rally january 2016

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Prof. Julia Pradeepa

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Fr. S. Emmanuel SJ.National Adviser

IN AICUF SOLIDARITY

AT THE DAWN OF 2016 can we hope forthe best in India as an optimist or taking cuefrom the past speculate as a realist ? IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term inoffice will enter its third year in May 2016. Atthe beginning of the new year, it is an appro-priate occasion to measure his performanceso far and chart what the next year may holdfor India. Last year brought electoral setbacksfor Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)in two important states. It lost Delhi in Febru-ary and Bihar in October, denting Modi’s repu-tation. Not long ago, the prime minister ledthe BJP to a historic win in the general elec-tions in May 2014. Last year’s losses have notonly shattered Modi’s aura of invincibility, buthave also emboldened the opposition Con-gress Party, which has been struggling sinceits resounding defeat in the 2014 national elec-tions. Can the recent regional electoral set-backs put a hold on the ideas that Modi rep-resents? Despite the dwindling popularity ofthe BJP’s leader, the Hindu right-wingmajoritarian agenda has come to dominatepopular discourse in India.

For the first time in post-independenceIndia, Hindu right-wing ideas have come toinvariably dominate the national political dis-course. Last year saw the consolidation ofthat idea and its aggressive propagation bythe BJP government. The beef debate and theban on the meat are clear examples of howthe Hindu way of life is being promoted by the

ruling establishment. The promotion of yoganationally and internationally is another ex-ample how the regime is favoring one aspectof India’s cosmopolitan and syncretic heritageover others. The rewriting of history text-books also demonstrates how strongly theBJP government is moving towards imple-menting its cultural agenda. By altering his-tory books, the government wants to be thesole spokesperson for Hindus and promote amajoritarian history, discarding the longlegacy of Muslim influence and presence inthe country. By polarizing history, the BJP istrying to prove that India is predominantly aHindu state, discarding other India’s manyother cultures and ways of life.

When the first BJP government ruled thecountry between 1998 to 2004, it also tried topromote the Hindu nationalist agenda, but didso cautiously. This has changed with Modi’sleadership, and there is an aggressive pushfor this agenda today. Today, the primeminister’s supporters brand those who op-pose the right wing project as an agent of theopposition or anti-Indian. This happened whenIndia was debating rising intolerance on thepart of right wing forces. Modi has not uttereda single word on the issue, which kept thewhole nation agitated for months. However,his cabinet colleagues and other Hindu right-wing leaders have continued to stoke thefires of intolerance. The BJP leadership nevercondemned the killing of rationalists and it

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never expressed sorrow after the lynching ofa Muslim man who was suspected of storingbeef at his house. Recently, it has failed torespond when prominent writers and histori-ans returned their awards in protest over theincreasing national climate for intolerance.

The prime minister meanwhile keeps ontalking about development and economic well-being, but the party he heads talks in dispar-ate voices and dabbles into sectarian politics.The ruling leadership remains silent on manycontentious issues. This has become a stan-dard political strategy. If 2015 is any indication,this is going to be the game plan in the newyear also. On the surface, India appeared po-litically stable in 2015. In reality, it has sufferedsome disturbing social conflicts, borne of a

clash of ideas between the Hindu right andthose who would see the nation remain plu-ralistic. This contest will continue and is go-ing to be bitter in 2016. The Hindu majoritariangroup sees Modi as their best chance to pushtheir agenda and implant a new narrative forthe nation. Only time will tell how far they willsucceed. One thing is certain: The year aheadwill see a bitter struggle for the soul of India(The Diplomat, ‘What to Expect out of the BJPin India in 2016, Jan 4th ). AICUF students needto understand the socioeconomic political im-plications of these happenings in differentstates of India and join hands with humanrights activists in safeguarding secularism anddemocratic values of India.

The pollution problem isalways seen as someonewho was doing somethingbad that has to be stopped.To me, pollution is doingsomething bad and good.People don’t pollutebecause they like polluting.They do it because it’s acheaper way of producingsomething else.

Ronald Coase

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Pollution Free(in) India Dr.G.John

National Animator

WHAT IS PRESENT in Earth that which is not present in otherplanets? Obviously, our answer would be ‘environment’. Yes, earthhas environment consisting of air and water essential for sustaininglife in the form of humans, animals, flora and fauna. Without air andwater, earth would be devoid of all forms of life. The biosphere, inwhich living beings have their sustenance, has oxygen, nitrogen,carbon dioxide, argon and water vapor. All these elements are wellbalanced to ensure and help a healthy growth of life. This balancenot only helps the life-cycles of animals and plants, but it also cre-ates the perennial sources of minerals and energies without whichthe human civilization of to-day could not be built. It is for this bal-ance that the human life and other forms of existence have flour-ished on earth for so many millions of years, without much interrup-tion.

Comparatively, humans are the latest addition to planet earth.Other forms of life existed on this planet much before humans startedpopulating it. The population and the proportions of animals, floraand fauna on this planet were delicately maintained for millions ofyears, without affecting the sustainability of each creature and life.This balance continued to be maintained, with its own checks andbalance mechanisms, for millions of years.Man - an engendered species!

This delicate balance started losing itsequilibrium once humans started exploitingthe mother earth. Human, the so called mostintelligent animal in the animal kingdom, nei-ther stopped being inquisitive, nor was con-tent with the bounties of nature. His quest forknowledge and search for security made himexplore newer and wider avenues of exploit-ing resources of earth which was shared byall the forms of life. He started looting re-sources of other creatures. He never cared forthe well-being of other co-inhibitors of earth.He refused and transgressed space meant for

other animals and insects. But theother creatures lacked intelli-gence to put up a strong defenseagainst this exploitation. Thistransgression of human into theareas and resources of othercreatures resulted in upsettingthe delicate equilibrium main-tained for ages. Consequently,certain animals, plants, insectsstarted losing their rightful placeand were thrown out of the foodchain. Having lost space and food,they eventually become extinct.Thus, the balance of nature waslost permanently. Alas, humansnever realized that this was totheir own peril. They becameprisoners in their own home.Result:

He is forced to rear animalsthat he feared once. He is forced

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to pay and invest heavily to maintain forest cover which he de-structed. He is forced to earmark space and bring in legislation toprotect endangered species which he hunted and killed earlier. Whathe does now is what he should have been doing. Had he done that- allowing animals its own space not hunting them, not destructingforests, flora and fauna, he would not have to spend so much moneynow. He pays for his past sin of altering the eco-balance. But thereare many damages that can’t be repaired at all. One such thing is‘pollution of the environment’.He ruled the earth and exploited its resources as if earth is meantonly for him. He saw ‘commerce’ in everything. In his greed to havemore and more, he produced more and more. To produce more andmore, he extracted more and more from the crust of the motherearth. All these resulted in more and more pollution. And eventu-ally, he started suffering more and more. Now, he wonders ‘how toclean up the mess’ he created? Man has now almost become anengendered species! Look at the startling data that should shakeour collective conscience.Air we Breathe! Delhi is the most polluted city in the world (based on sulphur

dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other particulate matter) Air pollution in India slashes life expectancy by 3.2 years for

the 660 million Indians who live in cities. India is ranked third in carbon emissions and accounts for

5,164 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2014 Of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities, 13 are in India

(WHO) Air pollution is the sixth biggest killer in India with an annual

estimated toll of 66 million. Air pollution is responsible for 5,86,788 premature deaths in

India.

The normal component offresh air are consist of 78.084 per-cent Nitrogen (N2), 21.946 percentOxygen (O2), 0.934 percent Argon(Ar), 0.0397 percent Carbon diox-ide (CO2), 0.00182 percent Neon(Ne), 0.0005 percent Helium (He)and 0.0002 percent Methane(CH4). When these normal per-centage of Air component be-have like irregular due to the in-fluence of several harmful gases,our surrounding environmentbecomes polluted. Major reasonto increase above-mentionedcompositions in the air is indus-try emissions which increase thepercentage of carbon monoxideand many harmful gasses. Ve-hicles also contribute up to 35%of air pollution in the big citieslike Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata,Chennai etc. some other reasonsof air pollutions are the burningwood fuel in rural areas for cook-ing and millions of old dieselengines persistently burningaway dieselWater we drink ! Ganges is the most polluted

river in the world. Thirdplace goes to Yamuna.

Annually, 100 millionpilgrims add on an average 100 grams of ritualisticofferings to the riverGanges adding up to 10000tonnes of solid waste to theriver.

8400 km stretch of river inIndia is badly polluted andnot fit for aquatic life.

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54 % of our population does not have drinking watersource at their home. They depend on public or opensource like rivers, canals, wells and so on.

50 % of underwater source in Indo-Gangetic plains(home to half the population in India) is contaminated.

50 % of lakhs and wet lands have disappeared duringthe last century.

67.3 % of sewage generated in towns flows directly intowater bodies and only 32.7 % is treated.

Around 37.7 million Indians are affected by waterbornediseases annually, 1.5 million children are estimated to die ofdiarrhoea alone.

73 million working days are lost due to waterbornedisease each year resulting in an economic burden of$600 million a year.River is the main source of water in India. It is polluted by

organic waste, sediments, minerals, nutrients, toxic chemicals etc.Big industries produce large scale liquid emission that is washedout through a canal into water bodies and rivers. A three-yearanalysis of the water quality in 290 rivers by the Central PollutionControl Board said about 66% of the stretches monitored had highorganic pollution. It means 8,400 km of these rivers are badlypolluted and not fit for supporting aquatic life. “Increasing flow ofuntreated waste water from cities into these rivers is the reasonfor our rivers getting polluted.Government Policy and Pollution

Our policy makers need to show will and guts to bring downpollution levels. For this to happen, they need to understand con-cepts relating to pollutions, GHGs, environment, global warming andso on. But I wonder, how many of our policy makers, MLAs, MPs,Ministers would be able to understand these concepts! Even if theyunderstand, they will be making policies favouring corporate sec-tors. If the policy makers understand the interplay various factorsleading up to pollution, they would be making policy encouragingpublic transport system to a larger extent. But the current policy

seems to be otherwise. It favourscar manufacturing companies. Ifcompanies produce and sellmore cars, the Netas would getmore commissions.

The share of public transportsystem should be in the schemeof things for combating pollutionin India. The share of publictransport, 88 % in Mumbai, 76 %in Kolkata, 70 % in Chennai and62 % in Delhi, should be in-creased. Passengers should beattracted and encouraged to usepublic transport system. If ne-glected there could be a seriousproblem. A research indicatesthat modal share of public trans-port in India may drop from 75.7%in 2001-02 to 44.7% in 2030-31.This drop means that more num-ber of people would be using pri-vate vehicles consuming morefuel, and contributing more pol-lution. The Asian DevelopmentBank’s research states that Ban-galore can save 21 % of fuel con-sumption if it increases its shareof public transport from the cur-rent 62 % to 80 %.

The government policies areso distorted that it discouragespublic transport and encouragespersonal vehicles. Public Trans-port system in India bear highertax burden. Tax burden per ve-hicle km is 2.3 times higher forpublic transport buses than carsin India. The annual road tax abus pays is higher than the one-time road tax a car pays in a year.Public transport system used by

1. Let’s us save our Earth2 . Save Earth for your future generations3 . Earth is the only livable planet; just save it4. Save Earth; Save Environment5 . Make your every day Earth Day

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the poor remains neglected. The poor end up paying an enormouscost for their travel, while car users do not pay the full cost of theirtravel. Another important factor is ‘fuel pricing’. Cheap diesel leadsto more cars and more driving. But diesel fuel has higher carboncontent than petrol, thus it contributes more pollution.

Policies must be directed towards reversing automobile depen-dence. We can take the cues from western countries that have madetravel demand policies. Policy makers should understand that mo-bility management is not meant to restrict mobility, but is meant toincrease sustainable travel, and reduce travel by personal vehicle.More Mass Rapid Transport system should be thought of seriously.

Hence, the policy makers should bear these things in mind andframe policies to push the use of buses, subways, trains, cycles etcto dampen the insatiable need for energy, free up roads and citiesfrom congestion and clean up the environment. The governmentcan think of other avenues to encourage public transport system.The expenditure incurred in travelling using public transport systemcould be completely exempt from tax.Change in our attitude

In Indian society gods, godmen, godwomen, religions and itsdogmas, and scriptures dominate. We are rather sentimental ani-mals, giving science and logic back seat. We invoke ‘customs andtradition’ when we can’t explain a certain phenomenon scientifi-cally. So much so that even the highest courts in India yields to‘customs and traditions’ arguments, often at the behest of their po-litical masters. Politicians, having vote banks in mind, play to thegallery. The recent judgment to lift the ban on ‘jallikattu’ is an ex-ample. The year 2016 might witness several such sentiment scenesas there many upcoming state assembly elections.Religion is the biggest factor responsible for pollution in India. IfGanges is the most polluted river in the world, is because of reli-gious belief associated with Hinduism. Consider the fact that on anaverage 100 grams of assorted ritualistic offering is added to riverGanges by the 100 million pilgrims who assemble during Kumbh

Mela. This is whooping 10,000tonnes of solid waste added tothe river. This is apart from solidwaste added by people. This oneritual itself adds so much of solidwaste to the river. Pilgrims be-lieve in salvation and thatGanges provides it. They are leastbothered about filth and wastethey dump into the river, becauseit is a belief and tradition andthey don’t want to defy it riskingtheir salvation.What is needed is change in atti-tude and scientific temper. Wehave left behind a lots of tradi-tions and custom practices overthe years, as we progressed inthinking and understanding ofenvironment. During Pongal sea-son we have the practice of burn-ing old things. This adds enor-mous pollution to environment.Thank god, government itself sen-sitizes people about this oddpractice by imposing stringentrules. We need to get rid of allthose practices, religious or nonreligious, without succumbing tothe pressures of faith and belief.Religious leaders and politicalestablishments should togethertake their best feet forward.

That we have children coming into this world already polluted, at the same

time we don’t know what the effects of that pollution will be on their mental

and physical development, is both bad policy and immorally wrong.

Louise Slaughter

10 January 2016Rally Picture Source: Internet

INCREASING EFFICIENCYANDPROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY

Arpan Vineet LakraSt. Xavier’s College

West Bengal

WE HUMANS as individuals can do so much good just by practicing the three R’s – reduce, reuse,recycle. However there are people who don’t just stop at that. People who seek innovation (both hard-ware and software) in the techniques of energy saving, pollution prevention, green product designsand waste recycling. These innovations are known as green innovations and they transmogrify the waywe observe, absorb and act.

One such innovation is the ‘Use of plastic for road construction’ by K. Ahmed Khan a successfulscientist and businessman. Founder of KK Plastic Waste Management Pvt. Ltd. Earlier in 1996 Ahmedwas the owner of a plastic manufacturing company called KK Polyflex. However the rising protestsagainst the ban of plastic (both usage and production)put him in dilemma as his entire livelihood camefrom manufacturing plastic bags and he employed about one hundred employees. It was then thatAhmed and his brother Rasool Khan struck with the idea to recycle the non-biodegradable waste calledplastic.

Plastic is generally made from petroleum, if incinerated it increases carbon emissions, if put in asanitary landfill it becomes a carbon sink (biodegradable have caused methane emissions). Thus it isvery tricky to recycle plastic. So the brothers tried to find an alternative use for waste plastic. Theyfound out a way to mix plastic with bitumen and lay roads. Today they have laid almost thousand Km ofroad in Bangalore. They have converted their idea into a successful business enterprise by buyingplastic waste at the rate of Rs 6/Kg from households, schools and factories. They have their ownautorickchaws and lorries that go around the city to collect plastic. The plastic collected is cleaned andput in a shredder. The shredded bits are then left for six to seven days to dry. Once dry, the bits aremixed with bitumen in hot mixing plants to make roads. This way not only waste plastic is stopped fromaccumulating in the environment but also it is stopped from polluting any further. In addition to this theroads made by mixing plastic with bitumen is more durable, reducing permanent deformation in theform of rutting and reduced cracking and crazing of the surface increasing the life of roads from thenormal two to three years to six to seven years.

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On a much smaller scale ‘Dhananjay Chakraborty’ a yellow cab driver in Kolkata has changed hisnormal cab into a green one. The roof of his car hosts a tray planted with grass which he waters whereever he goes. This results in a much cooler interior as compared to other yellow cabs. Even inside hiscab Dhananjay has kept many plants. He goes by the pet name of ‘Gechho Bapi’ which means a manwho lives on a tree.

“I have loved trees from childhood….I have decided to spread the message that trees must beplanted and cared for. Where ever I travel in the city. I ask my passengers to do so.” He told ‘TheTelegraph’. Such innovations are really commendable and should be encouraged.

Picture Source: Bappi green Taxi

“As one should do what he can to bring about a change. For- It is thegreatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little do whatyou can” - Sydney Smith

Sooner or later, we will have to

recognise that the Earth has rights,

too, to live without pollution. What

mankind must know is that human

beings cannot live without Mother

Earth, but the planet can live with-

out humans.

Evo Morales


CELEBRATE the Gift of God, the Universe,

Vibrate this right is joy for all immerse,

Magnificent mountains in mighty height,

Broad wide forests grand beauty to sight,

Vast expanse deserts calm and quiet,

Deep and dark oceans hold their might,

Hills and valleys plains and wetlands,

Shelter for biotic and abiotic nature bands.

Years long past men as hunter- gatherers,

Became agriculture pastoral waverers,

Rivers flow graciously in its freedom,

Bless nook and corner here not seldom,

Dug tapped the ground sources well,

Minerals fossils burnt made earth dull,

Litter dumped caused springs silent,

Felling forests devastation more violent.

Seeking short-term economic growth,

Earning long term ecological wrath,

Animals and birds rear cost soar,

Get rich today.. Hell tomorrow as roar.

Nothing left, sooner poor earth in grief,

Slaved her bleeding seeking relief,

World filled sources to benefit the needy,

Not to satisfy and fill the giant greedy.

Sr. A.M.Jansi FSAG,Gonzaga College,Kathampallam,T.N.

Mind… the Mother of all Pollutions


Serene nature is adorned with simplicity,

Impure poison evoked species calamity,

Loses its balance survival in vanity.

Is this is the way we create modernity?

Rotten mind produces violence,

Selfish nature of man as license.

Some billion year old is its age,

Destroy is the disease of modern age.

Mind cultivates thoughts in plain soil,

Waves of Productive thoughts emerge to uncoil,

Destructive thoughts dwell in the minds of doyle,

Nourished and shaped in nature in the mind’s turmoil.

Every origin good or bad you find,

Takes root so deep in your mind,

No dollar could clean the air and water,

Better contrite at heart, not regret later.

Violence, greediness, dishonesty, over consumption

Covetousness giving happiness mere deception,

Uproot the selfish thoughts of mind pollution,

‘Use and Throw’ destroys the biotic evolution.

Refilling thoughts with love and reverence,

Harmony and selfless life is your perseverance,

Mother of all pollution, source is the mind,

Free it from the illusion of defilement bind.

Is it survival of the fittest?

Where do they go the last and the least?

Thoughts are mightier than a sword,

Noble truth guide you as the Word.


DALIT IS THE WORD most commonly used forIndia’s untouchables in the early twenty-first cen-tury. Its basic meaning is “broken, ground down,”but “oppressed” is the best translation for its cur-rent use. It is a self-chosen word, made popular bythe Dalit Panthers in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the1970s. It replaces ex-untouchable (used becausethe constitution of independent India made thepractice of untouchability illegal) and Harijan (chil-dren of God), Mahatma Gandhi’s kind but patron-izing term. Scheduled castes is an official govern-mental designation created in 1935 when a list orschedule was created for castes that qualified forspecial representation or governmental benefits.Scheduled tribes refers to tribes that merit specialtreatment. The term Dalit often includes both castesand tribes and may be used by any group that feelsitself oppressed.

The untouchables or scheduled castes com-prise one-sixth of the population of India, approxi-mately 160 million people, and there are some fourhundred castes considered “untouchable.” Thephenomenon of a group of outsiders has givenEnglish two words: outcaste and pariah. The un-touchables, however, are in castes of their own,and pariah literally refers to a drum. One duty ofthe actual pariah caste was ritual drumming forhigher castes.THE CASTE SYSTEM

The English word caste is used for two verydifferent forms of the caste system: varna and jati .The classic categories of varna , depicted in thetenth and last book of the Rig Veda (Sanskrit textscreated from 1500 to 900 BCE), describe the gods’sacrifice of primeval man: From his mouth weremade the Brahmans, the priests; from his shoul-ders the Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers; fromhis thighs the Vaishyas, farmers (later changing to

PURITY AND POLLUTION

indicate merchants and traders); and from his feetthe Shudras, servants of all, a category that be-came inclusive of all who worked with their hands,from musicians to farmers. The first three catego-ries could study the Vedas and receive the sacredthread; the fourth category could not. Untouchables,below Shudras, do not appear in the four oldesttexts of the Vedas and later came to be known asavarna , without varna .

The reality of the caste system rests on the jatis, endogamous groups that eat together, often workin one occupation, and consider themselves tohave a common history and culture. There are prob-ably more than three thousand jatis in India. Manycan be fitted into the varna system, but inMaharashtra and the South there are only twovarnas : Brahmans and Shudras. There are, ofcourse, merchants and soldiers and rulers in theSouth, but few call themselves Kshatriya or Vaishyaor Shudra, and the Varna category does not seemto matter except for Brah-mans (and untouchables).The system allowed groups coming into India tofind a place in the social structure, depending upontheir political power and economic skills.

In the modern period, organizations on thebasis of jatis were formed to cooperate in eco-nomic, educational, and even political matters.This, as well as the British census begun in 1872,which gave jati and varna status to all groups,seems to have strengthened and solidified the castesystem.PURITY AND POLLUTION

Behind the caste system is a strong belief inpurity and pollution. Some occupations are pollut-ing, but some castes with no polluting occupationare also polluted by birth. The purity of the uppercastes must be preserved, it is believed, and thisresults in quite literally groups that may not be

The Caste System


touched. The classic rationale for the creation ofuntouchables is twofold: wrongful marriage, thatis, the offspring of a male Shudra and a Brahmanwoman, or karma, misdeeds in this life will resultin a low birth in the next life. Few untouchablecastes accept either theory, although individualssometimes attribute their status to a previous birth.Most castes have an elaborate theory wherebysome unfortunate and misguided good deed re-sulted in untouchability.

Three occupations are considered pollutingthroughout India—the handling of leather or a deadcow, the removal of human waste, and work onthe cremation ground. The prohibition againsttouching a dead cow seems to have extended tothe playing of a cowhide drum, hence the pariahcaste. In the North, leather workers are known asChamars (now many call themselves Ravidasis, thename of an untouchable Chamar saint of medi-eval times). Traditionally the scavenging caste wasknown as Bhangi but now they prefer to be calledValmikis, after the legendary author of the epicRamayana. (200 BCE–200 CE.) Other occupationssuch as washerman and toddy tapper connote un-touchability in some areas and not in others. Un-touchability by birth is determined in the villagesetting and is marked by denial of temple entryand the village well, by occupying living quartersoutside the village, and usually by having the dutyof performing agricultural labor on higher castes’fields.

Although the concept of purity and pollutiongoes back to the Upanishads (700–500 BCE), the

despised “Chandala” in those texts does not seemto indicate a separate caste by birth. The generalconsensus is that by the fourth century CE, the sta-tus and occupational duties of certain groups indi-cates the formation of a “caste system,” with un-touchables recognized as such.THE ORIGIN OF UNTOUCHABILITY

There is no agreement on the origin of untouch-able castes. The scholar and political leaderBhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956) traced a“broken men” theory and a related previous Bud-dhist theory to the increasing Hinduization of Indiain pre-Muslim times. Ambedkar, however, rejecteda race theory, holding to the idea of Indians as onerace with even the Aryans, thought by most asnorthern invaders who developed Sanskrit andclassical literature in India, as originating in India.There is current controversy about Dalits and race.Most scholars and Dalits prefer the term discrimi-nation by descent to a racial category. There is anew move to claim “original inhabitant” status,which is akin to race. There are also traditions of“sons of the soil” and “lords of the earth” in manyuntouchable traditions, which suggest a non-Aryanbackground. Early-twentieth-century movementsoften used the word Adi or Ad as in Ad Dharm orAdi Dravida, the first or original religion or, in theSouth, the first Dravidians, as opposed toBrahmanical culture. The current usage ismulnivashi , meaning the inhabitants in India be-fore the Aryan invasion who possessed anonBrahmanical but complete culture.

The government of India, when faced with Dalitdemands such as those presented at the World Con-ference against Racism held in Durban, South Af-rica, in 2001, and more recently before a UnitedNations commission, denied that “discriminationby descent” was akin to race and maintained thatIndia must deal with its own peoples without inter-national interference. The practice of untouchabil-ity was “abolished” in the constitution of indepen-dent India (articles 15 and 17), and the Untouch-ability (Offenses) Act of 1955 makes such discrimi-natory practices punishable by law. Article 46 pro-vides the Indian version of affirmative action, spe-


cifically the promotion of educational and economicbenefits for the “weaker sections” of the society.The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Pre-vention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 prescribes strin-gent penalties for violence against these groups.The government of India claims this eliminates theneed for Dalits to approach Amnesty International,the United Nations, or Human Rights Watch abouttheir concerns, but Dalits take every opportunity topoint out the discrimination and violence that con-tinues. The British House of Lords is the latest groupoutside of India to take up the issue of violenceagainst Dalits.ANTI-CASTE MOVEMENTS

Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BCE,held that status should be determined by action,not birth. The only people who were Brahmanswere those who fulfilled the specific role of Brah-mins. All castes were admitted into the Buddhistsangha , the order of monks or bhikhus . AlthoughBuddhism was the most consistently egalitarian,there are suggestions of reform in the Siddhas, theNath cult and the Mahanubhav religion, as well asothers.

The bhakti movement, which held that devo-tion to God was the key to salvation and happi-ness, not any sort of ritual or orthodoxy, began inthe South in about the eighth century and movedslowly North, covering most of India by the eigh-teenth century. From Tamil Nadu, the bhakti ideamoved to Karnataka where Basavanna (1134–1196)became the most radical of religious leaders. Fromtotal equality to intercaste marriage, Basavannapreached a new way, but his followers, theLingayats, soon became a caste themselves. In theMarathi area, in the fourteenth century, Cokhamelaand his family, wife, sister, sister’s husband, andson, all wrote songs of both bliss and humiliation,over four hundred of which are now credited tothem. In the North, Ravidas, a Chamar of the fif-teenth century, is still very influential as model,source of pride, and symbol of identity.

The general consensus is that the bhakti move-ment was spiritually egalitarian, but had little so-cial effect. Nevertheless, all the untouchable saints

are remembered—their legends told, their songssung, and their places secured by proof of creativ-ity and piety.

The reform institutions of the nineteenth cen-tury, the Brahmo Samaj based in Bengal, thePrarthana Samaj of Bombay province, and the AryaSamaj of Punjab, the United Provinces, and to somedegree throughout India, had various sorts of ef-fects. The Brahmo instituted schools for the so-called depressed classes. The Prarthana Samajadmitted a few untouchables into its group, andthe Arya Samaj instituted purification rites that theo-retically removed untouchables from any pollut-ing category. All had some effect on the Indianmind, but none had any large effect on the de-pressed classes. A very radical group, theSatyashodhak Samaj (truth-seeking society) of thenon-Brahman Jotirao Phule, flourished in the latenineteenth century and was influential in the areathat became Maharashtra.GANDHI AND AMBEDKAR

Ambedkar had supported Gandhi as one of thefew caste Hindus trying to change the untouchables’situation with his Vaikom Satyagraha movementin the South. Ambedkar became quite critical ofthe lack of commitment to untouchables’ rights onthe part of the Indian National Congress, however,and the outcome of the so-called Poona Pact of1932 made him an implacable critic. Dalits con-tinue to feel that Gandhi betrayed them with hisdenial of the right of separate electorates, whichfor them meant genuine political power. In 1933Gandhi began to use the term Harijan (children ofGod) for untouchables, and until Dalit came to bewidely used Harijan was the universal designationfor untouchables, in spite of the objection of some.

Gandhi was a caste Hindu, a Vaishya.Ambedkar was a Mahar and knew discriminationfirsthand. Gandhi never repudiated the varna theoryof four major groups, although he fought againstthe idea of a group below the varnas and he heldall varnas to be equal. Ambedkar repudiated theentire caste hierarchy, dismissing what was a cur-rent effort among untouchables to “sanskritize,”that is, adopt upper-class customs in order to raise


their status. Gandhi did not believe in politicalbattles for untouchables’ rights or approve theirattempts to enter temples unless the temple au-thorities agreed. Ambedkar felt political power waspart of the solution to untouchability. Basically,Gandhi’s faith was in change of heart; Ambedkar’strust was in law, political power, and education.Ambedkar went on to become the best-known voicePage 388 of the untouchables, and also a power-ful representative, serving both the government ofIndia before independence and as law minister inindependent India’s first cabinet. In the latter ca-pacity he chaired the committee charged with draft-ing a constitution for India.POLITICAL PARTIES

Ambedkar began the Independent LabourParty in 1936 and was successful in gaining elevenof the fifteen seats reserved for scheduled castes,plus seats for three Hindu caste legislators. Theparty was not successful, however, in gaining rightsfor Dalits and for workers. An effort to reintroducethe idea of separate electorates brought about theScheduled Castes Party in 1942. Ambedkar’s Re-publican Party was the next try but did not comeinto being until after his death in 1956. Lacking acentral figure, it was soon divided into various lead-ers’ components. But Dalits are politically veryaware, and the lack of party success resulted inthe Dalit Panther movement in Bombay, which wascombined with a Dalit literary movement in the1970s. After a strong initial impact, the Pantherssplit, and now constitute only minor parties in TamilNadu and some cities of Uttar Pradesh. The liter-ary movement, however, has spread to almost allthe language areas of India.

The political momentum has been taken overby the Bahujan (majority) Samaj Party (BSP)founded in 1984 by Kanshi Ram, a Punjabi. In theNorth and to a smaller degree in Maharashtra ithas considerable strength. Ram had establishedtwo earlier organizations, BAMCEF (All India Back-ward and Minority Communities Employees Fed-eration) and a political party. BAMCEF claimed200,000 members, including university-educatedDalits and Bahujans. Both these organizations gave

way to the BSP, which has made real inroads intothe politics of Uttar Pradesh. Its base is the Chamarcommunity, and although Ram refused to talk aboutcaste, he probably was from the Ramdasi Sikh com-munity, recruited from the Chamars. In 1985Mayawati Kumari, a single woman commonlycalled simply Maya-wati, emerged as an effectiveand powerful leader, and she has led the partysingle-handedly since Kanshi Ram’s death in 2006.An early partnership with the Socialist Party ofMulayam Singh Yadav, which promised enormouspower, soon broke apart, and Mayawati has ruledUttar Pradesh as chief minister three times withinother alliances. Links with the Brahmanical partyof the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been heldsuspect by some Dalits but welcomed by others. Inthe 2007 elections Mayawati’s BSP party in combi-nation with Brahmans won a clear majority, andshe is now chief minister in Uttar Pradesh.VIOLENCE

Much of the discrimination against untouch-ables in the cities, in terms of personal insults, haslessened. In the villages especially, however, thereis actually increasing violence over such mattersas a Dalit marrying into a higher caste, a quarrelover land, or a Dalit assuming a privilege that isnot traditional. Rape, arson, physical violence, andboycotts are familiar weapons against Dalits claim-ing equality. The National Commission for Sched-uled Castes records the atrocities that are reportedto it, and these vary from 25,000 to 30,000 per year.The statistics vary from state to state, and manyviolent encounters are not brought to the attentionof the police or the courts.Compiled by the editorsSource : http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6144/Dalits.html#ixzz3wdEJmlON


Image of the destruction at Hiroshima,1945. It was caused by a nuclear bomb.

Interesting Facts About Nuclear PowerThe sun produces an enormous amount of energy from its nuclear reactions that changehydrogen into helium. In the process, the sun loses over 4 million tons of mass everysecond

• Nuclear power uses fission to create heat and electricity.• Nuclear power provides around 14% of the worlds energy.• The radioactive waste produced by nuclear reactors is very difficult to dispose of safely.• In August 1945, near the end of World War 2, the United States used atomic bombs onthe Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki leading to the deaths of approximately200,000 people.• The sun creates energy through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium.•There are still some 26,000 nuclear warheads in the world, enough to destroy civiliza-tion and mankind many times over.•There are currently nine countries that possess nuclear weapons (U.S, Russia, UK,France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea)•In 1905, Einstein discovered that mass could be converted into energy and vice versa.In 1918, Sir Ernest Rutherford showed that atoms could be split. By 1942, the world hadits first nuclear reactor.• While nuclear power plants themselves do not create carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ornitrogen oxides, the mining, enrichment and transportation of uranium generates harm-ful fossil fuel byproducts.• Globally, there are over 430 commercial nuclear power reactors in over 31 countries.• The peace symbol was initially an anti-nuclear weapons symbol.

Join antinuclear campaign and establish peace in the world.


Tradition cites three magi visited the Christ ChildOn that first Christmas so serene, peaceful and mild,But from the annals of old another story is toldOf a fourth wise man so courageous, loving and bold.

Artaban was his name; wisest of the wiseStudying the sparkling stars he came to surmise,In Judea the birth of a king so sublime,Coming to a world so desperate at that time.

To purchase three precious jewels he sold everythingTo have valuable gifts to give to the new born king,Missing his rendezvous with the three other magiHe journeyed across a cruel desert under a starry sky.

Where he went in Judea he looked for the new born kingBut his search became a frustrating futile thing,Bringing a deep sense of inner sorrow to his mindThroughout the country the new born king he could not find.

In passing years he spent his jewels helping others in needCompassionately he gave of himself in word and deed,His jewels were gone; he was empty, lost and forlornHe had nothing to give to him that as a king was born.

Now an old man Artabon came to Jerusalem againOn his face and in his heart emptiness and pain,All his life had been a failure looking for the kingHopelessness was the only song his heart could sing.

He found the King being crucified outside the wallGoing to see the King the walls on Artabon would fall,As he lay dying he looked up into Jesus’ faceAnd felt the joy of the Lord’s redeeming embrace.

Artabon said “O King I‘ve nothing to give to YouI had three precious stones, but now they are gone to!”But Jesus said to him”You have given them to MeFor you gave them on to others so they might be free!”

This is the beautiful tale of the other wise manWho in compassion and mercy for others took a standIn doing so he gave his gifts unto the KingWhich in the mind of the Lord was a precious thing.

The Other Wiseman- Ed ostrom

- http://allpoetry.com/poem/11828376-The-Other-Wiseman-by-ed-ostrom


CAN’T lessen air pollution? You could, at least, keep your system immune to its harmful reactions...Take a deep breath. As per The World Health Organization (WHO), pollution is the fifth leading

cause of death in India, after high blood pressure and tobacco smoking. WHO says Delhi’s air quality isworse than Beijing - a city where rising levels of air pollution has brought about a new disease —Beijing cough.

Experts feel that general public doesn’t even know what exactly constitutes air pollution. “Aircontamination is caused not just by industries and vehicles. Dust mites, chemicals in carpets, air fresh-eners, off-gassing from plastics also add up to the toxic onslaught that your lungs have to bear,” saysPriya Dhammi-Sharma, registered holistic nutritionist .What’ s alarming is that air pollution is not justlinked to sinus infections, asthma and lung diseases, but also considered to be an autism trigger. It isalso linked to heart attacks, sperm mutation and fetal intelligence wellbeing.BROCCOLI, THE BOOSTER

“Keep your immune system fortified with the right diet, detox plan and breathing exercises.These are the best ways to minimise the harmful effects of air pollution,” says nutritionist and foodconsultant Jia Singh. Winter or no winter, add broccoli to your daily diet. This wonder veggie, apartfrom being a great cancer combatant, goes a long way in protecting you from air and vehicular pollu-tion, ac cording to a study at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical trial, conducted in Jiangsu Province -one of China’s most polluted regions -found that consuming a beverage that included broccoli sproutshelped participants to excrete toxins associated with ozone air pollution. To neutralise free radicaldamage caused by air contamination, the two organs we need to support and detoxify regularly arelungs and liver. “Rejuvenate your lungs with oregano, orange peel, eucalyptus and peppermint and eatgrapefruits, beet, carrots, apples, cabbage, avocado for a clean liver,” says Sharma.

According to Singh, Vitamin C taken in dietary and supplement form along with tincture ofechinacea (herbal remedy) helps build the immune system, making you less susceptible to allergies.Simply put, foods containing Vitamin C, such as oranges, strawberries, apples, watermelons, counter-act the inflammatory allergic response. Good food sources of Vitamin C are guavas, red bell peppers, kale,parsley, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, papayas, spinach, citrus fruits, green onion and more.NATURAL CURES

Thai and Japanese food lovers would be pleased to know that spicy foods with a little kick canactually kick out allergy symptoms. Ginger, anise, fennel and hot mustard can all act as natural decon-gestants. “Green tea, tulsi, ginger and cinnamon are powerful adaptogens (herbal ingredients used toimprove the health of adrenal system) that enable the body to handle stressors like pollution andenvironmental toxins. Raw turmeric also has curative properties that protect you from chronic bronchi-tis, wheezing, allergy coughs and colds.Drink an anti-inflammatory tea made from tulsi, ginger and rawturmeric to see the difference,” recommends Singh. Eating a diet rich in natural antihistamines (drugsfor allergies) can help forestall allergic reactions. Try magnesium-rich foods such as almonds, cashewsand wheat bran since magnesium is a natural bronchodilator (agent that relaxes the breathing tubesinside lungs). “Omega-3 fatty acids are also capable of reducing allergic reactions and soothe inflam-mation. Eat Omega-3 rich foods like walnuts, flaxseeds and oils such as mustard, canola and flaxseed,”counsels Taranjeet Kaur, metabolic balance coach.

Diets that can ReduceHarmful Effects of air Pollution!

- Supriya Sharma,TNN | Nov 19, 2015, TIMES


Civic sense is defined as nothing but an ethic to be followed by the people in public.Basic sense to behave in public and respect anything public is the fundamental con-cept of civic sense.

India is the country with the largest youth count and probably the oldest prime min-ister; the country rich in traditions and alsothe country known for practicing Sati anddowry system. The country known for itscascade of contradic- tions, also has a certaindistaste for civic sense.

Common and civic sense both seemto be not-so-common amoung our country-men. Though we live in a civil society with ris-ing standards of education and sensitivemen when it comes to civic sense, we lackpoorly. India is a de- veloping country andrightly so. As our country takes babysteps towards mod- ernization, it is also inconstant pressure with the western cultureto match and better them. As a result of lop-sided development, we see how Indians arelagging behind in certain aspects of modern-ization. The constant race to better ourselves has also led to an alarming rate of pollu-tion which, unless checked, will lead to a problem which will be beyond human control.

Lack of civic sense and an alarming, unchecked rate of rise in pollution are both notworking too well for India. Our countrymen lack civic sense at almost every place butroads and public places seem to be a favorite spot. Poor traffic conditions, accidentsdue to unfit infrastructure and flooding problem due to improper drainage are all a re-sult of poor civic sense.

Now, looking into how much facility is available for ensuring civic sense we will seethat most public places like railway stations, bus stops etc “do not smoke signs”. Mostpublic places with greenery have a “ do not spit” sign. Every major crossing has signsput up about the importance of helmets. Pay and use toilets have been set up at majorbusy areas. Considering all of this it would be wrong to say that awareness is missing

Absence of Civic Senseand Pollution

Shweta RoySt. Xaviers College

AICUFWest Bengal.


in the society. What actually missing is the sensitivity of thepeople towards such issues.

We do not spit on our potted plants at home. Neither do weurinate on our walls or throw food and trash on carpets andsofas. We simply adopt the policy of being completely indiffer-ent when we are out of our own safe shelter and we have nodirect accountability of our actions.

Speaking of pollution, one is sim-ply spellbound at the insensitivity ofthe industries and companies thatearns profit by exploiting nature, andin return leave her damaged. Therapid growth of cities and the haphaz-

ard management of natural resources have adversely affectedenvironmental balance. Environmental pollution in India hasincreased manifolds. One of the greatest problems confront-ing the modern civilized world is pollution, which literallymeans fouling the natural habitat and environment. Air pollu-tion, water pollution, land pollution and noise pollution are themany types of pollution that have eaten up the country inwhole.

As an educated citizen of India, it is our responsibility tobe sensitive towards what the country is facing. Individual ef-forts can play a mammoth role in minimizing, if not stoppingwhat our country and the world at large is going through. Notonly awareness but also sensitivity towards social issues is important. We should con-sider cleanliness and civic sense a personal responsibility and obligation and only thencan we better our present condition.

So, unless everyone becomes aware and sensitive of the need to save our planetfrom destruction, there will be no hope for mankind. If no prompt action is taken, theonly earth we live in will become the grave yard for all.

6 Let’s save our mother Earth

7 It’s time to act; save the planet Earth

8 Unite to make planet Earth pollution-free

9 Save Earth from Global Warming

10 Let’s work together for a safe Earth


GENE POLLUTION, genetic contamination orgenetic swamping happens when original set ofnaturally evolved (wild) region specific genes /gene pool of wild animals and plants become hy-bridized with domesticated and wild varieties orwith the genes of other nonnative wild species orsubspecies from neighboring or far away regions.

Usually genetic pollution i.e. uncontrolled hy-bridization, introgression and Genetic swampinghappens as a result and a consequence ofmankind’s interaction with natural environmentand a lack of foresight but in rare instances it hasalso been observed happening naturally more com-monly in case of closely related subspecies of plantswhose ranges overlap forming hybrid zones mak-ing it easier for insects to cross pollinate them.

In most cases nature has its own interspeciesgenetic barriers to guard against genetic pollutionto keep species distinct. When rarely hybridizationdoes occur naturally as in hybrid zones where theranges of closely related wild species overlap, thehybrid crosses produced, even though they maydisplay hybrid vigour (heterosis) in the first gen-eration (F1 hybrid), are in the long run less fit thanthe two parent species which have evolved overhundreds of thousands of years specializing in ex-ploiting their own particular niche in nature. It isextremely rare that the hybrids ever become fitterthan the two wild parent species so that naturalselection may then favor these individuals and it iseven rarer that reproductive isolation is everachieved to lead to the birth of a new species throughthe process known as hybrid speciation. It endan-gers wild species and quickens their extinction

Genetic PollutionA Multiplying Nightmare

Varsha JohnSt. Xavier’s College, Kolkata

West Bengal

Pure bred naturally evolved region specificwild species can be threatened with extinction ina big way through the process of Genetic Pollutioni.e. uncontrolled hybridization, introgression andGenetic swamping which leads to homogenizationor replacement of local genotypes as a result ofeither a numerical and/or fitness advantage of in-troduced plant or animal. Non-native species canbring about a form of extinction of native plantsand animals by hybridization and introgressioneither through purposeful introduction by humansor through habitat modification, bringing previ-ously isolated species into contact. These phenom-ena can be especially detrimental for rare speciescoming into contact with more abundant oneswhere the abundant ones can interbreed with themswamping the entire rarer gene pool creating hy-brids thus driving the entire original purebred na-tive stock to complete extinction. Attention has tobe focused on the extent of this under appreciatedproblem that is not always apparent from morpho-logical (outward appearance) observations alone.Some degree of gene flow may be a normal, evo-lutionarily constructive process, and all constella-tions of genes and genotypes cannot be preservedhowever, hybridization with or without introgres-sion may, nevertheless, threaten a rare species’existence.

Widespread genetic pollution also leads toweakening of the naturally evolved (wild) regionspecific gene pool leading to weaker hybrid ani-mals and plants which are not able to cope withnatural environs over the long run and fast tracksthem towards final extinction.


CausesNowadays, with several domesticated and hy-

bridized animals and plants living in towns andvillages in and all around forests which still holdnaturally evolved region specific original wild an-cestor species and subspecies of their kind, geneticpollution has become a major threat to naturallyevolved wild populations and their natural geneticmakeup. Wild populations of animals and plantshave evolved naturally over millions of yearsthrough a process of natural selection as apposedto human controlled selective breeding or artifi-cial selection in animal husbandry and agriculturefor desirable traits from the human point of view.These naturally evolved wild species (wildlife) andregion specific subspecies are most adaptable toliving in the particular regions of earth where theyexist presently. They have scientifically the mostendurable and viable genetic makeup to live wherethey live. Genetic pollution leads to hybridizedanimals and plants which, even though they may lookexactly the same, are not as genetically strong as theirnaturally evolved region specific wild ancestors whocan survive under natural wild conditions indefinitelywithout any human help or husbandry and have highadaptability to local climatic conditions and a highimmunity to local natural diseases.

Usually genetic pollution happens as a resultand a consequence of mankind’s activities and in-teraction with natural environment and a lack offoresight but in rare instances it has also been ob-served happening naturally more commonly in case

of closely related subspecies of plants whoseranges overlap forming hybrid zones making iteasier for insects to cross pollinate them.Significance

Amongst other threats it is also important togive due importance to and guard against geneticpollution so that we can conserve the naturallyevolved region specific wild gene stock and ge-netic makeup of wild animals and wild plants formaintaining the health of natural ecosystems andthe environment in general. Scientists now, alsoconsider this naturally evolved biodiversity to be avaluable source of strong genes which in the fu-ture may be used on a continual basis to hybridizedomesticated varieties, to make them even stron-ger and more resistant to climate and diseases,thus leading to an ongoing improvement in ourfood security and medicines etc. for us humansourselves.

Example: Native captive Asiatic Lions inIndian zoos till recently were genetically pollutedwith genes of Circus confiscated African Lionswhich had been randomly hybridized with themleading to widespread genetic pollution in the cap-tive Asiatic Lion population. Once discovered thisled to the complete shut down of the European(EEP) and the American endangered species reg-istered breeding programs (SSP) for Asiatic Lionsas the founder animals originally imported fromIndia were ascertained to be genetically pollutedwith the genes of African lions. Since then Indiahas corrected its mistake and now breeds only purenative Asiatic Lions which are critically endan-gered with extinction and has helped revive theEuropean endangered species registered breed-ing program (EEP) for Asiatic Lions but the Ameri-can SSP which completely shut down in early 80shas yet to be revived and receive pure bred Asi-atic Lions from India to form a new founder popu-lation for breeding in the zoos on the Americancontinent.


IN TECHNICAL TERMS pol-lution is defined as the “introduc-tion of contamination into thenatural environment that causesadverse change”. Pollution cantake the form of chemical sub-stances or energy. It is often clas-sified as point source or nonpointsource pollution. Insimpler terms pollu-tion can be defined as“when something isadded to the environ-ment that is harmful orpoisonous to livingthings”. There are dif-ferent kinds of pollu-tions such as water,air, soil, noise, ther-mal and radiactivepollution.

E v e r y b o d yknows about thesepollutions, but along with these,there is a pollution which mostpeople do not know about. Thispollution is far more dangerousbecause it does not only affectyour health physically but alsomentally. It is called ‘Mind Pollu-tion’. Mind pollution is simply theamount of negative informationyou absorb each day that, with-out you noticing, is affecting yoursubconscious mind, your emo-tions and draining your energy.The first question that would arise

Mind PollutionNelwin Tom ThomasST. Xaviers College

West Bengal

in our minds right now would be,how are we getting these nega-tive information? Well the simpleanswer to that would be T.V.shows, Movies, Songs, Socialnetworking websites, etc.

Each and every day we sitin front of our televisions and

smart phones for hours. Our eyesare always fixated on them, as ifwithout them we cannot carryout a life. The young generationknows how to operate a phoneor laptop even when they aresmall. It’s as though electronicgadgets are far more importantto them than food and water. Tak-ing these things into account, allwebsites and corporate compa-nies are trying to contaminatehuman minds with informationwhich we need not know about.

In olden times, for a movie tobecome a hit it needed to have agood storyline, but nowadays theonly thing that helps a moviebecome successful are inappro-priate scenes, foul language, andlots of action. It’s like a successmantra to them. Due to this most

of the kids have devel-oped knowledge aboutunnecessary things ofwhich they have nouse. Due to popularshows like WWE, Ulti-mate fighting champi-onship, etc. violence isvery much relevantamong youngsters.People injure them-selves while trying toimitate the performers,and some end up indeath as well.

The same is happening in themusic scene. Down the line, withthe evolution of our music, wehave a bunch of contemporarysongs which boast of a lot ofexpletives, double meaning or nomeaning. Even I accept that I lis-ten to these songs and enjoythem, but when I actually try tounderstand what it means, I endup with no answer. Due to sing-ers like ‘YoYo Honey Singh’,‘Baadshah’, etc. the music indus-try has lost its original flavour and


the only thing thatthe songs containare about the curvesand eyes of female.

Then comesthe biggest contribu-tor to Mind pollution,“The Social Media”.With websites likefacebook, twitter,google+, etc. it hasbecome easy to stayconnected withfriends, but at the same time with-out us even realizing, thesewebsites are now controlling us.Taking the recent issues into con-cern facebook is supporting the“free basics” campaign. At firstlook you will think it is such agood initiative and facebook isdoing a very good thing so weshould support the cause, right?But if you actually read the fullmail you will learn that they areviolating the terms of internetneutrality and by doing thisfacebook can gain a massivepower over the internet. Of latethere’s been a trend that is be-ing followed on social network-ing sites where a person changes

his/her display picture with a suf-fering country’s flag symbol overit. I just don’t understand howchanging our display picturecould actually help us in allevi-ating the pain of the aggrievedcountry. The only thing we aredoing is trying to gain likes andpopularity among our internetbuddies.

The minds of the youngergeneration is polluted mostly bymeans media- movies, songs,social networks, etc. We are notrealizing how each and everymove of ours is being controlledby the harmful and negative con-tents of media. Due to this, per-sonal evils like Violence, Dishon-

esty, Covetousness,Over-consumption, andGreed, have degradedour minds. Due to themisuse of media a verynegative notion hasbeen propagated aboutthe same. Media addsflavor and colour to ourlives but over-utilisation of it messesup the whole purposeof its existence. The

current generation only caresabout getting likes on their postsand gaining cyber popularity. Wenever look at the big picture!Nowadays when I go to play foot-ball in a ground, I can only find 6to 7 people there, out of whichhalf will be engrossed in theirphones. Well, there was a timewhen people didn’t need smartphones or television to spendtheir time. A time when going outwith family and enjoying withfriends was the major priority.How I wish those times comeback, and help the current gen-eration escape from the darkclutches of Mind pollution.

11 Give Earth a chance to keep it safe from pollution

12 Before it’s too late just protect Earth from today

13 Keep environment pollution-free

14 Abide by environmental laws

15 Environmental care is the most profitable investment


INDIA MAY BE lagging behind China on sev-eral economic indicators but when it comesto environmental degradation, the country hasdefinitely outsmarted its giant neighbour.

Of the world’s top 20 polluted cities, 13 arein India compared to just three in China. Airpollution slashes life expectancy by 3.2 yearsfor the 660 million Indians who live in cities,including Delhi. In China, the correspondingdip is marginally lower at three years.

The Ganga and Yamuna are ranked amongthe world’s 10 most polluted rivers. China hasjust one. An evaluation in February rankedVapi in Gujarat and Sukinda in Odisha amongthe 10 most environmentally-degraded zonesin the world. China had no entries on the list.

The two nations have seen furious eco-nomic growth inthe past decadefuelling a rapidrise in pollution.China leads theworld in carbonemissions andIndia is in thirdposition. But oneimportant differ-

13 Out of World’sTop 20 Polluted Cities in India,Only Three in China

ChetanChauhan,Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Updated: Jun 05, 2015 12:08 IST

ence between the two emerging economieslies in China’s ability to manage the impact ofbreakneck economic growth on its environ-ment much better than India. The effect ofChina’s success is most visible in its air andwater, both of which have a direct bearing onpublic health.

Both countries were saddled with almostidentical environmental concerns a decadeago, but China cleaned many of its pollutedrivers and managed to check the spirallingurban air pollution through stringent rules.

The results are showing. “Beijing’s airpollution has dipped 40% since 2000 as wehave taken steps to phase out polluting ve-hicles and put checks on building heating sys-tems,” said Beijing municipal officer Li

Kunsheng at anevent in Delhiearlier this year.

In contrast,Delhi’s air pollu-tion has steadilyclimbed by 20%in the same pe-riod with suc-cessive govern-


ments reluctant to act. The story is the samein cities across the country. Coimbatore is theonly exception as the air there was found tobe fit for breathing.

The impact of rising toxins in the air isclearly visible on an average Indian’s life, asproved by a Lancet study in 2012 that rankedair pollution as the sixth biggest killer with anannual estimated toll of 66 million.

A 2015 report by the Centre for Scienceand Environment, a Delhi-based NGO, saysthe decline in the country’s overall environ-mental standards was because of river pollu-tion, which is worse now than it was threedecades ago, piling garbage in cities and in-creasingly toxic urban air.

“In India, environment degradation is arunaway problem impinging on public healthan exacerbating poverty,” says SunitaNarain,the NGO’s director general. “We need to actand act fast ... otherwise the health cost wouldbe enormous,” she added.

A three-year analysis of the water qualityin 290 rivers by the Central Pollution ControlBoard said about 66% of the stretches moni-tored had high organic pollution. It means8,400 km of these rivers are badly polluted andnot fit for supporting aquatic life. “Increasingflow of untreated waste water from cities intothese rivers is the reason for our rivers get-ting polluted,” says ShashiShekhar, CPCB

chairman and special secretary in the envi-ronment ministry.

But not all news is bad with innovativegreen initiatives sprouting all over the coun-try. The bicycling clubs in Bengaluru act asone of the biggest networks of bikers in thecountry, a group of people have generatedorganic fertilizer from waste in Kolkata andBungroo and a programme of the Gujarat Eco-logical Commission has turned wasteland intoa good agri-production zone.

And then, there are a new band of youngenvironment activists such as RitwickDuttawho took authorities to court for violating en-vironmental laws and protect people’s rightto a clean environment. As a result, the Na-tional Green Tribunal has compensated localsfor pollution and one such case is in TamilNadu.

Union environment ministerPrakashJavadekar is also hopeful of people’sparticipation pushing governments to improvethe environment, saying a policy of “develop-ment without destruction” is in place.

In the coming years, his ministry plans tointroduce a new environmental regime thatwill focus on “self-regulation” and strengthenthe “polluter-pay principle” with higher pen-alties for violation of environmental laws.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/6/india_vs_world.gif

The living world has become impoverished. Species are being lost every day.Energy and other resources are nearing exhaustion. The environment isdeteriorating. Pollution is everywhere. Climate is changing. Natural balancesare threatened.

Christian de Duve


Maharashtra Temple‘Purifies’ Idol after

Woman Offers Puja

Seven workers suspended for “negligence”.A Lord Shani temple in Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra performed a ‘purification puja’ on

Sunday after a young woman offered worship to the idol placed on a platform from where women aretraditionally barred.

Authorities at the Shani Shingnapur temple also suspended seven workers for “negligence” whileone trustee resigned taking moral responsibility. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon whenthe woman, whose identity is unknown, caught security personnel unawares and climbed the platformto perform puja. According to the temple authorities, it all happened within 30 seconds. A few devoteesconfronted her after the incident but eventually let her go.

“Women have been barred from climbing the platform for hundreds of years. This act was againstthe rituals that have been going on for years,” said Sayaram Bankar, a temple trustee, justifying thepurification ceremony.

Priests bathed the idol with oil and milk, while all shops in the vicinity remained closed till theceremony was over. Mr. Bankar said the woman was let off unharmed. “We do not know who she is.She was confronted and let go. She was not attacked or abused,” he said. Mr. Bankar will resign onMonday, bowing to demands from the Ahmadnagar gramsabha.

The Priest of Shani Shingnapur Temple Performs Purification on the Temple Premises.

“Women have been barred from climbing the platform for hundreds of years.This act was against the rituals that have been going on for years,” saidSayaram Bankar, a temple trustee, justifying the purification ceremony.


Practice prevalent in MaharashtraThe Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra attracts thousands of devo-

tees daily. Worshippers of the famous Sai Baba temple in Shirdi make it a point to visit the ShaniShingnapur temple, also. The practice of barring women from the inner sanctum of religious places isprevalent in some of Maharashtra’s most revered shrines, among them the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai.The dargah’s trust has cited menstruation as one of the reasons for not allowing women into the ‘mazaar.’

In response to a public interest litigation petition filed by activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Somanof the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, the trust said many religions impose restrictions on womenowing to menstruation, perceived as “unclean or embarrassing.” “A woman can at any time havemenstrual periods,” the trust said in its affidavit earlier this year. Many organisations have condemnedthe Shani Shingnapur temple’s action. “Purifying the temple is an act that has to be condemned. It’s adiscrimination against women. At a time when young men and women are coming together with pro-gressive ideas, such actions only take society backwards,” said Ranjana Gavande of the MaharashtraAndhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti.

Allok DeshpandeCourtesy: The Hindu Mumbai, November 30, 2015

16 Better Environment Better Tomorrow

17 Safer the environment healthier the life

18 Let us save our environment

19 Raise awareness on environment

20 Environment is life, pollution is death

21 Every Day is World Environment Day

22 We can protect environment better together

23 Less pollution is the best solution

24 Lesser the pollution, better the life

25 Pollution is our silent enemy, just finish it silently

26 Prevent environmental health hazards

27 Silence is the best tool to combat noise pollution

28 Keep planting trees to hit air pollution

29 Tree plantation is the best option against pollution

30 Pollution is injurious to health


THE BHARATIYA JANATA Party-controlled Indian federal government is on a war path,with a vengeance as it were, to demolish investigative history and replace it with unhistoricaland convoluted ‘selfies’ of its making. Its attempt to tarnish the image of historians and re-searchers who have pieced together India’s past with scientific research and critical analysisand to replace their findings with those of party appointed writers smacks of authoritariandaredevilry.

Dubbing India’s meritorious historians as ‘biased,’ ‘left-oriented’ and ‘one-sided’ is be-coming an easy excuse to burn them at the stakes of sectarian politics. There is no attempt toevaluate their findings with fair-mindedness and farsightedness. Instead, an insecurity-im-pelled cancerous urge is emboldening certain right-wing Hindutuva factions to create historyaccording to their mind driven by self-hypnosis.

Within five years of their rule they want to script a new Indian history. It has to be done asfast as possible. But, little do they realize that this will prove suicidal at the next electoralstakes. History is not myth. It is not fiction. It has to do with hard facts. It is evidence-based.But, unfortunately, we are living in a world where fundamentalist factions are increasinglyinvading our intellectual space with imagined and concocted information which they peddleas history.

When a terrorist force brainwashes young men and women, in the name of religion, toengage in suicide attacks by making them believe that there is paradise awaiting them outthere in the next world for doing away with their enemies, it is time to sit up and take note. Orthe argument that plastic surgery was done in Vedic era to create Lord Ganesha smacks of anattempt to hoodwink us with plastic history. And, if such an argument comes from the PrimeMinister of a nation, it is intended to give it an aura of authenticity. It is nobody’s botherationif it leads us into a fool’s paradise. But, will such arguments tick?

It is interesting to note that Indian-born Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan pur-posely avoided attending the recent Indian Science Congress (Jan 03-07). Addressing a gath-ering at Punjab University, Venkatraman, who was a participant at the 2015 Science Congress,recalled his disastrous experience. He alluded to a claim by an Indian participant at that Con-

Adieu History!P. A. Chacko


gress that aircraft was invented by a sage in Vedic era. ‘I will never attend it again in my life,’said Venkatraman. (Times of India, Kolkata, Jan. 07, 2016)

The right-wing Hindu nationalist attempts to saffronise history by dressing it in mythicaltraditions goes against the fundamental values of the Indian Constitution. Every religion canand should promote cultural values and ethical thinking. Such thinking should be rationalwithout embellishments of superstition. Historically based religio-cultural traditions and val-ues can ennoble individuals and civilizations. They can generate noble thoughts especiallyin the minds of the young generation as an asset. And, when they grow up, they will be honestcitizens who will respect people as human beings and not see them with coloured glasses.They will prove to be useful citizens of the nation and they will learn to appreciate the exist-ence of people and communities without rancour or rage and co-exist with them in peace andamity.

But, on the other hand, if we feed these tender and impressionable minds with text booksornamented with superstition and unscientific ‘data’ of a mythological past, we shall be cor-rupting them. Therefore, attempts to re-write text books, with the help of political power, totoe the line of particular groups which want to glorify their religious traditions, will only back-fire eventually.

Battle lines are drawn between history and hypnosis, between science and fiction, andbetween superstition and reason! In this growing technological and scientific era, the rulingright-wing Hindutuva party, steered by the steam power of the Sang Parivar, may win thebattle but will, eventually, lose the war!

31. Air pollution is main cause of several respiratory diseases

32. The best solution of pollution is its dilution

33. Polluting the environment is a punishable crime

34. Pollution is also a weapon of mass destruction

35. Sensitize people on harms of pollution

36. Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute

37. Air pollution can hit IQ level of your kids

38. Pollution isn’t cool, so don’t be a fool!

39. Air pollution cause asthma in your kids

40. Water pollution is main cause of gastro diseases


5 Remedies that Minimizethe Effects of Environmental Pollution

OVER 80,000 synthetic chemicalsare currently in use in industry, and theyfind their way into our air, water, food,cleaning products, personal care products,cosmetics, and other substances weregularly use, according to Dr. PatriciaFitzgerald, author of The Detox Solution.That’s not the worse part of the situation:according to the National ResearchCouncil, no toxicity data are available for80 percent of the chemicals currently incommercial use while 95 percent have notbeen tested for their long-term effects onhuman health.

Chemicals used in everyday household products have been found to cause health problems suchas asthma and other respiratory ailments, birth defects, heart disease, and cancer, among other seriousconcerns. Most popular brands of cosmetics are loaded with artificial colors, synthetic fragrances,petroleum products, emulsifiers, preservatives, and solvents. Over 850 toxic chemicals are used inmakeup alone. Ninety-five percent of the chemicals used in perfumes and colognes are derived frompetroleum. Additionally, the food supply contains rancid oils, trans fats, food additives, pesticides andherbicides, fillers, colors, excessive amounts of sugar, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, and othersubstances that are toxic to the body.

The good news is that using natural remedies you can boost your liver’s ability to detoxify theseharmful substances. The liver is arguably the most important detoxification organ in the body. Withover 500 functions, this overworked organ is responsible for filtering the blood, reducing xenoestrogensfrom plastics, and eliminating almost all toxins. Fortunately, giving your liver a boost using naturalherbs helps your body eliminate toxins more efficiently.

Here are some of the natural remedies to boost the body’s ability to handle environmental toxins(of course you should still make an effort to minimize your toxic exposure):

Oregon Grape Root is an excellent herb to help the body eliminate harmful toxins as well asharmful bacteria and yeasts that may find their way into our body through food, water or air. OregonGrape Root also contains several potent antioxidant substances that destroy free radicals caused bytoxins in the body. (Check out The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine for more information).

Burdock Root boosts the liver’s ability to purify the blood. It not only cleanses the liver, it has arestorative effect on the organ, and it also kills harmful bacteria and fungi.

Sarsaparilla also has antibiotic properties, is full of important nutrients, and helps to provide thebody with the energy it requires to eliminate harmful toxins, while supporting overall health and energylevels. (The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook).


Licorice Root has the reputation of being “The Great Detoxifier” due to its potent anti-inflammatory,laxative, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, and antitoxic properties (The Scientific Validation ofHerbal Medicine).

Cascara sagrada is a gentle laxative to ensure that any toxins that are “stirred-up” in the bloodstreamare removed from the body via the intestines. Not specifically a liver remedy, it is still important toensure that any toxins circulating in the blood are eliminated through the bowels. Cascara sagradahelps with the removal of existing waste matter that may have accumulated. Research also shows thatit is helpful in the prevention of liver conditions (The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine).

Obtain approximately 50 grams of each of the following botanicals: Oregon Grape Root, BurdockRoot, Sarsaparilla, Licorice Root and Cascara Sagrada; however, use only 25 grams of each of thedried herbs for each decoction. This will enable you to prepare two batches.

An herbal decoction is similar to an herbal tea except that the herbs are boiled for a longer periodof time to extract the medicinal properties from the roots. To prepare the decoction, start by placing 25grams of the herbal blend into a pot with 500 mL (about half a quart) of purified cold water and bring toa boil. Decrease the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture through a sieve linedwith cheesecloth into a Pyrex container. Once the herbs cooled (and using clean hands) wring out theremaining liquid and top it up with pure water until it reached 500 mL and keep refrigerated

To use, drink about 90 mL of the completed decoction, three times per day for three weeks to boostyour body’s ability to eliminate environmental toxins. Of course, always consult your physician orherbalist prior to using herbs if you are taking pharmaceutical drugs or if you have a serious healthcondition.

41. Water pollution can create stone in your kidney42. Never let anyone to pollute your environment43. Always use public transport to reduce air pollution44. Air mask is a short-term solution of air pollution45. Say no to pollution in every moment of your life46. Avoid using plastic bags47. Black plastic bags cause skin cancer48. Use cloth or paper bags to shun using plastic bags49. Always use biodegradable plastic bags50. Stop burning of garbage51. Dispose of garbage at designated place52. Don’t litter, it will make your life bitter53. Keep your homes and surroundings clean54. Make this world a green heaven55. Cleanliness means safe health of your kids56. Reduce noise level for a calmer living57. Get your vehicles tune-up regularly58. Keep engine and silencer of your vehicle in good condition59. Keep investing in green technologies60. Future of green is yellow, let’s keep it green


PEPSI or Coke(other soft drinks) is an indispensable drink at every get-together or partymeal in India. The young or old, rich or poor like to drink itin spite of the notorious controver-sies in India and abroad. The tests conducted at various places found that Pepsi or Coke(Mountain Dew, Mirinda Orange, Mirinda Lemon, Blue Pepsi, 7-Up, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Limca,Sprite and Thumps Up) contain a deadly cocktail of pesticide residues like lindane, DDT,chlorpyrifos, and malathion. Over the years, the soft-drink companies is accused of depletingthe ground water that has led to scarcity of water in the area and also causing pollutions (air,water, soil, noise, etc...) in the surroundings. In India, the controversy began already in 1970’sand the Coke Company was asked to leave India by 1977. Thence, in 2003, a new controversyaroseinPlachimada, the southern state of Kerala, where the Coca Cola’s plant is situated,claiming that the plant was depleting ground water in the region.It is said to make 1 litre ofbeverage, it requires 4 litres of clean water. As per 2014 data, It is estimated that all Indiaproduction of aerated soft drinks is 900 crore bottles per year.Reasons for Pepsi or Coke Popularity in India:In Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, people have been protest-ing against Pepsi or Coke’s bottling plants because they have depleted groundwater leveland damaged the environment. Despite the protests, the demand for soft-drinks is ever in-creasing in India. Why? Some possible reasons:Advertisements: Most of the leading stars of Bollywood and Cricket players are the brandadvertisers of the soft-drink companies on TV and social media. They have an overwhelminginfluence on the common people’s life. A few famous ambassadors areAamir Khan, SharukhKhan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, DeepikaPadukone, KareenaKapoor Khan,AishwaryaRaiBachchan, Katrina Kaif, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, ViratKholi and the list goeson. They also come out with slogans like: YehDilMaange More (My heart desires for more),Azadidilki (Freedom of the heart), Yehpyashaibadi (This thirst is too much),

No to Pepsi = Free Pollution

P V Joseph Buan SingMA in Philosophy

Loyola College, Chennai


Yehhaiyoungistanmerijaan (This is the young era my dear), Change the Game (ICC-CricketWorld Cup 2011), My Pepsi My Way, etc…Free Offers: Many restaurants and hotels provide soft drinks along with the meals ordered. Itcan become very tasty to drink while eating. In fact, many people buy soft-drinksseparatelywhen they are not offered freely in restaurants.Alternative Drink: During a party where alcohol drinks are served, soft-drinks are served asalternative drinks for those people who do not drink alcohol.Cheap and Convenient: Compared to fruit juice, milk or coffee, a can or bottle of soft drinkscan be cheaper. It is also less consuming time in making. It is more convenient to carry along.Many people drink it while driving or walking.Habit or Addiction: Most us of drink it. Some drink more than others. For some it is occasionaldrink while for others habitual drink. A research report in 2014 said, on an average an Indianconsumes six bottles a year and a Delhite 50 bottles per year. For the addicted people, theactual figure can be much higher.Since it contains caffeine substance like cigarettes, therefore;it can be become addicted.Harmful effects of drinking Coke or Pesi:Caffeine, Sugar and Aspartame: These products are invariably present within the sweetenedsoft drinks. Coca Cola and Pepsi have been under lawsuits in some of the developed coun-tries against using Aspartame which causes several diseases. Children should be strictlyrestricted from consuming products with Aspartame. Furthermore, caffeine and sugar arevery addictive leading to another set of diseases like diabetes and a life-long habit of induc-ing caffeine in the body.Kidney Failures: The sweet sugar is definitely not the reason for a failing kidney but theartificial sweeteners are. Hence consuming diet versions of Coca Cola or Pepsi have provedto produce more impairment than the sweet versions.Metabolism Level Decreases: A glass of warm water can speed up you metabolic rate but maytaste awful after a workout session. A can of Coke can surely be tasty but it really decreasesthe metabolism and helps in destroying the fat burning enzymes in no time. Thus, a can ofeither diet Coke or simple Coca Cola after a rigorous workout or busy day is strictly not advis-able.Obesity and Diabetes: Patients with diabetes must never touch beverages like Coke or Pepsisince it increases level of sugar in blood by twofold. Non-diabetic persons should avoid thesedrinks in order to keep diabetes away.Teeth and Bone Damage: The Power of Hydrogen (pH) level of Coke or Pepsi is 3.2 which arequite high. This pH level decides the acidic nature of a liquid. Hence these beverages areacidic in nature and can dissolve bones and enamels very quickly.


Reproduction problems: A research has shown that the cans of Coke or Pepsi are coated withsuch chemicals that may lead to reproduction problems with regular consumption.So, what should people drink?After realizing all the ill-effects of drinking Pepsi or Coke, or soft-drinks in general, somepeople might like to give it up. Are there any healthy drinks? Of course.Water: Water is the best drink in the world. To remain strong and healthy, it is advised to drinka minimum of 1.5 litres of water on daily basis. The basic reason is drinking enough water canhelp to burn fats in the body and increase the energy levels.Tea: Any kind of tea - herbal, green or black - is rich in antioxidants, which were shown toprotect the body from many health problems.100% Juice. Fruit juice can be also useful for flavoring your water and teas.What would happen if soft-drinks are totally banned in India?Employment: Pepsi- Cola Company while making agreement in India had promised theGovernment of India that 75,000 people across the nation would get employment. Thousandsofpeople working in the soft-drink companies will lose their jobs. India has a large number ofunemployed youth.Foreign Investment: Pepsi Company alone has five brands: Pepsi, 7Up, Mirinda, Slice andMountain Dew, that generates estimated annual retail sales of Rs. 1000 crore or more.Ms.Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi, the CEO of Pepsi Company, once declared, “By 2020, the PepsiCompany will investaboutRs 33,000 crore in India.”No government in India will afford to losesuch a huge investments in the country.Ground Water: Everywhere the biggest accusation of soft-drinks companies is the depletionof ground water. This leads to scarcity of water. The fact isresearchers have found out that tomake 1 litre of beverage, it requires 4 litres of clean water. It is estimated that all India productionof aerated soft drinks is 900 crore bottles per year. Human beings can live without soft-drinks,but not water. Water is the source of life. All living beings and non-living beings need waterfor their survival.Farmers’ Suicide: In 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau of India reported 5650 farmersuicides. One of the major reasons is the scarcity of water that has led to drought. Somefarmers in Punjab and Haryana stateshave to dig 300 feet (91 metres) for water, compared tofive feet (1.5 metres) in the 1960s, according to a research conducted by a local governmentscientist.Most of the farmers who committed suicide left their wives and children with hugedebts that automatically made them bonded labourers to their money-lenders.Conclusion: There is no doubt that depletion of the ground water can cause global warming.How do these soft-drinks manufacturing companies respond to this problem? A research in2015 reported that over 700 crore of bottles of Pepsi-Cola are sold in India within a financial


year. Basically, these are plastic bottles. However, in 2011, the Pepsi and Cola companieshave replaced the fossil fuels (petroleum and natural gas) traditionally used to make theirplastic bottles with ethanol from renewable sources (plant waste in Pepsi’s case). Thoughthese initial inputs come from renewable, lower-carbon sources, the resulting plastics arechemically identical to the polyethylene terepthalate, or PET, and high-density polyethylene,or HDPE. If these bottles are burned, they produce the toxic gases – carbon monoxide, diox-ins and furans – which can cause cancer, impotence, asthma and other allergies to humanbeings. If they are not burned, they are thrown out and get buried in the soil. They takecenturies to get decomposed, only if they are biodegradable products. Consequently, theypollute the world’s oceans and soils which can leach harmful chemicals that spread intogroundwaterand still leach potentially harmful chemicals into our food. In either case: burn-ing or burying the bottles, they produce harmful chemical substances in the environment.

Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all lifedepends, have become global garbage cans.”

-Jacques-Yves Cousteau


R E F L A C T I O N

Reflaction = Reflection + Action

MANY HUNDREDS of years ago in a small Italian town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing alarge sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old andugly, fancied the merchant’s beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain.He said he would forgo the merchant’s debt if he could marry the daugh-ter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and awhite pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick onepebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would be-come the moneylender’s wife and her father’s debt would be for-given. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and herfather’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble,her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewnpath in the merchant’s garden. As they

talked, the moneylender bent over to pickup two pebbles. As he picked them up,the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and

put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick her pebble from thebag.

What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have toldher? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender asa cheat.3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt andimprisonment.

The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateraland logical thinking.

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbledand let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the otherpebbles.

“Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left,you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumedthat she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girlchanged what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution, sometimes we have to thinkabout them in a different way.

Thinking “Out of the Box”

rally january 2016

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