A WhatsApp warrior was chatting and forwarding a lot in the group on non-issues and irrelevant content. When the admin asked WHY, prompt came the reply. ‘Social media is just for making your presence felt. For that you need to MAKE NOISE, that’s all’. And of late it has become so easy to nudge. Yeah, you guessed it right. You have ChatGPT or any other AI tool handy.  Artificial Intelligence has created revolution, may it be genuine or concocted. Future of AI regime appears daunting. This apart, if used in social media rationally, it can bring a change. In social media, voice is important, not noise. Here I am examining the impact of genuine VOICE against NOISE. Let me take a real NOISE pollution incident as an example.

Recently in North Bangalore, a gas power plant was commissioned at Puttenahalli, Yelahanka on a trial basis and is expected to be operational immediately. The plant is polluting heavily and the locals are the worst affected. Besides air pollution, they expected noise pollution also. The issue of air pollution due to the power plant is not a new one, but has been there for quite some time, as the plant is situated in residential area. There is a litigation in the Supreme Court highlighting the harm done to the residents as well as the nearby bird reserve. Interestingly the bird reserve is within 500 meters of the gas power plant run by Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL). Besides, the plant is just a stone’s throw away from many residential apartments like Heritage Estates. How can a polluting plant be situated near residential area, fumes the residents. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board asserts that the pollution level is within the set norms. Though this problem is there for more than six or seven years, people wake up (literally also) only when there is something to disturb their sleep. When residents spent sleepless night due to huge noise from the plant in the first week of March 24, nothing could stop the people from organizing a protest. Within 3 days, 1000 members joined the WhatsApp group, followed by a surge of myriad messages. Noise pollution has exceeded the permissible decibels, fume the residents. The organisers, planned a peaceful protest on 10.3.24. Sensing trouble, Police disallowed the protest and issued notices to the organisers/ admins, warning arrests. Some admins were changed and some murmurs in the group were also heard. Finally, the organisers called off the proposed peaceful protest. Further efforts are on, it appears

The noise pollution from the plant triggered people’s voice and ended in social media noise. A WhatsApp group is a ‘free for all’ platform, which tends to see knee jerk reactions and quick-fix solutions, including some bizarre mind voices too. Bengalurians would not have forgotten the recent Sankey protest for saving a lake and trees that ended with charge sheets to each and every protester. In an era of technology and changing lifestyle, it is not that easy to successfully stage even a peaceful protest. There are many game spoilers for a genuine and voluntary people’s movement. For one reason, creating noise in social media may backfire. Sometimes, vested interests and political interference may disrupt. Thirdly, the impulsive leadership in such cases may lack conviction and determination. A movement, to be successful, needs patience, sacrifice, diplomacy, consistency and dynamic leadership. Raise your voice (not noise), it counts and can be heard too. The movement will then only gain momentum.

Suddenly there was some noise in the bird cage in my next balcony. I was watching the caged exotic birds sympathetically. How much energy these cute little birds must have? So inhumane to keep them under a small cage! As I was mulling over the fate of those colourful and energetic birds, suddenly I saw a bird escaping through a hole in the grill of the cage. Yes, the bird flew away to some unfamiliar destination. It will not survive for long as neither the predators will allow nor the habitat will suit its survival. How do Indian homes keep exotic birds in their cages? While going through the schedules of Wildlife Act, it was found that the Act does not have any mention about exotic birds. This is the reason that we see many lovebirds of Australia and other countries kept at home in cages. Indian species are not kept inside cages, else it will be a violation of law of the land.

Recently I visited a friend of mine. A small exotic bird at his home was freely flying within the home. It often sat on the shoulder of my friend’s wife. After taking its food it flies back to its cage of its own and feels happy to get caged again. Incidentally it sat on my lap also for sometimes. Being a bird enthusiast, I love to see birds in their natural habitat. But somehow, the exotic bird seen at my friend’s house did not disturb me much as the bird was freely moving inside the house like any other pets. In fact, these exotic birds are not adoptable to the climatic conditions in India. Somehow, due to better feeding, they survive for long. Incidentally my friend also is a birder. So he takes care of the bird as his family member. A migratory swallow as little as a sparrow flies from England or western Europe to India, in record time of 15 to 45 days which clearly explains the level of energy in birds. When a bird with such enormous energy is caged, it affects its life cycle. It is inhumane to cage them, which may be similar to the Andaman concentration cells where freedom fighters were dumped to die. 

Union Ministry of Environment has come out with a notification for exotic birds on Feb 28, 2024. As per notification, all persons possessing a living specimen of any of the listed animal species are required to apply for registrations of such possession within a period of six months from the date of commencement of these rules and thereafter within 30 of coming into possession of such animal species to the concerned State Chief Wildlife Warden, through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal. Though this amendment regularizes illegal trafficking of exotic animals, what is needed is specification of moving space needed for caged birds and animals. Many pet owners think that they are animal lovers. A real animal lover must understand that the exotic species also have right to live in its natural habitat. A visitor to Singapore Jurong bird park might have realized this right. Even this park is closed in 2023 and shifted to a brand new state of the art spacious bird park featuring eight walkthrough aviaries. The environment is designed to mimic different ecologies to have a best experience not only to visitors but also to birds There, all birds do have better natural living conditions. Singaporeans realize the value of peaceful coexistence.  One can see the varieties of bird species living in enough space. Next time when anyone comes across pet owners of exotic animals and birds, it is pertinent to remind them to register in Parivesh 2.0 portal as this is going to be a legal duty. What is more important is to give the birds their right to live in spacious enclosures. Hopefully the spacing specifications will follow the Govt notification (Photo Courtesy: Karthikeyan, Naturalist, Bangalore)

Published in Dwarka Express on 24.2.24

Can an elephant can solve an arithmetic calculation? Can it even dance to the tune of its trainer? Yes, it is all possible in an animal show in Singapore or Thailand. Or perhaps, a temple elephant in Tamil Nadu temple may bless you, when you give some banana or money. It is simply a myth that elephant remembers anyone who attacks it even after several years and would take revenge. Or a trained elephant in Thevar film in 70s (Tamil Nadu) may even shed tears when the owner is ill. But in reality, these things never happen. Research has established that elephants also have family life and show affection to its calf. They move in team and have a set established behaviour of course.

If an elephant ‘trespasses’ its jurisdiction, the well-established understanding is that such behaviour is in search of food or water. But if such behaviour is condemnable, then human behaviour to crazily going behind money, power or worldly pleasures is also unacceptable. It is understandable that forest officials are expected to keep a vigil on the animal movement. The wild animals invade the human establishments quite frequently and it is a cause for concern undoubtedly. Every alternate day, there is a news item in papers. Elephant menace has become the order of the day. On Monday, 26.2.24, one man was killed and two were injured in Munnar, Kerala and various political parties were protesting against the incident. Blame game and mutual mudslinging followed. This is not an isolated case. Within last 2 months four persons were killed in Munnar region. In Anuppur district in Madya Pradesh, villagers clashed with forest officials after a young man was killed by an elephant. It was sequel to the chasing away the elephant by villagers after the pachyderm destroyed the crops in Jaithari forest range. In yet another case, the kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered a high-level Ministerial meeting in Wayanad to chaclk out strategies for confronting man-animal conflicts effectively since three people were killed in the near past. Rather inter-state conflict between Karnataka and Kerala brewed up as a result of a rogue elephant migrating from Karnataka to Kerala. The State Government released Rs 15 lac to the Kerala victim, which ended in a conflict with opposition expressing dissatisfaction with the Government’s action of releasing tax money to other state.

Such conflicts and unrest amidst people are not without logic. Undoubtedly, human life is very important and precious too. However, the question arises. ‘Who will raise their voices for the voiceless?’ The animals lack the sixth sense and they never know whether they are going out of the forest jurisdiction. Let us not forget that rampant deforestation on one hand and wildlife preservation efforts go hand in hand. Our forest policies have undergone sea change of late. In the interest of creating infra structures like roads and mines, we comfortably forget the need for conservation of forests. Destruction of forests is bound to affect the existence of the dependent wild life and such incidents are bound to happens unless we give a serious thought to a comprehensive, all-pervasive forest policy keeping in mind the basic tenets of sustainable development goals. There is no point in simply grumbling over climate change, monsoon failure and resultant drought.

Published on 17.2.24 in Dwarka Express

Those were days when people used spare straps for a Hawaii chappal. Repairing and reusing a worn out chappal was not below our dignity, but was the order of the day. A plastic bucket or drum was never thrown just because there was a hole. There used to be a repair-wala usually seen in the streets. A cobbler made his livelihood on repairing the shoes. Nowadays, we are not hearing the call of umbrella repair man. (When rain is also rare, how can be find a umbrella man?). Similarly, the repair of old utensils and kitchenware was a very common activity. Seldom we see repairer roaming around the streets to replace a handle for a mixer or juicer. Certain spare parts are not available in the market. Slowly the spare part culture is vanishing. In fact, it has become a matter of status when we retain the broken utensils or old gadgets. The smart phones are seldom repaired. Even if it demands a small repair, consumers prefer going for a new one. In some cases, the shopkeepers advise condemning certain electronic gadgets even with a reparable part.

Another important example of reuse is old books. We still remember 60’s and 70’s when school books were reused without any inhibition. Students were seen selling their books in good condition to the successors. There were a lot of pavement shops which were seen buzzing with activity when schools reopen. In fact, there used to more crowd in second hand book shops rather than the new bookshops. Even though this practice is slowly disappearing, we still may see it in some pockets of the towns. In small towns and villages, certain repair and reuse activities are seen in some quarters. We cannot say that the repair activity has disappeared completely.

In automobile Industry the changes of wear and tear are abundant, but that does not mean that we should discard the parts which are not used much. One of the most heard repair markets is in automobile industry, but most of the spare parts are replaced without exploring the way the discorded items could be repaired and reused. Actually, the spare part market is said to be a USD 22 Bn market that is expected to extend the longevity of the capital assets. While spare parts must be used sparingly, lack of technical expertise and race for unrealistic sales targets have made the ‘repair and reuse’ paradigm a mockery of sorts. However, there is a lot of scope in automobile industry for repair and reuse activities namely tyre retreading, denting, painting and puncture fixing.  Yet another industry is electronics, where volatility is faster. Electronic gadgets become obsolete so faster that many computer and laptop versions do not have any repair or replacement. Warranty is also not much helpful when the consumer actually lacks technical knowledge. E Waste is a fast-growing industry with large potential for reuse of the components of discarded items. In a scrapped laptop, there are 12 metals which could be reused. Reducing carbon footprints is a mammoth work. Every little effort could go a long way to save the environment from degradation.

Published on 10.2.2024 in Dwarka Express

Pollen grains are important links in proliferating the species. Universally, the flora cannot propagate if pollens are not there. But pollens at the same time are harmful pollutants also. While in Northern India, PM2.5 forms the major component of air pollution, pollen is posing the pollution challenge in South, especially in Bangalore, the garden city. Interestingly the pollution monitoring stations also publish tree, grass and weed pollen indexes daily. On this day, when this article is going for print, the pollen pollution is forecast to be low to moderate. Is having a garden a sin? Not at all. We need the tree cover. But at the same time, it is also true that the pollens are the most formidable pollutant in Bangalore. Come February, all flowering trees bear blooms, making a cause for concern. Pollen is a permanent problem in Bangalore with no solution in the vicinity. Question arises whether having tree is a problem. Trees are needed for multiple needs and no one could object to planting a tree. Bangalore gets its unique title of being the garden city (though it has lost its charm) by having a lot of trees. Trees are the only massive oxygen producer and therefore are essential until perhaps someone manufactures oxygen in lab and make it available for the billions of human beings as well as other living organisms. When it will happen or what will be the impact is unimaginable as of now. When Delhi is reeling under pollution due to suspended particulate matter, the root cause analysis broadly pointed out to stubble burning, automobile emission and construction dust. Graded response Action Plan by Central Pollution Control Board and green ministry could do some strict instruction as the pollutants were essentially man made. Some reliefs were envisaged and experimented. However, in Bangalore, the pollen problem appears to be the most challenging. Here trees cannot be prevented from blooming and proliferating pollens.

Besides pollen from trees, Bangalore also faces pollens from grass and weeds during the month of May every year. Parthenium weed is highly invasive especially in Bangalore one of the prominent causes of pollen pollution. Notoriously known as congress grass, this exotic weed stealthily entered India during the famine of 1950s when the then congress Government imported huge stock of wheat from abroad.  One will see huge trees in the city which had always been instrumental in keeping the micro climate of the city cool. With mushrooming construction activities, the city is losing its charm slowly. Narrow roads, ever increasing traffic and growing urbanization has already posed a lot of challenges. The day is not far off when the city also would face the Delhi’s Particulate Matter challenge.

Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease, allergic rhinitis, rhino-conjunctivitis and skin diseases like eczema and dermatitis are some of the known diseases which get aggravated due to pollen problems. Some of the suggestive remedies may be 1. Reducing exposure to outdoor activities, 2. Increased Vitamin D intake, 3. Increased water consumption 4. Mask wearing and 5. Practicing Pranayama (breathing exercises). But such solutions are layman suggestions, short of scientific proofs. Recently a pulmonologist was heard saying that remaining indoor will not be a solution for asthmatic patients.  The medical fraternity may vary in their views but the solution lies in prevention. Whether Bengalurians will have a remedy and relief from pollen is still a question mark.

Published in Dwarka Express on 3.2.2024

The above line of Mahatma needs serious attention, as we remember Mahatma on Jan 30^th every year, the day on which the doyen of the non-violence movement laid down his life to violence. Prime Minister of India had rightly launched the Swachh Bharat mission was launched on the birth anniversary of Mahatma in 2014. After a decade, now it is good that we make an honest review of what happened and what not, in the swachhata sphere.

India’s Swachh Bharat Mission is the world’s largest sanitation initiative. Exactly after 5 years of its launch, the mission took another step to make India Open Defecation Free. The 2019-mission led to the construction of over 10 crore individual household toilets, and around 6 lakh villages declared themselves Open Defecation Free (ODF). The Government of India approved a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores in 2020 budget envisaging the sustainability of the ODF status and to cover the villages with Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). Biodegradable Waste Management has been put in place through composting and setting up of Biogas plants; collection, segregation, and storage facilities for plastic waste management, construction of soak pits, waste stabilization ponds, Decentralized Waste Water Treatment System for Greywater Management and Faecal Sludge Management through co-treatment in existing Sewage Treatment Plants/Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (STPs/ FSTPs). As per official reports, over 78 per cent of the villages have declared themselves ODF as on date. It is not out of place to mention here that Maharashtra bagged the top rank, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023.

Government statics aside, in reality, open defecation is going on even in urban areas. We cannot remain complacent in cleanliness front. We should call a spade a spade. As far as open defecation is concerned, nothing is spared, be it a lake, park, river bund, or a scrub jungle. It is a common sight to see a person carrying a water bottle to the empty neighbourhood to relieve him. The message is loud and clear. We need to go a long way in swacchata mission. Today when we travel in state highways or even on rural roads, it is a common sight that garbage is dumped everywhere. Corporations, Municipalities and Gram Panchayats fail to clear the trash. Our landfills are turning into hills and hillocks. Waste segregation, composting or recycling are not done completely. With ever-growing population and depleting amenities, it has become a challenge for the authorities. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed” said Mahatma Gandhi, the visionary. his thoughts were farsighted, even when environmental awareness was not significant. Indian economy has grown multifold since then, but the ecology is being neglected to a large extent. Environment is undergoing onslaughts in one way or other. Yes, to put it differently, we are greedy to ensure that the basic needs of human beings are met religiously.

Thanks to People’s trust for quoting my bird check-listing at their campus (with Karthik)

Published in Dwarka Express on 27.1.2024

The new year has brought a cheer when the Namibian cheetah named Jwala gave birth to 3 cubs in Kuno national park, Madhya Pradesh recently. This is her second delivery. During March 2023, Jwala gave birth to 4 cubs in Indian soil, out of which only one survived. For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17^th Sep 2022, his birthday released 8 cheetahs from Namibia while another lot of 12 were brought from South Africa subsequently. Readers may remember that out of the 20 cheetahs were brought from South Africa and Namibia only 13 survived. Only one cub survived from the first delivery of Jwala. The last one-year period posed challenges to the fastest animals. Lot of controversies brewed about the death of cheetahs continuously. Radio collaring, extreme heat and kidney failure were some of the prominent reasons quoted by various sources on a few occasions. Some were of the view that the relocation project failed. However, at present, reportedly there are 21 cheetahs in India.

It now appears that the conservation efforts in Kuno forests have yielded a reasonably good result, which needs appreciation. As everyone knows, cheetah is the fastest animal and is said to attain 110 km. speed, which is recorded as the fastest one in the cat family. Many were having a belief that cheetahs were native to India. But according to S H Prater in the book of Indian animals, cheetahs were predominantly present in African forests. Slowly it invaded India like the Asiatic lions, through the north-western passes. It then established itself in the plains and lower hills of northern and central India. Then it straggled southwards as far as the Deccan and Mysore. The last authentic record of the cheetah in India is in 1948 in MP according to Prater.

As this fastest animal has to run long distance, there is no wonder that the habitat destruction resulted in reduced number to become extinct in India. The difference between tiger and cheetah lies in the hunting method. While tigers mostly hide, leap and bounce on its prey, cheetah stalks its prey, runs after it for a long distance and catches it. This particular behaviour is an ample indication to the dire need of forest lands. Habitat destruction has taken a heavy toll in India. The intrusion of man into its territory has become a curse on valuable wildlife. We are losing many species all over the world and India is not an exemption. But India also should not forget that it is one of the world’s biggest biodiversity hotspots and our pride rests on preserving it.

The scientific as well as environmental community is divided on the issue of translocation of the cheetah in India. When protagonists laud the translocation, the antagonists are critical from the suitability of habitat. The erstwhile rulers were fond of hunting and killing the big cats, and obviously the environmental awareness among people were minimal. Another concern is the amendments being brought to Forest Conservation Act, diluting the lofty ideals of the scientific spirits. Thirdly development sans sustainability has stepped in already. If the policy makers do not consider the ethical and ecological aspects of the country, a day will emerge when there won’t be animals on ground. Only zoos will exhibit the animals behind bars.

Published in Dwarka Express on 20.1.2024

Centuries back, feathers were used to write. Even earlier, processed/preserved leaves and tree barks were used for long to write. In fact, every human activity was related to nature. Science and technology brought many inventions and pen is one such item that was of dire need for communications. Those were days, when today’s oldies might have carried the fountain pens with bolted ink to school. The shirt pockets of boys used to get stained with leaking heads of pens. At home, grandma was storing the provisions in Horlicks bottles and Brittania biscuit tin containers. Gone are those nostalgic olden days! Repair/refill/reuse culture has vanished. During the same period, a travel in a train witnessed spilling of plastic cups and tin foiled food packets on both sides of railway lines. By 90’s plastic scrambled the world. Around the same period, ball point pens usage scaled up. All we had to do was to buy a two-rupee ball pen and a packet of 5/10 refills. We remember the bygone days when in the work place also, staff used to go to the Managers for getting free refills. Then came the varieties of trendy ball pens with finer tips that made the writing legible and clear. By then, the fountain pens gave way and almost disappeared. Initially, we had about 3 or 4 types of refills and we were able to use the pen for quite a longer time. Recently a survey was held by us and we sought responses where to get refills. Most of the respondents said, ‘refills have vanished from market’ ‘refill shop is near MG Road (we need to travel 20 KMs to get a refill!). Stationery shops stock mostly pens only, not refills.

The refill culture is relegated to a back seat with the advent of USE & THROW era. Designer pens are not reusable. If you have a hobby for pen collection, you may like varieties. Otherwise, these pens will end up at the landfills. Someone jibed, ‘so what, even the refill is a plastic.’ Very true. We also admit that it is a plastic piece. But at least, it should be made a habit to reduce single use plastics. Some unconfirmed data say that Single Use Plastics (SUPs) constitute only 10 percent of the plastic. However, this 10 percent is a dangerous junk, as all our waterbodies are clogged with SUPs. Polythene carry bags were banned from July 1^st, 2022, but even today the street vendors use it. We are not habituated to carry a cloth bag while going out. REUSE is the easiest way to contribute to environment. PET bottles are another conspicuous example of SUPs. But regrettably, PET bottles are not included in the 19 banned items. It is not clear as to why PET bottles were excluded from the banned items. Used PET bottles are discarded everywhere almost in the entire country. Here and there, some efforts are being made to reuse or recycle these bottles. But there is concrete solution for the PET menace. Carrying a bag and bottle is the best practice.  Will CPCB take steps to include it under the banned SUPs so that manufacturing of the same will stop?