Our New Villans!!

I was recently shocked and terrified coming to know about this thing which am gonna narrate here. There was this guy Dhesingh (name changed for obvious reasons) who was a newspaper delivery boy for our area. I live in this place for long and I knew him for quite some time. He lives in nearby slum area and a promising enthusiastic guy from a backward community making into a government arts college and finishing his B.A in history. His dad works as a security personnel in a flat here.

Days were happy for his family having got placed in a company and a typical charming arts college student was seen in him until one day. He was diagnosed with initial stages of cancerous growth of thyroid tissue. He doesn’t smoke and chances for pancreatic cancer are also not that deep. Neither their parents had this nor his ancestors. On deep investigation we were informed a reason on hearing which I was surprised initially. Almost 75% of that slum lives in asbestos sheet woven houses. Doctors terming that as one of the rarest occasion that a person getting the initial signs and symptoms of a cancer because he inhales air filled with trace amounts of rare asbestos oxides.

His dad brought the reports to my mom and branding me as a bioengineer, she asked me to go through those believing that I would infer something from that. Poor mom!! Later, I got a chance to speak with him itself. Well that was quite informative as well. Atmospheric oxygen reacts with asbestos and it forms oxides that on continuous inhalation induce cancer. He is living in that slum right from his birth and God only knows why particularly him?

Those days we use ceramic muddy roofing in conventional houses where people got enough non toxic air to inhale and holes in that provided lighting and ventilation. During rain, the water drains perfectly into a place due to the slant type make. Well this asbestos bestows us with all disadvantages. Ever imagined a mid day under one asbestos sheet? It’s horrible I tell you!! Well I went to his place and realized the asbestos filled area. It’s cheaper than all other roofing substitutes, they said. At least now I hope they would learn a lesson with this sorry state of my friend.

Many countries banned this carcinogenic material while we still are thinking about this. Poor us!! I did know how to console him. But, I was taken into surprise. He was cheerful. He is taking tablets regularly and he is under periodical monitoring. He has decided to shift his family to a village near a placed called Uthramerur and He says he will ask people to stop using this kind of roofing. He is going to change his house roof in his first month salary. A hut has a threat of catching fire and it is banned after a kumbakonam incidence. Now I can’t make out for the Govt is waiting for? A mass cancer epidemic?!!

Well it’s high time that we realize it was epidemics like plague cholera and small pox last century and now it’s the time of villains like the cancer diabetes and depression!!! Well I posted this for you guys to think and decide what you could contribute here!!

 

Should we act? or silently sit back and watch?

IPL and world cup season.. The cricket mania dominates whatsoever.. chuck out the board exams!! Damn the boards.. How dare u keep the exams when we have the world cups???!! But this post is not really about the cricket fever and its effects.. A new stadium is being built at kochin at the cost of 350crores to accommodate 10 IPL matches and other International matches in coming years. The already present stadium accommodates both football and hockey matches. (Remember maaro maaro song.. The same stadium!! )

I know what makes you think is significant here.. The point is, its being built at the cost of 24acres of Mangrove forests..In addition to that, its being built in a forest area spoiling the wildlife habitat, evacuating local tribal groups etc.. Poor keralites.. Even the opposition party is not supporting to protest against the happening. Money Magic!!  God's own country ????


Do you remember in your day long bus journey from a city to another city involved the travel through the forest routes with shades of trees on the roadside?.. I even remember seeing peacocks and deers on the way to chennai from srirangam!! 
Now where all did all that go?? Either you see new new nagars coming up selling the plots, or a super hi5 tech park coming up!! Now the Travel time reduces.. buses going fast.. roads are awesome.. but... I just think of the trees that were cut down.. the lands that were eaten up... There is absolutely No use in demolishing a forest and setting up a lawn in the median of a highway !!!Trains are even worse.. Indian railway tracks are the best ever dump yards in the world being filled by plastic cups.. Even the faeces can break one day.. But not the plastic cups you throw my dear!!!
uh??? i can hear your voices... Urbanization.. developments, Infrastructure... blah.. blah... blah..and more importantly.. As if I don't add up to this misery or what etc.. ?? Alas..!! lets try thinking logically to an extent than being argumentative.. For a minute, just think... Do you really think these  Urbanization.. developments, Infrastructure could help us life long??


I am not here to conclude this post with a "solution" to advice you!! Its upto us.. the youth.. the sceptic rationalists.. to act on this... What we can do within our limits???? I just pondered over and i took these oaths of late...

• I will throw off the degradable wastes in my own compost
• I am going to carry a bag every time I shop
• I will generate minimum E-Waste.
• I will not throw off the plastics wherever i see them.
• I will not waste materials right from food items to papers( ppl evencollect unused papers from hostels and use as rough note!!)
• I will try to use public transport system as much as i can.
• I will make my family Eco-Aware!!! 

I am not posting here to kindle you up to change your attitudes overnight.. It's information Age and we are independent thinkers. Analyze you tech-savvy minds!!  :)
My apologies to the readers for the tone and digressions in this blog... I attribute the reasons to live examples I see of late!!
I am here just to reiterate analyze your actions ecologically too the next time you do something.. After all.....

There is no PLANET B!!!!

MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

A ten das NSS camp was organised by our Carmel school, Erode at Periyachettipalayam village from 29th January to 4th February 2010. This year the theme of this special camp was "Healthy Youth for Healthy India". Twenty five NSS volunteers participated in the camp under the supervision of a programme officer. During the camp various activities like talks related to the theme and other social issues, interaction with the community and an awareness programme were organized in the adopted village. The students planned and conducted activities to make villagers aware of the ways in which they could contribute to the progress of their vilage.

Periyachettipalayam is a small village 5 kms away from Erode town. All volunteers were accomodated in the government school at the village. Initial hardships with respect to accomodation and hygiene brought them together as a united and supportive group.

Volunteers understood the villagers' culture, customs and means of livelihood. They came to know of the social problems that the villagers faced in their day to day life - mlnutrition being the most prominent. Unemployment, child marriage, alchoholism and ignorance were common as well. Corruption and inefficiency prevalent in the government machinery added to their problems. Also, the poor level of education was something to be sympathized with. Thus, the only way by which we could help them lead better lives was to teach the students and create awareness among villagers. While we did this, we too learnt a lot - both from the villagers and from the special programmes that had been organized for us at the camp. It was a reminder for the students that there is still a lot of work to be done to bring the villages of our country on par with the rich cities. The camp was a way of fulfilling our obligation toward society and learning that we can make a difference if we want to.

-Santanu Sasidharan Std.XII, Carmel M.H.S.S, Erode

CORRUPTION IN INDIA

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
– John Acton

Corruption means lack of integrity. It is an act done with intent to gain some advantage, inconsistent with official duty and the rights of others. It is not only about bribery, it also relates to the abuse of power in decision making process. It is a form of behaviour that deviates from ethics, morality, traditions and law. It is a global phenomenon which has progressively increased over time, and is now rampant in all societies across the world. In simple words, corruption is use of public office for private gain.

Corruption in India is a consequence of the nexus between bureaucrats, politicians and criminals. Earlier, bribes were paid for getting wrong things done, but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at right time. It is a vicious circle which keeps going on. It doesn’t shock Indians anymore to know that not only the politicians, ministers and officers are corrupt, but even the judges, professors, doctors and Nongovernmental organizations, etc., also belong to the same category. Corruption is prevalent in almost every level. Further, corruption has become something respectable in India, because respectable people are involved in it. It has its way because everyone is happy and no one has any problem with it. All of us break laws everyday and we also love the fact that we can do so when it is convenient for us.

The phenomenon of corruption is witnessed everywhere in the world is similar in this perspective. What differs is the magnitude of the problem.
The nongovernmental organization Transparency International, Berlin releases Corruption Perceptions Index annually. According to the 2010 CPI, the least corrupt countries are Denmark and New Zealand they are 1st in rank, whereas the most corrupt country is Somalia which ranks 178th, India ranks 87th it was 85th in 2008. It is getting worse here every year.

Some of the leading causes include overpopulation, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, and low wages of government officials and monopoly of the elite class. It is always the small fry who is sacrificed in any scam; the elite are never caught. It is no wonder that the Indian democracy is fast turning into a system “by the elite, for the elite and of the elite”.

"All that we want is young minds should come into action without any fear."
With Hopes,
A fearless Indian.