have presented another bill as a possible option to check these excesses. They have left all the points they've made open to discussion. They take great pains to clear our doubts which they encourage us to express. In every way we feel they are accountable. What have they achieved to date? They've managed to organise us into a huge mass movement. ORGANISE us.

How else could we acquire the skills of organising? We could work for a common cause. Once we are working for a cause we passionately espouse and meet others who feel as strongly about it, we tend to forget which community the individual members belong to. Our appreciation is for that individual’s dedication, wisdom, intelligence and other qualities. In turn there is something in us that they appreciate.

So many Indians already know the joys of getting actively involved with charity. How will that help us fight communalism or racial politics, you might well ask.

The members of any charitable organization will tell you how essential it is to put aside individual egos and work as a team for a cause. They'll also tell you they

are normally there to right a wrong; to help alleviate pain and injustice.
need all the help they can get.
are already organized into a formidable force that makes a difference.
are often under resourced but know how to utilise whatever is at hand to make a difference.
need all the help they can get. It doesn’t have to be monetary help. Morgan Hunt, in his article about the significance of volunteering time to non profit organizations agrees that donating your time is good for you; sometimes it is better than donating money.

And I cannot think of any other approach that lets us be altruistic as we simultaneously acquire the many vital skills of belonging to such an organisation.

This is but a start. This is what so many more of us than ever before can do right now. In conclusion, the first step to making our communal minded politicians accountable is through getting organized ourselves. Let us give a small portion of our time (daily / weekly / monthly) and our trust to charitable organisations that already exist. We can help them even as they help us get to know and appreciate each other, irrespective of the community we belong to.

You might find this link to "Accountability" by Cass Wheeler and Ho Sun Yee well worth going through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPqYMS7KeOo

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Mumbai Blasts - Again

2011-07-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Why Mumbai? And why so often? Who hates us that much? And WHY?

Are we an easy target? Is that because we are peaceful and don't interfere with others? Is someone trying to get cash for another major hate filled project? After all one of the three simultaneous blasts was in the gold market - Zaveri Bazaar.

And another thought that comes to mind - Will we ever come to know answers to any of the above? Or not? Will we ever know the truth?

On a personal level, everyone must hope family living in Mumbai is okay. 21 lives gone for no fault of their own. What a needless loss. Whose God allows such a crime? Some terrorists say they don't care if they die - life is expendable. Then why do they ensure their families are well looked after when they are gone? Why do the ones who preach them that life is expendable, reassure them thus? Is their family the exception to that concocted-for-convenience belief? Why don't they let their family join them in heaven? Why ensure their well being on earth? I think suicide bombers are as trapped by their circumstances (mostly poverty) as we are by the desire of those who want (and wish for) a different world order where they are in power - the ones who train and enlist these bombers.

Before this becomes a rant, I know it isn't suicide bombers this time. This time the bombs were planted. Three in all. Simultaneous explosions as in the 1993 Mumbai blasts when there were eleven. As usual, the public rallied around to help the injured. Handcarts, trucks, motorcycles, whatever was at hand was used to transport the injured to hospitals.

Is there anything the public can do before such an event? Some say it was a tiffin box lying about that concealed the bomb; others say it was in a car. Mumbai is chaotic. Too easy to leave something somewhere with no one paying attention. Terrorists love chaos and thrive in it.

Perhaps only if we wring order from chaos will we be able to see things clearer. What can we do to prevent packages from being left about? Be trained through television to be more vigilant? Perhaps drop written complaints or suspicions into boxes? A direct phone line? I think it all sounds like a logistical nightmare with millions of real or imagined suspicions and sightings daily.

What should we do about vendors or the homeless - arriving into Mumbai in their droves everyday because there is no infrastructure in their towns and villages - clogging our footpaths. Do we turn them away? Mumbai never has. We feel helpless. Perhaps the government should stop collecting tax payer money for their individual Swiss accounts and start on infrastructure for our towns and villages.

Somethimes I wonder if Swiss accounts were stopped, would poverty be wiped out? But that is another thought for another day.

How else can we make our beautiful, coastal city less chaotic? How else do we make it difficult for terrorists to stop hurting us? Hope, for starters, the ones who set off these bombs are caught and severely punished. Hope their leaders are exposed and swiftly brought to justice. Hope we can do something to ensure there are no more bombs in Mumbai. Hope we know what that "something" is.

People are not buying into platitudes from ministers who see an international photo opportunity and mouth platitudes about the "Indian spirit". This is what another blogger writes,

So, it has happened yet again and all we get to hear is a confirmation from the Hon Home Minister “yes it was a planned terror attack”. Thank you sir for letting us know. Now what about protecting us? The title of this blog post - Bombed!!! Doomed!!! And Living On..... The link: http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/2011/07/bombed-doomed-yet-we-are-still-living.html

India Today's link to today's (yesterday's) blasts: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/mumbai-blast-three-blasts-in-mumbai/1/144704.html

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Environmentally Sound Innovation To Make NZ Company Rich

2011-07-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned before that countries that come up with innovations to mop up poisonous, polluting gases from our atmosphere, our waters and soil, will be wealthy. Very wealthy.

Well, what do you know? New Zealand's Lanzatech has come up with affordable technology to mop up carbon monoxide from the atmosphere and produce ethanol. Who wants this technology? India, China and the US of A for starters! They have already signed deals with the company.

Why are such huge volumes of carbon monoxide (and carbon dioxide) spewed into our atmosphere in the first place? They are the end product of human activities like transportation, oil refining, chemical production and manufacturing industries. Our mountains of garbage also release these gases. (links to why these gases are poisonous for our health are at the end of this article.) That is why mopping them up from the atmosphere is of the utmost importance.

Morning Glory

Countries the world over have strict regualtions about the quantities of carbon monoxide allowed into the atmosphere. They are aware of how poisonous it is to anything living (like human beings or this beautiful flower, Morning Glory by Netalloy downloaded from open clipart) and of the need for these regulations. Companies have had to take that one extra step of converting carbon monoxide their factories spew out into something less harmful. Yet others, although environmental laws are in place, have simply continued spewing carbon monoxide into the atmosphere as the enforcement of these laws in their countries have been lax.

Many companies convert carbon monoxide into ethanol. Ethanol is a reusable and clean end product that doesn't poison our atmosphere. It has many uses. If used as fuel in transportation, for example, it wouldn't release carbon monoxide as its end product. The Americans already sell cars that use either petrol or a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol

The technology for converting these poisonous gases into ethanol has been available for years. Put simply, this is what happens.

Carbon monoxide with the formula CO has no hydrogen (H) in it.
Ethanol (C2H5OH) has a total of 6H. 2C and 1O

Hydrogen would have to be added to carbon monoxide to form ethanol.

In many industries the unwanted end products are exactly the above two - hydrogen, carbon monoxide - plus other gases. In steel mills the end product is carbon monoxide but no hydrogen. Many steel companies to date have converted carbon monoxide from steel mills to ethanol by adding the hydrogen required. Lanzatech has developed a microbe that can circumvent this step of introducing hydrogen altogether. Its microbe can actually produce the hydrogen required by using the carbon from carbon monoxide and the hydrogen from water. The process is so efficient that a lot of the water they use is returned to the reactor for reuse. Whatever the industry, whatever the proportion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the Lanzatech microbe can convert it to ethanol. Also, the process is tolerant to any number of contaminents (other gases) present in the reactor.

The production of ethanol thanks to the L-microbe (whatever Lanzatech decides to call it) will now be commercially viable, extremely affordable and socially / environmentally sound.

There are some companies that convert animal and human waste in our sewage to ethanol. But where Lanzatech promises to be different is that its microbe is as harmless as brewers yeast and its process affordable and efficient. I have no doubts that the three countries that have signed up with Lanzatech - India, USA and China - would have done their due diligence because not only are they all astute and business savvy, they have scientists equal to the best in the world.

To conclude I'd have to say -

Thumbs up by Balex, open clipart

Go Lanzatech!

See how carbon monoxide poisons our health here.
How do we reduce garbage? http://www.nevermindyaar.com/reduce-garbage/
The seven secrets of good composting are a must read if you don't want a goey mess when you compost: http://www.nevermindyaar.com/7-secrets-of-good-composting/

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Four Adults, A Toddler and 2 Dogs

2011-07-09T02:31:00.000-07:00

Today we had some people over who had to bring their dog along because he had nowhere else to go. I anticipated all kinds of trouble because their dog is the size of a pony and ours can just about pull rank over a chihuahua. I was distinctly nervous.

"Worse comes to worse," I informed our friends by email, "we'll put one dog in the front yard and one in the back. "Don't worry" said the hubby, "It will be alright" - his idea of a solution. "If our dog gives your dog trouble," said our guest, "we'll put him in the car." That sounds like a solution, thought I, relaxing. "I'm sure it will be fine," I wrote back graciously with hubby looking over my shoulder, distinctly amused.

When I received a call from my daughter - she has started calling pretty regularly much to my delight. The first time she called I squeaked out my delight and she, dry as ever, said with a little laugh, you sound surprised - well, when she called this time, I told her a little boy (as our guests have a 2 year old son) was coming to play with our dog.

"Oh that's lovely", said my daughter, thrilled for our dog.

"..and," I continued, "our friends are bringing their big dog as well."

"Oh, I hope A... will be alright with that," said my daughter. "She is scared of big dogs."

"Not to worry," I reassured her, "we have plans if the two dogs don't get along."

Soon our friends were outside our gate. It was lovely to see them. Their dog on a leash they walked in. A... saw the giant and started barking. But I noticed she took two steps back. The giant ambled in and jumped on to a comfortable looking place. A's favourite seat. She went wild, jumping off all fours as she barked her protest.

She barked when he was offered a toy to chew on, her toy. She barked when we fed him in her bowl and when he drank from her water bowl; She protested when he was allowed indoors for a little while and when we stroked him for being such a gentle giant. When she momentarily forgot the big dog invading her territory, our little vixen in disguise adored the cuddles that came her way too . I think, given time, the two could be good friends!

The little boy was a darling. Ate mince and potato cutlets and roti dipped in gravy like a seasoned Indian, played with the hose, with the dogs, with half a dozen balls and then at the park kept his mum and my hubby on their toes as he discovered the swing, the adventure gym, the slides. His dad looked after their dog and I looked after ours. The adults had lots of opportunity to chat in between minding all our kids - human and canine.

It is really good to have company from time to time.

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The Computer Swallowed Grandma

2011-07-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me by my sister. I normally try and post my own original content. But couldn't resist this. I tried looking for the original author so I could acknowledge him or her. But all 985,000 results - well at least the first two pages said the author was unknown. If anyone knows do let me know.

And now the poem

The computer swallowed grandma.
Yes, honestly its true!
She pressed 'control' and 'enter'
And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely,
The thought just makes me squirm.
She must have caught a virus
Or been eaten by a worm.
I've searched through the recycle bin
And files of every kind;
I've even used the Internet,
But nothing did I find.
In desperation, I asked Google
My searches to refine.
The reply from him was negative,
Not a thing was found 'online.'

So, if inside your 'Inbox,'
My Grandma you should see,
Please 'Copy,''Scan' and 'Paste' her
And send her back to me.

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Teaching Adults to Read and Write English

2011-07-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

I’ve always wanted to teach but somehow never really gotten around to it. Both my kids are at University and live in another city so I guess I do have free time now.

Okay, I decide, it’s now or never. Let’s seriously think about it. Why do I think I qualify? Well I speak, read and write the language don’t I?

I’ve often seen the term ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages. That’s who I’d like to teach. How would I find such people? I mean I couldn’t simply go across to them in the park and ask them if they’d like to learn. They’d think I was crazy. Perhaps the volunteer centre would know.

So off I march to the volunteer centre. They inform me there are courses being run. Armed with an address I make an appointment and march off to meet these folks.

They all seem polite and happy to see me. One of them is ready to interview me. We make ourselves cups of tea and take those into the interview room. The lady starts by asking my name and contact details. As we progress to the end of the first page of the form I’m filling in whilst we chat, I suddenly realise the form has just asked me what my learning priorities are. My learning priorities? Oooops. I tell her I hope to teach. Embarrassed, she looks at me, not knowing what to say. I realise my foreign face and different accent have led her to believe I want to learn. She goes away to have a discussion with her boss and then returns to inform me I need to hand in a CV if I want to teach. With a promise to email it in I leave.

Two months later I receive a call to say they are starting a teacher training class soon and would I like to join? You betcha! The course will be a total of 80 hours – 40 theory and 40 - the practicum. Happy that things are moving in the right direction I land up for my first class.

There are six of us in the class and a young teacher. She introduces herself – she’s been teaching this course for eleven years. Impressive! As the classes progress all of us trainee tutors realise there is more to teaching English to adults than we suspected. First, adults come with a life time of experiences and cannot be taught like kids – with no reasons given as to the relevance of teaching them certain things. And no! You need to know this won’t work. They lose their incentive to learn unless things are contextual. So trainee tutors are taught how to make things relevant to each individual. Someone wants to apply for a job, someone else wants to be able to handle English in a social context and another person who can speak and read a little but not much, wishes to learn driving but wants to become more fluent in English first so he understands the instructions. The would-be driver is taught English with relevance to his final goal.

What should he learn? Perhaps learning to fill in driving school forms, learning different road signs and learning the road code would be handy. We then figure out the how-to and when-to learn areas. And by “we” I mean the learner of English and the tutor. It is essential to have the learner's buy in to what will be taught and why. For each learner, depending on his or her goal, depending on his or her initial degree of literacy, we hammer out different learning plans.

There are many tutoring strategies for reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, technology and numeracy. As a trainee tutor, one feels grateful that all these methods are discussed and are therefore made available to each of us as resources we can use for teaching. Our ultimate goal should be to ensure the learner becomes independent and feels fulfilled; that he or she can learn anything they set their mind to; that they can contribute to society and express their points of view with confidence.

One of the most useful methods, I think, is “language experience.” The learner is encouraged to speak something contextual – for example a little about him or herself. As the learner speaks you write down what they say, word for word. (They already know why you are furiously taking down every word they utter or like Eliza Dolittle they would be alarmed!) Then pointing to each word you’ve written you read it out aloud. Then you ask the learner to read it out. The learner uses different methods to figure out the words and if you are a clever or experienced tutor you are able to point out to the learner what method they used to decipher the words. If the learner consciously understands his or her own way of unscrambling what’s written, they notch up another skill - that of understanding their favourite style of learning or unscrambling. This helps them in whatever they undertake to learn in future.

I am half way through my course. I'm looking forward to teaching although I am not as confident as I was before I started this course. What is even more humbling is that what I am doing is only an entry level course. There obviously is so much more besides what I'm being taught to teach. And there is the other unspoken fear. Will I be a good teacher? I'll keep you posted.

One final word. There are a lot of free resources available online for whoever is interested in finding out more.

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People who deny Climate Change Are Indirectly Helped by Media says Al Gore

2011-06-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is a very important article by Al Gore who brought the issue of climate change to the fore. It describes how people who deny our climate is changing due to human activity, are indirectly helped by the media; how, natural events like, droughts, melting glaciers, heatwaves, storms of stronger ferocity and floods have increased in the past ten years. For example the floods in Australia and Pakistan and the fact that the last ten years have been the hottest on record.


Environmental/Eco Globe and leaf Icon by Kendraschaefer, openclipart

In his own words, Here is the core of it: we are destroying the climate balance that is essential to the survival of our civilization. This is not a distant or abstract threat; it is happening now. The United States is the only nation that can rally a global effort to save our future. And the president is the only person who can rally the United States.

More important, it outlines what we, the ordinary people could do. Here's the link: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/climate-of-denial-20110622?print=true

A strange twist to Al Gore's article is the one I read before it at the following link:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/al-gore-president-obama-has-failed-on-climate-chnage.php#comment-233376582

To me this article seemed like nothing Al Gore had said. It led one to believe that most of Al Gore's article must be a rave and a rant against Barrack. This it certainly isn't. And Maggie519, one of the commentators after the article seems to agree. Part of her comment is that according to Al Gore:

They (the media) gave equal time/credence to the climate deniers:false equivalency. It's not hard to imagine how this was hijacked into an Obama hit piece by the MSM. He actually PRAISED the Presidents efforts on this front in spite of all the odds. The only criticism (one sentence by the way) was that Obama didn't use the "bully pulpit" to push back against the deniers harder.

Makes one wonder about the intentions of the author of that article, Benjy something or the other. Never mind, the important issues are

how rapidly some of our life-giving activities like cooking, keeping warm, travelling, transportation, our very way of life, are threatening the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil we grow our plants in,
how we could make changes so that we continue making life easy for ourselves without polluting the atmosphere
how innovations for this is where our research efforts should be; not only will it help the environment, it is what will make the nation from where these innovations originate, the nation that invests in this kind of research, very wealthy.
how educating everyone about these issues is essential so that we have ordinary people's buy in

and Al Gore, as usual, has pointed out only too well, the reasons why this isn't happening in the States. He has also pointed out what we, the ordinary people who believe climate is changing because of human activity, can and must do.

Here's the link again:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/climate-of-denial-20110622?print=true

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New Zealand DIY for Indian software?

2011-06-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Architetto Botiglia di vino, open clipart by Anonymous

Have you heard?

NZ and India are talking about a free trade deal. The NZ Prime Minister, John Key and the Trade Minister, Tim Groser are both in India.

Here's to a fruitful outcome.

When NZ signed a free trade agreement with China - the first western country to do so, it was an outright coup. Their exports to China went up from 2 billion NZ dollars to more than twice that.

Re the quantities of import and export between NZ and India I haven't a clue. But having lived here on and off for over twenty years I consider myself an authority on what I love about things Kiwi and what I miss about things Indian, with the accent on "things" and in no particular order. It is as well to let India and NZ know my opinion in advance for whenever they are ready to deal with each other.

When I first started travelling long before settling in NZ, I used to love going into DIY shops. At that time in India, we had no concept of DIY. I remember taking home a magnetic tape for a DIY fan - a family member and he LOVED it. The kids used to love blue-tac. I don't know how things are now but I think many Indians would take to DIY even if some wouldn't. Recently I read a blog post by an Aussie woman married to an Indian man. In that post she said she enjoyed living and working in India but really missed the Aussie bathrooms and kitchens.

To me it is obvious. A NZ Mitre10 in India! Remember it would be in competition with Chinese imports. Still, I think there would be many takers. The young woman from Australia would, I am sure, be a regular customer. As would so many Indians and other expats. But easier to import would be DIY courses - perhaps taught on TV or perhaps in real life.

Dairy products - I wonder how that will pan out.

NZ has cow's milk, India buffalo. (For a comparison of the two try http://www.indiadairy.com/info_buffalo_milk_vs.html.
India is the world's largest producer of milk and NZ is famous for its dairy products.

Do I see an oppotunity to trade in dairy?
(The Indians have already captured that market here. What we call our banya shops in Mumbai are known as dairies here and the majority of dairy owners in NZ are Indians :-)) But I digress.

Going back to dairy products, to give New Zealanders a taste of the Indian mawa, khoya, shrikhand and barfi, to have NZ export its really fine varieties of cheeses and chocolates - a perfect win-win.

NZ apples - There are many varieties. They are delicious as also crunchy, juicy, sweet and free of critters. The green ones are slightly tart and some people use them for cooking. I love the red "granny-smiths".

One of our NZ fruit exporters who already exports apples and pears to India complains that the tax on his fruit is as much as 50% making the fruit prohibitively expensive for ordinary folks. Obviously he's looking forward to the free trade agreement. It made me laugh to hear Radio NZ quote him as saying, if every Indian ate one NZ apple a day, his orchards would run out of apples in just three days.

As for the Alphonso - haven't eaten it for years. After migrating to NZ I haven't ever been in India during the hapus season and it is way too expensive in NZ. Am I looking forward to a hapus! And the biggest baatli keri. Or a chikoo for that matter.


Goat by ArtFavor, open	clipart

NZ lamb versus Indian goat - one is tender, the other tough; one is extremely fatty and the other lean. If I cook red meats in NZ I make sure I drain off the fatty oils. They smell - my personal opinion. If we cook goat, we use the pressure cooker to ensure tenderness.

And how could I forget - the NZ kiwi fruit. Don't know how much it costs in India but with an FTA, it could be much cheaper. The kiwi is full of vitamin C and I not only love it by itself but also a slice on sweet pastry with a dollop of custard cream or as a topping for cheescake. I know, I know. That would take care of not only vitamin C but my monthly quota of fat!

But we could work it all out. Recently I have seen Indians enjoying and training for gymnastics and other sports as never before. NZ is a country of less than 4.5 million people. But they have always been outdoors people. Their activities (apart from going to the pub, watching TV or firing up the good old barbie or barbeque in summer) also include a variety of sports from a very young age. Playing in the school band, having access to a variety of musical instruments is another. So many Indians I've spoken to believe these extra curricular activities (except cricket - are for later - pehle padhai bete, studies first. Or the other option is expensive private tutions. NZ, aware of this trend and showcasing its good track record in sports would like to open up a few sports training facilities for paying Indians. Perhaps for every 50 paying Indians if they throw in one scholarship, it would be good publicity for these facilities. Or they could open up sports and gymnastics training in India itself. Are you listening Susan of 5*gym whose classes my son loved as a kid?

And we Indians could provide textiles to make uniforms for these schools. Perhaps the All-Black T-shirts too? But for that we would face tough competition from the Chinese. Their textiles have all but captured the world market.

Indians already export technology, leather jackets, accessories, handbags and footwear, bling and diamonds to NZ. Obviously, with free trade agreements, the tax on these would decrease considerably, making things more readily available and affordable to locals here.

Bollywood comes here quite often too and with an FTA, the frequency could be increased.

But before we count our kiwis - there are a few crimps to iron out. Apparently there are strong lobbies and a need to set up up a yearly business forum between India and NZ for better understanding. There's nothing like regular firsthand meetings to overcome preconceived notions or prejudices although I am not sure about lobbies!

http://www.asianz.org.nz/our-work/action-asia-business/action-asia-insights/india-fta talks of the various difficulties to overcome.

Having a foot in each of these countries I'm obviously happy both our current PMs, John Key - astute, amiable and from an accounting and business background, Manmohan Singh - knowledgeable, experienced and the person who opened up the Indian economy as Finance Minister in 1991, have taken that first step towards an FTA.

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Carbon Tax-Who benefits? Governments? The Air We Breathe?

2011-06-24T01:03:00.000-07:00

MY KEY QUESTION - WHAT WILL THE MONEY THEY COLLECT BE USED FOR?

John Key has just been to Australia. He is being touted as the first NZ PM to go there and address their parliament. The Aussies, on the other hand, are quick to point out the largesse with which they see New Zealand and its PMs. Good guy, one of them said, but our real issues took a back seat. Julia Gillard, our PM would've been relieved there was no question time. She would have him speak for a week if she had her way.

Julia Gillard, from what I gathered, has taken a nose dive in the popularity polls. Australia is a coal mining country and she wants to introduce a carbon tax. John Key, in his address spoke about the carbon tax that NZ has already introduced bolstering her argument.

Which brings me to my topic - the carbon tax. If I understand correctly, this tax is imposed so that businesses hesitate to release carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Coal and other fossil fuels like petroleum release many polutants when they are burnt. These are very dangerous for human health and the health of anything living. Some of these are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide in huge quantities, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ground level ozone, smog... What exactly they do to us, to plant life, to animals, fish, the plankton in the sea, which industries are responsible - these issues are addressed here on my blog. (http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-i.html)


Air pollution by netalloy, open clipart

To reduce carbon dioxide emissions into our atmosphere governments have come up with the carbon tax. Businesses have to pay a tax for every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted due to their activities. People always toe the line if it hurts their pockets. Weighing the bottom line against high faluting ideas like saving the atmosphere, saving future generations from ill health like asthma or heart disease, breathing clean air, not having eyes water, guess what wins? More's the pity but that is why a carbon emissions tax is considered a good idea.

What I'd like clarified is what governments will do with all that money. What will they use it for? To clean up the atmosphere? Plant more trees? Educate people to have their buy in? Show them the benefits of recycling? Composting? Terraced gardening? Alternatives to fossil fuels? Where exactly will every penny of the carbon emissions tax be spent? Do let us know.

It somehow reminds me of speeding and drunk driving fines in NZ. The New Zealand police department might always have fined people for drunk driving or speeding but of late, to my mind, collecting that fine had become a very prominent activity in Auckland. If that fine went towards helping to educate these people or towards Alcoholics Anonymous or anything to do with people buy-in to improve speeding and drunk driving, I would feel better about it. I am not arguing the police department doesn't need funds - I hope it always has enough funds to do a good job of protecting people and doesn't need what's collected from speeding and drunk driving fines.

And similarly, the carbon tax could be used to educate people about the dangers of using fossil fuels, research in alternative energies, new technologies and anything that would reduce carbon emissions into the only atmosphere we humans have to sustain life.

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What I love / hate about NZ

2011-06-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

Oceania Globe by rorzer, openclipart

Before your eyes glaze over at how clean and green I think my adopted country of residence is, I'd like to tell you straight away this post is more about what I feel, whether right or wrong, about the people of NZ.

“Awwww,” said the two old ladies, eyes melting as they spotted my little dog. They ran across to stroke her. Kara wagged her tail – she loves humans. She just hates big dogs, barking at them with indignation from behind the safety of our garden fence when they approach her territory. The two ladies chatted with her. I smiled and we exchanged a few pleasantries before going our separate ways.

“Doggy, doggy,” squeaked the little child in the pram, body straining forward, both arms reaching out to touch Kara as the mother, with a smile at me continued walking, chatting with the baby. “Yes, that's a cute little doggy...,” her voice faded as we went our way in opposite directions.


Puppy by Gerald_G, open clipart

It is obvious. The people here, on the whole, love dogs. The ones who don’t are extremely few and far between. They might be “cat” people or they are afraid and instil, to my regret, the same fear in their children, or very rarely, they really do hate dogs.

Sport - All five fingers not being equal, NZ has a sprinkling of those who love outdoor activities, the ones in-between and the ones who hate them passionately. But I've always seen some people jogging on the streets come rain or shine or young kids playing out in the fields and parks. Rugby is a religion and NZ is over the moon as they are hosting the Rugby World Cup 2011 in September. Luckily, for us Indians, there are enough cricket enthusiasts for cricket to feature quite prominently on the NZ radar. I can't help looking on with pleasure as I see a parent - mum or dad - teaching their toddlers to kick ball at the park. Not sure if this is a good idea but I've seen babies in prams zoom past with parents behind the handlebars (wheel?). They start young and schools lay a lot of stress on outdoor activities.

Which brings me to my son's school principal. This is an individual - and I don't guarantee every principal is like her - who is everywhere, knows every kid and cares. My son was six or seven years old. One of the students in his class was deaf. He talked in sign language. Thanks to his principal's go ahead the entire class learnt to speak the language. At the end of the year they did a song and dance routine and apart from singing it, they acted it out too --- in sign language. If I find the video clip I'll put it up here. As for the young hearing impaired boy, he was soon very much part of the mainstream, being boisterous and happy and carrying out some animated conversations with everyone in his class --- in sign!

Another observation: Like people the world over, the ones who are in the majority on any given day or in any given situation, have this need to show how superior they are; how refined, how very cultured. What do they feel about the minorities? To my mind many of them are prejudiced. But they know it is “politically incorrect” to openly say so. So they manage to convery it with their facial expressions, their body language and the inflections in their voices.

I have seen this happen EVERYWHERE, including India. Think about anyone from another community married into your family. Are you critical? Does he / she need a little instruction in your way of behaviour? So why shouldn’t it happen here? Again, New Zealanders, just like us, aren’t a homogenous lot – they are as varied as we, in India, are. You will find some who are respectful of other cultures – even curious and eager to try something new and different. They find the food, the clothes, the adornments, the festivals of other cultures fascinating.

Finally, there’s one person who I guess I feel the need to talk about – Paul Henry. I can hear you all cringe - why dredge up something you'd rather forget? But please indulge me. I saw him recently in an interview and surprisingly, felt sad. To me, he was always crass but funny. Sometimes I felt myself squirm at his remarks and sometimes I laughed. But none of his remarks were to be taken seriously. After he spoke about the NZ governor general's name and face - Sir Anand Satyanand - not being local enough, our PM felt the same – didn’t know whether he should smile or not. (Just to clarify I mean the NZ PM - I seem to have two PMs in my mind - Manmohan Singh and John Key, which is another story.) If he could have, he would've complained to the queen about the "Sir" in Sir Anand Satyanand too. Grow up Paul. Have you, as yet, complained to the Americans about "Obama" not sounding American enough? For that matter why not complain about Sonya not being Indian enough, to the Indians? And of course, Paul on a run simply couldn't stop - the theme was Indians. He made the "dixit" remark on another occassion. I don't remember which came first but he made both those comments on TVNZ.

The, mostly white, New Zealanders decided enough was enough and stood outside the TVNZ studios yelling for Paul's resignation. A young and idealistic Ben – http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/10/no-more-breakfast/ - who, on the "breakfast show" - Paul's programme, showed us new gadgets with a lot of fun comments from Paul, resigned in protest over "Paul’s dixit”. Hats off to people like Ben as I am not sure I would’ve done the same for them or for my principles, had the situation been reversed. Another lady who is a New Zealander living outside the country said she was proud of NZ being so multicultural and now he'd (meaning Paul Henry) gone and changed the face of her country. Many people spoke out for and many against Paul.

Anyway, Paul was forced to resign.

In the interview, a year after his unfortunate comment and subsequent resignation, I saw a man who was hurt by the "racist" slur from his own people against him. He did not see himself as racist at all. And he stuck to his guns about the “dixit”. He noticed how some New Zealanders had changed the pronunciation to “dick-sit”.

Now that things have calmed down, I can’t help wishing he had received a deserved rap on his knuckles and that’s it. Somehow, to my mind, the whole thing got bigger than it should have. Perhaps it is wrong of me to say so when he upset so many people, when young Ben gave up his job in protest.

In India I had a piano called “Moutrie”. If you speak Hindi or Gujarati, does that make you smile? Let’s just realise words in other languages do sound funny and that’s all Paul Henry was trying to be – funny and irrepressible. Do I think Paul, after this incident, might think before speaking so he doesn’t appear quite so insensitive? I honestly don't know.

Indians didn't say much then. How could we? We were all disgusted and shamed by that image. Our upbeat mood of being able to showcase India to the world at the commonwealth games took a crashing dive. And the added dimension to Indians paying taxes in India was the awareness that the sports minister was spending billions - $80 for toilet rolls, $125 first-aid kits, $220 on mirrors costing $98 retail, $61 on soap dispensers costing $1.97, and $250,190 on high-altitude simulators costing $11,830 (according to business week quoting Economic Times and India Today magazine, and any number of other newspapers and magazines).

Where are things now?

Right now, Indians are burning with anger at the amount of money being pocketed by our ministers in scam after scam amounting to billions. Ordinary Indians have joined a movement, “India Against Corruption” in their droves. According to IAC, there are problems in our present anti-corruption system. For example, corruption charges against politicians ultimately land on the desks of people working under the very person who's being investigated. In effect, employees have to investigate their bosses. ABSURRRD.

This is where we are at, right now. Paul Henry, we have had to move on.

Here is my hope - that IAC and the wonderful work they are doing, and the fight they face from our (Indian) government, is something the world watches closely. (A clarification - I mean people the world over and not governments the world over which thought somehow gives me the heebee jeebees.)

If you would like to find out more about IAC, go to
http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/p/india-against-corruption.html
Or go directly to the IAC site at http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/

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Proposed Government Anti-Corruption Bill an Eye-wash says India Against Corruption

2011-06-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

If you want to know how and why the proposed Government version of the Lokpal Bill will let corrupt elements in our government continue being corrupt, read this article carefully.

India Against Corruption (IAC) has drawn up a chart which explains what exactly the government wants in the bill against corruption, what IAC's view (the IAC view is open to discussion and suggestions by anyone here - http://www.lokpalbillconsultation.org/) is and the many ways in which the government wants to retain a hold on who ultimately investigates corruption against themselves.

For example, the government want the CBI to investigate corruption charges against themselves and guess who they say should be in charge of the CBI? You guessed it. Themselves!

Here's a sample of what IAC's chart contains:

The Issue: Who will Lokpal be accountable to?

IAC View: To the people. A citizen can make a complaint to Supreme Court and seek removal.

Government View: To the Government. Only government can seek removal of Lokpal

Comment from IAC: With selection (previous point) and removal of Lokpal in government’s control, it would virtually be a puppet in government’s hands, against whose seniormost functionaries it is supposed to investigate, thus causing serious conflict of interest.

To my mind, this is the worst point - punishing the ordinary citizens who dare to lay charges against anyone in the government. In IAC's own words: Rather than gunning for the corrupt and corruption, government’s Lokpal seems to be gunning for those who complain against corruption.

IAC thinks a fine for frivolous complaints would suffice. The government wants fines and imprisonment. Especially notice IAC's comment in the last column.

Issue: False, Frivolous and vexatious complaints

IAC's view: No imprisonment. Only fines on complainants. Lokpal would decide whether a complaint is frivolous or vexatious or false.

Govt: Two to five years of imprisonment and fine. The accused can file complaint against complainant in a court. Interestingly, prosecutor and all expenses of this case will be provided by the government to the accused. The complainant will also have to pay a compensation to the accused.

Comment: This will give a handle to every accused to browbeat complainants. Often corrupt people are rich. They will file cases against complainants and no one will dare file any complaint. Interestingly, minimum punishment for corruption is six months but for filing false complaint is two years.

And there are many more points. This is the link:

http://news.indiaagainstcorruption.org/?p=3022&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=govt-lokpal-bill-vs-jan-lokpal-bill

And after reading those, if you, as an ordinary citizen, as a lawyer or anyone from India or abroad have anything to say (about any point) I think IAC will really value your input. Don't forget the link http://www.lokpalbillconsultation.org/

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Kathryn Ryan, interviewer extraordinaire

2011-06-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

The interview reinforced once more what a wonderful and important organisation the UN is. What admirable work they do. Why I thought of this is because I've just finished reading Nobel peace prize winner and previous head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei's book, "The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times" in which he mentions how certain factions in the United States view the UN as merely a tool, "to be used when convenient, as a way to make U.S. driven actions more palatable to other countries, but to be discarded and circumvented when UN objectives are not in U.S. interests..."


Call Bubble by Ryanlerch, open clipart

I admire Kathryn. She runs the 9 to noon section of Radio NZ National every weekday. Every time I listen to her in depth and thoughtful questions about so many and varied topics, and unfortunately it is only when I am in the car from 9 to about 10 am once a week, I come away feeling satisfied. If the car goes through a tunnel as it does for about 5 minutes and I lose the radio waves, I feel I am missing out.

Unlike so many interviewers who pride (admire?) themselves for being hard hitting, who constantly put the interviewee on the defensive, Kathryn has no such agenda. She has no desire to draw blood but won't hesitate to ask those hard hitting questions if she feels the public have a need to know. On the whole she simply draws out the most useful information from each interview.

This is the link to her program.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon

My SECOND reason is because today's interview was with Baroness Valerie Amos. Her title requires a whole line (or perhaps two) by itself -

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Never mind all those titles - Baroness plus the above - the work she does and the challenges this job entails are so much more impressive. And this is only one of many branches of the UN.


Drapeau Flag by Improulx, open clipart

The baroness oversees all emergency relief work that requires UN assistance - natural disasters like floods, volcanoes, earthquakes as well as humanitarian aid in areas of complicated conflicts around the world.

Trying to make sense of what can be a very chaotic situation, trying to keep out of political issues, trying to be safe from people who want to kill UN workers because that brings these people publicity cannot be easy. When thousands of NGOs turn up, bless them, knowing there are things to be done but not absolutely certain what and where exactly, wanting to help with a natural disaster or even during a conflict when so many of the country's own civil servants who would've responded under normal circumstances have had to flee or have been killed, they need some sort of guidance so their time is not wasted. Again it is the UN Emergency Relief Co-ordination plus their other international partners who try to work with them so that the people who are most desperately in need get that help. Help can be with much needed food and water, clothing, shelters, medical assistance, search and rescue, communication. The UN try to co-ordinate whatever information is available so that they know what the needs are. This co-ordination, as you can imagine is crucial.

They also deal with the national government of the country where help is needed. These governments are diverse all over the world, some very strong, with robust economies and therefore strong institutions for relief already in place and yet needing a bit of assistance from the world community because of the scale and nature of the disaster, others fragile and vulnerable, with poorly funded institutions whose people desperately need help during such emergencies. The UN respects and works closely with all.

The baroness made a special mention of the local people anywhere in the world who are always there to help their own people - so many as members of the UN. For the complete interview - as there is so much more - go to Radio NZ National.

Note: Even as I wrote this post Christchurch felt more devastating aftershocks on the 13th of June, 2011. To have to face more flooding, liquifaction, to start tidying up all over again - some people were so despondent it was heart breaking. Yet others - especially school principals - said they would simply have to step up once more and tidy up - get on with it. Here's an important site that lets us know about resources available as well as where we can donate. http://www.radionz.co.nz/specialfeatures/canterbury_earthquake_resources

23Jun2011 - According to "One News" today is the day of reckoning. Which areas of the city will be abandoned and the compensation to be offered to home owners will be announced by the PM. Such an emotional time for people who want to stay, don't want to stay or don't have an option but to stay.

The link again:

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon

Link to the United Nations:

http://www.un.org/

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India Against Corruption - A Unique Photo Exhibition

2011-06-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

India Against corruption has captured the hearts and minds of Indians around the world. This photo exhibition shows the support this movement has received from ordinary people, from well known individuals, Non Resident Indians, street actors - a huge spectrum of Indians who are totally fed up of and disgusted with corruption in government.

This movement (IAC) has explained how the government manages to swindle the tax payers of their money. IAC explains the laws that have allowed the government to get away with duping India of zillions of rupees.

IAC has come up with a bill known as the "Jan Lokpal Bill" to improve our lax laws.

Exactly as predicted by Gandhi in the following photo - the government ignored, laughed and is now fighting the Jan Lokpal Bill tooth and nail, using delaying tactics, introducing amendments which would render it ineffective in curbing their excesses or introducing exemptions to the bill. They've also tried to malign the drafters of the bill who, along with Anna Hazare have started this movement. And now, the latest I've heard is that they would like to curb blogs they feel are "maligning" the government.

Two photos from the exhibition to pique your interest:

What's admirable about this photo is that Anna Hazare is a Hindu but quotes from the Quran.

IT HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA...

This link will take you to this most unique photo exhibition.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=224865794209780&set=a.186653318031028.51064.165845033445190&type=1&theater

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The Environment or Life Giving Activities?

2011-06-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

Do we have to make a choice?

Some of our life-giving activities involve burning fossil fuels like coal and oil so we can cook, keep warm, travel and transport goods made in factories to our shops and ultimately, our homes. This is our way of life. Why is it under threat from the very activities that have made life easy so far?

How are these activities impacting our health? The simplest answer is that the volume of human activity has increased so much, it is releasing too many pollutants into our soil, water and air.

The World Health Organisation has set safety standards for these pollutants. According to WHO, these pollutants cannot exceed a certain level in our air, soil or water. Besides WHO, our government has set safety standards and maximum allowable limits too. But where enforcement and implementation are concerned, our government is extremely lax.

We obviously cannot stop our activities but what we can do is complete the cycle of taking a resource from the earth, the atmosphere and waters we live off by giving back a reusable resource as the end product of our activities.

To date what we’ve been doing is taking a resource, using it to make whatever is useful and ending the process there. We haven’t had to think about what by-product we’ve created. All too often this has been a pollutant that poisons our health and the environment.

To answer the question in the title to this post, "The Environment or Life Giving Activities?" it makes sense to say, BOTH.

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Let's take resources from our soil, air and water as long as we give back re-usable resources. Giving back pollutants is not an option any more as eventually pollutants will choke the life out of everything living.

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Why, and to what extent are these pollutants dangerous for our health and well being? Why shouldn’t they be the end products of our activities? Why isn't it enough to think beyond the end product we want from our activities (like goods from our factories) to what else we’ve created in the process? What pro environment actions can we take? Are they easy to take? Yes, if we understand what some chemicals and gases we release into our environment through our activities do to our health and to everything living.

To find out why some gases are so deadly for our health and well being go to http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-i.html

I support the "Green Dream Foundation" for their desire to educate people about the ways in which we can help clean up our air, water and soil. Please take the time to read this information from the founders of the movement.

Links
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/greendreamfoundation
website: http://www.greendreamfoundation.org

Activity: Green Dream Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on generating environmental awareness among people to stand against the biggest concern before the world in the 21st Century i.e. Global Warming. We are a focused group that has and will continue to create awareness, drive action and influence formulation for a better environment globally.

Green Dream Foundation, in collaboration with its partners will develop a sustainability education and advocacy platform for young people to raise their awareness of the why and how of climate change. Our objective is to inspire, educate, and promote personal behavior alternatives to carbon-intense consumption and lifestyle habits, and empower young people to play a significant role in developing climate change solutions. All our endeavors have the sole objective of bringing about change for a cleaner and a greener world.
Details: You can contact Abhishek Agarwal (Co-founder at Green Dream Foundation) at 9958866676 or abhishek@greendreamfoundation.org to discuss more about this.

Support: Green revolution, aforestation, anti-pollution, environmental awareness, reducing carbon footprint, recycling
Note: We would like to partner with you in spreading the message to save the environment. We would like to host a blogathon to promote the cause. We have partnered with the Times Group for an initiative next month. We would like to do something similar with you too.
This post is a part of BlogAdda's Bloggers Social Responsibility (BSR) initiative.
I am exercising my BSR. You can too with three simple steps. Visit http://www.blogadda.com/bsr/ and support the NGO's.

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Indian English, our heritage.

2011-05-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

In India, we are brought up bi or even multi-lingual. When we speak English, we freely borrow from various languages without giving it much thought. The people we speak to are as multi-lingual as we are so we don't notice anything amiss. What we do has a name - Code Switching.

It is distinct from speaking "Pidgin" which happens when two people who don't know each other's languages at all or have very sketchy knowledge, try and communicate with each other. Pidgin is no doubt simple sentences with a lot of signing and gesticulating but I wouldn't sneer at it. It needs a lot of inventive ability based on guesswork plus a great deal of courage to be able to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your language at all.

After settling in New Zealand I realised I couldn't Code Switch anymore. My resources, if you will, were suddenly reduced by half or more. When we settle in English speaking countries, this is one of the difficulties many of us do encounter. We cannot borrow from other languages as the people we speak to don't know those languages. We do get used to it though so the best POA is to hang on in there with a huge dose of humour whilst we transition.

Our Accents: In American movies Indians sound like they have stones rattling around their mouths. The English have portrayed an Indian brilliantly in "The Party" by Peter Sellers. Some of us found it hilarious, as long as we watched it with other Indians whilst others hated it and even tried to have it banned. It is touching really. We want people to take us seriously; not poke fun at us. Some might say we are unable to laugh at ourselves.

Yet there is a very real, very major upside to Indian English.

We have a mix of many and varied accents. If we are all fitted into a single, homogenous box, we know that is a bit too simplistic. But guess what? The accents are ours. Today I live in New Zealand and have discovered, after many years of being settled here, that there is a unique reason for us to feel good about our spoken English. And it is nothing to do with the English.

The English left India in 1947. They weren't around when we, most of us, were born. Language being ever evolving, we had the freedom to do with English as we willed. So we coloured it with our local dialects (and accents :-) throughout India. What we did not have to contend with was another race of people constantly looking over our shoulder to correct us, perhaps to smirk, get amused or annoyed, to say it wasn't quite right, to say we were ruining what was naturally their property, their language. We learnt the language in school with teachers who were Indian. We were absolutely free to do with the language as we wanted.

And, if I might add, on the whole, we didn't do too badly. What's more, we understood each other with our myriad accents perfectly.

Today, Indian English is our heritage. We write books, magazines, newspapers, manuals in English - (check this out for an interesting article on the state of Indian Publishing then and now by Urvashi Butalia http://himalmag.com/component/content/article/4405-from-ansari-road.html.) We do business in English. We speak English. And we don't really think of the English when we do all of the above. Nor do we expect them to think of India everytime they drink tea or play polo.

This clip was sent to me by Navroze Dubash. It isn't about code switching but about how we sound to the Americans. I guess we do it too. When we portray Americans we drop our t's - internet is innernet; we speak out of one corner of the mouth and rrrrrroll all our Rs. Still, if you didn't like "The Party" don't watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw6RgIf6epQ&feature=related

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Making Informed Choices

2011-05-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

What are the hidden costs of ignoring the mantra, "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle"? On some level we know they affect the

• Environment
• Eco systems and Eco balance
• Climate change and
• Global warming

and that these, in turn, affect our health, the planet and are critical for our very survival. But on another plane we have other considerations.

On an individual level we think that it takes too much effort to make a change in our lifestyles. Besides, we ask, how can one person’s actions make such a difference to the above?

In the larger context, we feel we, in India, haven’t really had the chance to use technology and resources to our benefit like the Western countries have; that they should make the changes and not us.

As for our business sector, they don’t dare take that one extra step of recycling their waste. It might cost money and that would mean losing out to competitors.

And our government? Their angle is to see what words and action will make it most advantageous. Their justification – all governments do that and we’d be fools not to.

It would be easiest if they, the government, enacted some laws to protect our environment so that business doesn’t lose out to competitors; so that the health of citizens doesn’t suffer; so that individuals don’t have to fork out huge medical bills for asthma, deformities, cancer etc.

Some individuals in our government might see that as yet another opportunity to make money – a nice fat bribe from some businesses to allow them to continue spewing CO2 and other life threatening chemicals into our air, earth or water.

If only ALL businesses took one more step in their business processes - that of turning the waste their factories emit, into reusable resources. If only...

The big question is, can we make them, while the government dithers?

We could make informed choices - buy from businesses that are known to convert their waste to resources of their own accord, without government legislation; buy items that are wrapped in recyclable packaging; buy recycled paper and change our light bulbs to the energy efficient LED ones, for starters.

While we are on the topic, what else can we, ordinary citizens, do? To be realistic, I won’t discuss using less petrol now. TATAs OneCat - the car that works on air - is so full of promise. I’d written about it previously. The link: http://www.tatamotors.com/our_world/press_releases.php?ID=281&action=Pull. Besides, new innovations and technology are throwing up alternatives all the time - electric cars are far less toxic for our environment says Shai Agassi on TED - not only are they better than petroleun for the air we breathe, they are cheaper to run too. http://sustainabilityindia.blogspot.com/2011/04/car-20.html

What else can we do? Perhaps we could help our poor start using alternatives to coal for their cooking. Are there any such innovations? That's another article.

What we all could do is convert our own garbage to a resource. We could reduce that huge mountain of smelly, rat-roach-fly-mozzie-germ and disease breeding eyesore from our streets.

Possible? You bet. The good news is that so many of our schools and other organisations, NGOs and businesses already do.

We can too.

Ideas for this article from an inspiring author who spoke on Ted.com. He wrote "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things". His name: William McDonough; The Ted link:
http://townsendlab.berkeley.edu/townsend-center-course-threads/videos/cradle-cradle-ted-talk-author-william-mcdonough

Part II of this article describes how we can complete the cycle of taking a resource from the earth; the simple solutions some people have come up with to convert the waste we create to reusable resources; These are important innovations as they help prevent our earth from choking under that waste. The link:
http://www.nevermindyaar.com/reduce-garbage/

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India Redefined (IR) a Long Term, Citizen's Action Plan

2011-05-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

IR is a movement started by Ranjana Kanti to give our desire to do something for India a structure and a plan. IR believes we can be effective only if we are actively involved ourselves. That is the only way to hold our elected representatives accountable. Ranjana is right. We cannot leave governance to people who we cannot hold accountable. When we see the rule of law broken with impunity by those in power, when we face people who constantly fudge the facts and are not transparent, who take their cut, are corrupt, self serving to an amazing degree and arrogant, what should we do? To date we’ve simply grumbled, raved and ranted but eventually sighed and said, “Never Mind Yaar”. This waiting for our knight in shining armour, that one honest and honourable person who will right everything for us, hasn’t worked. As Amit, one of our IR members rightly points out, there comes a time when a tolerant and easy going people erupt.

But when things erupt ordinary people have no chance. People with their own agendas who are thirsting for someone’s blood come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the chaos. A better strategy is to unite. After all, whose voice is stronger? A billion lone individuals or a billion strong force?

So at the risk of sounding repetitive, our only hope is to get involved ourselves. There is so much Ranjana and IR have planned to give structure to our desire to do something. She has laid out simple initial steps – identify and do something about any three small, very small, things that ail your own locality. Then inform IR about what you did, what challenges you faced and how (or if) you overcame those challenges. I know she has more planned. But first, she wants to foster our spirit of volunteering and discovering for ourselves we can be effective.

It is obviously a long term plan. Some think it’s a pipe dream. A pipe dream to want ordinary Indians to live in a safe, clean and secure environment, to want to lift the appalling standards of living, health and education of poor Indians, to want to live in harmony with other cultures even while we are proud of our own? Let them call it what they will, I hope we never forget what we are all trying to achieve. I hope IR’s existing members, who are in their thousands, don’t lose faith.

So many of us have joined the movement because we are fed up of the indifference of some politicians and we are clamouring for change. But it won’t happen overnight. The problems are huge.

I know Ranjana is working on a document to outline some of the ideas she has. In the mean time, if you have any ideas, write and tell ALL of us on our Facebook forum, not just Ranjana privately. (I know she is inundated with phone calls, emails and Facebook messages. So much so that she spends most of her time answering those. Sorry Ranjana, the price of fame!) Our Facebook forum is either "Ranjana Kanti" or "India Redefined". Please join only one and not both forums. If your name appears twice, it denies one more person the chance to join. Everyone in India or abroad is welcome to join.

Also, your thoughtful comments on others’ posts are what we need to make our forum vibrant, alive and active. As Aparajita, another IR member, commented, “talking & talking of problems is better than shrugging them off in indifference.” True Aparajita. It is certainly a step in the right direction.

Once we identify those problems, ‘solutions’ is what we all in IR want to, and will, see.

To our continued success.

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Environmentally Sound, Two Cents A Mile Electric Cars

2011-05-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent TED talk on the future of the electric car and why it is imperative that Governments all around the world start incentivizing electric cars and the infrastructure needed to support them.

The speaker, Shai Agassi from ‘Better Place’ speaks about his company’s radical plan to take countries off oil by 2020.

Take countries off oil?? Impossible? Shai says it IS possible. What's more, the battery would give us

- 8 cents (US) a mile now,
- 4 cents in 2015 and
- 2 cents a mile in 2020

using a zero carbon, zero fossil fuel energy that won't cough up noxious fumes like those fossil fuels that are choking the Earth and Atmosphere and ruining our health. (For what exactly fossil fuels do, go to Why Fossil Fuels Choke Us

To find out how electric cars will result in clean energy, go to Akhilesh Magal's link to Shai's TED Talk at:

Shai on TED

Why some gases are Deadly Dangerous-CO

2011-05-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

Google Free Image Courtesy http://depletedcranium.com

CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

How do human activities like burning coal emit carbon monoxide?
Ideally, burning coal should give carbon dioxide and water.
If you have a camp fire in the open air, there will always be enough oxygen to make the fuel burn completely, so you don’t have to worry about carbon monoxide. But, if you share the oxygen you breathe with too many appliances and people – for example, in an enclosed, crowded place, there isn’t enough to go around.
That is when coal or wood burns inefficiently; there is partial oxidation and instead of carbon dioxide or CO2, Carbon monoxide or CO is one of the end products.
CO is also naturally produced in volcanoes and forest fires.

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Who is at risk?
============

Anyone who works or lives in a very small or enclosed space, sharing it with many others, is exposed to harmful levels of carbon monoxide. People who work in factories, blast furnaces, who are in their vehicles in traffic - like drivers and traffic police, fire fighters and people who use coal and wood burners are at risk. In short, everyone in India is exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

When it enters the bloodstream, CO reacts with the haemoglobin in our blood and forms carboxyhaemoglobin. This reduces the ability of haemoglobin to transfer oxygen to various parts of our body.

CO causes

headaches, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, or nausea.

Exposure to elevated carbon monoxide levels can cause impairment of visual perception, manual dexterity and learning ability

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning may occur sooner in those most susceptible - young children, elderly people, unborn babies, people with lung or heart disease, people at high altitudes, or those who already have elevated CO blood levels, such as smokers.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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Why some gases are Deadly Dangerous-SO2

2011-05-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

SULPHUR DIOXIDE (SO2)

Google Free Image Courtesy http://depletedcranium.com

Sulphur dioxide, a chemical compound with the formula SO2, is a heavy, colourless, non-flammable gas with a pungent, irritating odour. Even though SO2 is very toxic to humans, it is extremely useful. It is used extensively in the preparation of sulphur compounds and solvents, as a disinfectant, a bleach, a refrigerant in the ice industry, for fumigation and as a preservative for beer, wine, dried fruits and meats.

How is it formed through human activity?

Industry: Coal- and oil-fired power plants, steel mills, refineries, pulp and paper mills, and nonferrous smelters are the largest releasers of SO2.
Transportation, Keeping Warm and Cooking: No burning process is ideal. All fossil fuels have contaminants. Since coal, oil and diesel often contain sulphur and nitrogen compounds, their combustion generate sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Mining: Coal mining itself produces SO2. Coal contains pyrite, a sulphur compound; as water washes through mines, this compound forms a dilute acid, which is then washed into nearby rivers and streams.

==========================
Why Sulphur dioxide is toxic to life
==========================

If we are exposed to 10ppm (parts per million) SO2 for about an hour, it
• irritates the nose and throat
• sometimes causes a choking sensation
• It also causes nasal discharge, sneezing, cough and increased mucus secretion
• In addition, sulphur compounds in the air contribute to decreased visibility.
• SO2 is also a primary contributor to acid rain, which causes acidification of lakes and streams and can damage trees, crops, historic buildings and statues.
• High concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2) affects breathing and may aggravate existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Sensitive populations include asthmatics, individuals with bronchitis or emphysema, children and the elderly.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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Why Some Gases Are Deadly Dangerous-CO2

2011-05-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

The last post asked what we'd do if we had to make a choice between the environment and some of our life giving activities. It is a tough choice to make. At a certain point in time will we have to make that choice? Not if we modify our activities to benefit both - us and the environment.

To be able to do that we first need to understand what exactly human activities have been responsible for.

To date what we've done is, taken a resource from the earth, used it to make whatever's useful and ended the process there. We haven’t had to think about what by-product we’ve created.

All too often this has been a pollutant that poisons our air, waters and soil and damages our health.

3. This article tells us why certain gases like carbon dioxide are deadly dangerous for our health. It helps us understand why these gases shouldn’t be the end product of our activities.

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)

Carbon Dioxide is beneficial to everything living.

It is necessary for plant life and photosynthesis. It is necessary for humans too as without CO2, the Earth would be too cold for life. This is how it heats up our planet. Carbon dioxide is completely transparent to sunlight and lets it pass through and strike the earth's surface. The sun’s light and warmth are partly absorbed by Earth but partly reflected back as infrared energy that radiates back into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is not transparent to infrared energy and it traps the heat on the surface of the planet like a blanket. The other gases that trap this infrared energy and warm our planet are nitrous oxide, water vapour and methane. Together with Carbon dioxide these gases are known as the greenhouse gases.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_green/390180606/

So if carbon dioxide does so much for us, why is it considered bad?

It isn’t carbon dioxide that is bad. It is just the excess carbon dioxide that has been released into our air due to human activity.

For millions of years living vegetation has provided the balance by mopping up the excess CO2 during photosynthesis. But in recent years the cutting down of our forests has drastically reduced vegetation and as a result, there aren’t enough plants to mop up the excess CO2 from our air.

Also, we use a lot of fossil fuels like coal and oil which have been buried deep into the Earth for millions of years. In the last few hundred years our level of dependence on these fossil fuels has increased exponentially. We bring up these fossil fuels from deep inside the Earth and burn them for our factories, as petroleum for our automobiles, as oil or coal to heat up our homes and to cook. The carbon that is trapped inside these fossil fuels reacts with oxygen from the air to produce the heat we need. One of the by-products is carbon dioxide which is released into our air.

The number of people breathing our air has increased a million fold too due to increases in population.

Now the problem is obvious – for the above reasons, too much carbon dioxide is thrown into our atmosphere but not enough carbon dioxide is being removed.

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How excess Carbon Dioxide affects the Earth
=======================================

• With more and more infrared energy radiated back from our Earth trapped under the increased level of carbon dioxide, Earth is becoming warmer. This in turn causes changes in climate, currents, melting glaciers and ice caps. If enough ice melts, it could raise the sea level around the planet and low-lying coastal areas would become completely submerged.

• It disrupts our ocean currents which are caused by warm and cold waters meeting and mixing. With glaciers heating up and melting due to excess CO2 in the air, the difference between the cold and warm waters is greatly reduced.

• It increases the acidity of the oceans, which may interfere with the amount of oxygen that ocean life produces (the oceans are a far more important source of oxygen than all the plants on land).

By affecting the Earth, excess carbon dioxide harms everything living.

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How excess CO2 directly affects humans
====================================
• Increased levels of CO2 in the air causes nausea, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, stiffness and a terrible odour. These reasons alone are worth human beings monitoring their activities to keep the level of CO2 in the atmosphere at the normal of 350 to 450 ppm. Right now it is too much more.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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Why some gases are Deadly Dangerous-PM

2011-05-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Google Free Image Courtesy http://depletedcranium.com

Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter (PM) or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas. The variety is huge.

Sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, carbon, mineral-dust and water.

Dust, dirt, soot, smoke and liquid droplets directly emitted by factories, power plants, cars, construction activity, fires and natural windblown dust.

Sources of particulate matter can be manmade or natural. Some particulates occur naturally, originating from volcanoes, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living vegetation, and sea spray.

Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants and various industrial processes (déjà vu?) also generate significant amounts of PM. Sulphur compounds react with other compounds in the atmosphere to form particulate matter or PM.

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Why is the presence of PM dangerous to human health?
===========================================

PM affects more people than any other pollutant. These particulates penetrate deeply into sensitive parts of the lungs because they are easily inhaled and can cause or worsen respiratory disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, and can aggravate existing heart disease by penetrating deep inside our arteries, leading to increased hospital admissions and even premature death. The smaller the PM, the greater its ability to penetrate deep inside our bodies.

Besides affecting our health PM can also
• damage materials
• clog stomata openings of plants and interfere with photosynthesis. This can stunt the growth of plants or even kill them.
• contribute to acid rain formation.
• form atmospheric haze that degrades visibility.

Some facts and figures that are a cause for concern:

The most concentrated PM pollution tends to be in densely populated metropolitan areas in developing countries.

The primary cause is the burning of fossil fuels by transportation and industrial sources.

Photo by Thunderror http://www.flickr.com/photos/thunderror/2463862190/in/photostream

Traffic exhaust is the single most serious preventable cause of heart attack in the general public.

Children, seniors, and individuals with pre-existing respiratory diseases are most susceptible to these health risks.

In developing countries, exposure to pollutants from indoor combustion of solid fuels on open fires or traditional stoves increases the risk of acute lower respiratory infections and associated mortality among young children.

Indoor air pollution from solid fuel use is also a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer among adults.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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Why some gases are Deadly Dangerous-O3 and Odours

2011-05-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

STRATOSPHERIC (or Protective) OZONE

Ozone or O3 is naturally present in the stratosphere – high above the earth. This ozone layer acts like a shield and prevents dangerous parts of UV light from the sun to reach the Earth. This ozone layer is highly desirable. It is the beneficial layer of ozone. Unfortunately, due to human activities, the ozone in our stratosphere is getting depleted.

In New Zealand, they inform us there is a hole in the ozone layer and we are advised daily that “burn time” is so many minutes (this number varies). This means that we should remain in the sun only for that many minutes, say seventeen minutes, and then move into the shade. We are constantly advised to slap on “sun block”, wear hats, thin long sleeves in summer and take precautions so that we aren’t exposed to the dangerous parts of UV light from the sun.

There is a high risk of skin cancer in places whose ozone layer has been depleted by human activity. The harmful UV rays could also give us cataract, impaired immune systems, destroy plants and plankton which is food for marine life and the most effective carbon absorber on planet Earth.

Which Human Activities cause ozone depletion in the Stratosphere?

Ozone-depleting agents are used in coolants, foaming agents, fire extinguishers, solvents, and aerosols. It sometimes takes these ozone-depleting chemicals years to reach the stratosphere. Substances released into the air today will contribute to ozone destruction well into the future. The main culprits are chlorine and bromine compounds.

One chlorine or bromine molecule can destroy 100,000 ozone molecules, so ozone is currently being destroyed much more quickly than nature can replace it.

Ground Level (or Dangerous) Ozone and Smog

Smog Over Delhi from Google Free Images Courtesy: www.johnelkington.com

The ozone that is dangerous to human health is ground level ozone. It is exactly the same chemical formula as stratospheric (or protective) ozone – O3. Yet, it is a major health hazard and a major constituent of photochemical smog.
Previously smog was a combination of just smoke and fog. Today smog is a chemical mixture of various gases and particulate matter (PM) that forms a brownish-yellow haze primarily over urban areas.
Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons (except methane) react in the presence of heat and sunlight to form ozone. It is a white haze that can be seen over many modern cities, especially the ones with sunny, warm, dry climates and a large number of motor vehicles. Because it travels with the wind, it can affect sparsely populated areas as well. It is close to the Earth in the troposphere and is called tropospheric ozone. This ozone is one component of smog.

It reacts with other components like sulphur dioxide, VOCs etc in various ways to form the brownish yellow haze, the modern day smog, that we see over so many cities with a poorly controlled environment. As the smog levels build, polluted air can be trapped and re-circulated for days so that car exhaust fumes are found in our atmosphere even when we aren’t driving.

Ground level ozone becomes a threat to the functioning of all living things after it reaches 82 ppb (parts per billion).

=============================================
What are the effects of ground level ozone on our environment and health?
=============================================

Human exposure to ozone can produce shortness of breath and, over time, permanent lung damage. Research shows that ozone may be harmful at levels even lower than the current federal air standard Excessive ground level ozone can cause breathing problems, irritation, congestion, coughing, chest pain and swelling in the lungs. It triggers asthma. Even healthy adults and children get affected.
It affects the immune system. Many of the chemicals that cause ground-level ozone also contribute to other health effects, including cancer, and tissue and organ damage.
High ozone concentrations also cause damage to the leaves of plants, resulting in the loss of agricultural crop yields and forest ecosystems.

Odours such as from garbage, sewage, and industrial processes

Everyone knows the dangers to health and the environment of spitting, rubbish throwing, urinating and defecating on our streets. What we don’t know is that apart from hygiene issues, it badly affects our olfactory (smell) and other systems.

As a result we have varied reactions like eye irritations and sore throats, coughs, drowsiness, asthma and even depression.

Odours disturb concentration and diminish productivity as our disgust with our environment remains uppermost in our minds.

At the same time, we tend to ignore and not complain about our symptoms of discomfort but productivity in such an environment goes down considerably. Our ability to perform tasks may decrease as our dislike for particular odours increases. Work force populations vary in levels of discomfort from odours because of exposure history and habituation. But whether we may, or may not realize the possible risks of consistent bad odours, they affect human health and well being.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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Why Some Gases Are Deadly Dangerous-NO2

2011-05-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO2)

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a brownish, highly reactive gas that is present in all urban atmospheres. It is one of the several nitrogen oxides - NOx - but one of the most prominent air pollutants. This reddish-brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor and is like a brown haze hanging over our cities.

Photo by Thunderror http://www.flickr.com/photos/thunderror/2463862190/in/photostream

Nitrogen oxides form when fuels are burnt at high temperatures. The major emissions sources are the engines of vehicles and ships (transportation) and stationary combustion sources such as heating, power generation and industrial boilers (Industry, Keeping Warm and Cooking).
Nitrogen and oxygen in the air react with each other under these high temperatures to form oxides of nitrogen (NOx).

==============================
Why nitrogen dioxide is toxic to life
==============================

Prolonged exposure to nitrogen dioxide can irritate the lungs and lower a person's resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza. Symptoms of bronchitis in asthmatic children increase with long-term exposure to NO2. Reduced lung function growth is also linked to NO2
The brownish gas reacts with moisture in the air to form nitric acid, which can corrode buildings and monuments, and toxic organic nitrates, which contribute to acid rain and the acidification of lakes, rivers, and streams. Nitrogen dioxide also plays a major role in producing particulate matter (PM) and ground-level ozone or smog.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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Why Acid Rain is Deadly Dangerous

2011-05-01T00:38:00.000-07:00

ACID RAIN

Here's a statue of St. Francis. Study the folds of his robe for a moment. And look at his face. You might see an inkling of the statue's previous days of glory if you look hard enough. But mostly, it looks ravaged. Isn't it sad what acid rain and pollution have done to this statue?

Photo by Melody Murray http://www.flickr.com/photos/satyridae/2988212340/

And what about the Taj, our temples, ancient inscriptions and murals? These have previously survived for centuries but in recent years there's been a rapid decline.

Photo by Scott Norsworthy http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/4839160213/

The Taj Mahal is beginning to turn yellow thanks to acid rain.

This is what happens:

As seen earlier, our industrial activities and our vehicles, which involve the use of fossil fuels like coal and oil, release Sulphur oxides and Nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.These gases combine with water vapour that exists in clouds and in the air to form sulphuric and nitric acids, which become part of rain and snow.

Sulphur dioxide not only reacts with water vapour, it dissolves easily in water to form sulphurous acid which reacts with oxygen in the air, (usually in the presence of a catalyst such as NO2), and gets further oxidised to sulphuric acid.

This acidic rain falls not only on man made structures but ends up in our lakes, rivers and oceans.

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What are the effects of acid rain?
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Over time our lakes and rivers might become too acidic for plants, fish, animals and human who live off them.

Acid rain also affects crops and trees in more ways than one.

First, the roots get damaged as a result of which the plant doesn’t grow to its full potential or even dies.
The acidity destroys nutrients present in the soil. Useful micro organisms which convert decaying organic matter to soil through natural composting also die leaving behind a decaying smelly mess instead of nutrients for plants.
The waxy coating on leaves is damaged which makes the plant vulnerable to disease.
Some of the sulphur dioxide is capable of clogging up the stomata. This reduces the tree's ability to make food.
Also, toxic metals that are freed from the soil due to the acid in the rain are absorbed by trees through their roots, damaging them even further.

With trees destroyed, the animals or birds that live in the trees suffer due to loss of their natural habitat.

Acid rain also frees toxic metals which are present in the ground and washes them into our drinking water sources. Perhaps you’ve seen warning signs posted near some water bodies that the fish may have been poisoned by mercury. This is a direct result of acid rain causing elements like mercury and aluminium to be freed from the soil and rocks and washed away into the waters. Fish and others who use the water are affected.

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Studies have shown that mercury that accumulates in the organs and tissues of animals, either directly or through the food chain, has been linked to brain damage in children, nerve disorders, heart problems and even death. People are not only unable to eat the fish, people who sell fish to earn their living, whose livelihood depends on fishing, suffer. As for aluminium, it causes Alzheimer’s disease.
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The acidic water eventually gets to our drinking water supply and contaminates it. When the water is acidic enough, it may even corrode the water pipes, adding in dissolved copper and lead to compound the problem of clean water supply.

Toxic metals which are absorbed from water by fruits, vegetables, and in the tissues of animals affect the human food chain.

Acid rain affects buildings or other man-made structures like bridges, reacting with the material we’ve used for the structure and making it weak at the foundation by causing corrosion, fracturing or discolouration. We've seen what it has done to the statue of St. Francis and that it has started turning our beloved Taj Mahal yellow. Every structure we've built and which has withstood centuries of nature simply has no chance with the volume of man made chemicals being released into our atmosphere through car exhaust and industry.

The obvious solution is to decrease acid rain. But how?

A possible answer is environmental regulations that limit the quantity of emissions from our factories. Do we have to decrease the quantities of what we manufacture? Perhaps not. Once our desired product and sulphur dioxide (and other toxic gases) are produced, we could add scrubbers which react with the SO2 and produce harmless (or even beneficial) gases. This would, to a great extent, reduce the amount of sulphur dioxide released in the air. Or perhaps, we could use coal that has less sulphur and nitrogen compounds to manufacture our desired products. The other option is to continue poisoning the air we breathe, the soil and water we depend on for our survival - an option that is too dire to even contemplate.

It would hugely help if vehicle exhaust is converted to something harmless as well before being released into the air we breathe. The technology exists. It is only a matter of the informed choices we make, coupled with our government's will to enforce legislation.

Some other gases that are harmful to humans:

Carbon Monoxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co.html
Carbon Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-co2.html
Sulphur Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-so2.html
Nitrogen Dioxide : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-no2.html
Acid Rain: http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-acid-rain-is-deadly-dangerous.html
Particulate Matter : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/11/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-pm.html
Ground Level Ozone and Odours : http://nevermindyaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-some-gases-are-deadly-dangerous-o3.html

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