These Terrorists Are Organ Hunters

There are two necessary evils which behave hypicritically as friends but act f erociously like terrorists. We can't imagine ourselves as leaders of this modern world without these two masked entities. What are these two terrorists? One is badly smelling petroleum and the other terribly shocking electricity. 

Petroleum creates not only a variety of products for world business but also ammunition, explosives, plastics and an innumerable number of other poisonous pollutants to kill their own producers. But poisonous pollutants too have certain economic values in their recyclic phase! They sneakingly enter our environment, air, water and food chain and silently attack different human organs, damage them and help health and insurance industries to grow fast and earn huge sums of profits. Diesel and petrol, the two fractions of the crude oil,  don't let people to walk, jog, run, climb or use animals in journeys, but keep them always in resting postures. These twin products are not only fuels but also souls of automobile industry.

Electricity is no less than petroleum. It speeds up destruction of forests, wildlife extinction, purification and refining of minerals, metals and other chemicals. It pumps out ground water very fast to deplete the scarce invaluable resource a lot.  It creates and energizes electrical machines and electronic gadgets. It ever keeps people comfortable through fans, air coolers and air conditioners. It makes possible people swallow in either too cold or too hot things from fridges and microovens.  It attracts eyes by causing light pollution and appeals or consoles ears through noise pollution.

We are proud of our science and technology innovations.  Companies invest for technological innovations and in turn get power and strength to encroach into human living conditions . "Be cautious!  Don't let people approach nature, accept natural principles, follow natural methods and consume natural products. Or else the companies become bankrupt". That's the technique of modern business. Even air, water, food and sex shouldn't be natural. Turn everything  artificial. Brand, tag and  market everything. That's what economic development.  Besides these there should be a supplement of junk food for these special category of people to enhance the effect of the business world!

Don't  let people move their body joints. Even if they want that's through gym or some costly exercising equipment only.  Let people either sit or sleep on  cushiony substrata always. And further certify it as dignity, prestige,  respect or as an indicator of achievement or success. This  never appear as self-punishment but as a luxurious,  sweet and pleasant way of intoxicating one's own life.

Unfortunately our body structure isn't made in such a way to bear and persist out of this pseudo-development torture. Our hands  aren't meant for holding mobile phones throughout the day. Our legs aren't meant for being dangled down the chairs or lying down on beds throughout the day. Our eyes aren't meant for staring at glowing screens through out the day. Our ears aren't meant for listening noises from fans, machines, vehicles or music from electronic gadgets throughout the day. But we  fool ourselves by considering these bad habits as advancements.

No doubt most of our body organs are getting modern avatars. The eyes are turning red, gritty, dizzy with a lot of uneasiness or itching. Ears are becoming less audible. Nose is getting  senseless and  unable to prevent entry of germs. Skin is becoming wrinkled and aged, but looks beautiful and attractive over a slim layer of chemical cosmetics. All our internal body organs are notified under different insurance schemes at different  superspecialty hospitals. Fortunately lungs, hearts, stomachs, intestines, livers, pancreas and kidneys are being brought under AMCs. No need to panic. A full fledged consultancy and pharmaceutical business is going on. Governments too are happy to find and make publicity of a spurt in the growth of health industry.

On the other hand some tribal people are still living in natural habitats full of soil, grass, trees, rivers and mountains. They aren't classified as patients for any insurance scheme viz.,  asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, premature ageing, skin cancer, gastric ulcers, gall stones, constipation,  obesity, diabetes, hypertension,  kidney failures et cetera. These are the people least affected by climate change,  global warming or calamities. They can survive due to their expertise in physical activities, strength of natural immunity and genetic diversity. But a lot of efforts are being made to bring these unsophisticated people into the mainstream of world corporate consumer circuit. Save God! Should we expect some more organ damages in the days to come?

Wise people use the least. Humanistic governments discourage the most. The two necessary evils - petroleum and electricity. Beware, these terrorists are the organ hunters!

One More Independence Day, Please!

Swaraj was tenth passed but doing farming along with her wife Asha. He had a daughter named Bhavishya. He had some land sufficient enough to house a small mud shack and open space bordered by a number of trees like a curry-leaf tree, a drumstick tree, a guava tree, a jamun tree, a mango tree, a tamarind tree, a small patch of plantains and a plot for kitchen garden. The tree cover was a blessing not only for fowls, a pair of goats and a cow but also for his only girl-child to play and swing under. It was a self-sustainable home  with a plenty of paddy, millets, pulses, milk, eggs, chicken, fresh fruits and vegetables.  But no doubt a poor underdeveloped family.

One summer his brother Sevak came to the village  along with his family as usual. But this time with a great offer for Swaraj! Sevak said, "How long you live this poor life?" Swaraj couldn't understand. He continued,  "Your child is growing up, at least for her sake you come to my place, I'll try for you a job in my company." Asha who's listening from behind prompted Swaraj to accept the offer. The undestandable husband said, "OK!" Swaraj had given a serious thought to the idea and finally disposed off all of his live-belongings to the other villagers within a weak or two.

After receiving a message from his brother, he left for the city along with his family. As he's tenth passed he's appointed as a supervisor for the ongoing construction works. Bhavishya was also joined in a private school nearby. The husband was doing a job in a company,  the daughter was studying in a private school and Asha herself was busy in getting audio-visual lessons on TV concerning the modern city life through serials with intermittent  ads on sophisticated gadgets to make the life practical. At last it's turned into a small happy family. No worries and no tensions!

One day Bhavishya came home from school complaining that she's developing pain in her tummy. Within a few minutes she started vomiting. She's taken to a hospital. Many tests were conducted. No traces of any infection. Later advised to take to a nutritionist. The nutritionist revealed that the problem was due to adulterated milk. This might lead to kidney problems also. One day she came home complaining persistent headache. There's no any serious probem, only thing was that she'd to use spectacles. She's then a complete student with a huge backpack of books and cute looking spects. Both Mom and Dad were happy as their girl was looking smart and getting modern schooling!

One evening Swaraj came home from work coughing, wheezing and feeling breathlessness and tightnessness in his chest. Asha forced him to visit a hospital. Doctors had conducted spirometry test and told that he's  developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) due to the continuous inhalation of pollutants. They suggested him to avoid dust and fumes  and to eat smaller but more frequent meals, to take rest before eating and to take nutritional supplements. After branchodilation he returned  home with a long list of medicines and a modern inhaler. He became a complete man with a cellophane in one hand and an inhaler in the other!

After a few years of the adapted city life the mistress of the family started experiencing nervousness, sweating, difficulty in sleeping and distinct facial flushing. Visited a woman specialist. BP was checked.  It's  140/90. Madam advised her to visit after three days. She went as per the schedule. High reading on sphygmomanometer! No doubt.  She'd developed hypertension. Then she got a long list of prescription along with a number of instructions - "Don't sit in front of TV for hours together. " "Don't eat too much salt." "Take more fruits and raw vegetables." "Reduce body weight." "Go for walk." And so on. But she's looking heavily smart!

One day power was off. Mistakenly Asha got some time to think about her family and home. It's a complte home with all modern facilities like a TV set, gas connection, a mixer, a fridge, a washing machine, a couple of ceiling fans and sufficient furniture contrasted to that of the past rustic life. Though they couldn't get unadulterated milk and uncontaminated fresh fruits and vegetables to keep health they'd get a plenty of pills and syrups to survive from not only infectious but also degenerative diseases. They're living in the area dotted fully with concrete towers encircled by drainages and fast running  bykes and cars over.  Though they couldn't listen birds' songs and get cool breeze  there, they could keep their ears busy deafening to hustling and bustling noise of vehicles and sense of hot smoky winds non-stop. But one thing's certain that people used to consider them as "civilized" and "developed".

Meanwhile the power came back followed by daughter  and husband in the evening. She found her husband seemed to be a little disturbed. Face was gloomy and greasy with a trickle of sweat. She softly enquired,  "Why're you so dull. What do you want, my dear?" He gently replied, "Independence Day!" "What ......?"  "Yeah!  I need independence from the dusty and smoky atmosphere, from the adulterated food and diseases and from the ever escalating cost of living, medical bills, debts and tensions." He continued, "I want the past glorious life of my village where I was the boss of my own small estate, full of clean air, water, food, peace and happiness!"

How Do Trees Shadow Growth & Development?

Buildings are growing faster than trees, a great miracle of the modern era! Yes, kudos to the architects of the modern world -  designers, developers, planners and political leaders! Growth in buildings manifests the growth in economy, but the growth in trees can't do the same. It's a known fact that construction business fetches very high income when compared to that of tree and plantation business. Buildings bear money thousands of times more than that of trees! Then naturally it's questionable, "Why do animal activists, environmentalists and nature lovers emphasize so much on tree plantation?" When the worth of a well grown tree is hardly a few dollars then what's this mania for trees? Instead trees occupy very valuable lands to become stumbling blocks for the progress of real-estate business.

Concrete buildings are non-perishable and non-corrosive strong structures resistant both to fire and water. They are the shelters during storms but killers during earthquakes too! Very sorry please. Anyhow the toll is a proof for their crushing weight and mighty strength. As big as the construction work that much business one can expect in cement, gravel, stone, sand, steel, ceramics and paints. Mining and quarrying activities will also run parallelly to supply building materials and metals and also to destroy animal homes forever. Tree cutters will be busy throughout in cutting trees, scaring away many animals, birds and other creatures to run away and supplying valuable lumber for dream homes. Carpenters will be busy in making doors, windows and  furniture. On the basis of the construction space and number of labour-days engaged, architects and contractors will also get equitable percentages and shares. No doubt a lot of direct or indirect employment opportunities because of the housing business.

A boon to both electrical and electronic business too. As per the size of the building and number of rooms, requirements for electrical wires, switch boards, lighting and other devices or gadgets will also be there. As we know that during hot summer concrete keeps indoors hotter than that of outdoor spaces. During cold winter indoors will be cooler than outdoors. A great opportunity to push the sales of fans, air coolers, air conditioners and heaters. That's how both individuals and companies will get benefit.

On the other hand trees can't be expected to do that much. A very negligible contribution to growth and development. According to some economists more trees and less buildings means underdevelpment. Trees may be green enough to absorb carbon emissions or pollutants and inturn to release oxygen. They may be effective enough in filtering dust particles and  to save human breathing systems. They may obstruct extreme cold or hot winds from touching our living habitats. They may make people hale and healthy, but at the cost of what? Health business! Fifty per cent improvement in people's health means fifty per cent drop in health business! Is it agreeble for any pharmaceurical company or its share holder? No, it isn't.

Another thing is that trees provide cool breeze and shade to reduce temperature in and around homes. A big intolerable jolt to the business of fans, coolers air conditioners and fridges. And naturally to energy business also. What would happen to power stations,  electricity producers, distributors and sellers? Even a layman can guess. Trees and soil facilitate natural rain-water harvesting and increase in ground water levels. A very big discouragement to water business run by local or multi-national companies. Then who will quench the thirst of this business? That's how a number of demerits force people to shun the idea of growing trees.

Now we can conclude that as the space under concrete constructions increase the growth and development will also increase. As the space under trees increase there will be increase in cool breeze, shade, fresh fruits, birds, animals and health of people. So negative impact on growth and development. Trees provide a free habitable environment. Then what about the business of artificial environment fabricated due to modern technological advancements! 

Besides that trees damage beautiful architectural masterpieces by shaking foundations and shrinking walls, obstruct building elevations, develop cracks in drainage systems and interfere with overhead electric lines. Trees may attract nasty insects and birds too. It's an unbearable nuisance. So it's always better to keep trees away! That's how trees shadow the process of growth and development!

But She's Still Smarter Than Her Daughter!

As the first birds were heard  a peasant woman used to wake up early to imbibe the silvery glow of moonlight for her sharp eyesight and cool fresh breeze for her strong health. She daily used to heat water on the bright flames in the cool dusky hours for her own bathing and also for her husband and for her only female child. Before golden beams of morning sun shone dews on grass, she used to sprinkle water and sweep all across the mud floor in front of her thatched hut. She was a strategic volunteer to serve the entire household, birds and farm animals through her daily noble chores. 

Neither the members of her family nor the farm animals never had any complaint against her menial services. A few acres of green paddy fields and vegetable plots hardly infested with weeds and perched for want of water in her regular attendance. An ideal woman of my native hamlet. She's now famous for educating and facilitating her only female child to raise to a dignified position. But the talk is that she is still smarter at her fifties than her daughter at thirties. The peasant woman still looks more agile and younger than the highly educated and posh software techie. It's really amazing!

The eye-catching makeup with branded cosmetics no longer keep her daughter's  face soft and smooth but with early wrinkles of ageing along with dizziness, headache and ever falling thin hair. On the other hand the peasant mother's skin is so fair and shiny and hair so dark and thick that one can guess a lot of facial creams, branded soaps and shampoos might have done the job. No that's wrong. Shikakai (traditional fruit for hair), soapnuts and turmeric have been her lifelong cosmetics. No money and no side effects! Very simple, natural, but beautiful!

The posh looking young lady's very happy and content to shed every rustic feature from her life. She often feels proud of that much development from a poor rustic background. She doesn't need poor-men's food anymore. Plenty of money is there to spend on MNC eatables like burgers, pizzas, cakes, candy bars, cookies,  pastries, ice-creams, fast food, processed meat, colas and sodas. She has profitably put on her weight to get higher number on the scale. The chubby lady has definitely misshapen her physique to be called a landwhale. She's a little bit discouraged and frustrated along with a number of modern medical complaints. But she's a lot of money to consult superspeciality doctors too. On the other hand the rustic mother has a firm body structure unlike that of her daughter's bad loose skin. Some may guess that firmness of her body might be due to super foods provided by her daughter. No, can't be adapted by her. It's unbelievable and shocking that she's still on green leafy vegetables, fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, plenty of milk, jaggery, millets, pulses, ragi balls and jowar flat breads.

The modern techie may be on weight loosing job also! Contrarily to that her mother hasn't find any need to do all those regular exercises, special jogging, gym or yoga sessions. Walking across fields to fetch water, running behind  tendered animals, cutting grass, watering fields,  grinding or pounding grains have been said to be the secret of her fitness, as she hasn't yer been the proud possessor of modern electronic gadgets. A day long energy spending activities are always there. Very hard to believe! No obesity, dizziness, lethargy and immobility complaints. No breathing, bowl, cardio-vascular, liver, pancreatic, kidney or neurological disorders. No complaints of arthritis as she still uses to walk and run on earth unlike that of her daughter on glossy marble flooring of international standards. No sleeping disorders too as she's addicted to sleep in the cool breeze blown across by waving tree branches on the hillside. No need of infective air conditioners unlike that of her daughter. No money or no extra time needed to spend for that ever-energetic and ever-healthy fitness.

But one thing is that the modern techie is sacrificing her health, money and time for the development of the nation along with contribution to the growth of MNCs, big malls and super markets. She has not only developed herself but also a part of the modern development. The problem is that the peasant woman has neither developed so far nor a part of the moden development. And she yet doesn't possess any electronic or plastic money, modern electronic gadgets, branded dresses, posh bungalows, vehicles and gym or yoga facilities. Whatever it might be the talk is that she's still smarter than her daughter!

3C's from Development or 3R's for Environment

It's being said that the world has been evolving since its origin and is termed as "evolution", the feature of the uncivilized poor creatures. Isn't it inferior to apply this word to the superior human? Yes. That's why a new and powerful word has been invented -  "development", the most pleasing and popular word  of the era. The only word which enlivens the spirit of every human being cutting across age, gender, caste, creed, organization, profession and status is development. There's hardly any  field or person who's ignorant or oblivious of this word development. All our revolutions, politics, legislations, plans, budgets, economies, innovations and inventions revolve around this word only. 

We can call it the nuclear centre of the modern world. Even medications of doctors and prayers of devotees are not out of the orbits of this word!  "Many diseases need to develop the medical field" and "many a number of rich devotees to enrich religious organizations" have become mottos for a few! Everywhere it seems prosperity. Only some saddists might be against this. How long we have to worry about humanity, that's there for centuries!  Create novelty. Even though it's meaningless. That's what development means -the word of eagerness, enthusiasm, energy and optimism.

On the contrary there is another strange word that tries to slow down the pace of development called "environment".  Even the personnel and heads of the environmental department are afraid of this word. Some consider this word as the word of pessimists. Why do so .... ? Because it suggests 3R's. 3R's are nothing but Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The first word REDUCE is the deadliest of all - the ferocious enemy to threaten the rapid growth and development of the modern world.

The word REDUCE suggests reduction in the procees of deforestation, mining, refining,  fabrication, manufacturing,  production,  transport,  distribution and ultimately destruction and pollution. It suggests to shorten or remove the links in the elaborate chain of growth and development. Could any optimist bear this to happen? Certainly, couldn't. Even an illiterate person can't tolerate this. Let the doomsday happen or the hell come down, there shouldn't be even a slightest jolt to delink the stages in the process of our pet development. Otherwise the consequences will be dire and many reductions may happen. 

Money value comes down and stock markets collapse if there will be reduction in the size of well furnished buildings, length of roads, number of posh vehicles, number of clubs or pubs and quantum of enjoyment or entertainment. Further some great lives may crash down to the status of a common man, totally dry and monotonous. No question of extravaganza, luxuries and class differences in the society - haves and have nots,  class and mass, posh and poor will be no more. What's the meaning of living a life then? That's why only a few want that REDUCE. If anybody wants let the remaining two words REUSE and RECYCLE be adopted. Definitely these two things are suitable for the teaming millions of common and poor people. Reuse the things discarded by the haves and recycle the things desperately left by the have nots.

Instead you see 3C's. How beautiful and appealing these three letters to our eyes! Constructions,  Contracts and Commissions - the three basics for mega development. Whether it's an individual or a nation that can't develop without these 3C's. Mind it! Increase constructions; so don't bother about destructions. Construct as many buildings and roads as possible. People call you the architect of the nation. The well wisher of the people. The messiah. The saviour.  And so on. Popularity, vote bank and money thrive there forever for you. How could anyone expect major contracts and Commissions without construction activities? How could anyone expect vigorous minting, lavish spending and secretive savings of money without contracts and commissions? So go ahead. Won't  we all agree? Yes, we do our boss! The human world is so much mentally prepared by the preachers of development that the word environment looks old and shabby.

Still one more point disturbs everyone's mind. When we are endowed with so many furnishings and luxuries then whycan't we live a peaceful,  disease- and tension-free living? Have we missed anything else? ........ Many more answerable questions reverberate in the minds of the intellectuals. Many more choises flash before their eyes. Does this biological creature need natural breeze or air conditioned synthetic enclosures? Cool grass-cladded soil or glossy floorings? Colourful flowers or confusing paintings? Shade of trees or radiating concrete slabs? Chirpings of birds or deafening musical sounds?  Company of affectionate animals or inanimate vehicles? Dark starry nights or blinding lights? Anyhow the modern wise man has many choices to choose out of either 3C's or 3R's.