Wildlife

There are no tigers in Sariska. They kept telling me that, but I would not listen. I steadfastly believed that if you have the patience, you can see them. The ones who cannot sight the tiger are either unfortunate or are yuppie north Indians who look more for a spot to share sandwiches in the forest than to look for the majestic animal.

They have been vindicated and I stand corrected. It has been revealed that complicity with census officials has systematically killed all tigers in Sariska. On the other hand, we have enough tigers in the Southern forests. I recently asked a Keralite friend who was code named Ashok M about this (He says that is his real name). I asked him how the Southern tigers were spared.

He told me that tigers were not the object of poachers' affection in the South. There, brigands preferred the tusks of elephants and killed more pachyderms than predators. Tigers were of no use to them.

I was confused. I wanted to know why hadn't the greed of taxidermists reached South India. He said that was owing to two reasons: A distinct language problem and vegetarian habits of South Indians. The very thought of Koreans eating tiger penises was revolting to any self-respecting mundu. This was taking cock-sucking to a higher level.

There lay the solution. Why couldn't we transfer all the tigers to the South and import elephants to the north? The poachers may have less to do if we did that. My friend from California, Charles Shult was not impressed by this argument. He had a better idea. "I have heard that you have saved the Nilgai or the Blue Bull from extinction as its name means 'cow'. The Hindus don't hurt the cow. So even if it is a deer it is better known as a cow. Is that correct?''

I nodded in agreement. "So all you have to do is call the tiger a yellow cow. That will do the trick,'' he finished with great satisfaction and took a long drag on his vodka. Yankee ingenuity at its best.

I somehow think we are all missing the point. If I had been a naturalist, would I fail tackling the wildlife problem for 50 years after independence? I don't think so. I think our lack of proper laws, proper awareness in the lower judiciary and in the media about wildlife is owing to a full scale complicity with the naturalists in this country.

The poachers can't keep doing it if the ecologists wanted to stop them. I think the sketchy picture that we have of wildlife needs, is a deliberate ploy by ecologists in India to keep the public guessing and keep the grants coming. NGOs are still the milch cattle they were. The law looks the other way or better still does not exist.

Consider this: Selling karikul caps in New Delhi's Janpath is perfectly legal. Who forgot to include it in the Indian Penal Code? Maybe it was the friendly neighbourhood ecologist. I am sure it was. Conservation is a farce in India. Getting camels to die on the Mumbai beaches is not against any Central statute. The Mumbai administration brought in a local rule after Zee TV spoke about it. There are no rules framed as per the Environment Protection Act and the Cruelty to Animals section in the Indian Penal Code. I could go on and on.

Want to save trees?

Would you like to save trees, many of which are majestic centenarians? The zoo-cum-botanical park of India’s economical capital, Mumbai, known as Jijamata Udyan or Rani Bagh, has been chalk-marked for revamping at a phenomenal cost of Rs.433.57 crores by the city’s municipality. This 53-acre park, Rani Bagh, was established as a botanical park in 1861 and is today a home to 3,177 trees of great diversity, many of which have stood proud for over a century. The project has been assigned to a foreign company, the Thai-based Malaysian company H.K.S. Designers and the Portico group (US). The modernization plan, as per media reports, involves the construction of several concrete structures such as a 3-D theatre, a children’s park, staff quarters, expansion of the animal hospital, car park, etc. which will convert this botanist’s paradise into an amusement park, in no way benefiting the animals. It is feared that since that this green lung in the heart of one of the most congested areas of the city has no vacant space for construction, many of the grand old trees would be sacrificed. Please click on the link www.saveranibagh.org for more information and sign the petition to save the trees if your heart so desires.

Eco-housing Criteria: Version II for 5 Climatic Zones

The Eco-Housing Mainstreaming Partnership was initiated by the International Institute of Energy Conservation (IIEC) with the support of USAID India (United States Agency for International Development) and the USAID Global Development Alliance.

The program is being implemented by IIEC with the support of its partners, who are mentioned below

Program Implementing Partners
Science and Technology Park, Pune
Centre for Environmental Education, Ahmedabad

Supporting Organizations
Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture, Pune
Rachna Sansad’s Institute for Environment Architecture, Mumbai
National Institute for Advanced Studies in Architecture, Pune

Supporting Municipal Corporations
Pune Municipal Corporation
Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation

On 26th August, 2009 Eco- housing Assessment Criteria – Version II for 5 climatic zones of the country was launched at the Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture, Prabhadevi, Mumbai.

Dr Nitin Pandit, IIEC President highlighted the need for Eco-housing in India’s growing urban and peri-urban communities. Dr. Archana Walia, Program Manager, Office of Environment, Energy and Enterprise at USAID spoke at the event, describing the evolution of Eco-housing and hoped that the adoption of the program would rapidly spread across India. Dr. Walia then released the Eco-housing Assessment Criteria Version – II. The document will soon be available on the Eco-Housing website.

Ms. Brinda Ayer from IIEC made a presentation on the Eco-housing assessment criteria Version II, as well as on the proposed website through which developers can self-assess the rating of their project.

Ms. Sonali Bhattacharya from the Science and Technology Park (STP) spoke on behalf of Dr. Jagdale, Director STP who could not attend the event due to illness. She described the status of 15 on-going Eco-housing projects in Pune that were in different stages of Eco-housing certification process. She also pointed out some of the hurdles in the certification process that need to be addressed as the program evolves. Ms.Jayashree Deshpande, director in charge, NIASA updated the audience on the status of the proposed Eco-housing auditors exam to be administered by NIASA. Dr. R. Gopichandran from the Centre for Environmental Education (CEE) made a dynamic presentation on the ongoing efforts of the CEE to take the adoption of Eco-housing criteria across India.

The audience at the event consisted of builders, developers, architects, urban planners and other stakeholders. They quizzed the panel on aspects of criteria selection, pointed out the need for awareness among home-buyers and made valuable suggestions on the design and implementation of the program.

It is hoped that the up-take among builders in Pune is replicated in Mumbai and other cities, to ensure that future buildings are sustainably constructed and form a healthy environment for their residents.

Intelligent Chicken story:

A farmer rears twenty-five young hens and one old cock. As he feels that the old cock could no longer handle his job efficiently, the farmer bought one young cock from the market.


Old cock to Young cock : "Welcome to join me, we will work together towards productivity.


Young cock : What you mean? As far as I know, you are old and should be retired.


Old cock : Young boy, there are twenty-five hens here, can't I help you with some?


Young cock : No! Not even one, all of them will be mine.


Old cock : In this case, I shall challenge you to a competition and if I win you shall allow me to have one hen and if I lose you will have all.


Young cock : O.K. What kind of competition?


Old cock: 50 meter run. From here to that tree. But due to my age, I hope you allow me to start off the first 10 meters.


Young cock : No problem ! We will compete tomorrow morning.


Confidently, the following morning, the Young cock allows the Old cock to start off and when the Old cock crosses the 10 meters mark the Young cock chases him with all his might.


Soon enough, he was behind the Old cock back in a matter of seconds..


Suddenly, Bang! ....... before he could overtake the old cock, he was shot dead by the farmer, who cursed, "Hell ! This is the fifth GAY chicken I've bought this week !"

Second Chance

It's another morning..
... Again I have to go to office.

Ohh, this is me. I shouted having a glance on my snap in today's news paper.
But what the HELL it is doing in the death column ??

Strange.

One sec... Let me think, last night when I was going to bed I had a severe
pain in my chest, but I don't remember anything after that, I think I had a
sound sleep.

Its morning now,
ohh... It's already 10:00 AM, where is my coffee?
I will be late for office and my boss will get a chance to irritate me.

Where is everyone.??? I screamed.

"I think there is a crowed outside my room, let me check." I said to
myself..

So many people... Not all of them crying.
But why some of them crying.

WHAT IS THIS??? I m laying there on the floor.

"I AM HERE" . I shouted!!! No one listen.
"LOOK I AM NOT DEAD" . I screamed once again!!! No one is
interested in me.
They all were looking me on the bed.

I went back to my bed room.

"Am I dead??" I asked myself.

Where is my wife, my children, my mom-DAD, my friends?

I found them in the next room, all of them were crying. still trying to
console each other.


My wife was crying. she was really looking sad.
My little kid was not sure what happened, but he was crying just coz his
mom was sad.


How can I go without saying my kid that I really love him, I really do
care of him. ??
How can I go without saying my wife that she is really most beautiful and
most caring wife in this world..??
How can I go without saying my parents that I m . just because of u ??
How can I go without telling my friends that without them perhaps I have
done most of the wrong things in my life. thanks for being there always
when I need them. and sorry for not being there when they really need me..

I can see a person standing in the corner and trying to hide his tears.
Ohh. he was once my best friend, but a small misunderstanding made us part,
and we both have strong enough ego to keep us disconnect.

I went there..
And offered him my hand, "Dear friend. I just want to say
sorry for everything, we r still best friend, please forgive me."

No response from other side, what the hell?? He is still preserving his
ego, I am saying sorry. even then!!!
I really don't care for such people.


But one sec.. it seems he is not able to see me!!!! He did not see my
extended hand.
My goodness. AM I REALLY DEAD???

I just sat down near ME; I was also feeling like crying.

"OHH ALMIGHTY!!!! PLEASE
JUST GIVE ME FEW MORE DAYS."
I just wasn't to make my wife, my parents; my friends realize that how much
I love them.

My wife entered in the room, she looks beautiful.
"YOU R BEAUTIFUL" I shouted.
She didn't hear my words, in fact she never heard these words coz I never
said this to her.

"GOD!!!!" I screamed. a little more time plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..
I cried.

One more chance please. to hug my child, to make my mom smile just once, to
feel my dad proud on me at least for a moment, to say sorry to my friends
for everything I have not given to them, and thanks for still being in my
life..

Then I looked up and cried!!!!

I shouted..

"GOD!!!! ONE MORE CHANCE PLEASE!!!!"

"You shouted in your sleep," said my wife as she gently woke me up. "Did
you have a nightmare?"

I was sleeping..
Ohh
that was just a dream..

My wife was there. she can hear me.This is the happiest moment of my life.
I hugged her and whispered.. "U R THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND CARING WIFE IN
THIS UNIVERSE.. I REALLY LOVE U DEAR"

I can't understand the reason of the smile on her face with some tears in
her eyes, still I m happy..


"THANK YOU GOD FOR
THIS SECOND? CHANCE."


SO, Now it's not late.. Forget Ur Egos, Past. and Xpress Ur love to others.
Be friendly. Keep smiling. for ever...

Dear Friends,
Keep your ego aside and express your love, care, appreciation, friendship, because you won't get a second chance always

The World Within and the World Without

There are only two worlds. The world within and the world without.
The world within creates the world without.
The world within is mental/spiritual, the world without is material/physical.
Complete understanding of the two worlds is perfect knowledge.
The key is to understand the world within and use it to rule the world without.
The world within is the cause, the world without is the effect.
The inner governs the outer always. The outer is a reflection of the inner.
The outer conditions mirror the inner consciousness.
The world within and the world without are not two separate worlds. They are two different levels of the same world. The world is mental. All is mind, the universe is mental. As above so below, as within so without. This is secret knowledge. The two most important kinds of knowledge are secret knowledge and governing knowledge. One gives you awareness, the other gives you power. Secret Knowledge is knowing how things work and understanding what’s going on. The reason why it is secret is because it is not normally known. It is so powerful that only those with insight and perception can appreciate its value. Only conscious people can see reality for what it really is. When you have this knowledge, you can use it first to govern yourself, then use it to govern everything else. This is called using secret knowledge as governing knowledge.
Governing knowledge is knowledge that runs your psyche. It is the governing statements of your mind that determine what you do, how you do it and why you do it. It is the operating dynamics that controls your thoughts, your emotions and your behaviors. What governs your mind, governs your reality. By governing yourself, you can govern the world. When you can control yourself, you can control others. You can only control what is without by controlling what is within. All control is self control. To be in control, you must know. All knowledge is self knowledge. You can overcome something by overcoming it within. When you overcome it within yourself, you overcome it in the world.

Corporate Life

I always wonder what is the purpose of our existence on this earth. sometimes i feel that we humans create complexities in our life which is the reason for our depression. Honestly we have stopped living life we are only trying to go thru the phase of living by having a illusion that by being successful which is making more money and fancy designations is a huge success. Does success means having more money and power by working in a large corporate and having more number of reportees. We fool ourselves by convincing ourselves that yes getiting up the corporate ladder is success and i am continously learning. is the terrorist also not learning by creating bombs, destructive devices and also learning in the process. your answer is no because he is hurting the society and doing a negative job. hey wait are you also not hurting a lot of people in day to day corporate life by threatening them with their jobs, of making them feel insecure. we are so bothered about our bosses that we forget our near and dear ones and then justify saying that without money nothing is possible. Agreed that without money you cannot survive but why do you want more money if your basic necessities can be taken care of? but i know you are a MBA and you will see that how do i learn and then without learning there is no purpose of life. Great Good - Best of luck to you corporate managers who actually are cowards in life and refuse to agree that family, near and dear ones are to be given importance only when you have lost them