expressions - inaugural issue june, 2010

8/9/2019 Expressions - Inaugural Issue June, 2010

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THEGREENBEATHello everyone.Welcome to The Green Beat.

I am trying to think where to start . This is my first article ever. When I joined the groupICARE, I didnt know that I would be given the task of writing in a newsletter. We all supporta lot of causes but how involved are we in any of them ? So to show my support for this or-

ganization I will be writing here, hopefully every month bringing something new to thetable.

The ICARE organization is all about bringing a change. A change of attitude, a change ofideas, a change for the better. Through this newsletter we are trying to create an awarenessabout the common issues that are prevalent in our country today. We also invite people to

write to us about what they think they can do to help bringing this change. Every idea willbe considered because it matters to us what you think. Together we can change for the bet-ter---- making our community a better place to live and for our children to grow.

As the monsoon season beckons, we need to relish each moment of fresh showers, rustling leaves, gray skies and theinvigorating aroma of the soil before the oppressive October Heat beckons the spine chilling winters.

These are all beautiful images to enjoy in this season. However, one thought does come to mind, how long will we beable to enjoy the beautiful colours Mother Nature has given us? Will our children remember them when they are older?Will our future generations enjoy them just as we are today? And are we doing enough to keep our Planet green? Today

there are signs everywhere to go green. So let us all do our bit instead of waiting for the government to do something.Just a few suggestions to come your way.1. Take public transport to work instead of your car one day a week.2. Join a carpool.3. Drive 5 miles less in a week.4. Plant a tree in your neighborhood community.5. Ride a bicycle instead of your two-wheeler.

Lets start by doing the little things to bring a big change in our world. Just think about it and enjoy the green aroundyou.

In the end, I invite all the members who are part of this group to send in their feedback or just write to us about theissues you want to discuss. We will try and include every voice because every voice matters to us.Till next time.

Think Green. Go Green.

Shalini MehtaGuest Editor

Editorial


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founder

Yudhishter Puran Singh

guest editor

Shalini Mehta

creative editorAkshay Madan

news editor

Aishwarya Sharma

social networking

Rishabh Kant

publisher

Image Graphics

marketing

Lotus Leaf

photo-editor

Sandip Puran Singh

special thanks

Nirvi Shah, Vishal Bhatia

Om Sinha, Anshuman Dandriyal

cover design & photographs

Akshay Madan

REGULARS2 Editorial

4 Members Speak

5, 10 Photo Story

23 Green Tip for the month

COLUMNS

8 How it All BeganMessage by the founder

12 Common MistakeDr. Anil P. Joshi

14 Dehradun, Then and Now

Mr. Raj Kanwar

15ns-gjk-nwUkMr. Amar Barwal

17 Clean Doon Green DoonAishwarya Sharma

18 What a DayNaman Khanduri

icare20 In the news

24 Get in Touch


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expressions 4

Prachi BhattIts time to know and under-

stand the importance of the ne-

cessities of life -air ,water, soil. Its time that we strive to save our

environment , to protect our

place. Doon is no more the city of

big tall trees all 'round. To start of

with the noble cause Yudhishter

sir has frmed a grp ' I CARE-

bringing people together' "think

global, act local" the 1st project

under iCARE is '*abcd -A Beauti-

ful Campaign for Dehradun*'. Is'nt the name so kool! But why the

name 'abcd'.??? Its cause we all

are familiar with it and can easi-ly

connect with it.!Remember when

we were little kids and went to

school ? So this tells us that its

time to get out of the 4 wallz into

the 'real world' and notice the

changes and start act-ing upon

them. Hw many of us close tapsand switch off lights when not in

use? How many have actually

made 2 binzs- for organic & inor-

ganic? How many of us plant

trees or take the initi-ate to stop

others from littering around?? ...m

sure the no. won't be v.high....So

here is a chance for all.....join abcd

and let our creative minds give

new ideas and tech-niques , to do good for our city.Its our city and

our world..and WE need to work

for it...!!

Amar BarwalGood beginning is half done but that

may not be the case here as this is a

tough ask, long back in 1983 when Iworked in FRI ,I wished the same but

with time it has changed rapidly,

Doon being the state capital and a

thickly populated place where every

one wants to settle down. This has

made it more complex. But I do not

want to discourage you and wish for

its success. the first and foremost

need for pollution-free doon could be

the use of cng in vikrams and localpublic vehicles. spreading awareness

through similar social networks could

be handy. let me assure you that your

efforts would bear fruits....and for that

you may have to become abimanyu.

.Ameen.

Vansh Nathani

Great initiative! I'm confident that thisgroup won't be one of the many name

sake groups and will do some real

work at the round level.

Himanshu ChauhanABCD is a beautiful idea, started

with a noble cause. I understand

your position where u're looking

for the like-minded ppl for the

support. I lend you all the support

that is possible from my side.

Deepti SinghDear team I care great work...with

this global warming its very im-

portant for ppl to understand that

our future is at a great risk...its good

to involve the local ppl of dehradun

& the school kids......educate them

bout the risks involved in using

plastic bags. .promote paper

bags..talk bout savin electricity

& ...water....give handouts to ppl.. I'll

definitely spread the word around

about your effort.

Astha TewaryYour campaign makes a lot of sense

to me...there is great need 2 con-

serve the environment. very few

people make the effort 2 take the

initiative ..i am so happy u did ! any

help ..just ask 4 it!..though am not in

ddun if i can b of any help from del-

hi ..let me know!

[P.S.We put forth the views of the members in theirNeolanguage and appreciate their enthusiasm]

Members Speak

Creang a safe and Green Future for whom we care

Photograph by Ritvika Kala
http://www.facebook.com/amarpathik?ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/amarpathik?ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/vansh127?ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/vansh127?ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/vansh127?ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1331049141&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1331049141&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1331049141&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=636112934&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=636112934&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=652595677&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=652595677&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=652595677&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=652595677&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=636112934&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1331049141&ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/vansh127?ref=mfhttp://www.facebook.com/amarpathik?ref=mf


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BLOMFIELD'SWORLD

As a 16 year old I am passionate about natureand wildlife and always wanting to capture the

vivid forms of nature in my camera. Join me inprotecting the Mother Earth. Feel free to contact

me, my Email ID is aggarwal .anant93@gmai l . com .

Anant Aggarwal

Photo Story
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Looking to Heaven

Down to Earth

Photo Story


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expressions 7photographs by Anant Aggarwal

Photo Story

Drop by Drop Colourful World


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I

was born at East Canal Road when the canal still flowed and the weather still had a pattern. By the

time I was two and half years old we moved to Doodhly not far from Lachhiwala to be with Dad

where he was helping my grandfather set up a school for the local village children. It would later go

by the name of Dehra-Dun Hill Academy and thats where I would do my schooling. But thats get-

ting ahead in my story. As of now the year was 1988 and it was still the old Dehra Dun.

My earliest memories of childhood are of vast open spaces and myriad of colors, the blue of the

sky, dark green clover lining the village path, yellow of the hay ricks and of course the emerald green of

the sugarcane fields with dark freshly ploughed earth full of leaf mulch. As a child I took all this for grant-

ed. Dehra-Dun was a quiet place then and you can imagine how it must have been at Doodhly.you could

hear the river Suswa at night and during the monsoons when the lights went out the old gular tree would

light up with fire-flies. Those were such happy times, nothing was rushed, Sundays were almost always

picnic, only we didnt call it that, in fact we had no name for it for all Dad would say we will cook lunch

outdoors and Mom and a helper would pack a small hamper and we would trot along towards the Phan-

dowala forest guesthouse which was no more than a mile due south. And o boy! All the wonderful things

that lay in between, fields with all sorts of things growing in them, little canals with swift water gurgling

in it, mango topes and all the birds calling in the spring and yes the smell of nectar and the blossom.but

at that age there was only one word for it and the word was LIFE.

Well time flew by and I finished school and joined my cousins most of whom were doing college

in Bombay or Pune. At first it was great fun. There were many things a small town like Doon did not offer

but within that freedom of anonymity was also loneliness. Everything big was not necessarily goodI

could see many who were made poor because someone wanted to stay rich. There is often a dark side to

development which columns of India Shining do not wish to talk about.

I began to miss homeback then I did not know quite what it was that I was missingI took it to

be just a normal bout of home sickness which a month of holiday would lay to rest, but on the contrary

my desire to come back to Doon grew by the day and when finally my exams for graduation got over I did

not stay a day longer than it was necessary to get my things together and I knew I was going home. Thats

when I knew what I was missing and what people in big cities perhaps understand better than anyone

elsea belonginga love for your home townsomething was tugging at my soul and beckoning me to

come home. I am now told that it happens all the time to those who grew up in Doononce you get smit-ten by it, you can do nothing about it.something like a thunderbolt, Dehra-Dun grows on you.

How it all began


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I came back home, came back to the Doodhly of my childhood and starting working with children

at the school. I saw in them a hunger to learn, a hunger to do something. There was small town still surviv-

ing at the outskirts of Dehra and I knew immediately why my father had taken the decision to shift to our

ancestral village so long ago, why he would council the villagers to not use pesticide in their fields, why he

would go to schools in Doon and conduct an awareness drive to save the tiger almost twenty years ago.

I now knew the meaning of the word cause and I knew I had found a calling and all this was because

i care for who I wasfor the place I was born ina place which had a special meaning to so many peo-

ple.and above all because I was thankfulthankful for being able to understand what we had been blessed

withand that I had the education and the blessing to something about it. And thats how i-care the organiza-

tion came to be as a result of the open spaces and the blue sky, as a result of the clover lined village paths

and paddy fields, as a result of the bird songs in the spring and the heady fragrance of mango blossom, as a

result of the clean potable water that flowed in the river Suswa which we used for cooking, drinking and ofcourse frolicking on Sunday picnics, because if we did not do something about it, it would all be gone like the

East Canal where I was born and the crystal clean water that flowed in it, like the lychees which we hardly

see any more and the Suswa water which today even the cattle of the village do not drink and what to say

about the quiet and the green of Doon.

Since then every time I have talked to people about i-careI have seen something positive come out

of it. There are people who want to helppeople in the govt. servicein high offices, people from all walks of

life want to help they listen, they give their time and want to make an effort, especially the young people in

this townand there are many bright young people in Doon who care for what is happening around them.And they are willing to speak up, they want to be heard, they want to be a part of the solution not the prob-

lem.

Thank you so much all of you without you each one becomes just one individual but together we

can make the differencethank you so much for the encouragement.

Yudhishter Puran SinghFounder

How it all began


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Photo Story

Shades of MyDehradun

By Sandip Puran Singh


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expressions 11By Sandip Puran Singh

Photo Story

The Valley of

Dreams


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The hottest International issue that we con-

front today in Print and Electronic media

is on Global Climate Change. Copenhegan

has been hotspot and worlds eyes and ear

were focused towards, in recent past. Mr. Barack Obama

to Dr. Manmohan Singh, the worlds nation heads and

others have been party to it. The whole meeting ended

with ever ending economic fight. Developing world

cursed developed world for denying their share of de-

velopment through industrialization.

As a matter of fact, it was ecological battle in

economic disguise. There are series of debate, discus-

sion dialogue ending to nowhere and everyone pretend

to be serious without free initiative and concrete action.

To be honest, the dilemma is not going to end until and

unless everyone of us seek solution from within our

own niche. Collective responsibility and self transfor-

mation from consumer to donor can only mitigate this

serious problem.

We have had serious discussion on environment

distress and its consequences specially in International

Forum. What is happening at your own land is rarely

discussed. Why New Delhi had to blow at New York is

no case is less important similar conflict between New

Delhi to New Tehri. It is in fact economic disparity that

has set major imbalances. Economic imbalances lead to

ecological, this fact need to be more realized to plan-

ners and policy Makers. We can rectify the gross com-

mon mistake first at our only end and be an example

for others to follow.

Resources are only governed

generated by people of rural

parts of the Globe. The major

stakeholders of these resources

are rural community.

We must agree with the fact that conversion of these

resources for usable commodity are rarely available within

rural community. This set huge energy use for transport of

resources from rural to urban. The same processed re-

sources again flow back to consumers who are largest in

number in rural part. There are two issues eventually arise.

The transportation of resources to both end add to unnec-

essary energy use. This could be comfortably saved by cur-

tailing one way. Why after all local opportunities to convert

local resource are not adequately explored in rural parts.

We fail to understand that this approach will set decentral-

ized economic flow which will further offer local jobs.

Crowding cities will have a relief from flocks of people

stampede for job search here. The uniform equity will also

avoid ill decesions which currently are reflected in our so-

cio-political systems. Efforts to bring economic equity will

indeed need political will, knowledge transfer and social

acceptance of urban rich.

Common Mistake

Photograph by Akshay MadanThe aer-eects of collected garbage and plasc waste, a cloud of polluted

gases over a small market in the Doon Valley


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There are enormous examples with us today where local economy retrieved and enhanced with mere

knowledge inputs. Massive drive to decentralize economy will bring total socio, ecological and political sta-

bility as these are directly linked with true development strategies. This has to be understood that such aninitiative will bring a clear vision of ecological sound economical development. Mountain strategies will

focus on economic development around forest water resources while arid zone will depend upon low rain produces.

This will also help to utilize local strength of the region which is predominantly lies on available resources. This will

ultimately add to sustained resource based regional development.

Development need to be redefined. Should we place industrialization, real-estate business and infrastructure

as development indicators? Such a development can not be enjoyed

particularly when corresponded loss of resources are not acknowl-

edged. There must be a parallel analysis which should measure period-

ical growth of life resources i.e. water recharging, forest cover, soil en-

richment and air quality etc. Extreme physical achievement for com-

fort have already hampered our ecological cycle, constant negligence

will lead to unrepairable losses and other socio ecological disasters.

We can give an example to improve our habitat first for

overall ecological and economical efficiency. Only after we can become

a better advocate for global environmental sustainability. We can onlyclaim to be best judge when our performance at our own home will

qualify standard of Nations inclusive prosperity of life. Since it is a

common mistake all of us will have to volunteer to retrieve what have

been lost in the past.

Common Mistake

www.HESCO.in

Dr Anil P. Joshi
http://www.hesco.in/http://www.hesco.in/


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Ihave almost continuously lived in DehraDun for 63 years, a long enough time to become its inseparable part. Even whencompulsions of business or service tookme out to other cities, we always had a familyhome here. I was a teenager when my familymoved here, studied at the DAV College, and

spent many years here as a professional jour-

nalist.

In the beginning, we lived in large

and expansive rented bungalows in Dalanwala

in the midst of and surrounded by

hundreds of litchi and guava trees.

Under the municipal byelaws, no

houses could then be built in Dalan-

THEnandNOWDehradunDehradun

wala area in less than five

bighas of land (4500 sq

yards). Most houses, how-

ever, stood on even larger

plots; green hedges, not br icks , symbolized

boundary walls. Large

and finely manicured

lawns with beds of flow-

ers were the badge of

honor for householders.

Every bungalow had out-

houses and annexes; out-

houses for servants, and

annexes to be let out. A gardener was a must, and it was his reli-

gious responsibility to maintain the lawnsand the plants in immaculate condition.

Most of the roads were tree

lined. Many roads in Dalanwala, Rajpur and

Kalidas localities were covered with cano-

pies of overhanging branches. The Eucalyp-

tus Road, which connects East Canal Road

with Rajpur Road was so named because

tall eucalyptus trees stood like sentinels on

its both sides. So thick was the overhead

branches that even rays of the Sun could not filter through its

green canopy. Today it is barren, and devoid of any form of green-

ery. Similar has been the fate of most other roads in Dehra Dun,

and the situation has gone from bad to worse since the formation

of Uttarakhand. Today roadside trees are routinely felled in order

to widen these roads; this is going on all over the city in

utter disregard to widely prevailing public sentiment After 63 years, I am a saddened senior citizen.

Dehra Dun is not the same as it used to be. The valley

once green, is no longer so. There is, unfortunately, nex-

us of timber contractors and corrupt government offi-

cials busy in minting money by destroying fragile eco-

system. Curse on those who have turned a green and

fertile valley into a rocky desert.

Mr Raj Kanwar

Journalist

Photograph by Akshay Madan


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According to me it should be 'De-hra-doon'(in Hin-di)..or so to say Give me a green doon Each one of us is wellaware of the fact that urbanisation is a movement awayfrom tradition to modernity, a shift from agrarian to indus-

trial and market economy and this is also true that for grow-

ing society this growth is equally essential. Its a hard knownfact that these urban activities and growth are constantlyputting pressure on the already burdened environment andpublic utility infrastructure. Setting up a new city according

to the future requirements is easier than crowding the ex-isting infrastructure to accommodate more people. It is quiteobvious that exponential population growth and humanactivities has resulted into large-scale ecological degrada-

tion, improper and excessive use of surrounding forest re-sources, and increased environmental pollution due to air,

water and land-use posing serious threat and leading to un-sustainable development. With the emergence of new state,Dehradun became the capital of Uttrakhand in November2000.The population graph of the city rose exponentiallyagain. Situated about 230 kms away from New Delhi, thecapital of India, Dehradun is surrounded by Himalayas in theNorth and Shivalik ranges in the South, river Ganges flowingin its East and the Yamuna in the West ( having latitude of30" 19' and longitude of 78" 04' east with an altitude of 2100feet a. m. s. l.) Dehradun is neither too hot in summer nor

too cold in winter and having around twelve lakhs of popu-lation with about 75 % literacy rate. Once famous for its

good quality rice and litchi and world known for producingquality defense personnel, the place is also known for smallscale industries producing bulbs, woolen garments and

soaps etc. The total area under the district is around 3088sq.m with 73.7 per cent under forest cover which is deplet-ing day by day. This depleting forest cover is the real causeof concern and needs to be looked into. Its an old saying "anounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and if we donot wake up now it would be too late. Each one of us must

work in the direction of controlling global warming andshould not leave every thing to Govt.

The race for green Dehradun has begun but thisneeds to be kept in mind that this is a steeple-chase race

where hurdles would be many with no finishing line. Leteach one of us run along and contribute for the good

cause. There would be time when spirits would at the low-est, there would be time when people would not appreciate

your efforts but the lamp of hope needs to be kept enlight-ened so as to achieve what has been perceived.

Bringing masses together for the cause is the first and foremost task which needs to be done withutmost care. Social sites and other mediums could bring inpeople together contributing for the cause. Various agen-cies like business houses, Govt. Departments/organizations,schools, local and national leaders and national and interna-

tional agencies need.

When generations to come would struggle forsurvival, finding it difficult to breathe, tough

to move from one place to another and spill their blood over a glass of water, cursing

their forefathers, do you think we would be resting

in peace up above? Certainly not.. It therefore becomesour utmost duty not to provide our children concrete hous-es only but something concrete so that their lives do not

become miserable. Most of us may be cursing our ances-tors whenever we visit our villages to see our small tradi-tional houses but if we minutely look at the surroundings with greenery all around, open spaces where kids couldplay while older ones could gossip, ladies keeping an eyeover their off-springs and cattle at the same time and shar-ing their pleasures and pains, customs and religions, faithsand beliefs with one another. Our ancestors may not behaving provisions and means but they had a vision and

that is what matters most.

Time has undergone a sea-change. The earliersociety oriented approach has now become a self centeredone. Jealousy has been foremost in our minds. We com-pete with others out of shear jealousy forgetting our needs,

requirements and budget. This is the root cause of all evils.We should not forget our contributions we owe to the up-coming generations or else it would spell the disaster.

Due to population explosion and speedy urbani-zation, people are quickly migrating to cities making citieseven more crowded. Its a hard known fact that populated

big cities are ecological nightmares, wastelands of concreteand garbage, traffic jams and poisonous fumes emanatingfrom vehicles chimneys and cigarettes. This un-manageable population flooding the cities cause scarcity of

resources resulting into frequent power cuts, scarcity ofwater and other amenities, disrupted communication links,poor road and other transportation means ,crowded hospi-

tals and even police-stations and above all in-effective lawand order resulting into complete chaos.

Dehradun is no misnomer in this regards. If wego down history lane to find out how the name Dehradunmay have come into existence? We find that the nameDehradun may have originated from two words namelyDehra and doon. It is said that during the reign of Aurangzeb, Ram Rai the guru of Udasi sikhs on being ordered byMughal king to retire to the wilderness of Dun had pitchedhis tents here in what is known as present day 'Khurbura'and also built a temple at Dhanawala. The town was builtaround these two sites and was called dera and dun meansa low land at the foot of the mountain range. Another deri-

vation of the term Dehradun is stated to be fromDronasharam, a hermitage from guru Draunacharya of Ma-habharta fame , who sojourned for a season in the villageDevara situated near Dehra to perform his devotions. Thepresent day Dehradun has lost its charm and greenery due

to heavy urbanisation, needs to be re defined.

ns-gjk-nwUk


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expressions 16

free and green. Certain mar-ket areas of the city should be

banned for vehicles so thatpeople could move freely. Theencouragement should be giv-

en for use of non conventionale n e r g y s o u r c e s f o r

transport. The cycle rick-shaws with improvised designs can also play a vital rolein bringing down the pollution and local administrationmust encourage the rickshaw pullers by giving themadequate financial assistance.

As regards planting trees, this must be done at war foot-ing, barren forests and wastelands needs to be afforest-ed. Help from premier institute engaged in forest re-search i.e. FRI having its Head quarters in Dehradun

could play vital role in providing saplings, suggestingarea-specific species to be planted and suitable plant-protection measures could go in very handy. Oil and Nat-

ural gas Commission and local Cantonment boards mayalso help a lot in this cause. As has been generally ob-served, we celebrate' van-mahotsava' every year byplanting millions of saplings but their rate of survival isalarmingly low. No one bothers about the fate of theplanted trees. It is equally important to reduce the mor-

tality rate. Utmost care needs to be taken in this regards.

Another aspect which is worth mentioninghere is under-utilization of rain water. Concept of rain

water harvesting may be old but rarely practiced. Everynew house must incorporate rain water harvesting sys-

tem and make use of the rain water which goes un-utilized.

The topic has no meaning if I fail to point out the existing sanitation and drainage system of the city.One heavy shower is sufficient to bring garbage on to

the roads; needless to say, local authority has to toil hardto find a permanent solution for this. As regards waste-disposal the authorities may be taking all the care but lotneeds to be done and achieved.

There could be many more aspects that re-quires to be addressed and re-dressed and could be partof the campaign but at this very outset I congratulateand hope that challenges would be encountered one byone.

A Beautiful campaign for Dehradun with amotto of ICARE is a wonderful beginning and I fully en-dorse my compliments for its success....

Amar S. Barwal

Instrumentation Engineer

to be coordinated to get whatever help could be possible. The total area requires to be divided into small sec-tors and sub sectors and each sub sector has to be proper-ly looked after by a group of local representatives. Schoolsare the ones from where the idea of green Dehradun

could percolate rapidly. Debates, seminars, symposiums,brain storming sessions, drawing competitions etc. needs to be organized to create awareness in various localities. Feeling of "keep your surroundings clean, green andpollution free" is to be generated and spread through the-se activities. Various areas of the cities could be owned by

business houses, elite social clubs, NGOs etc. to help thelocal bodies in planting saplings, strengthening infra struc-

ture like sanitation, water supply, irrigation, maintenanceof roads and in improving electricity and communicationnetworks. These business houses could act as a model of

green Dehradun and at the same time could advertise

their objectives. Mussoori, Dehradun Vikas Pradhikaranalong with local administration may be playing significant

role but these agencies along with other developmentalorganizations such as Town and Country Planning, Pollu-

tion Control Board, Irrigation and Public Health, ElectricityBoard, Cantonment Board and other Public Utility Organi-sation needs to be well coordinated with local bodies tohelp the cause.

When you move around Dehradun city,you may find eighteenth century hand pulled cart along-side an imported luxury car, may also find private carrierknown as Vikrams (Three wheeler) throwing tons offumes into the surroundings making mockery of pollutionfree certificates. New Delhi did face a similar disastroussituation few years back forcing the planners of the nation

to seriously look for the alternatives. The result is a use ofCNG introduced after so many deliberations in the public

transport system which not only reduced the air pollu-tants in the atmosphere but also made the transport eco-nomically viable. The use of this model in Dehradun can

bring in enormous changes in making the city pollution

ns-gjk-nwUk

Photograph by Sandip Puran Singh


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expressions 17

S

o, weve seen and discussed enough aboutDehradun. Weve seen the transition of theserene and pristine retirement retreat into anadvanced town with all the highs of develop-

ment, immigration, pollution, deforestation and all of those predominantly mentioned things. Weve seenthe abandon polythene movements, the discussions inour classes, in our drawing rooms, in those gruelingEVEd classes, and of course, in the fierce debate com-petitions. But hey! What next? What else have wedone except for discussing, blaming, and in the end,shutting off our headspace and going off to sleep, hop-ing that someone will come to change the way thingsare going on in our once peaceful and heavenly town?

We make faces at the traffic jams; cover our

noses to keep away from the obnoxious odours of the garbage thats there on the roads, blame the admin-istration for not taking care of the city, crib, and yellover the way everything is being managed, and well,do everything that everyone is conditioned to do.

But excuse me! What right do we have to ac-cuse the administration of anything? What have wedone? What are we doing? Are we following our du-

ties? Are we doing what were supposed to?

We feel disgusted to see the trash on theroads; especially the heaps at the railway station gate

right there and hurl curses at the management ofDehradun. But I would like to ask all of those highlyconcerned citizens who throws ice cream sticks,chips wrappers, chocolate wrappers, fruit peels, and allsorts of unnecessary stuff outside the car window,onto the roads? Who cares? Its the governments job

to keep everything clean. Why should we worry? Wearent getting paid for all this anyways. Let the officialsdo what they are being paid for. We are nowhere intoall this.

People might justify themselves saying thatthey do not collect heaps of garbage on the roads, but

all I want to tell them is maybe you guys dont collectheaps of garbage, but you contribute to it. When eve-

ryone does what youre doing, it creates a heap, a bigheap. Not just of garbage, but of indifference, igno-

rance, apathy, and ennui.

I want to ask you people. How many of youare really doing something for the garbage problem?

How many of you segregate biodegradable wastefrom non- biodegradable wastes? How many of youpractice the sustainable practice of composting? Howmany of you have separate dustbins for biodegradable

and non biodegradable wastes respectively?

The maximum problem of waste disposal inDehradun is exclusively because of the fact that wemix up both the kinds of wastes. The biodegradable

waste putrefies, and renders the non biodegradablewastes unfit for recycling. Rarely does any family practice segregation of household wastes. Roads are in-creasingly filled with toxic, stinking garbage, riversand other water bodies are losing their sustenance

because theyre overloaded with rubbish, and arereeking with the stench of untreated garbage.

One might argue that the environment wasnever "ours" to save, but maybe it deserves a bit more

respect than mankind has bestowed upon it thus far.What can be done to preserve what we have, restore

what we've destroyed, and raise awareness about en-

vironmental causes, it all depends upon us.

We are a democracy. A democracy is for thepeople, and by the people. Every problem we face can

be solved by active participation. Unless we take theinitiative, we dont have the right to accuse anyone ofnot doing anything. I find it incredibly amazingly hyp-ocritical as to how we so easily allege the slackness on

the part of the government but in no way want towaste our time in working for such things. I wouldcertainly encourage you to think about your actions,and your options. Every small problem in Dehradun is

due to the fact that we dont raise our voices and takethings in our stride. Let us be instrumental in making things happen, rather than waiting for our neighborsto initiate a revolution. In the end,

If not now, When?

If not here, Where?

If not you, then Who???

Be the Change, Right Here, Right Now!

Aishwarya SharmaConvent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun.

Clean doon greendoon


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expressions 18

T

he day begins with the ringing of myalarm clock at six in the morning. I wake

up, not to the lovely and blissful chirpingof birds, but to the honking of cars in my

street. Taking it as my regular wake up call , I take a stroll through my garden, hoping to enjoy the fresh morning air. As I step outside myhouse, a somewhat warm breeze, bringing along

with it the stink of the rotting garbage from thenearby dump, greets me.

What a fine way to begin the day with!

On my way to school, I notice youngsters takinga roller coaster ride, throwing caution to the

winds as the lone policeman tries, in vain, tostop them. I feel pity for the poor fellow, after all

who cares to take notice of him. Leaving all this

b e h i n d , I m a n a g e t o r e a c h m yclass avoiding the rush at the school gate. Fre-quent power cuts take away, with them the stud-

ying atmosphere of the classroom leaving me with no choice but to get distracted. This combined with boring lectures in some subjectsmakes the fun-filled hours at school seem to bemore like a punishment. Anyways withstanding

these difficulties I still manage to achieve a rea-sonable percentage. The last bell brings with itsome relief as well as pleasure to me, but all thissubsides as soon as I reach the School gate, and

the same old story repeats itself again. A longqueue of cars emitting poisonous smoke, whichseems to look like a serpent gobbles up the freshair and it becomes difficult to breathe

I stagger home, exhausted. Though I have hardly used any energy, yet the polluted atmosphereseems to drain my energy away. To refresh my-self, I decide to take a bath only to find that

there is not even a single drop of water in theshower. Whats new in that, after all how often is

the water supply regular? Grumbling, I step out

of the bathroom, disappointed, wondering when the situation will improve. Evening is the timefor me to go to Gandhi Park for a brief walk.Once again I notice traffic chaos on the road.

Policemen are absent from their duty. Even theirpresence makes no difference to the rude and

unruly drivers. Cyclists are constantly pushed off the road and drivers dont seem to be aware of

their presence. Reaching Gandhi Park I wonder ifit is really the same place which I have known

What a day

since childhood.

Taking two rounds of the park, I get back home, com-

plete my homework and go off to sleep. In one day I get to experience all phases of city life- irregularityof the Municipal Board, traffic disorders, overcrowdedpublic transport, lack of basic conditions of life likeelectricity and water and many others. This is my dai-ly life in the mini metropolis of Dehradun. I curse theinefficient

political leaders and their false promises that are re-sponsible for the present condition of my town. Itpains me to see how the condition of Dehradun has

worsened in recent years. I face all the hardships of

life every single day, and yet I say that I am proud tobe a citizen of Doon. I truly r emember my old Doon.

The day begins with the ringing of my alarm clock atsix in the morning. I wake up, not to the lovely and

blissful chirping of birds, but to the honking of cars inmy street. Taking it as my regular wake up call , I takea stroll through my garden, hoping to enjoy the freshmorning air. As I step outside my house, a somewhat

warm breeze, bringing along with it the stink of therotting garbage from the nearby dump, greets me.

What a fine way to begin the day with.On my way to school, I notice youngsters taking a

roller coaster ride, throwing caution to the winds as the lone policeman tries, in vain, to stop them. I feelpity for the poor fellow, after all who cares to takenotice of him. Leaving all this behind, I manage to

reach my class avoiding the rush at the school gate.Frequent power cuts take away, with them the study-ing atmosphere of the classroom leaving me with nochoice but to get distracted. This combined with bor-ing lectures in some subjects makes the fun-filledhours at school seem to be more like a punishment.Anyways withstanding these difficulties I still manage

to achieve a reasonable percentage. The last bell brings with it some relief as well as pleasure to me, but all this subsides as soon as I reach the School gate, and the same old story repeats itself again. Along queue of cars emitting poisonous smoke, whichseems to look like a serpent gobbles up the fresh aira n d i t b e c o m e s d i f f i c u l t t o b r e a t h e .


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expressions 19

I stagger home, exhausted. Though I have hardly used any energy, yet the polluted atmosphere seems todrain my energy away. To refresh myself, I decide to take a bath only to find that there is not even asingle drop of water in the shower. Whats new in that, after all how often is the water supply regular?

Grumbling, I step out of the bathroom, disappointed, wondering when the situation will improve. Evening

is the time for me to go to Gandhi Park for a brief walk. Once again I notice traffic chaos on the road. Po-licemen are absent from their duty. Even their presence makes no difference to the rude and unruly drivers. Cyclists are constantly pushed off the road and drivers dont seem to be aware of their

presence. Reaching Gandhi Park I wonder if it is really the same place which I have known since childhood.

Taking two rounds of the park, I get back home, complete my homework and go off to sleep. In one day Iget to experience all phases of city life- irregularity of the Municipal Board, traffic disorders, overcrowdedpublic transport, lack of basic conditions of life like electricity and water and many others. This is my dailylife in the mini metropolis of Dehradun. I curse the inefficient political leaders and their false promises

that are responsible for the present condition of my town. It pains me to see how the condition of Deh-radun has worsened in recent years. I face all the hardships of life every single day, and yet I say that I amproud to be a citizen of Doon. I truly remember my old Doon.

Naman Khanduri

St. Josephs Academy. Dehradun

What a day


20/24

expressions 20

GRAFESTKARTAVYA 2010

GRAFEST is not an event but a tradition that we follow every year in Graphic Era University. It

hosts a platform for young and budding students to show their extra-curricular wit and compete with

each other under different cultural craniums. This year the faculty of Management department and the

students took a step ahead to relate GRAFEST with social and environmental concerns and it was started

with a name KARTAVYA 2010 so as to keep in tune and emulate the kind of wonderful things I CARE has

been doing. Being extremely impacted by I CAREs initiatives, it was indeed an honour for us to host an

event with such a noble angle.KARTAVYA 2010 captured various environmental concerns and issues related to the youth under

its banner. The first day was dedicated to the youth wherein the team managed to inculcate the spirit of

hockey amongst the young blood and a quiz was organised to bring in awareness about the culture, the

heritage of India amongst all.

The second day was devotedto the global warming solutions wherein various aspects related to

the environment were given utmost importance. A nukkad natakwas staged in the college premises, the

focus of which was on less water consumption and anti-smoking. Students rode cycles to put forth the ne-

cessity of saving fuel. Various banners and charts prepared by the students of the KARTAVYA team

were pasted within the college premises to create awareness related to the same.

On the same day a pledge was taken to preserve the extinction of our national animal tiger. A

huge banner was placed in the college auditorium, on which the faculty members and the students

penned their signatures and took a pledge to save them.

The Honble President of Graphic Era University, Professor Kamal Ghanshala along with the Chief

Guest Air Commodore A.N Pradhan let off a bunch of white and green balloons (Symbol of Peace and Pros-

perity) in air to mark the success of the event.

Finally, the event was brought to a grand closure with the plantation drive held in Dehradun Hills

Academy situated on the outskirts of the city in Dehradun. It brought out the essence of this event being a

social and environmental concept.

Inputs by:

Ashwani Garoo (MBA II)Prachi Bansal (MBA IV)

In The News


21/24

expressions 21

The ambulance is equipped to clean trees, even perform small surgeries

NEW DELHI:Green cover in areas under New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is set to get a new lease of life. ComeDecember, and the civic body will launch a tree ambulance that will identify sick trees in need of urgent care andnurture them.

After August's heavy showers, over a 100 trees were uprooted in NDMC areas. Experts blamed it on concretizationand a lack of proper care of the city's trees, some of which are 20 to 30 years old.

The ambulance will be a part of a plant protection cell that will be set up before the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Said an NDMC official: "We have to protect these trees from termite attacks and fungal infection which leads to hol-low trunks. Besides this, they require regular pruning. People also have to be careful not to break branches or barksof trees indiscriminately.''

A survey conducted by Forest Research Institute, Dehradun found some sick trees in NDMC areas, but which couldbe salvaged with proper treatment.

The idea of a tree ambulance was devised to treat these trees and increase their longevity. According to NDMC, thisconcept of plant protection has never been adopted before in the country.

In the beginning, NDMC will start with 2-3 such ambulances. These ambulances will be built from special trucks andwill carry equipment like insecticide, water tanks, ladder, pruning equipment, strengthening material etc needed totreat sick trees.

The ambulances will take rounds of a particular area in NDMC on a monthly basis and monitor and inspect the treesalong the stretch. Each ambulance will have six to seven trained gardeners who will look after trees that need care.

Said an NDMC official: "If people know of a sick tree, they can get in touch with us through our control rooms. Sincethe trees cannot come to us, we have to keep an eye out and take good care of them.''

According to NDMC's horticulture department, trees on Janpath and Mother Teresa Crescent suffered from a termiteattack recently. Said an official: "Some old trees have fungal infections that cause cavities in the tree trunk. Thesehollow trees can be identified and treated. Trees also fall ill due to insect attack and that can be taken care of. We aredealing with concretization by carrying out soil work in such areas.''

According to NDMC, whenever trees fall due to storms, they replant new ones. For instance, many trees fell alongAurangzeb Road during the recent storms. Some of the oldest trees in NDMC can

be found along Tuglaq Crescent and Talkatora Garden.

GuysWhy cant we ask our respective State Govts. to help us with a few?Lets sign a petition asking the state govt. to help us out so as to prevent any damage.Mail your feedback to: [email protected]

In The News


22/24

expressions 22

House the Sparrow

For the first time, March 20 is being celebrated as the World House Sparrow Day

Dehradun, March 20

The Action and Research for Conservation in the Himalayas today observed the First World House Sparrow Day in

Dehradun.

At a function held at MKP(PG) College, Dr RS Tolia, Chief Information Commissioner, Uttarakhand, recalled the im-

portance of the rich avian fauna diversity in the state. He said the house sparrow stood as a symbol towards conser-

vation of avian fauna.

Chief Conservator of Forests Jairaj disclosed that birds always revealed the health of the environment. He called for

an understanding between Dehradun schools and forest authorities for wildlife conservation.

In his keynote address, ornithologist Prof Dinesh Bhatt from Gurukul Kangdi University attributed change in house

building pattern as the main reason behind the dwindling number of house sparrows. He said usage of pesticides was

also reason behind the deaths of sparrows.

RK Kohli, ecologist says, "Each species is a significant part of our food web so efforts must be made to ensure survivalof all. And we have to make more efforts to save sparrows because they cannot survive in the forests." Kohli is at pre-

sent doing a project commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forests that studies the effects of mobile ra-

diation on urban ecology.

"Making little changes in our lifestyle can go a long way in ensuring sustenance of these birds. CDMA technology

emits less powerful radiations than GSM services and landline phones are even better. Opting for technology that

pollutes less is one way of ensuring our contribution towards the ecosystem," he adds.

In The News


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expressions 23

Eco-livingis easy, affordable and smart, and can be incorporated in our lives. It now makes eco-nomic sense, and is the apt thing to do for our planet EARTH. We feel proud and satisfied knowing that our

very actions will preservethe charisma of life for our forthcominggenerations.

We must first take baby steps because the task of going green starts from our very own homes.

We can buy canvas bags and take them to the grocery store with us. We can make sure all lights are turnedoff when no one is in a room. . Once we start making these small changes in our familys everyday living,

well look for more and more ways to green up our home. Our children will thank us. The planet will thank

us. Make Eco Living commonplace in your own home, and set a good example. This months green tip is

making compost. If you have a garden or a kitchen garden, consider building a compost heap for your food

waste.

To build a compost pile1) Put leaves and grass trimmings in a bin

or pile.

2) Dampen the pile with a little bit of water.

3) Turn the pile once per month.

4) Add food waste (vegetable and fruit

scraps, tea leaves, etc.) daily and bury them

in the pile. Continue to add water so the

pile stays damp.

5) In 12 months, the bottom of the pile willturn into rich compost.

GO GREEN - GREEN TIP

Photograph by Sandip Puran Singh


24/24

Get in touch

Show that you care

No organization can thrive without active participation from people, especially theyoung brigade. So what are you waiting for? Just unleash your creativity and showthe world what you got!!We are looking for creative, enthusiastic and innovative people. Can you write? In-

vent crazy ways? Design? Photograph? Develop websites? Photoshop? Draw? What-ever you can do, you are invited. We can always utilize an extra mind!

As you know this is the inaugural issue of this magazine and we are expanding. I CAREvalues every member and we would appreciate your VIEWS.

To be a part of our initiative just mail us a paragraph about yourself and your skills.

We are online on www.icarefordoon.orgFollow us on

Also if you have any queries to make, you are most welcome to contact us.

Email us [email protected]

Ring upYudhishter Puran Singh

+9411114921Photograph by Anant Aggarwal
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expressions - inaugural issue june, 2010

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