Turmoil (Part 1...)

I connected,
because she seemed 'one of my own'
I connected,
as I heard her anecdotes,
As I went deeper, I felt her pain
Sleepless nights and moist mornings
I was introduced to her on a night
and by dusk, she was my known,
I connected.


They spoke of her everywhere I went
The details of that gruesome night
eventually reached my soul.
I regretted this connect!
Her turmoils haunted me like my own!

I was not the only one who connected!
They came in huge numbers
they expressed their anger
they must have been haunted by her turmoil too.

They also came. In not so large numbers
but with a strength of authority
They tried hard to disperse us clones
Clones because we all felt the same turmoil
and we all connected!

An army against an army
They tried to break our connect
They broke many a things, but our connect was intact.


In the meanwhile,
the source of our connect was on her 11th day of battle
she was nerves of steel and bundle of iron
but when iron and steel are tempered
they give in at a set point and they too melt!

On the 12th dusk, I opened my eyes
and hers had already shut!
My first awake minute was her millionth step towards almighty.
As I looked up, she looked down
As I got up, she had long gone


.....To be continued

COP experience- Part 2: Highlights of my trip....

Here goes my personal favorite highlights of my Doha trip.


1) Momentum for change (Solar sisters and LEVA)

In the hustle bustle and crazy parallel sessions schedule of COP18, I am glad I made time for attending side events related to this initiative called 'Momentum for Change'. Launched in COP17 Durban last year. This initiative recognises and rewards key environmental initiatives (focusing on climate change mitigation and adaptation) that strives to bring change at the grassroot level. This year 9 winners were selected among thousands of entries.
The list of winners can be found here:
http://unfccc.int/secretariat/momentum_for_change/items/7159.php

My personal favorite winners were: The solar sisters and Lanka Electric Vehicle Association.

Solar Sisters is an inspiring story of how solar technology was adopted by rural women in Uganda through the principle of entrepreneurship. Watch their story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Nymr2Nbxow0

The reason I like this initiative so much is, because two of my closest friends took up a similar initiative this year. But their target audience is urban poor. I made a short movie on their work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvZV2tXyy00&feature=youtube_gdata

The struggle and efforts behind establishing Lanka Electric Vehicle Association is also very inspiring.
This initiative has led to their national government (Sri Lanka) introducing conducive policies for electric vehicles.
I got a chance to interact with the sweet couple behind this (Mr. Dhatusena and his better half who supported him throughout his journey):

2) Knowledge cafe sessions

I was first introduced to the 'World Cafe' format of dialogue and discussions, during the Asia Pacific youth forum in Kathmandu in September. (http://www.theworldcafe.com/method.html)
Ever since, I have adopted this as an important tool for enabling discussions.
I got a chance to participate in a World Cafe style discussion (We called it Knowledge Cafe) twice during COP. One was on Mountain Day 2 event (December 3) and the other was during an Asian youth gathering (which we had pre-planned before arriving in Doha).
It is a very effective way of facilitating discussions and I recommend this method to everyone!
During the Asian youth cafe, I hosted the discussion on 'Green economy' and the results from the session are uploaded here: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5ou-4sv4VO_RDNhMC1KT2ZzVTQ

I asked the participants: What do you know about Green economy (Listing down all the words, phrases and meanings they are aware of); If given a chance, how will you re-define green economy (According to you what all should it include?); What can youth do for green economy?

3) World Climate Summit (December 2)

I would call this the most fruitful day of my trip! Networked like crazy here (ran out of my business cards ;)) Met top climate business leaders from across the globe and discussed about green entrepreneurship with them! Also presented our declaration to everyone we met on this day. Though, this was held outside the COP venue, this side event was very prominent and had good level of participation. It is here that we met the IPCC vice chair Professor Jean Pascal, managed to pass the declaration to Christiana Figueres (UNFCCC general secretary) and H.E Minister of Energy, Qatar. As a working professional working on urban climate change adaptation, I also networked professionally on behalf of my organisation.

IPCC Vice chair with our declaration

4) Interaction with school kids through British Council (December 4)

I was selected as an International Climate Change Champion in 2009 (By British Council and TERI).
Ever since, I have been involved in several local environment initiatives and activities designated for this youth climate group. As part of this programme, I got an opportunity to interact with kids from local Qatar schools.
And what was my session on? Composting and Waste management :D (My love!)

Sareka, a fellow climate champion from Bangladesh began with an interactive session on understanding Climate Change. She used visuals and simple words to make the kids understand the 'complex' nuances of the concept of climate change. This gave a perfect backdrop and I joined in later to tell them what they can do in response to this global phenomenon. I told them about the general concept of waste and how segregating our kitchen waste (wet waste) from our dry waste (recyclable waste) can reduce the pressure on landfills and by composting at home, we can do our bit for the environment!
The kids were enthusiastic and very receptive to our session. We thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them and in the end they came up with a list of activities that they were inspired to  take up after our small session!
It was heartening to know how some of them were considering to start composting their school waste!
Wherever I go, I like speaking about composting, so this one goes down to my memory box. Thank you BC :)

5) Asian youth climate network

This is something that I am really excited about. Throughout COP18 and even before arriving in Doha, one of our agenda was to collaborate with other Asian youth delegates for sustaining meaningful activities after COP ends! It is very important to be environmentally active and committed all the year round and not only during the annual COP meeting!
With this common goal in mind, around 25-30 of us made it a point to meet regularly, share ideas and frame a strategy for continuing our association.

So while we are back to our home towns, we are still in touch and plan to regularly skype every month through a 'steering committee' comprising of 2 representatives from each country.
We pledged to disseminate our learnings and work with other young people in our countries and also with each other.

We hope (fingers crossed) to revive the Asian Youth Climate Network (haven't decided on an official name yet!) and make the under-represented Asian youth voices heard at the global platform.

I am very positive on the future of this cause and I will make sure that each one of us, is in the same boat and there is no space for politics. Only love and unity for the environment :-)

6) This blog is getting too long, I hope I don't lose you as a reader, so here goes my final sixth highlight from my trip!
During those 7 days I was constantly worrying whether I am making the most of what I have got? Whether I am utilising my time meaningfully. There were times, when even though we were youth representatives, we had to indulge in 'grown-up' tasks like speaking about our declaration responsibly and approach as many policy makers for this! We really wanted our document to be taken seriously and not like a piece of paper!
And I am more relieved than proud to say that : Yes, we did it! :D

We succeeded in what we had set out for. We gave our declaration successfully to a diverse set of people and there was a moment when we encountered few people who already knew about it through a person we might have interacted previously! And that was the most fulfilling moment for us, to know that we did our job decently! (Read our declaration here:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5ou-4sv4VO_b2QyckdwVy1GWFE/edit)

A lot of thought, hard work and BELIEF went into our declaration and it was received well. We learnt a lot from this entire process and I can say this with full conviction that we represented 'Responsible youth!'. We networked, enjoyed, participated, worked, partied :D and in the end, atleast satisfied our inner self (which is more important than impressing others!)


Wow I have so much to say. Ok, ending this quickly now.
Some of the other highlights were:

Desert Safari Ride (The best 'tourist' experience ever as our jeep travelled through sand dunes)

My article featured in Outreach magazine article (The official daily magazine: http://www.stakeholderforum.org/sf/outreach/index.php/component/content/article/163-cop18day9-cities/1257-improving-urban-governance-through-ict-a-game-changer-for-climate-change-adaptation)
Met Composting people- A session by ISWA and other passionate composting people

Met Lord Nicholas Stern (again thanks to British Council!)

My flight back home was equally eventful, as I sat next to Erik Curren, author of 'Buddha's not smiling!' and had a non-stop 3 hour long conversation with him! It was the best ever conversation I had with a stranger whom I connected with instantly! (Check out: www.transitionvoice.com)

Doha you will be missed....will relive those 7 days through the pictures and through my new friends :-)
(Phew! So glad I wrote this in 2012 itself! :p) 

I was there. But what did it mean to me? The experience of my first COP attendance- Part 1

The green sheep of the family made it to THE top environment conference (as the world sees it).

So, yes I made it to my first COP. The 18th meeting of parties to Kyoto Protocol (almost the entire world).
It was a big achievement personally and it happened because I participated in the 'Asia Pacific Youth Forum on green economy' held in Kathmandu this September. Read about it here: http://gradyouth.wordpress.com/

It was a 5 day long learning programme focused on understanding the concept of Green economy through lectures, field visits and knowledge sharing. It had a decent representation of 40 young participants from 13 different countries of the Asia pacific region. Collectively, we had prepared an outcome document which was to be disseminated during COP18 in Doha, Qatar. For this purpose, I along with 3 other participants were selected by the organisers.
They were: Timila Dhakwa from Nepal, Marufa Ishaque from Bangladesh and Netra Chap from Cambodia (Same order in the pic as well, From L to R)

                                            Speak about women empowerment ;) 

Our task was to shorten this document into a one page declaration which could be presented to negotiators and other stakeholders participating in this Climate Change conference.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5ou-4sv4VO_b2QyckdwVy1GWFE/edit (You can add your comments to it, if you want!)

So for two months we devoted few hours every week to coordinate with each other and prepared and planned out our BIG dream trip. We even collaborated with other Asian youth delegates participating in the conference. They hailed from China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Myanmar, Pakistan. And this was my best decision ever! (Will come back to this later).

So the D day finally arrived and I left home with lots of excitement, happiness, positivism and luggage :p
Arrival was non-eventful, but the excitement and the eagerness to reach Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), the venue, was building up badly. I could not wait to get there.

When we finally reached there, the scale of the event was evident, the size of the venue is a direct indication of its importance and hype. You need a day or two just to figure out and get used to the place!
Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule as we had already missed the first 4 days of the conference. We had to make use of every minute there (This was on our minds always!).

But wherever you go, the company, the sweet caring people around you just make your day. So, I had the privilege of being in such company and a friend of ours showed us the place and made us really comfortable and prepared (Thank you Wilson!)

We had planned some of our days and had registered for some side events in advance.

I can go on and on, recounting every minute of my experience there, but this would become a really long long post :) So, I will describe only the highlights of my trip.
There is a tendency in us to do everything, be everywhere but the first learning from COP is that, quantity does not matter. So its not about the number of sessions you attend, its about living in and learning from, each of those sessions. And of course the people you meet, play an important role in shaping your experience. Its the only way you can make your stay meaningful and journey memorable!

So, my next post would be on my personal top 7 moments from COP18.

:-)

Wait for it......
    

Protesting against the system? Criminals are born among us!

We gathered. We gathered in large numbers. For once I felt proud of the high population in my country. India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan were the places where we gathered.

They too were there in large numbers. Our dear Delhi Police. But they could not match up to our strength, will and number!

Shame, anger, disgust, frustration etc etc etc was what we felt today....

We shouted slogans for justice, strict punishment (read CASTRATION) and safety.

It amazes me that the kind of police force our State had sent to STOP us is ABSENT when such crime against women and children occur.

Sadly, as Delhi and several other states in India HEAT up in anger, I saw a small column in a national daily reporting 8 FRESH rape incidents. One among them was a case of a 3 year old! Yes, you read it right, a 3 year old pre-nursery school going girl child was raped!

As I protested in full force with some of my friends, another FRESH case was taking place in a remote village, 22km from Agartala (In the State of Tripura). A woman was stripped naked in public and raped brutally.

Today so many of the young protesters present at Rashtrapati Bhawan were demanding for a change in the legal system! But is that enough, I wonder?

What about change in society? Well thats a tough one! Many will turn back on asking them to change THEMSELVES first! Where do the rapists come from? Not sent from hell, they are one among US.

I swear in the crowd that had gathered today, I could see some potential rapists (no kidding), who were there just for fun and entertainment sake.

You’ve got to respect Women! You’ve got to see them in a different light (beyond sex objects!) And as far as this is concerned, there is a LONG LONG way to go. These crowds will disburse soon, the government will announce some short cut, face saving measures and then those ‘actions’ will fizzle out too. A documentary called ‘Rape diaries’ on a news channel depicted first hand victim accounts.

Most of them said: “We were discouraged to register FIRs!” ; “We were humiliated by public prosecutors in court”; “Our character was assassinated”.

And the most chilling anecdote was: “After getting raped by a man, I was raped again and again by society”.

So, I appeal to all the Men and Women in this country to Change themselves.

If you are a man, respect women and do not commit such heinous crimes.

If you are a woman, please report any cases of molestation, eve-teasing, unsafe elements and places to the police immediately.

If you are part of the system: Law maker/Government/Police: If not castration or death penalty, atleast imprison the culprit for 20 years or more and implement this in the same year the incident occurred! 

And my message for everyone: Many incidents occur in public sphere, in broad daylight, in presence of the public, please Stand up against such acts and support the victim openly. Do not fear, don’t be a coward, just STAND UP AND ACT. Remember, crime can be prevented in this way. Be active and not passive. Do not tolerate so called ‘small’, ‘petty’ ‘stray’ incidents of verbal comments, eve-teasing and harassment.

Remember you are the ones in majority! Your number is larger than the number of law makers, politicians, police force in this country! So make use of it.

You want a safe world? Its in your hand! 

Poverty is.....

When you have dreams but you cannot achieve them;

When you have plans but you cannot execute them;

When happiness comes at a price, which you can never afford;

We all suffer from poverty of thoughts, dreams and freedom!

What I am most scared of, is poverty of freedom..........

The story of the 13th Sunday....

Thirteen Sundays back I brought home a magical pot. The ‘Daily Dump’ terracotta pot has successfully converted all my kitchen waste into beautiful earthy compost.

Can’t explain the feeling, the journey was long but the effort has paid off.

With this I prove, that we all can treat our wet waste at source and convert it into manure instead of letting it rot and emit methane in our landfills occupying precious land resource!

It is something which urban people need to indulge in, we can solve our own problems right here, right now. From the manure we can develop green belts around us, at our home, in our neighbourhoods.

I am doing my bit to reduce the waste being sent to landfills. When will you start?

DH comes to an end :(

And my favorite American show came to an end :(
Desperate Housewives was an amazing show. And, if you haven't watched it ever and are going by the name, "NO, it was not about sex!". It was an emotional drama with elements of comedy and suspense thrown in each of the 8 seasons.
I started watching this show only 2 years ago. So, I covered their journey of 8 long years in just 2 short years, thanks to the online episodes. But am devastated and I feel really sad, minutes ago saw the finale episode and can completely imagine what fans all over the world (who had been following it since past 8 yrs) may be going through.

Critics and reviewers say that the past few seasons had lost their charm and that the TRPs were dropping. But you know what "I don't CARE!". It made the perfect connection with me and I enjoyed each and every season. It entertained me, made me both laugh and cry and that I believe is its biggest achievement.
So, I thank Marc Cherry, the creator and the wonderful team of writers and many others who created this beautiful series. The actors were so good, that I won't say I'l miss Eva or Felicity but I'l say I will miss Gaby, Lynette, Susan and Bree :)

This show was crafted through a brilliant story, so 3 cheers to the writers, and also credit goes to all the actors as they executed their roles perfectly. As far as I am concerned, no kidding I'l feel the void (I still feel it for my second favorite show- 'Lost') and I will miss watching it.

There are NO shows that come close to giving such an emotional experience and attachment to viewers as this one. DH, you will be missed.

When dreams come true.....

I clearly remember the day, it was in 2010, during my final year of journalism. I was interning at Centre for Environment Education (CEE) and for a research assignment I had landed up in Centre for Media Studies (CMS).

I don't remember the assignment too well, but do remember that I wanted to visit the library to watch a documentary- 'Don't Rubbish It'. Little did I know that the 9min documentary would shape my so called 'interest area'. A minute or so in the documentary was devoted to composting. And it was then that I got to know about this lovely organisation called Daily Dump in Bangalore (http://dailydump.org/).

The Director Ms.Poonam Bir Kasturi has designed a series of products suitable for household composting.

I fell in love (not kidding!) with the three tier khamba model. It was beautiful and could be kept anywhere (verandah or balcony) and what I liked the most was: It made composting so much more easier!

Looking back, I feel this encounter was one of the many reasons why I chose my Masters in Sustainable Development Practice, after a journalism degree. And "no regrets" is what I'l say :)

Roughly a year later, when it was time for my summer internship, the choice was obvious: Something to do with solid waste management. Previously, through an assignment I had conceptualized a small project proposal of a community awareness project using the same model. It turned out to be good on paper and I thought why not pass it around, seek a grant and actually implement it! So 2011 summer was spent in 'dreaming' about this project of mine. My idea was to reach out to urban homes through a network of 'kitchen garden ladies'. Yes, you'l be surprised to know, something like an All India Kitchen Garden Association exists in our world!

And this network was wide spread in South Delhi colonies, as I got to know. So, for start I attended one such meet in my own colony- Sarita Vihar. I knew one of the aunties who was a member. So, I tagged along one day and did an experiment. I carried some pics of the pot and a self-compiled pamphlet using the information given on the Dailydump website. And the response was good.

Out of the 11 ladies present, almost all of them found the pot very pretty and something they could actually keep at their place (Acceptability checked!)

3 of them wanted to order one instantly, 5 wanted to see the pot in person and then decide. Remaining were a bit skeptical because of the price (Rs.1000) (Affordability-almost checked)

But, currently the nearest Dailydump clone (they believe in creative commons approach) was in Gurgaon. So getting the pots was an issue (Accessibility- needs attention)

Next, I made a trip, the most memorable one. I contacted the clone- Jaya aunty and I travelled 3 hrs (to and fro) in metro from Jasola to Gurgaon, just to see the pots and interact with her. I had decided, one day I'l acquire cloneship, find a local potter and start supplying them locally.

The visit was fulfilling, enchanting and exciting. I found the common factor of passion between us. Aunty has been a clone since 3 yrs and devotes her weekends in making people aware about the practice through demonstrations etc. She stocks the terracota pots in her backyward and verandah and receives most of her orders through the DailyDump website.

I was inspired and I told her my plans. She supported me and told me that they needed a clone in Delhi!

So time flew, college took over my routine and one fine day I got the good news! As part of British Council's International Climate Champion programme, I was in the 'Social Action Project' team of their National Action Project. Two of our team's ideas got selected to receive a small funding (One was mine :D).

This was December. Today, is 6th May and finally after a long long wait I brought two sets of these beautiful pots home. What caused the delay was a mix of problems like: Logistics, Supply-side issues, erratic supply from potter's side!

But the important thing is, they are here :) and they are the apple of my eyes :p

I drove for more than an hour, took my parents along and stuffed the pots into our Swift! One set is for my own use, and the other set is for the demo events (planned up for the coming few months).

Last when  I had contacted the Kitchen Garden Association head, she was ready to give me slots to speak. But back then, I was not ready. Over the time, I have prepared myself and I am ready to kickstart my dream project.

The grant is waiting to be used, infact funding requirement for my project is mainly for meeting the travel expenditure. Thats all! There is very little cost in advertising, promotion. Since, the pot and me are enough to make people aware :)

My ultimate dream/mission is to make the urban residents adopt the practice of composting so that we handle our own waste responsibly. And send less waste to the landfill and more importantly send 'unmixed' waste. You see, by composting at home we'l all be segregating waste automatically (a habit missing in us!).

Coincidentally, this legendary day as I call it marks the beginning of 'International Composting Awareness Week' (May 6-12) http://www.compostweek.com.au/core/background/

I would like to believe some things are destined :)

I will be posting about composting on my new blog: http://come-n-post.blogspot.in/

Join me there! Till then, DREAM ON... because they come true :)

Solar paradox- A visit to Dilli 6!

So here goes a follow-up post which was promised, on the Lajpat Rai Market visit.

Today, on a hot summer day, I set out with a friend of mine to 'validate the solar paradox' (in his words!). Now the Dainik Jagran clipping did not mention the name of the shop, so we reached Chandni Chowk metro station, only with this little information: We had to find Mr. Harsh Jagga's shop in Lajpat Rai Market. After inquiring from here and there, we managed to reach the market, which was right next to Bhagirath Palace (the biggest light market, had explored all of it two years back for light shopping for my new home).

As we moved around the narrow bylanes, we saw a few solar panels kept outside some shops, but I was rather adamant to locate the same shop which was featured in the story. Managed to find it, and we began our little investigation, with me clutching to the news clipping (yes, I carried it!).

No beating around the bush, here is what we found: The 'cheap' solar panels worth Rs.60 per watt are not made in China rather their cell is imported duty-free (that explains the subsidized cost) and assembled by an Indian company in Hyderabad (see pic below). Also, it had essentially the same guarantee period as offered by the Indian made panels (10years!).

The chinese made, imported panels are more cheaper but they don't carry any guarantee. The most popular item in his shop, was a solar mobile charger worth Rs.350.

He also had panels offered by companies like Tata BP solar, but they were priced at Rs.95 per watt. He said, even the government sells these panels at higher rates and they are not readily available to the general public. Like the biggest client of Tata is the railways.

So what I infer is, shops like these are an important link in the chain to reach out to people at the grassroots. Also, very important for achieving our National Solar Mission's target of off-grid power supply.

The shopkeeper confessed that these products were popular among the rural audience. They have supplied these panels to many villages. He lamented how Rickshaw pullers buy these for their villages in U.P and Bihar. He felt that, the rural dwellers value these products more, since they have no electricity supply in their homes. On the other hand, since the urban audience already has access to electricity, they are not interested in buying solar devices and they find it too costly.

I don't quite agree with him, I feel its all about creating awareness and changing mindsets. For instance, an urban dweller can recover money by operational cost savings. Agreed, the initial investment is high, but it is definitely cheaper than what it used to be few years back.And why do we forget about our urban poor? The rural migrants who comprise the 'slum population' in our cities. They can benefit from these products too.

Also, if the solar rooftop policy is introduced (feeding solar power from our homes to the grid), we can completely reduce/eliminate our electricity bills by supplying equivalent amounts! It was recently scrapped by the Delhi government (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-09/delhi/31041338_1_solar-power-solar-project-solar-mission)

Unfortunately, installing solar air conditioning at our homes, is a far fetched dream. As currently designing ACs of 1-1.5 ton specification (the kind we use at homes) is not feasible. Right now, Thermax is the leader in this field and they currently design solar ACs for large scale commercial purpose like for offices and hotels, powering halls with huge capacity.

If you happen to be in Old Dilli, do visit these shops. The one I visited was:

Makhija Electronics, Shop No. 768, Old Lajpat Rai Market, Delhi-6. Contact No. 9810165781

  

Revolution 2012?

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon.....

As I munched on my lunch lazily at the dining table, my dad said " Solar panels are available for Rs. 60. wanna buy?"

I literally spilled some food out of my mouth and my eyes popped out in shock (not exaggerating here!)

Then, I told him atleast 20 times repeatedly "Are you kidding me? Do you know what you are saying?" 

(I felt it was a crime to say something like that, that too so easily!)

I asked him his source, he said "Its in the paper today!". I ran across the living room, nearly tore TOI and started scanning through it! I wondered how I missed it out. Eventually, din't find any such story, at this point my dad goes like "Might be in Dainik Jagran". And I was amazed again. So this time picked up the Hindi newspaper and it was right there.

Some shops in Lajpat Rai Market in Delhi have started selling 'Chinese' made cheap solar panels. How cheap?

Well, digest this: Rs.60 per watt! The article goes on to lament that how the prices have come down from Rs. 260 to Rs. 60. What I wonder is, how did our 'English' national dailies skip this story?

Can't wait to go to this market and see it for myself. Till then, I am still in disbelief.

According to the article, people have started flocking to this shop and are taking back solar panels for their homes. It says pay Rs.1100 to light 3 bulbs! Solar inverters are available for Rs.15,000.

Has China done it again? How do they achieve such a fleet each time? With every product under the sun! (pun intended)

Does this mean, finally this technology will be adopted by the masses?

Things that we need to find out: Quality and warranty of these panels? How much does the battery cost?

For eye-witness account, wait till tomorrow as I plan on visiting this place and finding out for myself, what really is happening! (Till then save this image and zoom in to read the whole story)

Betrayal....

This is dedicated to a dear, close friend who is fighting the battle of cancer. This was a result of anger and frustration and that thought: Why her?

It grows inside me,

I may not know!

where did it come from?

betrayal of my own cell

it will alter and control whatever was built since inception

who will stop it?

shots of chemicals and rays

will give me a second body.

but what about my injured soul?

who'l mend whats changed 

will I ever get to know, who betrayed me?

as I mourn the betrayal of my own cells....

I see green and blue for months and months

the sanitized smell is now a permanent guest

privacy lost, veins exposed

the nurse gets me the mundane fuel

on a fat bed I lose and thin....

a stranger stares back from the mirror

as I traveled a decade in a year.

the mane is coming back but the soul is gone

I call out to it, but the hurt fellow has left for far

what haunts me, are not the scars,

but the sheer memories of the life that was

will I ever get to know, who betrayed me?

as I mourn the betrayal of my own cells....

Art in Wasteland- The story of beautiful people

I am on a mission. To watch the top 10 environmental documentaries as listed on this website: http://green-buzz.net/environment/10-must-watch-environmental-documentaries-2/ 

I have already watched the top 2. I started watching # 4 Earthlings but couldn't complete it (about animal rights and it really gets brutal and sad after a point).

So let us come to #3 : The Wasteland (2010). I was very eager, since waste management and landfills excites me! (Yes, you read that right :) ) And i wasn't disappointed. In fact was moved by this movie.

So, Vik Muniz a renowned visual artist based in New York connects to his roots and travels to his homeland Brazil. His mission being: Creating art from garbage. So he travels to Jardim Gramacho, the biggest landfill site in Rio de Janeiro (70% of Rio’s waste reaches here). And of course a documentary maker documents his entire journey and this experimental art project.

The best part about this movie is ‘human connect’ element. One can connect with each of the protagonists (waste pickers). These ordinary people have extraordinary jobs. What we throw away as waste, is handpicked by pickers and plenty of items are recovered as recyclables (saleable and source of livelihood for them). They clean our mess, literally!

There is a point in the movie where the leader of the waste pickers association says that:

“People throw away books” (can you imagine?) which he then picks up and adds to his library. He shared that he was taught to value reading, unlike others who tore the books they found and sold the paper for recycling!

There are points in the movie that will suddenly transport you from a light scene and from lively interactions to glimpses of harsh reality, like a scene where a truck enters with fresh pile and all the pickers attack it as if it is filled with gold. At another point of time, a group of pickers guess which trash is from a rich household and which is from a poor one!! It does make you smile and also makes you wonder- How does my trash end up looking in the landfill? :) Also, it makes you feel small, because we are the ones who without giving a thought throw away things just because we can afford to! While these guys are the ones who command respect, as they sort through our garbage and give meaning to it, by reusing it.

The association leader also says "I can't complain, no! God will punish me if I complain". And look at us, how we go about complaining about every other thing in our urban lives.

As Vik’s idea shapes up, he captures artistic photographs of some of the protagonists and later creates the outlines and shapes of the portraits from garbage. So empty bottles, buttons, slippers, plastic, rubber creates an amalgamation of a rare art form which is created from waste! For this, the pickers themselves volunteer. How beautiful a concept and equally beautiful is its execution (have a look at the pictures). Not only this, Vik being a popular artist auctions off these portraits and donates the money to the pickers and their association. The first auction fetches $50,000.

The documentary is beautiful and the credit roll ends with an apt soundtrack # Look at us, we are beautiful...by Moby.

Greenhorns Festival

Yesterday, it was back to school for me. Not my school, but got a chance to conduct a discussion session after a movie screening of this animated movie called 'There's no tomorrow' for 8th standard kids. The location was Modern School, Barakhamba.

Needless to say, I was nervous! and that too days before the event.

I must thank my fellow climate champion Saumya for giving me this opportunity. She is the co-founder of the environmental social networking site- battigul.org and it was part of their Greenhorns Festival.(http://www.battigul.org/event/7)

I happily volunteered for this movie-screening activity as I love watching, discussing and making movies! Thanks to my journalism days and those discussions after the countless screenings of documentaries and off-beat cinema.

But, discussing a movie with kids was a first for me, and the challenge got me excited in the first place to sign up for this.

So, here I was all set after watching the half an hour movie a couple of times and making notes on the concepts mentioned in it. Simplifying the statistics and information for the kids to understand.

There's no tomorrow speaks about the increasing consumption of fossil fuel by the world and its implication on resource depletion and our future. 

Now, the movie even though animated had many stats and graphs (since it kept mentioning about effect on economy and growth) So I was apprehensive whether the 8th standard kids will be able to follow or not. So I decided to stop two times in between (at these section breaks) and I summarised what was mentioned and also threw some fun facts and asked these little questions on concepts mentioned in the movie like: Energy density, EROEI (Energy returned on energy invested), carrying capacity etc.

And these kids were bright :-D Initially when the movie was playing and the audi was dark, i could hear the kids talking among themselves and I was terrified that the discussion would be dull and silent, but I was pleasantly surprised as they actively participated and correctly answered almost all the questions.

As for the restlessness and not paying attention, its natural at their age :)

In all, it was a lovely experience and honestly hearing a short brief about me being read out at the beginning made me feel strange (in a good way) and nostalgic as I was on the 'other side' in school for the first time. 

I have to do the same at two other schools in the coming week. So, I hope to get better and more confident of myself. 

Till then, enjoy the movie:

My late night movie made me cry :(

We all are familiar with the acting prowess of Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, just saw their highly acclaimed and popular movie finally- The Bucketlist. Where do I start from? Knowing someone closely who is fighting cancer can make you see this movie in an altogether different light. Tales of death and doing something meaningful before dying is familiar to me but this tale attached a different meaning to it. Realism and emotions is something that I like in my movie watching experience. Both of these were conveyed beautifully in this one.

I won't go on to give a movie review here neither will I sermonise on how life is short, so must be enjoyed. But, would still say one thing- We can make few days if not all, in our life where we strike off an item from our infinitely long bucketlist :) The bucket will be filled with our dreams and aspirations and also our desires. Life is all about going out to fetch them. Don't stop being a dreamer...and don't wait to get old to do things (there! i did finally sermonise)

The picture above is a screen shot of the Taj Mahal scene from the movie :) Indians are obsessed about everything Indian. right?

By the way am really an emotional person but a confession straight away- cried like crazy at the end of this movie and no tears din't stream, they flooded :| yes am still perplexed at my sudden outburst. Here is why I feel movies are so important :) rekindling all kinds of emotions within us. I can never stop 'experiencing' movies ... (And to tell u honestly, am proud of that)

My evenings....

I have a new room-mate :) Guess who? or guess what actually!

My birthday gift from sis- Xmini speakers.

So I am a music lover (mostly like hindi numbers, not that into english songs) who does not own an i-pod!

Whose speakers have long worn out and whose phone memory card has limited storage space :p

So given that situation, I-pod was on my wishlist, but since its a bit expensive, my sis suggested I rather spend that amount on a new phone. But guess what I don't want a new phone, am absolutely fine with my 2yr old E71! I mean phone should be used for talking and texting, right? Why kill the battery by playing music? Yes, thats me, I think that way :|

So, my thoughtful sis gifted me x-mini speakers (the round black thing in the picture) (realised after typing, thats obvious, since the other two things are kinda obvious :p)

So anyways, we discovered this beautiful creation (also a portable party material by the way to spice up your gatherings with awesome music sound system) at a cousin's place sometime back.

You should have seen my sis and me, we were so mesmerised and regretted on not having a high gizmo IQ.

But being the best sis in the world :) she just made my day. Infact made my evenings :) After coming back home from my internship, i liven up my room with music, my shell is alive again!

Right now as i blog about this, i sit on a rag on the floor with my favorite collection of songs playing in the background.

Welcome to awesomeness, feel blessed to be re-connected to music.

Solar for all?

These days we hear about green and clean energy sources, specifically renewable energy sources like solar. But, if we look at the target audience of these 'projects', it is either rural poor whose villages are unelectrified or we speak of new urban structures incorporating the same.

What lies in between or rather who lie in between are the urban poor. The rural migrants in cities, with no basic rights (housing, sanitation, electricity, water supply etc). So most often they fail to be a target of development initiatives.

There are plenty of hawkers in Delhi that provide us with basic goods like vegetables and fruits, clothes and other daily commodities. They use conventional sources of lighting like kerosene or pay a daily rent of Rs.20-40 for bulbs and CFLs running on diesel generators and thermal power station supply.

What if they adopt solar lamps? Not only will it make economic sense, it would also in the long run be environment friendly.

To know more about a story of such an intervention, watch this short documentary, tracing an idea of two young Master students:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvZV2tXyy00&feature=youtu.be

The death of a facebook account...

Hi Rozita,

You have deactivated your Facebook account. You can reactivate your account at any time by logging into Facebook using your old login email and password. You will be able to use the site like you used to.

Thanks,

The Facebook Team

Can't believe but i have finally taken this step :)

After 5 years of being on facebook i finally decide to quit. Atleast for a while, thats for sure. But then again, can we really be sure about anything in life?

Anyways, so the next step of this 'rehab' (yes its no less than quitting smoking!) is to utilise this freed time for writing and reading. As geeky as it sounds but that is the reason why I have deactivated my account.

My story is the same as millions of other facebook users- 'Addiction'

Need i say more?

Lately I had started feeling that there is so much more wiser and intelligent to do with one's time than refreshing your facebook page every 10min! or spending long hours doing nothing on facebook! yes doing absolutely 'nothing' consumes way too much time on this frankenstein monster created by zuckerberg.

So, here I am, from now on my stars will be blogger and twitter who will get all my attention during my rehab. Looking forward to the wiser me :) Hello - reading and writing!

There is so much that requires my attention. Coming few months will be busy busy with thesis, composting project and planning for June 5!

Last week along with turning a year older, I guess I got some wisdom too :) (Please bear with my obsession with wisdom)

Goodnight world! I hope I feel so kicked in the morning too....

Hmmm... A theme for each year of your life? :)

Yes its 2012, and last year went by with no blogs from my side.

Not difficult to guess, why i come back on a New Year's January to feel guilty. I won't use the 'R' word but yes I do want to or rather wish to write more often :) So what better occasion than this time of the year when one thinks of fresh ideas and habits. Whether they last or not is not the question, the thought process matters. We should appreciate this very opportunity that is offered to us each year, of starting fresh. Either fulfilling the backlog of wishes from previous year or taking up new tasks or vision ahead.

I spent this New Year's eve with my sis, this being my second visit to her in 2011. The first being on her birthday in September and this is something that would keep me going in 2012 as well :)

You see we have missed out on so many moments together because of her education (She pursued her M.B.B.S from outside and now is in final year M.S Ophthalmology in Meerut)

So making as many memories with her, is something that will continue this year too. We both will be completing our Post-graduation together. We plan to take a trip, just me and her post May this year. I'l blog about it if we do :D

What i was coming to was, i bought a diary on 1st January :) Its called the Green Earth Diary and has plenty of green messages spread across. I have never ever maintained a diary before, but i will TRY jotting down few lines on most of the days [not all! already missed the first two days of this year] Lets see how it goes, probably it would help in blogging regularly too.

Why i chose this green backdrop diary was because its theme was my area of interest/profession- Environment.

Its funny how my passion for which i was naturally inclined has turned into an 'area of interest'.

The shift happened when i chose a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice after graduating from Journalism.

Another reason why i used the area of interest terminology, because i am in the final year of the first batch of this programme and yes 'placements' is another term that has been fed into our systems as we approach the end :) So think CVs, statement of purpose and major project/internship selection as few things that will probably be ruining my 'new' year feel as i go back to my 'old' college routine next week :|

Lets de-stress and think of retail therapy, read - Shopping!! Occasion- Usually Don't need any ;) But its a very close family friend's wedding in January, so the last weeks of 2011 were spent in the lanes of Lajpat Nagar, Karol Bagh and South Extension Market. And OFCOURSE its not over :D So the first week of 2012 will be shopping rehab for me.

Coming back to serious stuff in life :| I will be implementing a project that is way too close to my heart- promoting household composting <3 [Yes that was a heart, facebook inspired ;)]

It is something i have been thinking of since 2011 summer, but has taken shape mostly in the last two months. As part of British Council's International Climate Change Champion programme (2009) Our small team will also be getting decent funding for it (which is what gave me the much needed boost)

More on that later...

Also, my 2month online film-making course (as part of the same programme) ends soon and i have to conceptualise a 3min short movie soon. More on that too, later! (Hell afterall have to blog for an entire year)

To end this blog, listen to my crazy (or not so crazy) idea. I was just wondering, Like UN conferences and summits, why don't we individually, secretly or openly give a theme to each year in our life ;)

It could be anything under the sun, just about anything! I don't need to give examples!

What fun will it be? Not like other things would take a backseat, not possible! But fixing the central theme, so that each year is new, bringing new experiences and people into your life and so that we live each day more and more, slowly steadily fulfilling all wishes from our wishlist ...... Whatsay?

P.S: While proof-reading the article i realise, wow 2012 already seems eventful :D eeeeeeee *fingers crossed*