Swadesh is a movie starring Sharukh khan in a role of Mohan Bhargav, a NRI who works in NASA. He lands in a small village of India in search of his nanny. Looking at struggle of locals for electricity, he engineers hydroelectricity for village. If you say he is a hero in the movie and can do anything, no….there are real time heroes who have actually brought such innovative ideas to the benefit of rural mass and these heroes are not always people who studied abroad etc, these are one among rural many times. Unfortunate fact is that they hardly get noticed and get support from government. The inventions and implementations are often limited to the small area around them. Very less has been done to encourage them and adopt the techniques to rest of the India.
Why I’m bogging it today? Today on CNN-IBN, amidst lot of hulla-gulla news of India wining CB tri series, it telecasted at the end a small news about botany Prof.Anil Joshi who has upgraded watermills used for grinding grains to generate electricity. His effort has today brought lights to about 1000 villages of Uttarakhand. A real life hero appeared in an interview in his simple Khadi attire. Professor has an intention to extend his efforts beyond Jammu, Kashmir, to states of north east and even to china.
Hilly regions of Himalalayas often suffer from power shortages. Watermills are used since time immemorial (more than 200 years old at least) to grind grains to flour. With little up gradation these can be easily used to generate electricity. Can you believe this technology can be used to generate 2500 MW or 1200 million rupees per hour of electricity!!! Since watermills already exist, there is not much effort on investing on infrastructure. These are going to workout cheaper and effective than large hydroelectric power plants and less hazardous to environment. If implemented, it is going to boost local economy.
There are so many talented and dedicated innovative Indians working at grass root levels like Prof.Anil Joshi. There is no support and encouragement from government. We keep hearing so many such ideas coming from locals too who are not researchers but hobbyists or inventors born out of need. If good ideas are considered and implemented India would be a still better place to live.
When we talk about innovation and creativity in India it is often limited to Information Technology. Time to remember; innovation is not only about IT, it is also about useful technologies that help day today activities in smallest of small towns, villages in India. All don’t need electronic gadgets!!!
There are not enough organizations involved in encouraging and building on innovative ideas. Here are few I found:
1. National Innovation Foundation - This is a non profit organization supported by gvt of India. I could not find much info on this as there is some problem with website. www.nif.org.in
2. India Innovates: http://www.indiainnovates.com/products.html
3. Jamnalal Bajaj foundation which awards such inventions. Anyone in research and development can volunteer to involve in this work. http://www.innovationsofindia.com/
4. SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions): http://www.sristi.org
5. Honey Bee Network: http://knownetgrin.honeybee.org/honeybee.htm
6. GIAN : Grassroot innovations augmentation network based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. http://www.gian.org/
We need more number of such organizations.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
I was shy to blog
I was shy to express myself on blog !!!. I was scared that someone will read the pages of my mind and understand me ! What was I thinking? Is it possible to understand someone as whole just by reading thoughts ???? I laughed at myself. Its a myth that some one understands me. No one can understand me as much I understand myself. Yes, no one can understand you as much you understand yourself !!!.Then what about our parents? our life partners? our best friends? hmmmm...., its just the percentage of understanding that varies. Your best friend can understand you some percent more than your 'just friend'. Your parents and life partners can understand you better than anyone else and off course relatively. Understanding is just a relative word. The percentage of understanding varies, it always tending to 100% but never reaches 100%. Its just I who understand myself completely and its just you who understands you completely. So reading my blog makes you understand me ? Nope, its just a small percentage of what I'm really :-).
Friday, February 15, 2008
Regionalism- How costly is it for nation?
I'm reluctantly dragging my self in to this issue now. I tried not to write about it. But this question keeps coming back to me. Now again the recent drama going on in amchi Mumbai - Mr.Raj Thackeray and UPA gvt.
Mr. Raj Thackeray's statements -
"I will say it to Maharashtrians who work in other states too. Wherever you go, respect the local culture or you will suffer. Maharashtrians in America have a Maharashtra mandal every year. You know when they celebrate it? On July 4, the American Independence Day. "
It may be true that one get to see maharashtra culture less in Mumbai. But why not he understand that whole of India thinks 'Mumbai' as theirs? Mumbai has crossed the limitation of state , it now belongs to nation, which every one must be proud of. Same way as all Indians think and love Sachin Tendulkar as an Indian than a Maharshtrian.Will it not be stupid if Mr.Raj limits Sachin to Maharashtra ?
There is no end to regionalise our self,- Indian, a kannadiga, then a bengalurian or a still a small town Dharwad etc. Need of bread drags people to anywhere. A Dharwadi migrates to Bengaluru, a Kannadiga migrates to Maharashtra, An Indian migrates to U.S./UK. Mr. Raj opposed Uttar Pradesh din in Bombay; Indians take out a parade in U.S celebrating Indian independence day in U.S. of course on Aug 15th not on July 4th . Chinese new year was recently celebrated so grandly in UK.There is a demonstration of international tolerance and it is ridiculous that UP din was not tolerated in India , a country known for tolerance and harmony !!!. It is the responsibility of a migrant to respect local culture, and also it is the responsibility of locals to tolerate migrants and understand their attachments to native culture.
Now if we regionalise and say a Maharshtrian in Mumbai or kannadiga in Bengaluru is deprived of a job etc and see the solution as sending all non-locals back to their home, then why need something called a India ? Lets all separate out, make our own nation, have our own regional military. Country Karanataka, Country Maharashtra. Military of Maharashtra ......Lets become what we were before the advent of Europeans.
What Raj could have done?
Solution is developing other non-developed states.....says Mr.Raj, I agree too. Then what is that he is doing for it? It is always easy to point to an issue and talk.Is there a concern to solve it for the benefit of people ? There is talk, Where is the action ? He is a leader and hence his voice is always heard at least better than mine :-). He could have raised an alarm without public agitation. He could have talked to leaders at centre and other states to find collective solutions if he really had conerns about Nation as a whole. No ,he will not do that. why ? answer is simple. 'Divide and rule' with self centered benefits. He did nothing to actually address the root cause, And what is that any other politician is doing to solve the issue? nothing.....absolutely nothing. There are statements saying what Raj is doing is not correct. Is anyone taking the real message that there is a need to deveop other cities as well? No....there is no one.
So who suffers ?
Its the public, one who is driven back to home state and the city of Mumbai and finally India- in case of Mumbai , it is Indian economy. Time when global economic recession is imminent, isn't such developement in Mumbai-the economic centre of India, dangerous for Indian economy? Now, does the after effects of such things leave Maharashtra ? - no, because it is part of India right ? Effect is cumulative, any state harmed drowns every one else on the ship called India.
So whats in our hand?
We know our politicians are useless, don't have a vision and if at all any one like Abdul Kalaam becomes president, they will not be allowed 2nd term. There are no chances that we will get eminent visionaries as leaders. So all we have to do is protect our selfs. Don't succumb to the false propagandas politicians use to 'divide and rule'.Its easy to get angry on people from other state, but think of consequences. Lets preserve local culture by following it our self and not imposing it on others. Imposing will lead to differences and intern affect India as whole and come back to us; we need to forgive; else we all together will be drown in regionalism driven propagandas. We will end up in same situation as pre-European invasion, with regional differences, ruled by Rajas then and modern day politicians like Mr.Raj today. If that happens, then? Then it is easy for others waiting to invade/break us- the silent killers and back stabbers. You know who they are.
Thanks for reading till end
Mr. Raj Thackeray's statements -
"I will say it to Maharashtrians who work in other states too. Wherever you go, respect the local culture or you will suffer. Maharashtrians in America have a Maharashtra mandal every year. You know when they celebrate it? On July 4, the American Independence Day. "
It may be true that one get to see maharashtra culture less in Mumbai. But why not he understand that whole of India thinks 'Mumbai' as theirs? Mumbai has crossed the limitation of state , it now belongs to nation, which every one must be proud of. Same way as all Indians think and love Sachin Tendulkar as an Indian than a Maharshtrian.Will it not be stupid if Mr.Raj limits Sachin to Maharashtra ?
There is no end to regionalise our self,- Indian, a kannadiga, then a bengalurian or a still a small town Dharwad etc. Need of bread drags people to anywhere. A Dharwadi migrates to Bengaluru, a Kannadiga migrates to Maharashtra, An Indian migrates to U.S./UK. Mr. Raj opposed Uttar Pradesh din in Bombay; Indians take out a parade in U.S celebrating Indian independence day in U.S. of course on Aug 15th not on July 4th . Chinese new year was recently celebrated so grandly in UK.There is a demonstration of international tolerance and it is ridiculous that UP din was not tolerated in India , a country known for tolerance and harmony !!!. It is the responsibility of a migrant to respect local culture, and also it is the responsibility of locals to tolerate migrants and understand their attachments to native culture.
Now if we regionalise and say a Maharshtrian in Mumbai or kannadiga in Bengaluru is deprived of a job etc and see the solution as sending all non-locals back to their home, then why need something called a India ? Lets all separate out, make our own nation, have our own regional military. Country Karanataka, Country Maharashtra. Military of Maharashtra ......Lets become what we were before the advent of Europeans.
What Raj could have done?
Solution is developing other non-developed states.....says Mr.Raj, I agree too. Then what is that he is doing for it? It is always easy to point to an issue and talk.Is there a concern to solve it for the benefit of people ? There is talk, Where is the action ? He is a leader and hence his voice is always heard at least better than mine :-). He could have raised an alarm without public agitation. He could have talked to leaders at centre and other states to find collective solutions if he really had conerns about Nation as a whole. No ,he will not do that. why ? answer is simple. 'Divide and rule' with self centered benefits. He did nothing to actually address the root cause, And what is that any other politician is doing to solve the issue? nothing.....absolutely nothing. There are statements saying what Raj is doing is not correct. Is anyone taking the real message that there is a need to deveop other cities as well? No....there is no one.
So who suffers ?
Its the public, one who is driven back to home state and the city of Mumbai and finally India- in case of Mumbai , it is Indian economy. Time when global economic recession is imminent, isn't such developement in Mumbai-the economic centre of India, dangerous for Indian economy? Now, does the after effects of such things leave Maharashtra ? - no, because it is part of India right ? Effect is cumulative, any state harmed drowns every one else on the ship called India.
So whats in our hand?
We know our politicians are useless, don't have a vision and if at all any one like Abdul Kalaam becomes president, they will not be allowed 2nd term. There are no chances that we will get eminent visionaries as leaders. So all we have to do is protect our selfs. Don't succumb to the false propagandas politicians use to 'divide and rule'.Its easy to get angry on people from other state, but think of consequences. Lets preserve local culture by following it our self and not imposing it on others. Imposing will lead to differences and intern affect India as whole and come back to us; we need to forgive; else we all together will be drown in regionalism driven propagandas. We will end up in same situation as pre-European invasion, with regional differences, ruled by Rajas then and modern day politicians like Mr.Raj today. If that happens, then? Then it is easy for others waiting to invade/break us- the silent killers and back stabbers. You know who they are.
Thanks for reading till end
Namaste - Some thoughts
Namaste,
Since it is my first blog write up, I thought of starting it with few thoughts on 'Namaste' itself.
Ever since I landed in Houston, it is one of my favorite routine to call my cousin sister during my evening tea time and talk with her. That day returning from yoga class she said "today in class they told us about meaning of Namaste, it means 'the light within me bows to the light within you'. It is so unfortunate that our own ancient priceless practices like yoga or namaste, are today being taught to us by Americans" this made me to ponder the deeper meanings of ‘Namaste’.
Noted educationalist Dr.Karjagi said “Our Indian culture is not expressive like west but it is reflective, reflective towards inner self. We don’t tell our mom explicitly that ‘mother we love you’ neither does our mother say ‘I love you’ to the us, unlike in west. In our culture love is always implied by actions. It is reflective to inner self, not the outer appearance”.
While the western culture encourages outward growth, Bharatiyata(e) reflects on inner growth. Western culture says to reach out and touch others to say 'hi' or 'hello' 'bye' with a hand shake, Indian culture says to look within yourself - implied in a gesture like namaste. Namaste is bowing to other person but with grace and pride. Greeting with Namaste is a greater honor than a ‘hi’, because ‘namaste’ is the same greeting we use to pray God. Definitely we cannot handshake God and say ‘hi’ to god, if at all God appears before us :-). So Namaste is expressing the same respect to the person as we show respect to our God. This is so because Indian philosophy believes in the existence of divinity in every human being.
Namaste is a gesture or mudra, bringing both palms together and touching them near heart (Anahatha chakra).Gesture itself expresses itself and one need not actually say namaste. Namaste is derived from Sanskrit word 'namaha' + 'te' - literally meaning 'I bow to you'. However there are deeper meanings to Namaste, all are spiritual to be felt deep inside our heart. Namaste means
We are so much tuned to western culture that we are forgetting the good things about our own culture. Do we need others to tell us about these? A very simple everyday greeting like Namaste is also being forgotten these days. I myself is so much used to 'hi' that it is taking time to change it back to namaste. I'm still trying. Many of us know that there are deeper meanings to our practices but most of the times we don’t know what they are for and what they mean. Attempts are required in this direction to know the true meanings and retain the good values. With thousands of years of experiments, Yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, Vedas and other concepts have been formulated. Lets preserve good culture of ours and learn good from other culture and enrich ours further. Try to use Namaste wherever possible and encourage others to use it. It is for greater causes than just a greeting.
In college days one of my friend tried using namaste. Everyone started using namaste only to greet her and some would go to an extent to make fun of it. Why is it that when it comes to traditions, we are ashamed to follow it? Why is it considered not fashionable to follow our own good traditions? Have anyone observed that our traditions are coming back to us from west after research? For example now it is scientifically proven that Veda Mantras have power of influencing mind in positive way by the use of sound energy. Now it is proven medically that two teaspoons of turmeric if used daily, can help fight cancer. It increases immunity and is helpful for arthritis, allergy, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease also. It is a tradition to include turmeric in all the food preparations we make. West has realized the benefits and importance of yoga more than us and has adopted it. I can quote here hundreds and thousands of researches. Why is it that some fact only when it comes from west is treated as correct? It is time to realize value of our culture, its benefits. Let’s understand and retain the good part of us before it is too late.
Since it is my first blog write up, I thought of starting it with few thoughts on 'Namaste' itself.
Ever since I landed in Houston, it is one of my favorite routine to call my cousin sister during my evening tea time and talk with her. That day returning from yoga class she said "today in class they told us about meaning of Namaste, it means 'the light within me bows to the light within you'. It is so unfortunate that our own ancient priceless practices like yoga or namaste, are today being taught to us by Americans" this made me to ponder the deeper meanings of ‘Namaste’.
Noted educationalist Dr.Karjagi said “Our Indian culture is not expressive like west but it is reflective, reflective towards inner self. We don’t tell our mom explicitly that ‘mother we love you’ neither does our mother say ‘I love you’ to the us, unlike in west. In our culture love is always implied by actions. It is reflective to inner self, not the outer appearance”.
While the western culture encourages outward growth, Bharatiyata(e) reflects on inner growth. Western culture says to reach out and touch others to say 'hi' or 'hello' 'bye' with a hand shake, Indian culture says to look within yourself - implied in a gesture like namaste. Namaste is bowing to other person but with grace and pride. Greeting with Namaste is a greater honor than a ‘hi’, because ‘namaste’ is the same greeting we use to pray God. Definitely we cannot handshake God and say ‘hi’ to god, if at all God appears before us :-). So Namaste is expressing the same respect to the person as we show respect to our God. This is so because Indian philosophy believes in the existence of divinity in every human being.
Namaste is a gesture or mudra, bringing both palms together and touching them near heart (Anahatha chakra).Gesture itself expresses itself and one need not actually say namaste. Namaste is derived from Sanskrit word 'namaha' + 'te' - literally meaning 'I bow to you'. However there are deeper meanings to Namaste, all are spiritual to be felt deep inside our heart. Namaste means
- I bow to the good/divine in you.
- The light within me bows to the light within you
- I bow to the God who is within you and me.
- I respect the real you in you as I respect myself.
- I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you, where lies your love, your light, your truth and your beauty. I honor the place in you, where...if you are in that place in you ... and I am in that place in me...then there is only one of us
We are so much tuned to western culture that we are forgetting the good things about our own culture. Do we need others to tell us about these? A very simple everyday greeting like Namaste is also being forgotten these days. I myself is so much used to 'hi' that it is taking time to change it back to namaste. I'm still trying. Many of us know that there are deeper meanings to our practices but most of the times we don’t know what they are for and what they mean. Attempts are required in this direction to know the true meanings and retain the good values. With thousands of years of experiments, Yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, Vedas and other concepts have been formulated. Lets preserve good culture of ours and learn good from other culture and enrich ours further. Try to use Namaste wherever possible and encourage others to use it. It is for greater causes than just a greeting.
In college days one of my friend tried using namaste. Everyone started using namaste only to greet her and some would go to an extent to make fun of it. Why is it that when it comes to traditions, we are ashamed to follow it? Why is it considered not fashionable to follow our own good traditions? Have anyone observed that our traditions are coming back to us from west after research? For example now it is scientifically proven that Veda Mantras have power of influencing mind in positive way by the use of sound energy. Now it is proven medically that two teaspoons of turmeric if used daily, can help fight cancer. It increases immunity and is helpful for arthritis, allergy, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease also. It is a tradition to include turmeric in all the food preparations we make. West has realized the benefits and importance of yoga more than us and has adopted it. I can quote here hundreds and thousands of researches. Why is it that some fact only when it comes from west is treated as correct? It is time to realize value of our culture, its benefits. Let’s understand and retain the good part of us before it is too late.
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