Growth Vs Environment

Economic growth is our overriding priority, there is no doubt that we have to grow at 8 to 9 % a year, but not at the cost of the environment, not at the cost of the nature,not at the cost of our forests, mountains, rivers and land. So, we have to find that balance between environment and development. So far we have focused on the fiscal aspect of economic growth. Now, we have to think about the environmental aspects of our growth,' said environment minister and chief climate change negotiator Jairam Ramesh in an interview to Time.

In an report published by Goldman Sachs in 2006 called as Why the BRICs dream wont be green, it is mentioned that balancing economic development with environment protection is already- and will remain- a major challenge to the BRIC dream.

Urbanization, industrialization and intensive agriculture means that pressures on the environment are unlikely to abate for decades.

This report also says that there will be a trade off between bio- diversity and wealth. Bio-diversity is a critical aspect of environmental sustainability. Well managed ecosystem contribute to poverty alleviation and a sustainable environment. Although industrialization tends to achieved at the expense of the environment, the trade off between growth and the environment becomes more balanced as countries grow richer.The issue of economic growth versus environmental conservation can also be seen as developed countries vs developing ones. Industrial countries such as the USA and Germany have depended upon polluting industries for their wealth. Now they fear that uncontrolled economic development in the Third World will lead to environmental disaster. They point out that massive clearing of tropical rainforest for farming threatens biodiversity and may affect the global climate.

Jairam ramesh says that, We cannot have blind economic growth. We must have economic growth that is sensitive to the concerns of people. There are lots of issues on land acquisition and environment. Environment today in India is becoming a serious public health issue and is not anymore a middle class, elitist pastime. So, we have to listen to the people. There has been no bigger champion of the Indian private sector than me. Long before economic reforms and liberalization became fashionable in India, from the early 80s, I have been advocating that we must privatize, bring in the private sector, redefine the role of the government, and so on and so forth.

He said that charting a green path for India was challenging. 'Challenging, yes, even thankless, but not frustrating. I make one decision and the environmentalists are very happy, but the growth guys are unhappy; then I take another decision and the growth guys are very happy, the environmentalists are very unhappy. I cannot please everybody,' said Ramesh.

So as Mr. Ramesh pointed out that keeping both the grwoth guys as well as environmentalists is not possible, it would be a difficult task for India to maintain a balance between the two as both these are important for a developing country like India.

Why Indian roads are filthy?

The answer to above question is very simple. Its because we the Indians love our streets being dirty. Which are more common in Indian roads?

1. One person putting garbages on the sideways.

2. Another person spitting on the road.

3. Some unknown person peeing in dark alleys.

The answer would be all these are common things you are going to notice in Indian roads.But we are no more a third world country. We are a developing country and on the verge of becoming a superpower( The whole world is saying so) But when it comes to infrastructure these above things are coming into mind. So cant we change anything. If you are going to ask this question only one reply will come that is, its the job of the government. we are common men. We can not change. So we will make our filthy roads more filthier. The government will come and change everything. But I am changing. The next time i am eating some chocolate, i am not throwing the wrapper on the road but puts it in my pocket. If I am not able to locate any dustbin then just keeps the wrapper in my pocket as long as i keep it( most of the time it ends in the washing machine as i forget to throw them in the dustbin). But I am not putting any dirt on the streets. when i was in CSREM we were more conscious about cleanliness. But in Praxis, they just throw the garbages around the hostel building. The hostel building is near a swamp.So just guess how much mosquitoes will be taking birth there to spread malaria.May be the people in this college still have not gone through the wikileaks documents. here are some of the documents,Malaria facts, Children and malaria, malaria in England in the little ice age, pregnancy and malaria. So cant we change ourselves a little. Just dont spit on the road after taking your paan or just dont throw the garbages on the street. In case of peeing there is no substitute, but if a pay toilet is there, just use it. I am damn sure its not expensive. The picture below is of Dharamtala, Kolkata. All these are result of a rally. You can only see the plastic cups and plates. We were coming back from Esplanade and just took some pictures. If the politicians dont acre about roads, then its useless to depend upon them. So be the change.

post rally garbage

How to bring change?

(Abstract: If you want to bring change, then first change yourself. But if you want a greater change to arrive in this world, then change the future generations, i.e., Children. Geting rid of the filthy streets is a bigger problem as our existing mindset does want clean roads. So what we need is to change the mindset of the future generations.)

When one think of one idea to change the littering behaviour of Indians, it seems imposiible, as for generations we have learned how to throw the garbages on the streets, spitting on the sideways, and urinating on the back-alleys. Even if we are implementing some actions to change this behaviour, it will be short term. There is a great story about an Indian who never spit on the streets in Singapore, But dont do the same when comes to India. So what can be derived from this is that we dont care about the streets of our country. If it is dirty, then let it be dirty.

But there is another way which can drastically change this ugliness of Indians,i.e., change the future generations. And the future generations are children studying in schools, colleges. If you are thinking how? Then the answer is to include children in all your campaigns. Some of the ideas as how to include children are listed below,

1. Made MoUs with as many schools as possible to clean the surrounding areas.
2. Made the cleaning campaigns a weekly affair.
3. Go to the schools and make presentations on how dirty the Indian streets are and inspire the teachers as well as the students as how they can bring change not only in their neighbourhood, but in entire India.
4. When hundred children and other people are cleaning the streets, then people will notice it.
5. Include the parents if possible as they can oppose their children cleaning the streets.
6. Communicate the message that, one day of cleanliness campaign in a week wont harm their studies.
7. Children love to skip classes, as they need more practicality in their studies, so they will not be a problem. The only problem you are going to face is from parents and teachers. So make a clear plan before approaching the schools.
8. You can also approach like minded influential people in some communities as they can really bring greater changes and at the same time inspire the children.
9. If schools are not allowing children to get out of the school to participate in these events, then organize clean the campus campaigns within the school.
10. When you are talking with the children, then make comaparisons of Indian streets with streets of developed countries or even China. This will infuse a patriotic feeling within them. And You guys know how powerful this is( i.e., the quintessential cricket match and patriotic feeling)
11. Even if the first few days will be hard, never stop as people takes more time to think about a better cause than an idiotic cause.
12. For this you dont need so much funds as support from children, parents, schools and colleges will be important not money.

You can find thousands of methods to clean the streets, but to change an entire generation, it will take time, courage and patience. Another important characterstic of ugly Indians is that, they dont have patience. And it is patience that can change the world. So if you really want to change us, then change our future generations. We the adults will definitely follow them without getting offended.

Who is my leader anyway !!!

Well we will be postings on those persons whom we consider as our leaders.The first post is a secret and if you are ready to read further then you will know who the person we are talking about.

Heres a quote from that person, So my fellow Americans, ask not what the country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. These are the words by a person who is the first president of USA to be born in 20th century and the youngest elected to office at the age of 43. He is the first and the only Catholic and the first Irish American president of USA. Well he is also the only US president to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Events during his administration include the Bay of pigs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis, the building of the Berlin wall, the African American civil rights movement and the early stages of the Vietnam war. If you closely look at him then you will know that this person is as famous as  Shahrukh Khan or Tom Cruise. Yes you heard it correctly. He is the Shahrukh Khan of American politics. People used to call him the celebrity president.If you have seen the movie Forrest Gump, Then you definitely know about whom i am talking about. As Shahrukh Khan is known from his initials SRK, this person whom i consider as my leader is known from his initials JFK. Oliver Stone made a movie on him in 1991. Well this person is non other than John Fitzgerald Kennedy or Jack Kennedy,was born on May 29, 1917. He was the 35th president of United States of America serving from 1961 until his assassination in November 22, 1963.

After Kennedy s military service as commander of the Motor Torpedo boat 109 during world war II in the South Pacific, his aspirations turned political. With the encouragement and grooming of his father Joseph P. Kennedy JFK represented the Massachusetts 11th Congressional district in the House of the Representatives from 1947 to 1953 as a Democrat and served in the US senate from 1953 until 1960. 

Kennedy defeated the then vice president and the Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election one of the most closest in the American history. Well Mr. Nixon lost the election by 120,000 votes, approximately 0.2 % of all the votes.

Well now talk about his leadership. He is one of those politicians who can be probably most closely identified with the term leader. You dont have to look far for the evidence of the imprint Kennedy left on American life and politics. From the day of his death, virtually every president and presidential candidate, since has to varying degrees sought to portray himself as the heir to the Kennedy legacy. Lyndon Johnson, who was the vice president during Kennedy s tenure and the 36th president of USA was obsessed with living in Kennedy s shadow. Richard Nixon was immensely jealous of the man, he also thought of as his friend. Jimi Carter reveled in being described by Time Magazine as Kennedisque during his 1976 campaign. Ronald Reagan invoked kennedys  tough  stance toward the Soviet Union and his tax cutting economic strategy to buttress his own efforts in these realms. A sixteen year old Bill Clinton famously was photographed- with a beatific look on his face- shaking Kennedy's hand in rose garden.

Perhaps the politicians sense something  the political science professors unable to do so as they tended not to rate Kennedy's presidency very highly. Butt even four decades after his death, JFK remains extraordinarily popular. An ABC news poll taken on presidents day weekend in 2003 listed JFK as the 2nd greatest president of all time.Although recentness and nostalgia no doubt play a major role in such results, the fact is that at the time of his death, Kennedy had the highest average approval rating of  any president ever measured by the Gallup polling organization. It was 70% Even Barrack Obama  had a highest of 66% approval rating. and in October 2009 it become 39%. 

Kennedy gave the Americans the look of the modern presidency. If Franklin D. Roosevelt created the imperial presidency, it was Kennedy who gave it its royal trappings. When you think of the American president what comes to your mind, Barrack Obama, Washington DC, White house, Sarah Palin ( no not in hundred years), Bobby Jindal ( a big thumbs up for 2012 presidential election). Well you are missing one more important thing. Its Air force One.  If you have seen Harrison Fords movie Air force One, then you definitely know what is the importance of that presidential aircraft. Before Kennedy it was not there. JFK took the boxy, functional looking presidential aircraft and hired a top industrial designer and repainted it and christened the result Air Force One, to descend majestically from the skies as the very symbol of the presidential power. No longer would American presidents greet their foreign visitors prosaically at the airport, instead the visitors would be whisked to the white house for a grand welcoming ceremony on the south lawn.

Kennedy had other notable leadership accomplishments to his credit.

1. He made his own rules

When he ran for Congress in 1946 without having held any previous office, he just built his own organization a practice he would retain throughout his career. Today virtually all ambitious politicians rely on their own organizations rather than the party's organization to win elections.

2. He started early

He began running for president in 1958 and declared his candidacy in 1960, both of which were considered absurdly early at the time. But now the early start is the standard operating procedure.

3. He mastered TV

The political debate form had all but died by the early 1950s. But Kennedy thought that if he could hold his own in a televised debate it would help him. His theory proved correct against both Lodge and Nixon. Today entire cable television networks in USA are devoted to nothing else but political debates.

4. He made friends of the press corps

 Kennedy was the first president to answer questions from journalists on live television. (‘‘The dumbest idea since the hula hoop,’’ groused New York Times columnist James Reston at the time.) The live presidential press conference, of course, is now an institution in itself.

His greatest speeches

1.This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds.It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

2.Today we are committed to a world wide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free .

3. This is one country. It has become one country because all the people who came here had an equal chance to develop their talents.
References: Wikipedia and the book (leadership and John F. Kennedy)

The world is not enough

We the Homo sapiens living in this tiny planet of Milky way galaxy are selfish, and nobody can deny it. We from an early childhood always wanted more than what we have. Hailliard once said that, The force of selfishness is as inevitable and as calculable as the force of gravitation. So we the humans staying away from selfishness is impossible. When we were children we wanted more chocolates, toys. During the teenage days we wanted more freedom. When we were young adults we wanted to hitch more girls(or boys if you are a girl), and when we got married and started our family, the selfishness touched new heights. We wanted more money, big house, car, bike, holidays etc. As Robert A. Heinlein puts it, The greatest productive force is human selfishness.

Now some question arises, whether there is enough for all of us (the 6 billion inhabitants of planet Earth)? While we were being selfish and satisfying our needs and wants what the rest of the world was doing? Well in short we can said that nobody thinks about others. Everyone always looks out for themselves. It does not matter to us if half the world is not getting a single meal a day, if 456 million Indians are earning less than $1.25 a day, if farmers are committing suicides, if children below the age of 14 are working as laborers.

Why we are not thinking about others? Why we are so selfish? Even the person who is writing now does not got any answer to these questions. But still when we think about helping the underprivileged people, a feeling arouse in our heart which is more powerful than any other emotions that we have experienced in our life.

One can easily conclude that without being selfish we can attain something which is more powerful, more inspirational, more encouraging than whatever we have experienced through the selfish means. helping does not mean that we will forget our families and start some NGO in a poor region. Mother Teresa said that, If you cant feed hundred people, then just feed one. So just start from one step. As you will be going forward, you will find that the whole world will be there to support you.

Some unknown author once said that, When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found i could not change the nation, I began to focus on my town. i could not change the town as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world. 

Those people who thinks that they are not good people and It does not matter to them if somebody is suffering. For them there is a quote from Dalai Lama, Basically we are all the same human beings with the same potential to be a good human being or a bad human being. The important thing is to realize the positive side and try to increase that; realize the negative side and try to reduce. Thats the way.

Buddhist Monastery

On our way to Chandragiri we went to the largest Buddhist monastery in Orissa. Its one of those unbelievable things that happen in life which we never expected. Last year we went to that monastery for the first time while selling FMCG products under our marketing paper. Lets have a look at some pictures.

In the middle of the farmlands

The Monastery

Looks magnificent

Can you define it!

The cloudy mountains and the monastery

Buddha the Great

We the people of India

Enjoying the time

I am taking the pic

The sunset that looks like Pandora

GPS mapping of village in Chandragiri

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. (Marcel Proust)

Some days ago we went to Chandragiri, which is 90 km from our college for a project under which we map one tribal village with the help of GPS. This experience gave us a new point of view towards life. The project was done with collaboration with IIT Madras and OTELP( Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Program). So friends here are some of the picture of the village mapping experience.

Entering the village

Prof. Nagesh giving instructions

Intensive survey in village

Extensive survey

Measuring mountains

Somebody is falling

measuring farmland through GPS

GPS and the mountaineers

Having the lunch In the village

Ramana Sir and Devaraj SIr

Prasant and the stream

Rest time

Up in the mountain

Map the farmland

Are they working or enjoying?

Mountain made from one rock

Clouds in the mountains

This Field study was the most difficult one for us. We went to Chandragiri by bus which is 90 km from our college. It took some 4 hours to reach there. The roads were terrible but the road side scenery was mind blowing. The next post will be about the Buddhist Monastery which we visited during the second day of field study.

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow (Lin Yutang)

The art of teaching

In Sesame street (TV series) Lily Tomlin once said that,"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework."

But when its comes to India, the same thing can not be said. If you visits one of the schools in rural India, you will found out that majority of the students are not attending the classes. If they are attending the classes then the teachers are not properly teaching them. Sometimes the schools do not have the proper infrastructure required for teaching. So how can we expect our kids to be excellent in everything?  There is a old Buddhist proverb which goes like this,"If a seed of a lettuce will not grow, we do not blame the lettuce. Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly."

Now the Government is taking a lot of actions through the Sarva Siksha Avijana, but the resources that the government is providing, the schools are not properly utilizing. Most of the time the teachers are not inspiring which affects the children. William Arthur Ward, the author of the book "Fountains of faith" wrote that,"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." The teacher in the rural India don't even tell.

In our school visits we try to teach the students in a fun way which make teaching more likable. Here are some pictures.

Make them understand

Involve them in the process

Tell something new

We went to two schools to teach them about cleanliness as well as hygienic practices. We used power point presentations to teach the kids. may be the schools don't have these resources but one can also teach with pictures and a smile. If a teacher is not involved with the students, if he can't connect with them then the teaching process is worthless.

 The American intellectual, Gilbert Highet said the following word which shows how important is a smiling face of a teacher.

 "A very wise old teacher once said: "I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh." He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single group of human beings enjoying its existence.

We are free

"Every child comes with the message that god is not yet discouraged of man."These are the words of Rabindranath Tagore. You will find so many great thinkers who have said many things about the children. Garrison Keillor once said that,"Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting,our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted."

When we decided that we will be doing a inter school competition on August 15th , these words were there in our minds. We conducted four competitions,i.e., debate, drawing, essay writing and song. The themes of all the competitions were independence day. Some 50 participants from 5 schools participated which was a good number as we thought that most of the students will not come due to the outbreak of swine flu. But we were wrong.

We are the champions

Zig Ziglar is his book" The little book of big quotes" stated that,"our children are our only hope for the future, but we are their only hope for their present and their future" So one thing is sure its we who will build their future so that they can build our future.

The future of our nation

Eleanor Roosevelt's words are coming to my mind at this point of time,"the future belongs to those who believes in their beauty of their dreams." And the dreams of these children is unquestionably beautiful.

  We are the train

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." The above words of Mahatma Gandhi can be reflected in the above picture.

Roja, Swati and Mala from Patikota UPS

Zig Ziglar once said that,"Children go where their is excitement. They stay where their is love." Certainly there was love in CSREM today.We started our event with drawing competition.The theme of the competition was Independence day.

A participant from Gaurachandra UPS

Patikota boys

I did not understand why all of them started drawing the Indian national flag. some 30 students participated in the drawing competition from class 4, 5 and 6.

Harsha from CPS

The song competition was a absolute treat. just enjoy this four lines from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,

God sent his singers upon earth

With songs of sadness and of mirth,

That they might touch the hearts of men,

And bring them back to heaven again.

Wonder kid from R.Sitapur

 This boy from R. Sitapur UPS is a wonder kid. When he came to the stage before starting the song, he said that, "If I commit any mistake, please forgive me." And the song which followed was absolute pleasure.

Such songs have power to quiet

The restless pulse of care,

And come like the benediction

That follows after prayer.

I am not nervous

He won the first prize and our guest of honor Director sir asked him to sing the song again. Haim Ginnot, a teacher and a child psychologist said that, "If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others." I am damn sure this kid will go up if he chooses singing as a career.Some photos of other participant are below,

What to draw!

This little boy from CPS won the first prize.

The Great Indian Flag

participant from Patikota UPS

 The essay writing, debate competitions were held in both English as well as Oriya. As students from both Government and private schools were participating we did not consider Language as a criterion, but confidence, presentation of Facts and figures, presentation of supporting information , conclusion were taken into consideration. And while all of us were thinking that the students from Centurion Public School will take all the prizes, the students from R. Sitapur UPS surprised us completely as they won majority of prizes. 

I won........

Wow, I won too

Prof. Patro sir sharing some thoughts

There is a korean pro verb which goes like this,"no matter how perfect one is, there will always be imperfection with in it."  Some might feel that today's event was not a perfect one , but we will look into that and in future rectify those mistakes. Thank you for reading. Please give your valuable suggestions.

Independence day

On 15th August we are going to celebrate the independence day. It will be our 63rd one. But in reality we don't even understand what independence is. Are we using this independence in the right way for which our fore fathers fought for hundreds of years with the British. If we are, then why our country is not a progressive one. Hu Shih, the former ambassador of China to USA once said that, "a group of slaves will never make a liberal and progressive country;such a country can be made  of independent-minded and free thinking people." 

The proud Indian Flag

Aren't we free thinking people! well the whole world, for thousands of years believed that Indians are the most free minded people in the whole World.

Mark Twain, The American author believed that,"India is , the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition, our most valuable and instructive materials in the history of man are measured in India only."

Rising to the top

In the words of Albert Einstein,"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made."

Former Chinese ambassador to USA Hu Shih once mentioned that,"Indian conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border."

Is n't it the proof of how Indians were culturally, economically open minded for the last thousands of years. so what is the problem now?

Why we are not what we were before? Does anyone got any answers. Lets start a series of posts on this issue.

 Rabindra Nath Tagore in his epic poem Geetanjali wrote about the awakening of the people of India which is as follows,

"Where the mind is without fear 
and the head is held high; 
Where knowledge is free; 

Where the world has not been 
broken up into fragments by 
narrow domestic walls; 

Where words come out from 
the depth of truth; 
Where tireless striving stretches 
its arms towards perfection; 

Where the clear stream of reason 
has not lost its way into the dreary 
desert sand of dead habit; 

Where the mind is lead forward by thee 
into ever-widening thought and action- 
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, 
let my country awake."

Thank you. We will post the answers to this post in the next post.