One More Sustainable Swacch Bharat

Just like other middle-class children we were also busy in playing different kinds of outdoor games. We weren't as civilized as present day children with so many electronic gadgets and plastic toys to restrict ourselves to four walls of homes. But as the days passed on we learnt how to play cricket. That's the first advancement we made as developing children. No limit for our boundaries and sixes!

Meanwhile our locality started evolving gradually into a full fledged colony with a number of civic amenities. Number of pucca houses started sprawling all around to hide the invaluable top soil and to kill underlying soil microorganisms, insects and earthworms.  Concrete roads flanked by drainage canals and dust bins came up. The speed of our cricket ball was also increased and we were pleased to find the cricket ball running so fast non-stop on the solid pitches. But one nightmare started to haunt us. That's rolling down of ball into open drains. We had no option but to take out and reuse the same ball drenched all around with sewage. Anyhow we needn't to bother about hands and clothes getting a smear of that holy water. Later we  came to know the composition of the smear as urine, faecal liquids and bacterial colonies after listening the lesson, "Our Microbial World," taught by our biology madam. After getting enlightenment the pace of making boundaries and sixes also slowed down.

But the situation was quite different in the past before that advancement. We were so poor that we didn't use to let even a bit of garbage to cross across our fences. Garbage was purely biodegradable. Paper, jute fibres, coconut coir, leaves and bamboos were common. Plastics were yet to dominate the garbage component! We were putting the garbage in pits to make compost. We  weren't rich enough to purchase either chemical fertilizers or contaminated fruits and vegetables in the market; instead we were using home made manure to harvest home grown fresh food from the kitchen garden.

Water was more precious than food for us. We neither had an energised borewell nor a tap connection to misuse or waste water as per our greed. We were drawing water from the open well in spells as per the need. So we knew the actual value of water rather than that of water bill! Hence here's careful spending of water. Only one-third of the compound was  under the concrete cage. Naturally a very small concrete space, a few cotton clothes and kitchen appliances needed a very less quantity of water to wash and clean. Less water consumption used to create less drainage!

Even that small quantity of sewage worth a lot for us. We used to divert it to the bog garden in the backyard,  crowded with cannas, spider lilies and plantains. The only thing we used to let go was leftover part from utensils after washing. But the eagerly waiting  insects, fowls, sparrows and crows used to consume that part also. Practically nothing was being wasted. All this because we might be poor and less advanced!

We weren't civilized enough to let sewage or toilet water mix together and enter the mega network of concrete drains. Those days the drains were also not so broad and deep enough to house cockroaches, centipedes and rodents. There's  no any contribution of nitrogenous organic wastes, soap water or liquid shampoos from our homes to cause eutrophication of water bodies. We didn't know how to turn transparent water into black or green through algal blooms. Even we didn't know how to evolve a cool breeze wafting  fresh water tank into a source of evening stink. Neither we were a burden on society nor the society was on us. Retail business was also not fashionably evolved to present toned food in attractive plastic packings. Plastics had no any chance to clog the drains!

The thing what I haven't understood so far is why such a huge web of drainage canals are built and inter-connected?  When so many cheaper and safer methods are available, then why only this costlier and harmful mehod has become our final option? Why should we run gallons of dirty water all along our pathways to dump it finally into ponds, pools, rivers, seas and oceans? Instead we can localize the disposal in a sustainable way. Spending a lot to supply fresh water, to construct drains, to clean drains, to purify water and so on .....   the commercial cycle has been going on unabated.

If construction designs are planned well, the entire refuse can be recycled, and water can be recharged into the ground, at the housing site itself. No need to discharge into society. Even the chances of mixing of dirty water and potable water, through pipe line leakages, can be arrested. A number of water bodies can be let to get the past glory of freshness, and life sustenance for a number of water organisms! So motivating people and instructing architects and builders is the job of the responsible agencies.

The natural soil profile is itself the mega purifier of water. It's also an inbuilt mega water tank on the earth. Only a few inches of grass cover and a few feet of loose soil are required. The soil will start reabsorbing and purifying dirty water, followed by recharge, storage and resupply of fresh water. Or else the thirsty greed of humanity never be quenched; and water bodies will remain mega reservoirs of dreadful diseases, rottening fish and obnoxious stink. Let's the greed for concrete and plastic shouldn't disturb our dream for one more "Sustainable Swacch Bharat!"

The Space for Childhood Is Far Away!

A simple question was asked, "Which is your favourite planet?" All the students except one answered, "The Earth". But Kavya said "lt's Jupiter." On asking her the reason she said, "Because the Earth is surrounded by poisonous gases and borderd by lethal weapons." Query continued, "Then why can't you prefer the Mars?" She answered in no time, "I have heard that the same destroyers are going to settle there!" Such a kind of phobia is frightening our tender little hearts to survive on our own planet!

As responsible parents we build castles in air for them. But, in fact majority of our children don't like our homes. The reason may be biophilia, ornithophilia, zoophilia or nature deficit disorder. That means children love to spend more time in green environment, enthusiastic to watch birds and happy to play with animals. Homes of parents are no longer homes of children! Why is it so? Because we are developing batophilia, that is love to live in or near tall buildings. Far away from environs where children actually want to live! Anyhow kids have neither a choice to fly away to a distant planet nor a chance to fulfil their desires on this planet. Always our concrete sense overdominates their common sense!

Architectural, engineering and market thrills never allow us to pulse the innate natural beats of our children. Spatial plans, structural designs and suggestive guidelines are always there to keep the neurons in our brains ever busy. So we never have to miss a modern facility or sophisticated furnishing to have a place in our homes. Only thing which doesn't find a place is kid's love towards nature. Our aims will be fulfilled if we can draw the attention of our friends and relatives to receive appreciation for our architectural master-pieces. But the bright colours of our buildings blind our senses to perceive the glow of instinctive desires burning in the genes of younger generations. Instead we wire kids to technological marvels like TVs,  PCs and tabs indoors in sohisticated concrete cages. Though this habit increases their body-mass index, we have no other choice. Let them grow in girth. The world's growing so. So let it go! We scarcely worry about negative effects of physical inactivity. Or we might have already pre-planned to face them. Medical field isn't dearth of research. Treatment is ever available in the market. Superspeciality hospitals are always there. Then why should we worry? Even malfunctioning of thyroids, lungs, liver, pancreas or kidneys doesn't matter.

The innocent childhood urges to sense soft sunrays in the early hours, to do green-exercise, to climb a tree, to play on grass, to view hues or smell fragrance in flowers, and also to watch agile butterflies, active birds and witty squirrels busy around in the home garden. But our rusty outdated minds are always there to flake off the instinct images imprinted on the young brains. Seldon we get time to take our kids to gardens of their choice. Even if possible that too in the evenings only! And we feel proud to show them the wonders like artificial  fountains and synthetic playing items in the light polluted evening gardens. Visiting and studying the lively beautiful gardens in sunny days may be a never-ending desire for our children.

We're great not only because we don't allow them to enjoy poorman's nature, but also because we stand as obstacles against the overall development of our children. Physical activities practically nil. Please think, how can children develop cognitive qualities like problem solving skills, focus and self-discipline, if they aren't let to come out of the four walls of homes,  classrooms and vehicles? How can they improve cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness? Instead a flame of aggression and enmity engulf their minds. They may either become easy victims to culprits or culprits to prey easy victims.

If we really want to change the human world we should change the units of that world first. That's homes. The overall development of a child can't be expected without an ideal home. The ideal home is one which harldly has 1/3 of its space under concrete structure, 1/3 exposed to the sun and remaining 1/3 covered by tree shade.  (That's what 33.3% of world area under forests mean!) The house should be so small that kids should be forced to spend much of their time outdoors, in appreciating the wonders of nature - shining sun, gleaming moon, twinkling stars, hovering butterflies, flying birds and breezing trees. The kid should spend 1/3 time in schools, 1/3 time in natural environment playing and 1/3 time in sleep. Sound body leads to sound mind!

It's glad that a number of animal activists stand there to protest against destruction of wildlife habitats and also to protect their natural ecosystems. Lot of sympathy is being expressed towards the mute creatures worldwide. Our poor children also listen and learn much about the importance of balanced ecosystems for wildlife, hours together. But, oblivious of their own ecosystems! How many organizations are there to work for balanced human ecosystems? Or as individuals, at least, have we ever thought of the kind of habitats our children need? No, practically nil. Let's Think now! Or else the space for childhood is always far away!

CHILDREN ARE DEVELOPING WEAK BONES DUE TO LACK OF SUFFICIENT SUNLIGHT & PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES. METABOLIC ACTIVITIES GOING SLOW.

Living A Comfortable Life: An Animal Or A Common Man?

It's a common notion that human beings are better off when compared to animals. We're  stigmatized ourselves in many ways. We're cruel. We're heartless. We're unkind. And so on. How many human beings are so? Majority or minority? Are our lives better than those of factory or wild animals? Let's see who're better. There's no doubt that human beings can do what other animals can't. But the common man can't get what the factory or wild animals can get!

It's said that human beings  have superb cognitive sense and consequently superb abilities like speech,  education,  training,  skill development, professionalism, innovations and inventions. Could all these be possible without a body and its master - the brain? No, never. As much as the mind power develops that much work is supposed to be generated. As much as the work is expected that much care and maintenance are required! We're  so highly educated and sane personalities that we know the values and requirements of various things around us. But unfortunately we don't  have the least consciousness about ourselves. It may look strange. But it's true! In the glare and speed of development we've lost our senses. Just like other animals, gadgets and machines we also need comfortable environment, wholesome nourishment and  regular maintenance. Have we ever thought of this? Unless our bio-machines are kept physically fit and internally intact how could anyone expect a perpetual and potential power for meaningful development or prosperity?

Just like factory animals and birds we need Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) and  like that of wild animals and birds we need Outdoor Environment Quality (OEQ). Owing to fast track development we can expect the least with respect to  IEQ or OEQ. Then what about IEQ? IEQ comprises of air ventilation, lighting,  temperature and humidity. What about indoor air quality? There's a lot of trapping space for  poisonous gases, dust particles, bacteria and fungal spores either generated indoors or outdoors. So a number of degenerative  diseases and artificial  deaths are there to haunt the occupants. Then what about indoor temperature? A temperature range of  20-25 °C  with a relative humidity of 25-60% is said to be comfortable for the warm blooded human being, or else have to face chilled winters or hot and sticky summers. Could we dare to expect comforts in our concrete dwellings without energy and money? It's a question for majority of human beings. Off course posh people have many answers to solve this! Is there any association or union to fight for our comforts? But innumerable organizations are there to fight for material wealth! What's the secret behind pulling humans out of their comfortable natural environments to stuff into congested residential units?  That too when comforts are not available free of cost. Wild animals enjoy comforts in their wilderness. More than that factory animals enjoy superbly in their precisely planned and professionally built artificial set ups. But the only fool who has been left behind is the common man!

Let's study the Outdoor Environment Quality (OEQ). In the modern world soil and trees are thought to be hurdles for development. Instead, lengthy bitumen or concrete roads, tall concrete skyscrapers and teaming metallic vehicles are there to radiate heat, generate pollutants and release dust particles into our outdoors.  What else we need to celebrate the days of the unbridled development? That's what the index or a measure of our development. Don't let even a drop of water to seep into the ground or a bird to roost on a tree. That's the attitude of many! That's why ground surfaces are plastered and  trees are sawed down. It seems that our houses are treasury offices to stock materials rather than as living spaces for humanity to survive. Naturally octogenarians have to find out old aged homes as there's no sufficient space even for furniture at home.

Leave the comfortable living aside.  Don't even  dream of it! Days have gone out of our hands. Could we get at least some potable water to drink or unadulterated food to eat without money or energy? Isn't it the result of our deeds? Where are our cooling soils and shading trees? Where's the space and time to grow kitchen gardens and fruit orchards? Where's the value for soil,  but for land? Where's the value for trees, but for concrete cover? Questions are many. But no time to think the answers!  Aren't the factory animals living a better life in their airconditioned chambers than the common man? Aren't the wild animals in their cool and shady environments? Who's living a comfortable life? An animal or a common man?

Why Do Nature Lovers & Saints Prefer Small Houses?

The Earth is big and beautiful enough  for those who're gifted with broad minds. They're proud to be its inhabitants. They don't even dream of any other planet to live. The Blue Planet which is endowed with luxuriant grass, aromatic leaves, colourful flowers, pearly grains, tasty fruits, quenching water, shiny days and starry nights is a heaven for them. They never insulate themselves from its natural cool breeze by raising impregnable high walls around them. They neither hate nor keep themselves out of the lap of their mother nature. That's why they're both mentally and physically safe. They don't  prefer imperishable concrete to boil their perishable bodies. Their aim is to eke out a tensionless, healthy and peaceful long lasting  life. But not a tension laden life solely for the sake of prestige,  business and money. But the world isn't sufficient for us because we're cursed with narrow minds. That's  why we restrict ourselves to the four walls of our homes or vehicles. And we strive day and night to achieve this.

How much lumber or wood we need to ready a house? Roughly  two cubic meters! How do we get it?  "Destroy about 10 mature leafy trees, stop the release of 5000 kg oxygen per annum into atmosphere, suffocate at least 100 people or animals, scare scores of birds to fly off, chase many a number of mammals and reptiles out of, and decimate millions or billions of tiny creatures!" Now we are content that doors, windows, panels and furnishings are ready. Is transforming the lively natural set-up into a dead one our achievement? ..... But many call it civilization or development!

How much iron or steel we need to ready a house? Roughly three tonnes! How do we get it? "Employ about 50 miners to toil, turn several square metres of soil infertile,  asphyxiate or poison millions of fish in nearby ponds or rivers and saturate the air with plenty of dust". 30 tons of mined dirt is ready! "Now burn half a ton of coal up to 1000 degrees Celsius. Another opportunity to add some more dust, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide fumes to the pristine air". Steel bars or rods are now ready! The transport of raw materials from excavation site to refining site and then to delivery site is an another nightmare. This adds fuel to the already burning piles of pollutants. The same kind of saga with respect to aluminium, burnt bricks, cement, ceramics, copper, glass, plastics, synthetics, tiles and so on. Don't worry. Our houses are ready. As big as they are that much we are called developed and consequently respected in the society. Don't think about others! Otherwise we will be called common men. Won't we?

But nature lovers and saints don't want animals or people to suffer. Even if we call them poor or underdeveloped, they don't tolerate any kind of damage to our body organs! They don't want even a few to breathe polluted air, drink non-potable water and eat contaminated food.  They believe that reduction in construction sizes would definitely reduce intolerable bad effects of mining, refining and transport, and thereby reducing the trauma of life. 

Small sized houses occupy less ground area to  suffocate or moralize subterranean creatures. They also let considerable spongy soil around to absorb naturally distilled rain water, besides accommodating a plenty of trees, birds and animals. They have less wall surfaces as substrata for harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses. No doubt, less requirement of poisonous paints too. Less consumption of electricity, water and maintenance. They facilitate frequent stepping of  dwellers into natural surroundings out of the choking indoor pollution!

Nature lovers and saints prefer small and simple houses to reduce the impact of deforestation, mining and transport on vegetation, animals and human beings! That's how broad minded people think. Great people think in great way. "Live and let live" is the philosophy of their lives. Transferring the wholesome nature to the future generations, for their peaceful,  free and healthy   living, is the ultimate goal! Simplest person is safest both to nature and society.  If we want to keep about 90% corruption and pollution at a bay, we've to tread the path of these pious people. Where the narrow minds try to control destruction and pollution superficially the broad minds are there to pull out the root causes abysmally! 

Could Animal Activists Rescue the Modern Ape Too?

As a child I was very much fond of watching animals and birds. I was one of the first visitors to any circus that happened to have shows at my place.  I used to  visit  zoos too. It's pity that I wasn't  educated enough or matured enough at that age to perceive the agony of those animals which were entertaining me.  Yes, off course that's true! I couldn't notice that the poor creatures, which were supposed to entertain me, were being chained, shackled,  tethered or cramped in artificial cages. Did they have enough space to roam about?. No, they weren't  getting favourable environment and enough space as much as what they get in their natural habitats. It's being told that these animals were accommodated in spaces that's 18,000 times less than what they could have been in their wilderness! They weren't on their own choice of food, movements and mates too. Anyhow a day of enlightenment came to me. My biology teacher and animal lover narrated the bad fate of those animals. I'm very thankful to him for changing my attitude towards the artificial confinements.

My mind was still reminiscent of bellowing of deer, roaring of big cats, trumpeting of elephants, and chirping of birds.  Thanks to animal activists who have changed the conditions of captive animals.  Now we can watch the animals at their comfort  in spacious enclosures. Safari parks and zoological parks are there to replicate their natural habitats. It's great that some human beings have become humane towards wild animals! In the modern parks the animals ate provided with sufficient space, grass lands and tree canopies to make them healthy and stress free.

One day when I was watching the human like behaviour of chimpanzees,  gorillas and orang utans at a zoo park,  a little girl who was standing beside me,  muttered, "These apes are better than us to play, roam around and enjoy lives in natural surroundings". That's true. When cool breeze, grass lands and tree canopies are must for animals then what about this another biological creature, the man.

Let's hope one day the animal activists would turn their focus from animals to  "the modern ape", whose condition is severe than that of the zoo animals. Are our living factors not akin to those of zoo park animals? Lions and tigers in the circus are driven out from their cages into temporarily raised tunnels, and then into high enclosures to display to the spectators. Can we deny the fact that our living factors are also a little bit similar to theirs? We too are confined to concrete buildings, metallic vehicles and concrete offices or schools. No natural habitats to live. No fresh air to breathe. No cool shade of trees to sit under. At least for a part of the day! Every thing is artificial. There has been incessant efforts to dump a lot of cement, glass, burnt clay, marble tiles, plastic, steel and other metals around us to raise the temperature of development. Don't we need sufficient natural space for gaining natural immunity, health and vigour?  Could we expect changes in the human world  at least for the future generation? But be optimistic!   Animal activists are there. One day they will rescue this modern ape too,  from the perils of the intolerable concrete enclosures!