Are Green Homes in India only for the Elite?

Someone asked this question during a wonderful Q & A session with Dr. Chandrashekar-Hariharan, Executive chairman, BCIL Zed Homes, on the future of green homes in India.  The written transcript of the interview on "IBN Live" is here but I'd like to reproduce part of his answer to the question whether going green is a fashion statement.

He doesn't deny that is the general perception in India and then lets us know how and why that perception should change. It is obviously in his interest - he builds and sells green homes - to say so but I believe what he has to say about it being in our own interest to go green.

Human activities put gases like carbon monoxide, carbon-,sulpur-, nitrogen-dioxide into our atmosphere. Besides breathing them in we ingest them through our food chain because they have seeped into our soil and waters. Green Homes not only help us save on our bills, they also help us reduce the production of these gases.

[For articles on why these gases are deadly dangerous and what exactly they do to our health and medical bills please visit my page,  "Fumes We Breathe In Besides Oxygen". The same articles are on the "Green Dream Foundation, India" blog.]

And now, over to Dr. C-H

"... we are going green in OUR OWN interest. We must go green because it enhances our security on energy and water; because it saves us money on energy and water bills. We pay today nearly Rs 130 to Rs 180 per thousand liters when we import water by tankers! And this cost will only rise. We have to get smart on the demand for fresh water and energy. We have to reduce -- if not altogether eliminate -- our dependence on the city civic infrastructure for energy, water and waste. We must go on-grid with local solar/wind solutions for powering our homes and offices. The cost is very attractive today, and the savings are immense. We must stop exporting all waste from our apartment and office blocks, even from our individual homes. We must stop relying on the Govt water supply boards for fresh water. We must avoid making deep borewells, and work on shallow aquifers with water and watershed management systems that ensure water availability in open wells, like in our grandfather's home. Yes, there will be challenges at the extreme specific levels of a building in your personal context. That can be easily overcome with inputs from professionals who have domain expertise."

Here's the link to the rest of the interview again and it is absolutely worth a read. Questions are from ordinary Indians.


Finally, to end on a positive note, here's good news for our air, our soil and our waters. It is an innovation known as "Bloombox". It is just a tiny little box which has (to date) a small carbon footprint and has been sold to huge companies like Google, Ebay and others. This little box produces electricity and is the brainchild of K.R.Shridhar. His customers seem to be very satisfied with the bloombox claiming their regular electricity grids are at least four times more expensive. Go, KR.

A POA to Make Us Disciplined Drivers. Really?

Yes, really.

I have recently read at least two posts on bad driving.  Rachana Parmar feels it is best to go with the flow. If you can't beat 'em... It is tongue in cheek and, although she has a few hilarious suggestions about driving in Bengalaru, you can sense her frustration..

Arvind Passey speaks of his being made to feel guilty by other drivers who have the temerity to glare at him if he stops at red traffic lights early in the morning. The prize idiot! The fool! their glares seem to say.

They won't be satisfied until you are part of the chaos they create, Arvind. Aren't there times when you feel like saying "eff it, I'm late today and they are all doing it and getting away so why not I?"  

Reckless drivers are often (dare I use the word), stupid. They feel powerful behind that wheel. They know with unshakeable conviction that the roads are full of fools - pedestrians, beggars, vendors, other drivers and that ruddy cow; that everyone is bent on throwing a spoke in their wheel. Unfortunately, as our road toll shows, too many of them risk not only their own life and limb but have complete disregard for everyone else's. As they expertly manoeuvre their cars into a narrow gap in the next lane and glance victoriously at the frustration on the face of the driver behind them they think to themselves, this is how it's done. And those overzealous goody-two-shoe-upstarts want to teach us driving. Let them try and outmanoeuvre us, and then talk.

Let's get real. Only the truly bold (and foolish) would attempt to change that mindset. It is the very first hurdle in a long list to overcome. Are we willing to face the flak? If the end - that of seeing order on our roads - is still irresistible, read on.

Disciplined driving saves time. Traffic moving along smoothly does move faster. Knowing what the other driver can and will do dissipates much of the tension of driving. Reckless drivers have near misses daily but they are conditioned to brush aside the momentary stab of fear that accompanies those. They've lived to tell the tale, haven't they? Perhaps by the skin of their teeth but they think they've learnt from that lucky escape and won't repeat that mistake again. In the long run, such a mindset does take its toll on our health.

To change that mindset we'd need to think outside the box -  beyond helplessness, frustration or a spirit that cowers at the mere mention of driving in India. 

First, let me give you a few links to very good sites that tell you about driving in India. Next, I'd like to discuss why we should come up with our own POA.

Here are the links.

• http://www.wikihow.com/Drive-in-India 
• http://www.delhitrafficpolice.nic.in/driving-tips.htm and 
• http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/road-safety-driving-sense/1026-suggestions-improvement-roads-govt-india.html 

Raj 5004 at the above forum has some advice for the government which is worth repeating (cut and pasted here). I do feel, if we wait for points one and two before trying to have disciplined driving on our roads we might wait forever.

1) build better roads with proper lanes.
2) stop corruption.
3) install automatic sensors which will catch offenders & they can pay fine online.
4) traffic rules are not only for car, even for pedestrians. pedestrians should cross only at zebra crossings, roads are not for bullock carts & animals.
5) most importantly, be strict on lane discipline. catch snails moving in the right lane & changing lanes without indicators.
6) non working brake lights & indicators is an offence & should be fined.

Great suggestions. As we all know, the difficulty is in the detail. To make ourselves aware of the pros and cons of each suggestion we'd need to analyse them. For example

Point #4 mentions pedestrians. With our footpaths taken over by beggars, vendors and street dwellers, it is difficult for our poor pedestrians, cows and pariah dogs not to walk on the roads.

Point #5 mentions lane driving. Experience teaches us that our potholed roads demand swerving and weaving like drunks to prevent damage to our cars.

Point #6 - the deplorable conditions of some of our cars. I would leave that out of the equation for now as the sole business asset of many (and their families) is their car.

Which brings me to what the next stage should be if we want disciplined driving in spite of the difficulties discussed above. 

What we need is a detailed plan of action. If each stage of the plan is on paper to discuss, dissect, weigh and perhaps even discard, it doesn’t matter if it is proved ridiculous or farfetched. Speaking of which, here's one to start the ball rolling :)

This plan would involve our government spending money so it would definitely not be the best. (As you can see I do know how to sell my plan.) Hopefully, in its defence, it would be a huge income generator. 

 My plan is an expansion of Raj5004's point #3 - Automatic Sensors 

Background preparation:  

 First, let there be messages in all media throughout India telling people about the benefits of disciplined driving. These messages could be sponsored by business. In turn, they'd have the right to sell the message on T-shirts etc. Any car manufacturer / dealer would jump at the chance. Animated films would capture a younger audience so that they grow up with a different mindset. YouTube videos like these might prove popular.

Start plugging potholes on target roads.

Let CCTV cameras be placed above targeted traffic lights and dummy cameras everywhere else so that drivers don't know which is which. Let these cameras be interchangeable so that different roads are targeted on different days. The cameras would capture footage so that there is proof someone has actually skipped a traffic light and innocents aren't punished. Or that someone swerved to avoid a pothole, in which case, no fine.

Perhaps, let the fine be nominal for two reasons. First, people pay up readily but realise after three fines that it hurts to delve into their pockets too often. Second, they see that it isn't worth offering a smaller bribe than the fine to the traffic police - that they would rather pay up the nominal fine.

 The possible problems - suggestions welcome:

• If fines aren't paid up what should the next course of action be? 
• If a driver is a repeat offender what should the next course of action be? A stiffer fine after the third offence?
• The awarding of contracts - how do we make the process transparent? For example
• to make and put up CCTV cameras
• to create the software  
• to fill potholes 
• How do we prevent drivers and traffic police from doing aapas mey, under-the-table deals?
• How do we ensure that funds collected from this project are used 
• to plug more potholes
• to buy more CCTV cameras
• to improve the system and make it more foolproof
• for anything connected with disciplined driving?

Here are a few suggestions but I'm sure there's loads I haven't thought of.

Software experts should come up with a programme that links incriminating photographs directly to a website. The website generates reminders to pay up and warnings for not doing so. It automatically wipes out a debt after the fine is paid up. Individual traffic cops shouldn't be able to ignore an offence depending on their hands being greased or tied because someone with "influence" has broken the rules. Anyone should be able to see what's on the website although access to the website should only be in the hands of a few - who? is the moot question.

One last suggestions - perhaps we should warn car or truck owners that the onus is on them to pay the fine and not on the driver.

A plan full of holes? I welcome you to dissect it, shoot it to smithereens if you must - just do it as politely as possible please. 

 Do you have a plan? Let's hear of it. If nothing else, it will show us the difficulties of implementation. At best, we'll be actively participating in the much harder phase of planning to achieve what, at present, looks like an impossible dream – that of having disciplined traffic on our roads.

I am writing on Be Bold Stay Real at BlogAdda

Footpath Vendors and Rape - Where's the Connection?

The Dr. Rustom Soonawalla Rape Case

Rape is a horrible offence but this case of rape seems to be full of holes. Isn’t a man innocent until proven guilty? And proven guilty, not by the police, nor politicians with an agenda, especially not by newspapers whose main concern is their TRP, but by the justice system?

In this episode the alleged rape victim had TB and was cured by Dr. Soonawalla. She had come for a check up with her husband. Some newspapers say the husband claims that the doctor sent him out and raped his wife at his clinic in Khar at 7 pm. Others say the husband received a phone call on his mobile and went out to answer the call. In any case, the accuser's husband went out of the room while his wife was being examined. That is when, the accuser claims, the rape occured.

This is what strikes me as odd. There are a lot of hawkers outside the doc's clinic. The husband was either in the waiting room as was the receptionist or he was outside the clinic amongst the hawkers. Yet nobody heard a thing.

Also, the woman had TB - no one was more aware of that than the doctor. According to this article she was 99% cured.

TB, according to wikipedia, is a lethal infectious disease. Wiki's exact words,
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB (short for tubercle bacillus) is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis... Treatment is difficult ... Social contacts are also screened and treated if necessary.

Knowing that, would he, a doctor, have raped her? Raped someone who still had that 1% chance of having TB? To my mind he wouldn't have touched her except to treat her out of compassion as a doctor. Dr. Soonawalla was known to do a lot of social service.

As for the newspapers - this is what they initially said - that he ran away and has disappeared. One account from the Indian Express, (nine days later), states the police had no search or arrest warrant. Yet they went to his residence and told him that his clinic had been broken into and that he should accompany them to the clinic (or police station - not sure). On the way one constable, who was in Dr. Soonawalla's car, told him it was nothing to do with his clinic but that he was being arrested for rape. That is when the doctor called his lawyer who instructed him not to go to the police station. The police had no concrete forensic evidence as yet - no blood or semen samples from the site, for example. Makes one wonder on whose instructions they were acting. Besides, people have the perception that once inside a police station, they can be roughed up by the police - guilty or not guilty doesn't enter the picture. Following his lawyer's instructions, Dr. Soonawalla left the two constables on the roadside and drove off. His lawyer, Ponda, has said that he has promised to come forward and give his semen and blood samples - something no guilty person would be willing to do, provided the police don't arrest him at the hospital. 

The Hindustan Times states that a case was registered at around 9.30pm on Friday. A medical test to confirm rape was conducted on the alleged victim, the result of which is awaited. Forensic evidence was collected from the doctor's clinic by a team of experts.

I searched to see what the Times of India had to say and surprisingly, couldn't find anything till the 4th of June. Perhaps I'm mistaken. Later I discovered an article in the Mumbai Mirror (a Mobile e-paper of the Times of India) titled, "Police pick holes in rape charges against Khar doc on the run" 

And here's one from the Mumbai Mirror - Activists Rally behind Khar doc, police await medical report.

Apparently, Anjali Damania of the AAP has demanded that the doctor be arrested and the two policemen who let him get away be charged. Mayank Gandhi - another AAP member and also a builder, wrote in his blog about the complainant that when he first met her he could see she was telling the truth - that he could see it in her face. What kind of evidence is that? Here’s AAP's account of what happened on their fb, Maharashtra site: https://www.facebook.com/AAPMaharashtra/posts/646191792061262 and there are comments from a huge number of the doctor's patients vouching for his integrity. 

One of the comments for the doctor states that - This is all completely fabricated. Dr Soonawala is a very emminent and respected doctor of the community. He has been working for the poor near his place of practice for years. There were a lot of hawkers where he practices and when he asked them repeatedly to move out from that place which was illegally occupied by them, they approached the local politicians and in order to teach the poor doctor, they have filed this wrong rape case on him.

This will have no bearing on the case as in no way can it be proved. But it makes one wonder. If it is true - if the local politician pitted the vendors against the doctor I hope the Aam Aadmi Party resists the temptation to do the same. Siding with the accusers without listening to the defence is doing just that.

I haven't yet seen Arvind Kejriwal censuring his party members for demanding punishment for Dr. Soonawalla without any hard evidence presented in court. I believe the entire Parsi community, ardent supporters of the AAP, moved away because of this one incident which is sad for the AAP. But I've heard rumours that the AAP censured them and stopped them from yelling RAPE outside the altruistic doctor's clinic. This is backed up by the fact that suddenly, overnight, Mayank and Anjali stopped these reprehensible and daily picketing activities outside Dr. Soonawalla's clinic. [A few years on - Anjali Damania and Mayank Gandhi are both out of the AAP.]

If India is to become a land that upholds justice so that crooked individuals aren't able to flourish, everyone, whether rich or poor, has to see that justice isn't in the hands of politicians but is part of the judicial system. Dr. Soonawalla's lawyer is right to demand he be tried through the justice system and not be arrested by the police without proper warrants.

The Bigger Picture: Hawkers were a convenience at one time. One didn't have to go far to buy whatever one wanted and cheaper. But now they are spreading to occupy every inch of every footpath. They, naturally, want to continue plying their wares - legally or illegally. They don't care if they make certain places inaccessible - perhaps even dirty.

People who pay rent to carry on a legitimate business expect that their place of work should remain accessible to their clients. They also hope that it remains reasonably clean. [I won't even begin to discuss the garbage piles or people setting up abode on our footpaths and where they go for their daily ablutions.]

In such a scenario, how would justice be done? Simply by ensuring hawkers have a proper place to ply their wares and people who pay rent are ensured access to their work place. Instead politicians play one set off against the other as long as they have the power to be the arbiters of justice and to decide who gets what. That is not justice. It is concentration of power in the wrong hands.

Life is being choked out of our cities - they have two-story-high garbage dumps, slum cities within their confines, footpaths that are used for anything but walking.

As Bhagu says about the attractions of our city in Never Mind Yaar - "…our beaches - the sound of the sea - if we can reach it, that is, through the obstacle course of vendors and beggars; our parks and playgrounds … …taken over by,” he shook his head ruefully, “… the same vendors and beggars;"

Our politicians have, yet again, failed to see the bigger picture. Not one of them addresses the real issue - that of attempting to plan our cities and take the reality on the ground into account - in this case, by giving illegal vendors proper areas to ply their wares which doesn't obstruct access to legitimate businesses.

The success of our cities is to ensure the success of both.



.

A Husband In Hot Water- True Story

What does a poor man do when he has a misunderstanding with his stroppy wife? Find out what this husband did. 

*'dosi' - old lady

On one of our walks my husband and I came upon a five year old playing in his garden. When his eyes fell on our dog, he came running to the gate. Our dog went up to him immediately, tail wagging furiously as she  looking up at him with joyous expectancy. The boy stooped down and patted her through the gate grill, his hand gentle, eyes soft. 

"Hello, little doggy," he said. 

All of 800 millimeters high, I guess he felt mighty tall compared to her. 

He looked up at us and asked, "What's your doggy's name?"

"Kara," I said.

"Ka--ra," he felt the name on his tongue, while he continued stroking her.

"I like it," he pronounced, his eyes lighting up. We were both absurdly pleased with his seal of approval.

“How old is Kara?”

"She's an old lady. She's sixteen," said my husband.

"Oh,” said the young fella, looking up at us with eyes that were suddenly anxious. Mystified, we looked back at his worried face. We could tell he wanted to say something. We waited, encouraging smiles on our faces, as Kara ran off to investigate a smell.

“I have a dog too,” the toddler announced at last.

“Really? What’s your dog’s name?”

“Cuddles,” he said his eyes softening momentarily. The next second they clouded over again. He quickly turned away. What an amazingly mobile face. Fascinated, we watched, wondering what was bothering him. 

Unable to keep his worry to himself a moment longer, he turned an anxious face to us, blurting out, "He, and my mum, are very old. They're twenty-one..."

His voice trailed away. His lashes came down on troubled eyes and his lips gave an uncontrollable little quiver. If our hearts hadn't melted, we would have laughed. 

"Twenty-one isn't old for humans," my hubby assured him, his face grave and voice gentle. "Only dogs."

Somewhat comforted, the toddler looked down to hide his obvious relief. He continued patting Kara.

“Fre-ddy,” called a soft voice from inside the house. We’d sensed her presence behind a window, ensuring her son was safe as he chatted with strangers at the gate.

“Bye, Kara,” he smiled, waving at us and our dog before running off. “Com-ing...”

With a wave at him that somewhat included his mum, we continued walking.

“I guess that was his old lady,” I smiled.

“We should meet her,” said my husband. His voice had assumed the same gravity he'd shown Freddy.

“Oh! Why?” I asked, puzzled, a split second before I looked up to see the gleam in his eye. 

"Just to reassure her twenty-one isn't old..."

He tried hard to keep his voice grave but didn't succeed. I should have known. 

"Coming from you, my thirty-five year old hubby," I said, "that would be perfectly believable."

"Oh yeah? Wonder what the little chap would think of almost forty," my darling hubby, four years my junior, and not to be outdone, pondered solemnly as he looked for my reaction out of the corners of his eyes.

I couldn't help thinking the boy would think he'd met Methuselah. I said as much to my man and we both ended up laughing.

We continued walking in companionable silence. Braced by the heady scent of jasmine and pine mingled with roses, we breathed in deeply. The New Zealand air felt crisp and cool. As we approached our favourite park we picked up pace. Suddenly, my husband took off from behind. 

“Come on my two dosi-s*,” he teased as he ran past. 

Kara would’ve easily caught up with him. Unfortunately for her, her leash was with me. We chased after him, but he was already sprinting way ahead. We ran around the park and, slightly out of breath, reached the exit closest to home. Settling back into a leisurely pace I said, “Even with you shooting off without any warning, us dosis came a very close second. Didn’t we Kara?” Her tongue hanging right out, Kara looked up at me and wagged her tail. My husband, I could tell with an inward smile, was ready with something smart on the tip of his tongue. This time I was expecting it. I waited, only to have him bite it all back. He darted a guilty look at me at exactly the same moment as I looked at him, puzzled. He looked away hastily.

As we neared home, I noticed him glance at me more than once. What’s bothering him? I wondered. Why the guilty looks?

“Hope you’re not upset?” he said, tentatively.

“Why would I be?” I was genuinely puzzled.

“That quip I made about your being a dosi? That was just a joke.”

Oh, so that was it. “I know,” I replied lightly. 

Something in my tone must’ve been at variance with my words for his eyes went to my face and looked away hastily. I pretended not to notice. 

Why’s he going all apologetic for nothing, I wondered, beginning to feel ever so slightly annoyed. My mind had begun churning out thoughts I couldn’t help. Does he think I can’t take his calling me a dosi? Or almost forty? Does he think I have no sense of humour? Or that I’m so overly sensitive, his calling me a dosi will undermine my confidence?

Slight resentment began seeping through my mind and it showed in my stiffened bearing. Have I ever let my age dictate who I am?

My thoughts were on a roll. There simply was no stopping them. Perhaps he has begun worrying about our age difference, I thought uncharitably, knowing it was neither true nor fair.

I kept ignoring his worried looks, pretending it would make matters worse if I said anything right then, while I was feeling annoyed. I gave myself a little pat on the back for wisely keeping mum. Had I examined my true motives closely, I might have had to face the uncomfortable fact that watching him stew in his apprehensions gave me a perverse sense of gratification.

Finally, realising I was unwilling to admit I was put off, and knowing I was, he gave up trying to probe. We passed the most majestic of golden ashes, a copper beech with outstanding red foliage that contrasted vividly with the greenery around it, and a eucalyptus that shone silver in a gentle breeze before I managed to get my thoughts in order.

I felt vaguely ashamed of my silent tantrum but felt that the moment to say anything had somehow passed. I’d apologise some other time. For the rest of our walk we indulged in our favourite pastime of peeking into and commenting on interesting front gardens of private properties. Both made an effort to enjoy the exercise as much as we always did, but were aware of an uneasy truce.

Tired, yet refreshed, we reached home. As we let ourselves in I was acutely conscious of what lay ahead - the inescapable weekend grind. The cleaning, gardening, cooking... 

Five days a week, after returning home from work, attending to the children's homework, dinner and dishes, we had no energy to do much else. We normally attacked the rest over the weekend, but today the thought made me grumpy. That I was trying hard to push away my guilt at being petty earlier might have had something to do with it. The kids were away – a sleepover and perhaps a blessing. I needed to work this feeling out of my system but not by slaving over the stove or attending to their needs. Damn the housework, I thought. It can wait until next weekend. 

“I am just not in the mood for cooking,” I sighed and flopped on to the sofa.

“Why don’t I cook something?" he said, not looking enthusiastic either.  

"I know," he said, as if inspired. "Let's neither of us bother cooking. Let's go out for lunch.”

“Oh no,” I replied, “Too soon after our walk.”

“What!” he exclaimed, feigning surprise. “Who’s getting ol..” and he stopped in his tracks.

I looked at him in dismay. Oh no, I thought, this has got to stop. This time though, my anger was spent. I just wanted to clear the air.

I began tentatively, “I’m sorry if I was upset during our walk.”

He went silent and simply shook his head. I don’t know why, it made me emotional. I continued in a distinctly wobbly voice, “I should have cleared the air right when it happened instead of letting it fester.”

“That’s oka...”

“But I was offended at the implied criticism – that I was so totally dour ...so lacking in confidence that I’d get upset if you joked about my being a dosi.”

He opened his mouth to protest but I was eager to carry on giving vent to thoughts I’d bottled up since the walk.

“It made me think to myself, am I such a frump?”

He winced and shook his head weakly. “I... no, of course no..” he began just as I reproached, “I thought you knew me better.”

“I..Yes, yes, of course I do. I mean - know...” and his voice trailed off in confusion.

"I can take a joke, you know."

Having spilt out all that had been spinning and buzzing around my head, I realised the poor chap needed a little time to gather his wits. I decided I'd give him time - wait patiently for his words of contrition for doubting that. And when they do come, when he spills out all his remorse, I'll accept his words graciously. The scene went through my mind. He'd say, 'I know. I've always known you're a good sport. I'm sorry.' And I'd say, 'That's alright,' with a forgiving smile. 

I was practicing the perfect forgiving yet loving smile in my mind's eye when I realised he hadn't said a word. Why didn’t he say something? Anything?  After an interminable silence I couldn't bear it anymore. I darted him a quick look. He was looking down, lost in thought.

Oh no! Was he remembering the incident and feeling upset all over again. Should I simply have left well alone - not raked it up? Never mind his apology, wasn’t he at least going to accept mine?

My mind was racing but my heart had slumped into my shoes. I’d almost given up when I felt an arm slowly go about my shoulders. Then he patted them affectionately.

“Sorry, old girl,” he said, a barely noticeable emphasis on the 'old'.

Had I heard right? I looked at him suspiciously. He was trying hard to look chastened but his lips were twitching. I watched him, my confused mind trying to grapple with what he’d just done. Three words and he’d managed to say it all. Struggling with how best I should accept those words I watched the tic that still worked at the side of his mouth. Then I caved in. 

"You ratbag!

I lunged for him, but both of us were laughing helplessly.

Never down for long, my man was back to being his irrepressible self. It had turned out to be a lovely day after all.

dosi - old lady

 A lovely ad showing more Indians enjoying life. Subtly done.

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