A visit to Dump yard..

Never did I ever thought of visiting a dump yard. Yes it do have my contribution, which I negligently throw away carefully, but its really the first time when we went to see the repercussions of the modern life. As a class studying Science, Technology and Ecology, we visited the Pune dump yard.

We checked the innumerable plastic and polythene lying on the soil. There is this huge landfill, which spanned around 20 acres. Its like a mountain of filth and garbage, our creative creation! The garbage is covered with glass, plastic, aluminum and other heavy metals, which are not degradable, by nature.

This garbage is located a little faraway from the city so that we don't have to look at our creation and bear its effects. Still its only 20 kms faraway. How much away can you get out of it? The garbage is not going to go anyway. Its takes around 25000 years for it to start degrading, till then the water which passes through it gets into the ground water and its finally going to get back to us only.

We have seen a huge pool of water just down the mountain of landfill where the water is so polluted that you won't even wish your enemy to die in it. The bougainvilleas that are growing by the side of garbage dump are very small plants with huge floweration. May be even the plant can't tolerate the unholy conditions that its going against the natural process to age fast, quickening the life cycle. It’s screaming to end its life!

Concept of Waste.. If we look at the nature, there is no thing called waste. Nothing goes as waste in nature. Waste word itself seems like a misnomer.. An end output of one process goes as an input for the other, what a beautiful balanced system nature is. We brag of beautifully designed industries but does that anyway come near to the natural Design? The waste each industry generates are so toxic and harmful, and the way we dispose off it with utter negligence as landfill is a shame. In school, I read about bioreactors, waste management.. I saw nothing in action. Seems as if there is no end to my ignorance.

There are many people who are working on the landfill, people who are manning the trucks and the cranes. Along the side are kids who are scavenging for the empty plastics and glass bottles, trying to make something worthwhile of the endless dump pit. Just thoughts, what kind of life are we gifting to these young kids who represent the future generations.

It is just mind-boggling if I try to check the repercussions on the people who are working there. They are working in unhygenic conditions, conditions that we couldn't even bear for 5 minutes. The psychological impact these kinds of conditions would have is even beyond my imagination. They must be having a very bad quality of life. Exposed to and tormented by these unruly conditions, they would get addicted to drugs and become prey to all kinds of diseases. Of all the ironies of life, these people do contribute to our GDP! What kind of life does the villagers, who had to live in nearby places of the dump?

Hurting the ecological balance.. Yup! That's what we do.. If we look at the landfill, the nature tries to solve the problem by using bandicoots and rats, which can use this waste. But then, there won't be any snakes to prey on them as snakes can't survive that environment. So we are increasing an effect, which cant, be curtailed by the complementary effect of the nature. Soon the landfill is populated by innumerable rats, of which a single infected one can cause a wildfire of plague, which can effectively eradicate hundreds of people. Yes! Its true, what you give is what begets you..

Modern Inventions: Plastics.. Never seen much of them in villages, but yes we are doing our best to modernize. I read a lot of articles on the immortal plastic, how its hurting the other animals who consume it.. But always a visual is more powerful. The whole road and the dump is filled with plastic. A huge part of land is covered with nothing other than plastic. Plastic being an inorganic substance is not degradable by nature, and also it’s suffocating the land buy covering it making it die little by little. If I look at my life, it seems as if its invaded by plastics.. Even the keyboard on which I am typing. The packaging industry, which is so complex, the Tetrapak packaging which is not bio-degradable anyways, it's supposed to be convenient, but does the convenience come at the cost of lives of others?

Solutions, Solutions.. The modern civilization has become so modernized.. We have excess of everything so we don’t even care less for the impact it has on others. As long as everything works for us, we are happy. No matter if our neighbors suffer. Doesn’t really bother if our future kids are hurt.. Am I really this selfish? Is really wealth means having everything in excess, or is it means being rich in true sense and having the ability to say enough? We devise centralized solutions for small problems, increasing the complexity.. Solutions which look like this garbage dump.. A little bit of commitment from everyone does help, is anyone game?

Makes me wonder, When are we going to stop treating the symptoms and addressing the core source of the problem (i.e., the way we live)?

What is peace?

I really don't know if peace for many means absence of conflict or bliss of pure joy and love. I can't really say if peace for somebody means absence of something or eternal happiness. For, I can't really know the value of peace without conflict, and for me peace is a state of mind and an attitude to don even in conflict.

If one has to have a simple cottage or to need a hilly region for a peaceful life,, I really doubt whether he can ever achieve it as he believe that peace exists as an external entity and its location goes on shifting as we go closer searching it.. All I can say is that a little bit of introspection and a little of awareness may give a different perspective in understanding what's PEACE for an individual.. An answer to be found within oneself.. A pursuit to be done alone into oneself...

Terminator Technology-A devious Invention..

I just read about the Terminator Technology, which is genetic seed sterilization technology, promoted and in process of patenting by Monsanto. As per this kind of technology, the genetically modified seed is made sterile if planted from the seed obtained from harvest. Well, if this kind of technology is accepted and sanctioned in the society, just imagine the kind of ramifications it has. Even the birds which carry seeds wont be of any help to the society...

How many farmers would be aware that the seeds they cultivated through harvesting are sterile? Monsanto is a global company and if it propagated these seeds, doesn't it result in famines and destruction of humanity? Well, does anyone know the after effects of Genetically Modified food? Its still a untested and developing technology whose side effects are not proven yet. What would happen to the people who are caught unawares of the kind of food that's going into their system?

Life recreates itself.. How indignant it would feel if the authority of ownership of its basic right is owned by some multinational giant? How would I feel if I have to pay some MNC to carry my own child??? Feeling repulsive and pensive about the deviousness of the whole issue and thought of origin of this entire technology.

As I read some where.. Good Design starts not with thinking of what I can do but questioning what I really want to do.

A Farewell to our Director..

we gave farewell to our Director of IMDR, Mr. A.P.Bhupatkar on the Saturday evening. Our Director is a magnificient personality whose association with IMDR It left me a little bit heavy. Though my interactions with him are few, his presence in the institute is imposing enough. He generates a feeling that he is always there for you. His simplicity, his stress on relationships, the way he carries himself often leaves me in awe. Everyone will truly miss him in the little corner of the IMDR Director room from where he used to guide us with his ideology and beliefs.

A writeup I loved reading!

SUNSCREEN- By Baz Luhrmann

“Words To Live By”-Tips From A Speech Never Given…

Ladies and Gentlemen: Wear a sunscreen. If I could offer only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The scientists have proved the long-term benefits of sunscreen; where as the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own wandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you will look back at photos of yourself and recall how fabulous you really looked at the time. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don’t worry about your future or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as solving an algebra equation by a chewing gum. Real troubles are apt to hit you at 4 pm on an idle Tuesday. Do one thing that daily scares you. SING; don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. FLOSS, remember compliments, forget insults, and keep the love letters. Throw away old bank statements. STRETCH; don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what to do with your life. Some of the most-interesting 40-year olds I know still don’t know what they want to do with theirs. Be kind to your knees. You will miss them once they are gone. May be you will marry, may be you won’t. May be you will have children, may be you won’t. May be you will divorce at 40, may be you will dance on your 75th wedding anniversary.

Whatever you do, don’t congratulate or berate yourself too much, your choices are half chances like everybody else’s. DANCE; read the instructions, even if you don’t follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents. You never know when they will be gone. Be wise to your siblings. They are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick to you. Understand that friends come and go, but with the precious few, you should hold on.

The older you get, the more you need people who know you when you are young. TRAVEL; accept certain truths. Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You too will get old. And then you will fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. May be you have a trust fund. May be you have a wealth spouse. But you never know when either one may run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you are 40, it will look 85. Be careful about whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of retrieving the past from the dustbin, wiping it off and recycling for more than its worth.

The Day of the Jackal..

I was insisted by my friend to read, “The Day of the Jackal”, written by Frederick Forsyth. It tells about the story of hunting of an assassin code named Jackal, an Englishman who is hired by a secret para-military group OAS Chief, Marc to assassinate French President, General de Gaulle. The book is divided into three parts, the first describes the Summary of the Plot and selection of Jackal by Marc for the task, the second describes the laying of the Plot and the planning of the Jackal and the third describes the hunting down of Jackal by the French detective Lebel. The plot is quite interesting and description is immaculate and detailed. I find that the book has more attention to detail and a lot of description than dialogue. What engaged my interest in this incredible thriller is the convoluted and logical way in which the plot unfolds and the character of the Jackal who is described as an inhumanly methodical and deviously professional. Really enjoyed the foolproof planning that went into the design of the plot and the description of the terrorist activities. A book worth reading!

The Amul Story..

Just finished reading The Amul India Story by Ruth Herediya. The book traces the development of dairy movement in India, starting from a small place called kaira district, backed by the vision of Sardar Vallabhai Patel to build institutions like GCMMF and NDDB and the brand called Amul. The initiative and dynamism shown by Verghese Kurien-a professional manager, Tribhuvandas Patel-a visionary farmer,H.M.Dalaya- technologist to fight against all the odds is quite commendable. Book describes the toil and hardships faced by these committed individuals in shaping the co-operative movement in India through Kaira Co-operative. I was quite surprised to know that a lot of technology that involved spray drying and processing of buffalo milk was first developed in India and Amul dairy in Anand was the largest milk processing plant in Asia when it first got started. The amazing part of this co-operative is that it collects milk from direct village rimary co-operatives or the villages and does the value addition in the product and markets it. So the Villagers concentrate on producing more milk where as the GCMMF takes care of the sales and distribution part of it. This way, the rural India is enriched by the creation of micro-enterprises leading to the formation of self-sufficient and developing communities. Its truly delightful to see how a profitmaking enterprise aids in community enhancement leading to the fulfillment of the altruistic vision.Truly Amul is a dream realized through grit, passion and conviction of all the members! The triumph of rural India!!

Bonsai Kittens, A horrifying hoax site..

I was horrified this morning to watch BonsaiKitten.com, which promotes animal cruelty and claims using kittens to shape their body the way a bottle is by stuffing them in a bottle, as an artistic expression of an ancient art. The humane society of US says that this website is a hoax, developed by an MIT student as a joke. Still, I was disgusted at the cruelty of the thinking and design which went into this website. An idea like this may actually propel someone to put it into practice. What do people do under the name of freedom of speech? Each law should have a self-limiting principle. Though human being is the most evolved lot of the life forms, he should recognize the responsibility which comes with it humbly rather than devising mean means of controlling the other life forms. What irritates me the most is that the site is still active. If this is what an MIT student learns as a way to joke, where lies the future?

A lovely Evening and a bus ride!!!!

Yesterday I went out with two of my good pals for a dinner treat. Actually it so happened that they were treating me. I don't know the reason, but do you really need a reason for receiving a treat? We went to a good place and then later, being a little on the cranky side, we brought ice creams and watched the traffic on M.G.Road in Pune sitting on the steps of Canbank ATM. Later we hitched a ride from there to Deccan and it was absolute fun! Enjoying the bumpy ride always reminds me of my childhood where I had to travel a lot on bus to reach my Granny's place.. The evening went quite blissful!

Little games that I play....

Yes true to the cliche, life has become a play and I became an actor in true sense..

Never thought of life this way,
but thinking of it makes me say,
What kind of little games do I play?

These days I am truly lost in my own world, I often have to bang on my head to say Sowms wake up, this is another Day! What to say? One more for my play?

Baalu, A Telugu movie..

I just watched a Telugu movie called Baalu at INOX theatre Pune. Well, it’s always easy to be critical about anything, but somehow I feel that the recipe for success for any movie has become same these days.

The plot becomes so recognizable that you can actually predict what’s the next dialogue is going to be. It’s the story of an Orphan who grew up with a Mafia Don, and falls for a girl who loves him for his courage and turns against the Don. Well, as usual the big Dad gets angry and kills the girl, and the guy finally takes his revenge against the Don. To add masala, another girl was added to create romance and songs..
Quite a predictable tale, isn’t it? But then it was good to watch the movie as I felt home again under the comfort of watching a movie in my mother tongue. Apart from that, listening to people in the theatre who were speaking in Telugu offered a vague comfort. No reason for feelings, right?

The Hidden Persuaders...

I just finished reading a book called The Hidden Persuaders written by Vance Packard on American Advertising world. The book realistically depicts the motivational research activities in the Advertising world to understand the irrational side of the consumers and the hidden meanings in their actions. The book brings forth a few startling facts about the new kinds of research which are carried out to sell the products. Being a Marketing student I can understand that when people buy a Nike shoes or a Harley Davidson bike, they are not just doing it for the shoe sake or for the bike, but then when I ponder over the hidden meanings I wonder how much of that is what consumer has always wanted. These meanings are created and nurtured over years by some brilliant adman and we follow them like a culture. Aren't we being puppets when we are dancing to the media influence? The book even questions the validity of these research and the morality of prying into the mind of the customer to sell things which he has never felt the need for. Yes the book answers the questions it rises by saying that the consumer develops a recognition reflex when he realizes the hidden needs the products want to target, but what about the less unfortunate consumers who fall prey to the fabulous media and buy products from which they find little use? Its a real good book which throws light on the depth of the studies conducted to understand the consumer behavior and how these studies are used to subconsciously influence the purchasing decisions of the consumers.

Here is an interesting passage about the emotional reasons for eating, excerpted from The Hidden persuaders by Vance Packard, reprinted in "Health Is Wealth" in an article called "Hidden Meanings in Food." "A lot of infantile people never get any farther than having fun with their mouths and the oral gratification field is rich in merchandising possibilities. The deeply ingrained need for intake through the mouth remains as a primary impulse and need all through adult life. People suffering from oral deprivation, because of inadequate early opportunities to gratify oral cravings, find comfort in just being surrounded by the sight of plenty of food. The craving for milk can clearly be seen in many cases to be related to the meanings of milk rather than to nutritional value or use Milk in many ways expresses the comfort, security, and contentedness of life as it was at home. Drinking it brings back memories of life that are reassuring, and offers a kind of comfort that is totally unrelated to calcium content However, those of us who scorn security, and insist our own busy, independent lives tend to find milk not particularly appealing.

Convocation and the Party at IMDR..

Well, it's convocation time at IMDR and its was lovely to see all my seniors back. We had Mushaira and a rock band on Saturday and the convocation on Sunday. On the Saturday evening, the Mushaira was good but I felt that it lacked the spice and verve it had last year.

Mushaira was followed by a rock band called Strange Brew. I felt positively weird listening to the music. I felt that it was too loud. Well the fact that Doc (As we lovingly call our faculty) was screaming at the top of his voice didn't help me much!

We had Mr. Forbes on Sunday speaking about listening to Inner Voice. It was lovely watching all seniors dressed in formals doing the prayer, pledge and receiving certificates. Young professionals indeed! Though its the second convocation which I attended at IMDR, it seems similar yet different every time. Guess it touches inner chords!

Manager, A man first..

Recently I have been reading a lot of books, and I came across a few lines in a Bigshots series book which say that to be a high achiever you got to be aggressive and should be able to take risks but there is no need to be sticking to values and rules. The one who is smart and has the ability to bend the rules will become a corporate highflier soon. Well, I understand that people who are driven by passion succeed in true sense but are people who compromise on their values become corporate highfliers? I have my own doubts! Any Manager is a man first. A man with his own set ideologies, patterns of thinking.. If a person don’t stand for what he believes, (here I mean values), I wonder the kind of achievement he makes. A person who can’t belong to himself can’t belong to anyone else too and that includes success.

Silence in Chaos...

Yes, That's the current state of mine. It seems as if I am standing in a chaos and don't understand what's happening around me. Life is rolling in a slow pace at IMDR, and with two more months to bid farewell, suddenly I find myself doing nothing productive. Yes I am reading a lot of books to kill the leisure but I am absolutely doing nothing which puts my creative skills to work. Just trying to enjoy leisure.. This weekend is supposed to be full of verve as its convocation time at IMDR, but somehow I fail to identify myself with it. May be I am getting effected by the inactivity bug! It seems as if I am surrounded by deadening silence and no where to go! People say Silence speaks, but for me, at times, it haunts!

Being rich in true sense..

Through a lot of discussions I had, I came to wonder what's being rich? Is being rich means having loads of material wealth, most of which you don't really put to use? Is rich means having a lot of comfort in life that everything comes to your footsteps and you don't even move your body? Or is being rich means being in content with what one has, having the ability to say enough, enjoying little things of life, having a rich inner life which is reflected through outward actions? Somehow, I find myself being evaluated on the kind of possessions or money I possess rather than the kind of individual I am. Does this really have meaning for me? Somehow, being rich for me is having self-worth which is not affected by an alien, having the courage and confidence to stand for one's values and the ability to make a positive difference in the world through a meaningful existence. As Gandhi says, " Nature provides for everyone's need, not greed".. I muse on the meaning of being rich if it doesn't lead to an enriching life.

A display of Intent and Interest..

We have a course this trimester called Indigenous Management, taught by our director Mr. Bhupatkar. As a part of this,I had to study the traditional copperware industry in Pune. I paid two visits to the Paud Chowk and Manik Chowk in Pune and the findings are eyeopeners. They showed me, how the traditional enterprises stood the test of times and how the Indian artisans adapted their skills and talent to manufacture worldclass products. These traditional copperware workers who used to manufacture waterheaters, utensils used their skills to design contemporary articles like flower vases, decorative articles etc and they are also exporting it to other countries like Dubai, Holland defying the modren marketing fundas like promotions, advertising, sales rooted in a small region. Hats off to their fighter spirit!! What interested me is that they are several families which are involved in this work since centuries and they carry their work with passion and pride. They are a real happier lot and their publicity happens through word of mouth. Guess their happiness lies in the quality of life they have and the interest they show in the work they do. Their intent to do something, their struggle to survive the changing times.. Really impressive!

Control of Technology on life

I think apart from increasing convenience of Human Life, Technology has increased dependence of Man on it. It actually has taken control over my life and I am unaware of it and am wrapped in nice little lies that I am technofreak!

Technology has made Man so isolated and lonely that we need its help to get connected and stay connected. Can't I feel connected to the world if its not through Cellphone and Internet? Can't I enjoy little joys of life, my interaction with dew covered roses, paper boats and the misty rains? All these questions are best answered within ourselves. The answer lies in not going to primitive ages but being beware and aware of our use of technology. Its a matter of Who is in control of whom and Who runs our life?

Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien

Day is ended, dim my eyes,
but journey long before me lies.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship's beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Foam is salt, the wind is free;
I hear the rising of the Sea.

Farewell, friends! The sails are set,
the wind is east, the moorings fret.
Shadows long before me lie,
beneath the ever-bending sky,
but islands lie behind the Sun
that I shall raise ere all is done;
lands there are to west of West,
where night is quiet and sleep is rest.

Guided by the Lonely Star,
beyond the utmost harbour-bar,
I'll find the heavens fair and free,
and beaches of the Starlit Sea.
Ship, my ship! I seek the West,
and fields and mountains ever blest.
Farewell to Middle-earth at last.
I see the Star above my mast!

Technology got no values..

I personally feel that Technology doesn't come up with values attached. So its no point in discussing which does more damage, a bike or a knife. Technology becomes advanced and more complex as our expectations from it increases and our curiosity, innovative spirit gets the best of the Human mind to explore new terrains of comfortable life.

Here I feel that the basic issue is to successfully marry technological advances into the culture or values of the society s technology doesn't come with values attached. Or else we go on creating more complex and complicated technology which is soul less and valueless. They may give us comfort but then they will take out the essence of life.

Regarding the argument that being tech-savvy becomes a status Symbol issue, All I have to say is that if we measure ourselves through the Society's Parameters, we end on doing things as a custom which may be personally nonsensical. No issues on that, but we need to be aware of our needs and actions!