 
Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka

Hard of desire: How to make the world sustainable

Desire is the cause of freedom and change
Copyright (C) 2019 by Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka

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#  Contents

  1. I. CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND DISASTERS
  2. Building resilience and coping with disasters
  3. Climate Change and Rural Livelihoods
  4. Going to Himalayas
  5. Nature's fury- Cyclone
  6. Thin line between life and death
  7. The ten days in Kabul
  8. II. ENVIRONMENT
  9. Environmental Awareness
  10. Court intervention to arrest Sand Mining
  11. Cleanliness
  12. Ignored needs of farmers
  13. Poisoned rivers and troubled lives
  14. Sacrificing villages for development
  15. Rescuing the gods from pilgrim footprints
  16. Mules and waste management
  17. Assessment of Iron ore mines in Goa
  18. Iron Ore Mines - Barbil, Orissa
  19. Pollution in Patancheru
  20. Fox Society
  21. Environmental Legal Activism
  22. Airport Expansion
  23. Rocks blasting
  24. Protecting Taj Mahal from discolouration
  25. Drinking poison from reused chemical drums
  26. Ganga River
  27. Fog and Rocks
  28. Home reflecting Nature's bounty
  29. Biochar compost bin
  30. Wild animals in villages
  31. III. ECOLOGY
  32. Learning principles of wildlife study from Mouse Deer and Vultures
  33. What we love is ours - Community Forest Management
  34. Eastern Ghats Expedition
  35. Nallamala Hills
  36. Visit to remote Assam
  37. Bird Islands in Hussain Sagar lake
  38. Ecology awareness
  39. Cycling Track
  40. Gaia Aquarist
  41. Spirituality, Nature and Wild Life
  42. Change your environment
  43. Trapped in the lake sludge
  44. IV. DEVELOPMENT
  45. Decision Support Systems
  46. Open Knowledge
  47. Leaders and Envisioning the Future
  48. Food Security
  49. Poor and destitute
  50. V. AGRICULTURE
  51. Agriculture and technology
  52. Biocharculture
  53. Chowtkur village failed to offer cup of tea
  54. Sunlight Harvesting
  55. Charcoal production
  56. VI. WATER
  57. Efficient Irrigation Technologies
  58. Floatigation
  59. Rootigation
  60. Sapigation
  61. Perchigation
  62. Sewagigation
  63. Geo Biochar Capsule
  64. Water Names
  65. Biochar Bathrooms
  66. Gardens on the move!
  67. Plants Library
  68. Rainharvester
  69. Geo Filter
  70. Cursed Lives in Fluorosis Affected Regions
  71. VII. ENERGY
  72. Facilitating stoves and getting scolded
  73. Good stoves in Cherangani hills of Kenya
  74. Stoves for sex workers
  75. Values in promoting good stoves
  76. Biomass Pellets
  77. Open kitchen
  78. VIII. EDUCATION
  79. Teaching
  80. Presentation
  81. Environment is an open book
  82. IX. POLICY AND ADVOCACY
  83. Ekalavya Foundation
  84. Prof. KPR Foundation
  85. Conservation of Eastern Ghats
  86. Karma Bhumi
  87. Gods can protect their environment
  88. Biodiversity
  89. Good should pervade
  90. Entrepreneurship
  91. Service through Government
  92. X. GEO SPIRIT
  93. Earth leadership emergence
  94. Earth Leadership for Children
  95. Geo Spirit being
  96. Earth Leadership
  97. Enlightenment, Nature and Spirituality
  98. Beginning of Geo Spirit meets
  99. Geo Spirit Center
  100. Earth Leaders Commune
  101. Science and Spirituality
  102. Bodhi the Buddha
  103. Geo Spirit Retreat
  104. Happiness
  105. Consciousness
  106. Mindfulness and consciousness
  107. Who am I ?
  108. XI. SERVE THE WORLD
  109. Initiative into service
  110. Preparing for service
  111. Falling in the manhole
  112. Kamatipura, Mumbai
  113. Confession
  114. Leaders in Politics

# I

# Climate Resilience and Disasters

# 1

# Building resilience and coping with disasters

Coming from a semi-arid environment, the floods occur less frequently due to heavy and continuous rains. This is mainly because the drainage system trained for a quantity of water flows from the usually expected rainfall is unable to cope with the excess rainfall. Floods occur especially along the banks of the rivers and streams and more often in the low-lying and plain areas.

I observed the floods that occurred in Hyderabad which are not major as the floods that occur along the coastal areas. The 1997 floods are memorable to me, as I traveled to different parts of the city to observe.

I went into the eye of the cyclone that occurred and entered through Kavali town in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Could see the destruction caused to the railway line, uprooted trees, damaged roads, breached tanks, rivers in spate, marooned villages, rescue and relief measures, coping of the poor and vulnerable people, dead people and animals, etc. The memories still linger in my mind afresh.

I have studied two major flood prone areas in India, i.e., the banks of Godavari River, Khammam area in Telangana State and the banks of Kosi River or Koshi River, Madhubani area in Bihar State. Kosi river is also called the river of sorrow. The Kosi River is a river between Nepal and India which starts at Triveni near Barahkshetra in Nepal to Indian plains. It is one of the largest tributaries of the river Ganga.

Mr. Ramesh Babu of EFICOR invited me to study both the areas on two different occasions. These studies made me more sensitive to the communities vulnerable to the floods. The people face many hardships during the floods.

While studying a few flood-affected villages, I visited a house, and I still remember the photo of Emanuel hanging on the wall inside a hut, who lost his life in one of the floods of Godavari River that occurred. The family still continued to live on the banks of the same river and depends on the river for their livelihoods. In India, the rivers are revered as the Goddess by the name of the same river. After visiting some of the villages on one side of the river, I was crossing the river over a local wooden boat. I saw a young girl jumping into the river waters and started swimming. Her freedom and smile is still frozen in my mind. In the unknown depth of challenges in one's life, one could remain afloat and be happy. Their family is very poor, and they have only a makeshift house on the sands of the Godavari River. Nature is beautiful, being with it makes one's life joyful.

In these villages, the relief shelters are built in a high place. They are usually double storied structures with RCC roof. The high raised tube wells or hand pumps are a source of water during the floods. They appear very strange, but they yield relatively safe water for the people.

The EFICOR organisation has empowered the communities to the disaster preparedness very well. They have created sub-committees and trained the people in leadership to address the challenges in the event of a disaster on warning, rescue, first aid teams, relief, rehabilitation, etc.

The historic floods of Krishna River that occurred in Andhra Pradesh state in the year 2009 are the worst in the last 100 years. Dr. G. Chandrashekar Reddy was in the control room along with experts to avert the disaster during the floods and was involved in the decision making. The process was documented in the book "Managing Historic Flood". I was one of the key contributors to this book.

Mr. M. Shashidhar Reddy was the vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), New Delhi, India. It is the apex body on disasters management in India, with the Prime Minister as the Chairperson. He has invited me to contribute for the NDMA Guidelines on Urban Flooding in India. I have contributed partly to the guidelines.

# 2

# Climate Change and Rural Livelihoods

Being involved in the implementation of climate change and adaptation projects, I could study and understand the impacts of climate change. Climate change is an inevitable global phenomenon affecting especially the lives of rural poor in developing countries. Increase in temperatures, change in the number of rainfall days, spread and quantity, has direct and indirect impacts. Small and marginal farmers with about 2 hectares of land or less are the worst affected and highly vulnerable people. It causes distress migration of the landless agricultural labourers and the marginal farmers. Traditional rural livelihoods are disturbed and rendered unsustainable and redundant. There is greater need to adapt to prevent life from being condemned to poverty, scarcity and disease.

Climate change is not just a meteorological phenomenon as usually considered mainly under the scientific studies. There is a broader definition that includes the scenarios dependent on various other influencing factors like meteorological changes consistent over a long period of time, socio-economic situation including the population growth and poverty, political environment and policies, etc.

One need to acknowledge that there are considerable changes happening in the rural areas like change in rainfall pattern and quantity; less availability of water in the surface water bodies; deterioration of the quality of water; ever depleting groundwater resources; lack of vegetative cover; biodiversity loss; traditional knowledge on farming and management has become redundant; forced adaptation to changing situations; and continuous exploitation of natural resources.

In the above context, the rural people should cope and adapt to the changes. For which there is a greater need for awareness and capacity building; access to technologies and knowledge to cope with changing situation. Farmers should become smart by adopting technologies for decision making; the government, organisations and civil society should play greater role; crop insurance or index based insurance in agriculture sector should be made mandatory; crop holidays based on the predictions backed by scientific evidence or modelling; legislative measures on usage of water resources ensuring water use efficiency using technology; opportunities for livelihoods diversification to cope with climate change should be created; there should be efforts for holistic ecosystem revival; and in activities there should be an aspect of mitigating climate change.

The percentage of urban population is growing globally. However, the rural population in developing and underdeveloped countries constitute high proportion, and these countries are highly vulnerable to climate change.

# 3

# Going to Himalayas

This was just after submitting my Ph.D. thesis in 1999. I got a job as Resource Scientist, Head of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in a company called TriCAD in Hyderabad. Although I had very less experience on the software use, they gave me the job based on my subject knowledge. There were about total 25 people I was supposed to lead. Initially, I enjoyed, but after few months, I started feeling bored. Forcing the team to digitize point, line, and shape, setting targets to them, became routine and boring. Within 5 months' time, I could submit 10 significant projects, some of them were pending since a long time. I was also involved in the Remote Sensing projects. One day, it happened that Dr. Rama Krishna, who was a subject expert, just returned from Ground Truth work in some part of the Himalayas. He has shown some of the photos from the field, with great joy. The very moment I felt, I should be there in the Himalayas too.

It was almost 5 months that I was in this job. By now, my defence for the Ph.D. was also over, and I was awarded the Ph.D. degree. I prepared my Resume and started searching for a way. I remembered Mr. Ravindra, who worked in the Uttarakhand for sometime. I called him and met him at his house. He was known to me for some time and used to have lengthy discussions on developmental issues. I shared my interest in going to the Himalayas and asked if there was any chance to get an assignment. He said that the Chamoli Earthquake of a magnitude of 6.8 occurred in the early hours of 29 March 1999 in the Uttarakhand State in the Himalayas. Peoples Science Institute (PSI), located in Dehradun is interested in doing a research study and they are looking for a person to lead the investigation. And he said that your qualifications are suitable for this assignment and would get the job. As he already knows Dr. Ravi Chopra, the Founder and Director of PSI he said that he would inform him. Mr. Ravindra asked me to immediately prepare myself for the job and go and meet Dr. Ravi Chopra. I went to Delhi, met Dr. Ravi Chopra at Gandhi Peace Foundation premises. Had a brief discussion about the Research Study and he liked my qualifications and attitude. He said we will go together to Dehradun and I could join the job. I felt very happy. On the way, he shared about the organisation and how he has started. He was a good friend of Mr. Anil Agarwal and one of the founders of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi. He was instrumental in writing the first Citizens Report of CSE. By evening we reached Roorkee area, and he explained about the Terai region as we climbed the hills. I could see the alluvium with round quartzite boulders on the way. The road is winding, and by night we reached Dehradun.

Next day morning I signed the agreement, and I was given the position of Research Scientist. My team included Dr. Tyagi, Dr. Rajendra Singh Kataith, and Ms. Deepthi, Mr. Madhu, Ms. Usha and others were also there to provide support in the field area.

Dr. Ravi Chopra with a white beard, wearing a T-shirt and knickers looked like a combination of sage and youth. The Peoples Science Institute (PSI), was in Vasant Vihar, Dehradun. This was a colony. To discuss with any of the employees, he used to take for a round of walk in the colony, the time used to be spent efficiently. PSI had many projects, and at least 30 employees were working full time. Young students for their internship used to come from different parts of India and abroad. One building was hired for our stay, and we used to have a great time with so many enthusiastic researchers from different places and disciplines. I had good time meeting so many people. Once on Rakshabandhan day, I prepared sambar and rice for the whole office, everyone liked it so much, and we had a great time. I stayed for some time with Dr. Rajendra Singh Kathaith, and every week we used to invite someone from the office for lunch or dinner. We also used to go to their places for eating.

My work on the Chamoli earthquake was an intensive research work. Visited parts of the Tehri, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag districts in the Himalayas. A very memorable experience it became.

# 4

# Nature's fury- Cyclone

The intensity of rainfall, the occurrence of cyclones and depressions have increased in the recent years. I was leading the project called 'Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change' that focused on disasters, vulnerability and resilience aspects.

I heard on the radio about the intensification and the destruction caused by the rains due to the cyclone on 29th October 2005. Kavali in Prakasam district was mentioned as the point of entry of the cyclone. There was an intense depression between October 26 and October 29. The rains flooded 194,423 ha (480,430 acres) of crop fields and inundated many rail lines. Across Andhra Pradesh, 1,045 houses collapsed, and the rains killed at least 100 people. Living in Hyderabad, I have never experienced a natural disaster caused by rains or floods.

I don't want to be an armchair specialist without understanding the implications of natural disasters. Immediately, I decided to visit the area. It was around 11:00 a.m. At first, I asked the driver Mr. Ramu whether he was willing to come with me into the cyclone.

Mr. K. Siva Prasad gave the permission although it was not our project area. We took a jeep with four-wheel drive. I have taken my cameras and biscuits for the emergency.

By the time we reached Vijayawada highway, it was already dark. The traffic was high and so the road jam. There was water in pools all along the road. As we had the jeep, we could conveniently take the rough path next to the road and overtake many vehicles stranded. We heard the news of Valigonda rail disaster which was close to the place we were traveling. A flash flood swept away a small rail bridge, and "Delta Fast Passenger" train moving on it derailed at the broken section of the line, killing at least 114 people and injuring over 200 people.

By the time we reached Nalgonda town, it was already late night. Stayed there in a small lodge and there was no power due to rains. We started our journey early morning towards Kavali. On the way we saw people catching fish in the streams, fish tat escaped from the tanks due to overflowing.

After entering the Prakasam district, the destruction was more visible. Saw a vehicle with three dead bodies in it. In the rains, the driver did not anticipate the depth of the water along the roadside ditch and swept into it. All the people drowned.

At a distance we saw a village marooned by water and in motorised boats, they were being supplied the food and water. Saw a floating dead body in the water close to the road. Some people were seen on the rooftops.

Saw the hanging railway lines, as all the material underneath swept away. The movement of trains was suspended on this route. After reaching Kavali we saw a place where the people evacuated from low-lying areas were given shelter. Their condition was very bad. Saw a pregnant lady and many children. It was very congested. Some people were found cooking on three stone biomass stoves outside the shelter. Felt the need for efficient biomass portable stoves for such emergencies to support communities during such disasters. I wanted to see the Bay of Bengal Sea. There was water everywhere. With some difficulty, we could go to the Buckingham Canal. The bridge over the Buckingham Canal connecting the sea was breached. It is an old canal made for navigation purpose along the coastline, but now no more in use.

As the boats there were not in operation, some men suggested us to walk through the canal. The water was about 3 to 4 feet depth. We waded through the waters holding the cameras up above the water level. Reached the other shore more than half drenched. As the cyclone already passed the sea it was calm and beautiful. It has cleansed the shores and looked so fresh. There I was half submerged statues of the Hindu Gods. I asked the people, they said that before the arrival of the cyclone they prayed the gods and the sea for less destruction. The gods (statues) have also become victims of nature's fury. Having seen the beautiful sea, I felt it was worth taking all the risk.

While returning at Badvel, Kadapa District, we saw the breached Badvel tank in Kadapa district. People have pulled two pieces of the cement-current-poles across, and they were crossing the flood waters precariously. The roads were also breached at many points all along. Otherwise, they need to travel ten kilometres extra, people take risks for shortcuts. That was a great experience to understand natural disasters in action and resilience of the community in negotiating with the challenges. Nature's fury reminds from time to time the importance of preventive measures.

When I visited the sea shore, saw these half submerged idols placed by the people and prayed before the cyclone

# 5

# Thin line between life and death

I went Kabul, Afghanistan to work as a Team Leader for a project called "Developing Climate Change Scenarios for Agriculture of Afghanistan" in August 2016.

When I communicated with my colleagues and well-wishers about Kabul visit, many of them told me not to go. As it is a high-risk place due to terrorism and political instability. I told them that this was an excellent opportunity for me to contribute to Afghanistan through this project. I said risk is always there, a road accident could be worst and it can happen anywhere on the earth.

A few days before going, I started searching the google on Afghanistan to learn more about the people, culture, geography, economy, etc. But, I could see only the videos of war. It appeared like I am watching an English war movie. I also saw a bomb blast that happened a few days before in Kabul city where more than 100 demonstrators were killed by detonating a highly charged vehicle at a traffic junction. The pictures were disheartening.

I went to Delhi to get my visa at the Afghanistan Embassy. It is sometimes tough to get the visa. I was given a tourist visa for one month only.

On 5th June 2016 I started my journey from New Delhi Airport to Kabul. At the immigration, the customs official by looking at my passport and the visa said are you going as a tourist to Kabul and gave a smile. I said yes.

It was a cloudy sky, next to me was a doctor traveling to Herat via Kabul. He wanted to do MD from an Indian medical college. He shared a lot about Afghanistan to improve my understanding. He told me if the sky is clear without clouds, it means we are flying over Afghanistan. Afghanistan is an arid and semi-arid country with less rainfall. Yes, I could see the clear sky as we approached Kabul. I took beautiful pictures of the Hindu Kush mountains as the plane descended to land. He came along with me to the parking lot and helped me to find my vehicle. I liked the neat, clean Airport.

I greeted the driver and got in with the luggage. The driver was gentle and spoke with me in Urdu. He started the music, the songs were from Bollywood Hindi Movies of 1970's and 1980's. It was so soothing and pleasant.

As usual, I started taking pictures using my mobile phone camera. I saw the beautiful trees on the roadside also saw the huge marriage/function halls. At one of the places on the way I saw two young ladies traditionally dressed. They stopped the moving vehicles by raising their hands as a command and crossed the road. I liked courage of those young girls.

I reached the hotel in Shar-e Naw at around 4 p.m. This hotel was very close to the Indian Embassy and other important government offices. There were four barricades (or swing gates) before I could reach the hotel. I crossed at least 20 security men with machine guns and other automatic weapons, before I reached the last security check. First, they informed the reception about my details, only after confirmation they let me pass through the last security checkpoint. There were three bulletproof doors to cross. The security with AK47 guns checked all the contents in my suitcase. I had great relief after clearing all those security checks as I never encountered such a security in my life.

I went to the reception area and was given a room on the third floor. It is a hotel with five stories in a rectangular shape. There is a beautiful courtyard in the middle. I liked watching the bonsai pomegranates grown in the flower pots. As it was spring, the temperature was normal for me and it was comfortable.

My office was just opposite this hotel, so I need not go to any other place for work. Strategically the office space was chosen. Soon, I recruited the staff for my project work. One-day evening, I started walking in the streets of Shahr-e-Naw. One of my colleague Mr. Arif took me to a place where they sell antique items and precious stones.

One day my colleague Ms. Bibi came to office late. Her eyes were dark and she was a little bit shaken. I asked her what happened. Yesterday in the incident of bombing and attacking The American University of Afghanistan, Kabul by the Taliban, her sister, and a cousin (sister) were also there at the time of the attack. One of the armed terrorists tried to reach them by breaking open an iron grill, her cousin along with others tried to escape and jumped from the second floor of the building to escape. Her sister was in the hostel at the time of the attack, so she escaped from the attack. She heard the knocking at the door and saw that her cousin was sitting at the door and was unable to stand. After some time with the support of the police and the military they got her admitted to the hospital, so she went to the hospital to attend her whole night. I came to know about this attack while having dinner. Almost everyone witnessed or was close to a shooting in their life in Afghanistan. Or someone near and dear had been the victim. Life goes on here in Afghanistan in spite of so many incidents happening somewhere every day. If one has not heard a bomb blast, it means the blast was not for you, if you have not heard means you are already dead, it was meant for you.

Recently I have met a person, who happened to be at the blast site just three meters away. His hearing was impaired. Probably his eardrum ruptured. He went to India for treatment and got a hearing machine.

My office was at Shahr-e Naw. About 200 meters away, the Taliban's have attacked an international charity organisation. It occurred the day after I left for India. Mr. Bahadur, my friend at the Hotel, sent a message that in the night the blast happened and the attack was still going on. All the hotel inmates were taken to the cellar or safety room, which was fitted with bullet proof iron door. Almost whole night they stayed there, the hotel management provided them the snacks. For the first time one could interact with all the inmates. Otherwise, people are less social in big hotels.

One day while I was in the office, I heard a blast. It was the attack on the military area about eight km away from my place. Within a month I listened to another explosion that happened close to my place, attack on the Military hospital. More than 100 people were killed and several wounded in this incident. My colleague, Mr. Bhaktullah came to office late, he was very close to the blast site, and it happened during the morning rush hours. He had to walk all the way to reach the office. He was terrified having escaped the blast. Soon my colleague Mr. Emal got a phone call from his cousin working in the same hospital. He heard her crying over the phone, and there were sounds of the bullets firing in the background. He told me that she was trapped in one of the rooms along with a patient. She was requesting him to help, and he could do nothing.

The next day morning he told the complete story. When the Taliban stormed the hospital, she was attending a patient in one of the floors. She heard the blast, and they remained in one of the corner rooms. Soon the sound of gun shots was close to her. One of the terrorists aimed at her to kill. Luckily, one of the military personnel who was behind her, killed him. It is only a few seconds or fraction of second defining life and death. Having seen the death of the terrorist before her eyes, she was shaken. One of the army personnel remained with her to console. After some time while coming out of the room, she saw heaps of dead bodies lying on the floor. She was in a shock, and the army personnel took hold of her hand and almost dragged her over the dead and wounded bodies.

The Indians living and working in Kabul have to register with the Indian Embassy upon their arrival, to let them plan and monitor safety of the Indians. They would also enroll into the WhatsApp Group called 'Safe 2'. They could give details of the incidents, possibilities of attack, kidnappings, demonstrations, and insecure places, etc. They collect lots of intelligence reports including details of where, when and how the next attack could happen. Sometimes they inform details of the vehicles and the vehicle numbers which would be used to attack. The type of attack is explained in short form such as: - Body-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (BBIED), Magnetic Improvised Explosive Device (MIED), Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SVBIED), Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) and Improvised Explosive Device (IED), Grenade blast, etc. We would avoid those areas after seeing the messages. Some of the Indian colleagues in the group were very sensitive. Immediately after hearing the blast would send a message "Just heard a blast, where did it happen, please confirm". After a few minutes the embassy confirms the blast.

Life in today's Kabul is tense, even the banging of car door or bathroom door would sound like a blast or bullet shot for us. The movement of helicopters in the city was a common sight. The sirens of ambulances, loud and clear, after an incident is heard often. The chirping of the birds from the cages kept by people as a hobby are the only sounds which do not signify a bad omen. Traditionally when two Afghanis meet, they inquire about each other's well being for at least a minute, this is common practice in an uncommon situation of life which is not far from death and uncertainties. On a lighter part, if a friend is not seen for few days, the friend might ask "Is he dead". Every family has a tragedy or suffering due to the insecure situation in the country. I love the people; they are decent and loving people. Since hundreds of years, there are windows of spring in the life of Afghans. It is a vast expanse of desert with few oasis, surrounded by beautiful trees and birds.

Some of the people working in Kabul since more than five years have lots of experiences of blasts and terrorist attacks which they have encountered. When they narrate the incidents which happened in the past, we get nightmares of a shooting in the middle of the night.

The kidnappings of the people for ransom also happen in the city. To avoid kidnappings, some of them disguise as Pakistanis or Afghans by wearing their traditional caps and dresses. I too had a 'Pakol' a traditional cap and got stitched one traditional dress in the form of "Shalwar kameez".

People are not shy to ask the salaries or income of the expats. If we don't tell, they are offended. Poverty is so high in Afghanistan, any amount an expats is very high for them. Some people have learned to say a lie, most often they say they are working as a lecturer or professor in one of the private universities in Kabul and the income per month is about 500 USD. They will wear a simple dress and never show off their high incomes.

Being in this situation, sometimes there are threats of attacks in our area too. While having dinner and breakfast together, we discuss with seniors about the strategies to escape. I was staying in a room which is open to the neighbour's open place with some trees facing the window. I always guessed that I would jump from the window onto the branches of the tree and would be able to catch hold of some of the branches and slowly land on the ground. There was a barbed wire beneath on the compound wall separating our hotel. What if by chance I fall on the barbed wire, so I will wrap my body in the thick winter blankets and jump from the window. I could escape the sharp barbed wire and would fall with a soft thud. I once tried lifting my bed to find space underneath it. It is very heavy, and it had less space underneath. So I failed to lift it. Tried to squeeze in the wardrobe but could not fit in. I tried the space between the wardrobe and the door, I would keep the door and windows open creating a scene that already I have escaped, but I will hide in the space between wardrobe and door or in the bathroom or behind the tall curtains. The mind in fear, imagining danger offers so many safety measures, plans to escape! I think the terrorists can guess every space which could be used for hiding, as they also imagine such things while they need to hide during the operations.

Once my younger son asked curiously about the risks and terrorist attacks. I asked him over phone, what I should do in a situation of an attack. He said "Fight with them daddy, you will be famous." He did dot guess that I will not have any weapon to fight back with them.

One of the toilets in our office was converted into a strong room with a heavy metal door (bullet proof) installed. But with more than 25 people including our security, it is not enough space to let all hide. We have never conducted any dry-drill to see, how we all could fit in that space. Sometimes, the presence of certain facilities gives confidence, if they are really useful or not.

Many of the operations conducted by Taliban's are said to be done with the support of insiders. In such a situation every new stranger and person in a facility appears as a threat. Everyone appears to be suspicious.

When I ask colleagues the very next day after an incident, they say "Yeh to hota hi hai, Kya kare" and life goes on.

If not blasts, one might encounter an earthquake. Which is also equally fearful for the people who are new to Afghanistan. My office and hotel are just below one of the tallest Apartment buildings in Afghanistan. I am afraid that it might fall in case of an earthquake, although it could fall in any of the 360 degrees direction. I have experienced several earthquakes. A small swing of my bed or chair makes me feel that it is an earthquake. Mr. Bhaktullah says, in case of an earthquake run and run. Even god will not help if you don't run. I am not sure how far and where one could run. The threat is everywhere, there is no escape route on the Earth.

The Bollywood songs, movies and the traditional Afghan songs and music are a great relief and entertainment for the people living in stress in Afghanistan.

On 31st May 2007, I was working in the office on the final report of the project. It was about 8:30 a.m., I heard a blast sound and the glass windows in my room started shaking making some noise. I realised that it is a blast and thought it could be nearby, say one or two kilometres from our office. I went to the top of our three storied building. Saw a huge cloud of smoke. Took a photograph and posted on the WhatsApp group of the Indian Embassy in Kabul. Telling that I heard a bomb blast, what happened. After some time there was a reply confirming a bomb blast that happened near the Indian embassy and some of the glasses of windows and doors were broken. That no one is injured and everyone is safe at the embassy. Then I realised that it is a very huge blast as the embassy is about 7 km from my new office place and still I could feel the impact. On Facebook and the WhatsApp groups the photos of the impact of the blast were posted. It actually happened near German embassy, a massive bomb fitted in a truck (septic tank) was triggered by the terrorist. In this incident more than 90 people were killed and nearly 500 people were injured. I had to go to the market for printing the reports, and saw the streets deserted and very few people moving here and there. It is one of the largest blasts that happened in Afghanistan leaving everyone in shock. The very next day, while leaving to the Airport, I requested Mr. Najib, our driver, to take me through the place of the blast. I could see two mini-trucks filled with new glass panes were going in that direction. And the municipal staff and others were cleaning the scattered glass pieces strewn everywhere. It needs so much courage for the people to cope with the challenges everyday there. There isn't any assurance of peace and lasting resolution of violence. Life goes on in Afghanistan!

# 6

# The ten days in Kabul

This time, I came to Kabul for an assignment with our company to evaluate the international organisation's working on children. I arrived on 10th January 2018. There happened four major incidents in the last 10 days, from 20th to 29th January 2018, which made me sensitive about life and death.

While going to an organisation, I saw the prominent Intercontinental Hotel, on top of a small hill. Next, to the hotel, there is an area where the majority of the Sikh community lived. There is also an abandoned Movie theatre.

I have not visited the Hotel, but some of my friends have visited in the past. It was considered as one of the most secure hotels in Kabul. Exceptionally only a few hotels are left in Kabul which have not been attacked by Taliban's. One terrorist attack took place even in this hotel in the past, luckily the loss of life was less.

This time on Saturday (20th January 2018) evening at around 21:00 hrs. the hotel was attacked by 6 Talibans. At least 43 people have been killed in a siege by 6 gunmen at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. The siege continued for more than 12 hours. The Talibans were in army uniforms when they entered the hotel. I had dinner and was just discussing with colleagues in the office at that time. It was about 6 km North from our office. We got the updates from the social media on the situation. As the fighting between the security forces and the terrorists continued till next day, we had a meeting in the Kabul city. We have left in another direction as the roads were blocked. To travel ten kilometres, it took nearly 2 hours. On Monday we could get the complete picture of the siege.

According to media, the terrorists have moved into the hotel with arms and ammunition without the knowledge of the security. From the Kitchen on the second floor, where the security men were dining, the Talibans started shooting the inmates. They reached all the top floors by killing, burning and creating the carnage. Reached every room checked for inmates and killed them. Especially they targeted the foreigners and killed most of them. Some people jumped off the building, and a few survived. Nearly 150 inmates were rescued.

Two days before I got the WhatsApp message from the Indian Embassy that the terrorists would be targeting some of the hotels in Kabul. In spite of alerts and information of likely attacks, what people can do, as there is no place which is more safer and soon every safe place joins the list of Taliban target in course of time. In turns, almost all hotels were attacked over a period of time.

On 24th January two days after, the UK charity Save the Children office in the city of Jalalabad was attacked. It started at about 09:10 local time, when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle explosive at the entrance to the Save the Children compound. Three members of staff and one soldier were killed in a suicide attack and siege of the building by Islamic State militants. Some 46 people in the building, many of whom hid in a safe room, were rescued. One of my colleagues in the present office was working in the same office till recently. He was worried about his ex-colleagues, tried to reach them by calling. The organisations working for the children being attacked is one of the most sensitive things. I was part of the evaluation of two children's Internal Organisations and understand how important their work for the future of children. The charity said that while it had temporarily suspended its operations across the country, it remained "fully committed to helping the most deprived children of Afghanistan".

Again on 28th, while I was working in the office, I heard a rattle of the windows. I thought there could have been a small earthquake tremor which caused it and ignored. After few minutes, I came to know from the message from a friend that a huge explosion happened near a place at Shahr-e-Naw. Learnt that, this explosion was caused by a suicide bomber driving an ambulance laden with explosives. This place is close to some of the embassies. One week before, I was walking down that street. There are so many antique shops too. I used to buy ornamental fish from a shop close to this place. This explosion is one of the most tragic incidents, as more than 100 innocent people were killed and nearly 200 people were injured. This place was also close to my old office, and I have so many memories of the place. Violence in today's Afghanistan is like an undeclared war. The number of causalities in actual war perhaps would remain less, as people involved in operations are prepared and take precautions.

Myself living in a colony to the South of Kabul is a residential area, our office building looks like a big house. As my colleagues say it was a simple life, living in the top floor., traveling in a small car without attracting the attention of terrorists. We often went for evening walks in this area which has many restaurants and ice-cream shops. In the past, more than 10 years back this area came under heavy attack from all sides. I could see the bullet marks and damage from rockets. I work from a place which is close to a large window, one of my colleagues always warns me to close the window with a blinds-curtain, as someone might see an expat and shoot me.

On 28th January, while I was there with some of the colleagues in the office. Some of the colleagues noticed three people getting down from a car and stood still before the office. Three men carrying two suitcases and bags got down and let the vehicle go, and followed the same direction of the vehicle. This was strange, persons carrying so much luggage would hire a vehicle to go to the destination rather than carry it themselves. One of my colleagues jokingly told me that he saw three terrorists got down before our office. We had two cameras facing the road in front of the office. We went to the security room to see the footage. Yes, we could clearly see them. The three people were well built, completely covered with a shawl and wearing the traditional Pashtun Kurtha Pajama dress. Carrying heavy suitcases and walking South towards the bridge on Paghman river. The security thought they could be some guests to our office, as they got down before the main office gate. Good, they were inside and did not open the gate for any other reason. Later it was learned that they were the security guards returning to attend their duties in the next building, to avert any misunderstanding of the existing security in their office they got down ahead and walked. Sometimes suspicion leads to doubt and anxiety.

There are also incidences of kidnapping people for extortion. One needs to be alert and always be accompanied by some local person or security guard while moving around. If I am walking slow, one of my colleagues would be vigilant watching the surroundings and provide sort of a cover to me. You cannot be casual as you walk the streets. There happened several kidnappings in the past too. Which are also common and many are not reported widely in the press.

29th January was a day declared as mourning day and holiday as more than 100 people were killed two days back. I woke up in the morning to see the White Kabul due to the Snowfall happened in the night. Today is declared as "White Kabul" day due to security reasons, there should be a limited movement of people unless it is necessary. I checked my WhatsApp as usual, got the message from security that at around 8:00 a.m. the Military Academy was attacked, located to the West of Kabul.

Some people are trigger happy. After winning a cricket or boxing match, some people come out of their homes and fire shots in the air. I have listened to more intense shots fired on occasions like that. Although it is wrong to do so by law, the heads of the bullets fired into the air return back and hurt people in the open.

Thoughts of what to do in case of an attack, swarm my mind, how do I escape. Searching every possible place in the building, but rare to find. Everywhere I am visible, or I could be found. Jumping from the roof and into the neighbour's plot is also difficult. The only way is luck, and that you are alive yet is that you haven't died. I am alive because no such incident happened to me. Let peace return to Kabul.

# II

# Environment

# 7

# Environmental Awareness

Having declared that I will work on environment and development aspects in 1995, I approached Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy. He has suggested me a list of organisations in Hyderabad I could visit and discuss with them about the opportunities. Deccan Development Society (DDS) was the third in the list. I have visited one organisation which develops and establishes the cooperative societies for the farmers and the other organisation is working for the development and organisation of the farmers. I was not inspired to work with them for some reasons. With the address in my hand, I went to the Deccan Development Society office in Basheerbagh, Hyderabad which was located in an apartment building. It was around 11:30 a.m. when I went, there I saw an old man with grey hair wearing Khadi Kurtha and pyjama. I introduced my self to him and was engaged in the discussion. He asked me the first question on how to prevent people urinating in the public places. From my observations, I explained all the ways and means by which people are trying to prevent it, such as: using religious symbols and portraits of gods on the walls; wall writing about what they would be if they urinate (vulgar language and scolding's); a rope is tied across the place with used slippers hanging, if one tries to go need to go underneath those slippers and people feel insulted, and don't go; making the area sloppy so that it is inconvenient to stand and urinate; putting the spikes of stones on the floor to prevent anyone using the place, and many ingenious ways. He liked my explanation from the common observations.

I explained about my recent experiments on sunlight harvesting for improving the intensity of planting. He was quite impressed by that and he asked me to accompany him to the field area Zaheerabad where DDS is implementing the watershed program and I should make presentation to team on planting the saplings in the watershed using my learnings from the experiments.

I learnt later that he is V. R. Reddy who is known for the development of Krishi and Bhoomi power tillers for agriculture activities, which revolutionised the use of technologies in Indian agriculture. They were the first to manufacture tillers in India.

As I used to visit the office often, one day he said that there is an opportunity to work as program officer for the National Environmental Awareness Campaign (NEAC) where DDS was the nodal agency for the programme of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. DDS had to select the organisations for award of grants for an awareness campaign on environment issues. Each year had a particular theme, and it was 'Women and Environment' for that year. I liked the work, and I started going to the DDS office regularly. One day he suggested me to take up full-time position as the programme officer for NEAC. I said that I want to work as a volunteer, i.e., without any payment. He and Dr. Vittal Rajan (Director) spent one hour explaining why I should take the full-time job with the DDS. As per the work that I was doing they had to pay me and finally agreed for part time job.

I developed a system of giving marks based on criteria for shortlisting and selection of the NGOs for the programme. The system was transparent. I had to select about 300 organisations from Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka states out of several hundred applications received. With the assistance of the office staff sometimes, I worked till late night. Many small NGOs implementing the programme required material on the theme for environmental awareness. As there was no literature available on the subject in popular style, I wrote a small book. This was my first book. It was translated into Telugu also and published by DDS. The copies were printed and were distributed during the first meeting with the organisations organised at the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, at Basheerbagh, Hyderabad. This was also my first speech on the stage in 1996.

After sanctioning the funds to the organisations, we had to monitor how the environmental awareness campaign programmes were organised. I used to select the organisations randomly based on the dates of the programmes communicated to us and visit them.

I spent some time in every place that I visited learning about the local environment and attended the events like Public Meetings, Rallies, Workshops, etc., I was relating to their local environmental issues during my speeches. I continued my work for NEAC for three years. , Themes in subsequent years were on Medicinal Plants and Water. This programme gave me an opportunity to: understand the nature of NGOs; type of works the NGOs do; understanding the environmental issues in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states. Besides, I could meet many people contributing in the field of the environment at the grassroots level.

Environment related work was a new area for the NGOs in 90s. There were a few NGOs in Andhra Pradesh who played significant role in popularising the wok on environment and greening the development work of the NGOs. Many small NGOs made environment part of their approach and became part of the newly emerging environmental activism in India. Learning from their experiences was a great inspiration. Association with the NEAC programme during the start of my career, was very useful and my commitment to work on environmental issues became strong with the growing brigade of green activists in the state.

# 8

# Court intervention to arrest Sand Mining

I had the opportunity of visiting the Mylavaram Dam site area and the places downstream of Penna River in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh to do an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Upon the request of Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy I went to study the area in 1996. Sand mining from the river bed was done in large quantities. The local politician was involved in it. In those days there were factions often leading to killing the opponents. I did not contact any person locally to avoid the politicians. A vehicle was provided to me for transect. I was expected to avoid speaking to the main stakeholders and prepare EIA based on the observations.

The Mylavaram dam was constructed over the Penna River. It supports irrigation and also provides water to the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant, existing near the dam site. There were many pits due to sand mining and at many places touched the rocky river bed. With the presence of sand, there was subsurface flow of water and recharging of the ground water. The flash floods do not occur in the presence of sand. There are many ecological services rendered by the presence of sand. Due to increased gradient from sand mining, the boulders of the bed rock at the foot of the dam were detached and pushed downward. That posed serious threat to the foundation of the dam itself. The dam was found weak with the water sprinkling and oozing from the a few cracks in the dam wall. With more disturbance to the river base downstream there was a threat to the dam, unless mitigation measures are taken to preserve its intactness by stopping mining the sand. With these observations, I returned to Hyderabad and submitted the report. The report helped file a public interest litigation and got an order from the court to stop the illegal unscientific sand mining from the Penna river bed downstream of the dam.

Myself and Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy represented in another case on sand mining at the Supreme court. This was to prevent the over exploitation of the sand from Krishna River bed, causing the environmental impacts. This case was related to the Amaravathi town in Guntur district, where the court sent a note of caution, about the adverse impact of underwater sand mining. S. S. Niranjan Reddy our advocate, argued on behalf of Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy and Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy, that sand quarrying should not be allowed in the absence of an Environment Impact Assessment.

Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur asked the advocate-general to seriously reconsider its policy on allowing it. The Chief Justice was hearing a batch of writ petitions including the petition filed with environmental concerns, on sand mining along with Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar. The High Court had put a ban on sand mining across the Andhra Pradesh State with effect from April 1, 2012 (later removed the ban with the state government intervention and measures taken) and the state government had filed an appeal, urging the court to lift the ban.

Chief Justice Lokur, who wrote the order, came down heavily on the state government for turning a blind eye to the issue, despite a serious environmental impact being caused by sand mining. "Can we permit the degradation of the environment or the exploitation of the natural resources to such an extent where the concept of sustainable development becomes an impossibility? Should our future generations pay for our inaction? It is essential to ensure that there is no rampant or unregulated exploitation of natural resources" he said. I was happy with this judgment by the court, where the government and whole system became conscious. Legal intervention was part of the environmental activism and growing environmental concern.

# 9

# Cleanliness

It is said that 'cleanliness is next to godliness.' The new Government has taken up Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) (Clean India Mission in English) which aims to clean up the streets, roads, and infrastructure of India's cities, smaller towns, and rural areas. It was taken up on 2nd October 2014 on the occasion of Mahatma M.K. Gandhi's Birthday. Mr. Gandhi liked and encouraged people to adopt cleanliness. One of the objectives of Swachh Bharat includes eliminating open defecation through the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and establishing an accountable mechanism for monitoring toilet use.

I was also thinking about my role in contributing to this mission. At that time my children were attending the courses in an acting school. I spoke with the head and director of the institute that we could produce a documentary on the responsibility of citizens in the drive for cleanliness. I told that the children could be the change agents in cleanliness and also educate others. He liked my concept. Regarding the production, I have volunteered to provide the financial support. A colony was selected for the shooting, and decided to engage students of the acting school to be the actors. A friend of mine, Mr. Jagan Mohan was selected to play the role of a senior citizen.

On the day of the shooting it was drizzling lightly, and it was cloudy. The lighting was good. We started shooting early in the morning, and by lunchtime, the shooting was completed. Made it a silent movie without any dialogues in the film, so that it could be understood by all the people in India.

The documentary was titled "SWACHH SACHH" or Clean Truth for awareness on cleanliness and one's responsibility to keep the public places clean . It was produced in June 2015 and released on YouTube. Digital media plays a powerful role in awareness and could be disseminated at least cost. There are many ways and means a citizen could play one's role in the common missions for a better society.

The film making team including artists

# 10

# Ignored needs of farmers

Cultural values in many societies reflect admiration and respect for a farmer. Farmers feed the millions in today's society. It's a paradox the same farmers are also suffering globally. Food security is a national interest. The research done to improve the production is considerable. There is nothing green in 'Green Revolution' except poisoning of agriculture through chemical pesticides and fertilisers. Sustainable agriculture should only be called 'Green Revolution'. The control and usage of the local seeds and usage of local fertilisers (or composts) and traditional practices have become less viable, in the race of increasing production to meet the current demands. Agriculture has become a high external input based enterprise. None of the companies producing the inputs are at loss, while the farmers are in deep crisis. Companies producing seed, fertilisers, equipment's, etc. and the companies purchasing the produce, processing, and marketing are reaping huge profits and the farmers are trapped in indebtedness.

Information based agriculture demands the farmers to increase their capacity to memorise things and experiences. For example, if there are 3000 varieties of BT Cotton seeds available in the market how could a farmer understand which one is better and remember its qualities. If they can remember or manage to store and retrieve such data and understand so much information, they would be working as a programmer in an IT company instead of farming. The ever-increasing multivariable factors, micro to macro and less controllable factors, determine success or failure. No farmer knows the result of his efforts, no business is ever done without projections in any other sector. Knowing very well complex nature of farming, the systems still have not formalised the agriculture sector. Instead of the subsidies, the agricultural policy should focus on providing the Right Price for their produce. It is time the farmers are liberated from gambling in agriculture, to apply information technology and adopt the technologies. The farmers who are in the transition phase of these developments, especially the poor, small and marginal farmers who comprise major section of the farm sector are highly vulnerable.

Farmers who are early adopters of the 'Green Revolution' practices in parts of India have become rich but, but over a period their lands have degraded, and presently their crop yields have stagnated, and their income has also declined. The farmers engaged in commercial farming are suffering the most.

A person selling organic products is very choosy in selling the produce to exclusive clientele for fetching a higher price. The extra earning by selling the produce is the demand for being honest i.e., not using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. The systems should encourage for organic products. A higher price for being honest will not lead to sustainability of anything. A farmer at the end for livelihood producing poisoned food and polluting the environment is no more doing a great service. The system inputs, practices and demands have spoilt farming a honest profession at the end.

One such example is the fate of the farmers in the Warangal district in Telangana. Several cotton growing farmers committed suicide in the last 20 years. They could not get the right price for the produce, and they could not cope with the losses. We conducted a seminar at Osmania University on farmers' suicides in 1998 which was coordinated by Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy. Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy and myself drafted a note for Public Interest Litigation which was filed by Mr. A.B.K Prasada Rao, a well-known journalist through Mr. K. Ashok Reddy, Senior Advocate.

Some of the important aspects emphasised in the case were: sustainability of small and marginal farmers; degradation of the soil; market demands and market prices; incidence of pest and loss of crop; traditional and institutional lending systems; and lack of insurance mechanisms in agriculture. The annual budget allocation for farming sector which is done at the end of March of financial year, should be ideally done during Deepavali (October / November), which suits the planning period of the farmers based on their harvesting and planning for the next crop. We could not get any concrete judgment in this regard from the high court.

# 11

# Poisoned rivers and troubled lives

There was a case ongoing in the court regarding the pollution of Godavari Rivers due to a paper mill near Rajahmundry town in Andhra Pradesh. The Godavari River was polluted from local sources as well as various other sources upstream.

Several rivers and streams are polluted and dying due to multiple factors including unabated pollution. Take for instance Nakka Vagu and Pamula Vagu, two tributaries carrying loads of pollution into the Manjeera River. Several times, I visited the Manjeera River, especially the confluence point of Nakka Vagu tributary with the Manjeera river. It had the beautiful white sand especially the length before the confluence point up to the Manjeera Reservoir. One could easily observe the pollution and how the river was affected with dirty, smelly and highly polluted water.

Once I followed the state pollution control board team all the way of Manjeera River downstream up to the Nizam Sagar reservoir to collect the water samples for testing. Further ahead the river joins Godavari River. The polluted waters of the Patancheru industrial area also join the Godavari River. Further samples were collected from all along the Godavari River, and nowhere the water was fit for drinking due to pollution. It was a serious concern for many communities, especially the tribals drinking the water directly from the river without much treatment. They are unaware and had been the drinking the water traditionally. It becomes the responsibility of the government to create awareness and provide safe drinking water to all the people along the river and its tributaries. Such a thing is not happening, and people are dying because of ignorance and inaction of the governments. Traditionally during the floods and dry periods, people were using the seeds of some plants as a coagulant, but its use is limited to treat the water.

In this particular case, the court ordered to study the quality of water, but no concrete judgment has been given.

# 12

# Sacrificing villages for development

After choosing the area for my Doctorate, I have visited the place for the first time in the year 1995. I still remember the strong unpleasant smell that greeted me when I arrived in at Patancheru. Mr. Prashanth, my friend, accompanied me to the field area. As we moved to some of the villages, we saw brick kilns in the once fertile lands. The contractors have engaged the poor people from Odisha State to work for brick making. Where the children were also seen working. There are very few standing crops, and they were not healthy. There are two streams with polluted water flowing in the area they are Nakka Vagu (Fox Stream) and Pamula Vagu (Snakes Stream). We saw that a group of sheep and goats were drinking the coloured and obnoxious water from the Pamula Vagu, and the shepherds were washing their hands and feet in the same waters. I was touched by the plight of the people in the region. We heard stories that in some of the pools of water in the area when a buffalo went for a bath, its skin peeled off because the water was highly acidic.

Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy and Dr Kishan Rao were fighting for the rights of the people in the area. They have recorded the blue baby syndrome or a baby born due to excess pollutants which entered into the conceived mother. That is an illness that begins when large amounts of nitrates in water are ingested by an infant.

The skin rashes are easy to be found on many people. From cancer to all kinds of impacts on the internal and external parts of the people were also observed upon investigation by doctors. Women had often abortions too. Rice cultivated using the polluted water, smelled, turned yellow and it was spoiled by evening.

While transecting the field area, saw an ancient sculpture, the local Hindus have applied a vermillion to it. It is probably a sculpture of more than 1000 years old. Upon enquiry, someone said it was found while excavating the soil for brick making and was kept on the roadside. They said many such statues were unearthed in the area.

In the field of business, there is least caring about the history and the relics. Having seen this, I went to the Archaeology department and learnt that there is a continuous history of people living in the area since the 2nd Century BC. It means the land which sustained agriculture since then has become infertile and is unsustainable due to the so-called industrial development.

Pollution of water, soil and air may be the main cause of fallow lands. On the whole, about 20% of the farms were left fallow in most of the villages. Traditionally there had been two types of irrigation practices in the region, lift irrigation from wells and streams, and irrigation by gravity from tanks. The buckets pulled by bullocks called Mota are suitable for irrigating up to 8 acres. Motas were in practice until the 1980s. The present practice of lift irrigation is by electric motor pumps. The availability of water from some tanks spread in the region can also be attributed to the prosperity of agriculture. Tanks are adequate in numbers, but now many such tanks are of little use except as storage ponds for industrial effluents. As these tanks are connected in series, the pollutants entering a tank at higher reaches pollutes all other tanks downstream. Presently many farmers shifted to dry-land farming as the water sources are polluted. The pollution of wells and tanks crippled all those farmers irrigating crops under them.

People don't have access to the drinking water in the area. Some of the villagers were buying water or they were paying for the water supplied by the Government and sometimes buying from private agencies. By the end of my PhD, I have filed a Public Interest Litigation in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh to provide free drinking water under the polluter pays principle. The order came immediately, and the villagers are being provided free drinking water. Sad, the court had to intervene to ensure drinking water which they had from any of the sources since centuries in the region.

The life and livelihoods of the farmers living in Nakka Vagu basin are affected beyond repair.

_Goats drinking the polluted water_

# 13

# Rescuing the gods from pilgrim footprints

Vaishno Devi Shrine is in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir State in the Northern Part of India. It is one of the holy places revered for the Mata Vaishno Devi, the wife of Lord Shiva. It is located in the foothills of the main Himalayas. The local hill ranges are called Trikut hills.

I got an opportunity to be part of a team for the survey of the Banganga watershed in the Trikut hill region, Jammu, to restore its water environment and to secure drinking water supply in the environs of Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage on a sustained basis. The survey was conducted from 29th of October to 6th November 2007 by a Delhi based organisation with which I was associated. The Team consisted of Mr. Dilip Fouzdar, Water Expert, Dr. Rakesh Khosa, Meteorology, and Dr. Sai Bhaskar Reddy, Environment Protection.

The 'Trust' of the temple, viewing the ensuing threat to water supply situations in the Vaishno Devi Pilgrimage and its environs, has taken the initiative to restore the water resources system of the area. We were engaged to identify the problems and suggest remedial measures to deal with the situation. The area lies between E-74.563 to 74.58 degrees and N-32.59 to 33.03 degrees.

A short preliminary visit of four days field visit was made to study the general situation of the area. We met a number of people during the visit and familiarised with the terrain, facilities, routes, time components, logistics, climate, among various other aspects. We gathered knowledge about the climatic trends and the historical data that would be available to understand the context and problem.

The complexity of the water resources system in the environs of the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage can be explained as under:

Pilgrims of the shrine converge at the town of Katra, in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated on the bank of Banganga stream at the lower reaches of the Banganga watershed. The volume of visitors to the shrine is increasing with each passing year. Around 32000 pilgrims were visiting the shrine every day at an average during our survey. Volume of pilgrims , directly or indirectly, affected environment of the area.

The host town Katra, the shrine and the trekking routes connecting the two are provided with piped drinking water supply. The source of this supply is the Samkal spring located at a higher altitude, and the supply network is linked to gravity mains descending from Samkal. The flow of the spring reduces as the summer approaches creating a water supply crunch.

There are visible signs of urbanisation in the Banganga watershed area and its growing trends, which aggravated the problems of water shortage and future threats of water crunch. Bigger threats are emerging out in maintaining the sanitation of the town, its drainage stream Banganga, the trekking route leading to the Shrine, situated 14 km away from Katra at a much higher elevation are polluted. This is caused primarily by the pony sheds that emerged along the riverbanks and the pony droppings throughout the routes leading to the shrine. All the pony excreta end up in the river polluting the river water, which is growing with increase in the number of pilgrims. The modern lifestyle of packed beverages, snacks and disposables was another major menace left by the pilgrims. All along the stream course was littered with empty plastic bottles and bags, paper packing and rejected clothes. Apparently, all are very slow biodegradables. These wastes clog the stream with increasing intensity each passing year.

At the tip of the watershed, the river emerges from a spring charged by the water held in the adjacent highlands, which is discharged due to the favorable fracture systems in the rocks. The hills are uniformly formed of impure limestone that is highly fractured and metamorphosed to a certain degree. Although, the shrine route beyond Adhkuari up to the shrine is outside the Banganga watershed, the water supply system is one, and the entire water comes from the spring source of Samkal, located in the Banganga watershed.

The study made the following recommendations:

Problem of decreasing water flow in the springs, and its fallout leading to drying up of Banganga stream is the chief concern. A meticulous site selection must be done for the minor or micro bunds, pools, and terraces. The purpose is to increase the water retention of the soil and vegetation and hence, indirectly, augment the groundwater recharge. All actions have to be taken bearing the fact in mind that the area has a very thin soil cover and it is prone to landslides. Design of each individual (micro) structure must fulfill the primary objective of water retention

Upper reaches of the Pai watershed be chosen and developed for the water supply augmentation at the shrine.

Environmental Problems and Possible Approaches to Mitigate: It is apparent that water flow in the Banganga stream is decreasing. Banganga stream, the trunk drainage of the watershed flows beyond monsoon but it is reported by the local, knowledgeable people that it used to flow throughout the year. The springs in the hills that feed its perennial streams are drying. There are other minute indicators in the form of changing vegetation and minor soil erosion. Actions initiated by the Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in forestry and plantation has shown a positive effect. However, the indications of depleting forests is also linked with the problem of depleting water resources.

_Problem of decreasing water flow in the springs, and its fallout leading to drying up of Banganga stream is the chief concern. A meticulous site selection must be done for the minor or micro bunds, pools, and terraces. The purpose is to increase the water retention of the soil and vegetation and hence, indirectly, augment the groundwater recharge. All actions have to be taken bearing the fact in mind that the area has a very thin soil cover and it is prone to landslides. Design of each individual (micro) structure must fulfill the primary objective of water retention._

# 14

# Mules and waste management

Pilgrim centres in India have unique problems of pollution. Some pilgrim centres have large numbers visiting only on a few days in a year or two like in Sammakka Saarakka Jatara, the world's biggest tribal carnival, in Warangal district of Telangana or Ayappa Swami temple in Kerala, or all through the year with seasonal fluctuations. Number of pilgrims visiting these holy sites in India is seen only growing despite deteriorating conditions of hygiene, pollution and safety. Common feature among most of these pilgrim centres is conspicuous absence of any long term plan for provision of safe and adequate drinking water, sanitation, toilets, safe roads, transportation, decent accommodation in permanent or temporary shelters, pollution control, waste management, preventive healthcare, etc. Absence of these features across the country at holy shrines of all faiths reassures Indian unity and the proof almighty that life goes on without any significant presence of any government. Occasional deaths, epidemics, stampedes in holy sites seems to only remind that fate is in action rather than disturb complacency to initiate any responsible action by the civil society or the government.

Fortunately, serious concern was raised about the problem of pollution and environmental degradation at Vaishnov Devi Shrine. Mata Vaishnov Devi Shrine had about 40 thousand pilgrims every day in 2007 and the numbers were growing every year. The Shrine is located in an inaccessible steep hilly region, about 15 km walking distance from Katra Town. About 5 to 10% of the pilgrims use local horses and mules for visiting the Shrine. Very few pilgrims also use Helicopters and Dholis for visiting the Shrine, as its cost is very high. A caravan of mules are used for transporting all the material to the lodges near the Shrine. About 1000 horses and mules were in service in this area, according to a conservative estimate. It is a very good service by the local people and their horses and mules for the convenience of pilgrims, which is also a livelihood for them.

During the field visit to the Shrine Area in November 2007 for an Environmental, Ecological and Hydrological basin Study, it was found that the dung of these animals was posing a serious problem in many ways.

1. Polluting the Banganga stream and other water sources in the area.

2.Dumping of the dung along the path to the Shrine is spreading bad odor in the area, causing inconvenience to the pilgrims.

3. The path has become slippery at several places due to dung and urine of these animals. Several pilgrims are in danger of falling down.

4. Several people were employed by the Shrine Board to clean the path from Katra up to the Shrine.

5. The dry dung dumps are openly burnt at several places, which release smoke.

6. Rate of decomposition is limited due to altitude and existing low temperatures for several months in a year.

Apart from dung, the Pilgrims bring along and throw all sorts of garbage in this area. As the flat land area is limited in the hilly areas and the ecology of the area is also very fragile, maintaining the garbage dump yard sites is limited. The disposal of tonnes of garbage is a difficult task for the shrine board and Katra Municipality. To tackle this ecological challenge of solid waste management, there is a need for a comprehensive solution.

The action plan proposed includes the following activities:

  * A detailed study of the dung and garbage disposal problem in the areas. 
  * Interaction with the stakeholders and finding solutions for segregation and management of the solid waste. 
  * Designing or adopting appropriate technologies such as biomass stoves for cooking and heating purposes with dung/garbage pellets. 
  * Preparation of Pellets and brackets from mule dung. 
  * Vermicompost preparation using the dung for which, identification of the suitable earthworms and appropriate technique of vermicomposting have to be designed. 
  * Developing a scientific method for Composting wet garbage, dung, and local biomass. 
  * Training the local people, farmers and others in waste management technologies.

These measures would provide the Katra and Shrine area the following benefits:

  * Local water pollution due to garbage and dung is tackled. 
  * Forest fires are prevented as the dung and garbage is no more openly burnt at several places. 
  * The bad smell from the dung and solid waste is controlled, and the tourists would have relatively clean air. 
  * Conservation of biomass in the local area is achieved, otherwise which is used for cooking needs. Increase soil fertility through compost application. 
  * Additional employment opportunities generated for the local people in making pellets / brackets / vermicomposting / composting and overall solid waste management activity. 
  * Recover some part of the costs involved in current solid waste management.

# 15

# Assessment of Iron ore mines in Goa

Goa is one of the states in India, which was once ruled by the Portuguese. It is wedged between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. It is endowed with abundant Iron Ore. Mining in Goa is more than a century old activity. Some of the big business names in Goa own some of the mines. The environmental impact assessment is a recent requirement for all the major activities. As it is an age-old practice for the mining industry continuing before the independence of India, the mining management is not willing to adopt the norms.

After doing Ph.D. in EIA, I was doing EIAs in support of people and communities. As a consultant, I was asked by a Delhi based company to do an EIA and find solutions for the ongoing mining activity of an old and large mine in Sirigaon, Goa. Local communities have complained against the existing mines in the area which degraded their environment and water resources.

Along with a senior water resources specialist and a colleague, I went to the area in 2008.

Most of the time I was representing the cause of masses and the communities affected by environmental concerns. For the first time I was part of an assignment for the industry that was facing the wrath of local communities.

The mining belt of Goa covers approximately 700 Sq. Km. and is mostly concentrated in four talukas namely, Bicholim of North Goa district and Salcete, Sanguem and Quepem of South Goa district. Mining and associated activities have significantly affected the natural landscape in and around these areas, which is characterised by the presence of pits and waste rejects.

The mining belt of Goa is divided into three regions based on the concentration of the iron ore, viz., Northern, Central, and Southern Zone. Usgao River is the dividing line for the Northern and Central Zone and Sanguem River between the Central and Southern zone. The maximum area under mining is in Sanguem Taluka followed by Bicholim, Sattari, and Quepem.

Mining has been a very important element in the economic history of modern Goa and a significant foreign exchange earner for the state. Recently, it has been designated as the industry at par with tourism. It has provided the trigger to boost the economy of the Talukas where mining activities have been initiated in the recent years. Certain natural factors like the presence of coastline, an excellent natural harbour at Marmugao and many navigable perennial rivers have promoted the economic exploitation of mineral deposits. Transport of ores by barges is the cheapest option as compared to road and rail transport.

Goa is a major iron ore exporting state, and over 60% of country's iron ore export is from Goa. Mining in Goa is done by open cast method which necessitates the removal of overburden overlying the iron ore formations. On an average, about 2.5 to 3 units of mining waste have to be excavated to produce one unit of iron ore. The average annual production of iron ore is approximately 15 to 16 million tonnes, in the process removal of which about 40 to 50 million tonnes of mining waste is generated. Such a massive quantity of mining waste creates a problem for its storage thereby causing severe environmental pollution.

In Goa, the mining is done using high powered mechanical devices. It is carried out by forming systematic benches on the hilltop and along hill slopes, and the pits are laterally extended in stages in all directions with increasing depth. I have seen a mine going more than 20 meters below sea level (in the year 2008).

Mining has also enacted a degraded environment and is also a matter of concern. Impairment of the environment is mainly caused by the reject dumps, pumping out of muddy waters from the working pits including those where the mining operations have gone below the water table, and slimes from the treatment plant. The damage is more prominent during monsoon where the rainwater carries the washed out material from the waste dumps to the adjoining low-lying agricultural fields and water streams. It is stated that the slimes and silts, which enter the agricultural area are of such character that they get hardened on drying. The washed out material from the dumps and the flow of slimes from the beneficial plants besides polluting the water causes siltation of waterways, particularly during monsoon. Such silting of waterways over the years may trigger years even flooding of the adjacent fields and inhabited areas, especially during the monsoon period.

Several major environmental problems caused due to mining operations are as under: Deforestation, Land degradation, Surface water pollution, Dust pollution, Damage to beaches, Groundwater depletion and pollution, drying up of wells in the area, Brackish water seepage into groundwater from backwaters streams due to falling in the groundwater table.

During the field visit, my team and I had to face the wrath of the local community. It was very hard to explain and convince them that we were here to understand the situation and make the management take necessary steps to mitigate the damages and provide basic requirements such as drinking water to the people.

We visited the entire mining area, understood the rationale of mining, dumping and related activities, pumping schedules of the pits, etc., and their activity period over the cycle of an year, location of neighbouring mining activities, property boundaries and common interest sites; natural and engineered drainage channels in view of mining and dumping needs, and various other features pertaining to mining interests including its forest and habitations.

Composite water management options, taking into consideration surface and groundwater, meteorological factors, land slope and mining plans, entails taking a watershed approach covering the entire mines property boundary. Before mining activity began in the area, the land was a hill slope subject to normal land erosion and occasional landslides.

Local rainfall intensity and pattern and its effects on the total water resources situations are the factors that affect the vegetation, livelihood and ecology of the area. It was hence necessary to define the area based on watersheds.

Important measures required regarding water use including the following: The water that is pumped out from the mining fields can be used for various beneficial purposes, such as: Drinking Water Supply (DWS) for the local population; Community Irrigation Schemes (CIS); and Recreation and Tourism purposes.

Dumping Sites Management: Identification of the existing dumping sites and identification of the Potential dumping sites location and classification for future use. Management and plantation plans for the dumping sites.

Plantation: Assessment of the existing plantations, management, and identification of potential sites for plantation

Alternative energy: Assessment of the potential energy generation methods for the area such as Energy generation from municipal solid waste, a feasibility study for the area; and Micro-hydel power project feasibility for the area.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Long-term cordial relationship of the local population with the Sirigaon Mines pertains to mutual adjustments against various odds. The village population has to accept the presence of the mines and its activities for the ensuing years till the time the activities of the Mines conclude. Some of the acts of the mining authorities may be aimed to fulfil this objective or vision. They include providing employment, taking part in the social events, e.g., Annual Yatra Festival at the perennial stream; proposing to create the rural drinking water system for the village Sirigaon; Taking up an environment management plan (EMP) for the mining area.

Welfare and social protection of the employees of the Mines: This aspect is tightly integrated with the relationship building issue explained above. Moreover, if some of the locals are employed in the Mines, they also act as the advocates promoting the views of the Mines authorities among the local population.

Safety arrangements against accidents, hazards - including environmental hazards that are among the mandates of pursuing the mining activities and fulfilling the legal requirements fulfil some of the basic requirements of CSR.

Water Harvesting and water management plans for the mines, and water requirements of the local community. Water for livelihoods - agriculture, livestock, and fisheries addressed from water pumped from mines. Water for drinking - Sustainable model

Although these are the comprehensive recommendations made for the environment and the local communities, the intention and the willingness to share the profits determine the actions taken by the mining industry.

There is a need to bring change by representing the deserving and also the culprit.

Mining below sea level, causing the seepage of sea water into the mines

Discussing with a local villager on the groundwater depletion and brackish water intrusion into the drinking water wells

# 16

# Iron Ore Mines - Barbil, Orissa

Barbil is a remote area in Orissa state adjoining Jharkhand. This area is famous for iron ore mining activity. I have never seen an area comprising an odd mosaic of brandishing wealth, poverty, pollution, and poor infrastructure.

I visited the place, along with two other colleagues, to study the catchment characteristics of the area; rainfall pattern and climatic situations controlled by rainfall; vegetation density and trends of forest clearance; soil profile, soil erosion trends; vulnerability of the communities; and mining dumps and their impact on groundwater recharge.

It was a micro level observation, study and analysis since local groundwater situations particularly in relation to mining sites would be different from the regional picture of groundwater levels and their seasonal changes. It comprises variations in climatic factors, rainfall, evaporation, run-off, etc. requires taking a local view to arrive at appropriate conclusions to formulate groundwater protection and rainwater harvesting plans. State level or district level data may help only to understand general situations while for the purpose of determining effective plans and approaches, it necessary to assess all micro-level features.

, Geological and hydrological features of the area have to be understood for any action on the groundwater regime. Micro-level geological information can be obtained from the mining records itself. For the assessment of hydrological features, specific studies have to be carried out in the existing wells and perennial streams of the area in and around the mines, say within the periphery of five kilometres around the mines. A study of the drainage system also was important to understand the run-off, drainage, silt transportation and the nature of the base flow in them. However, this will require time-series data that can be obtained from the irrigation departments. The study on the drainage system would be necessary because of the environmental regulations that stipulate that the outflow of the mine will be without any suspended material and the turbidity of the water drained out from the mines would be low.

For the protection of groundwater, the assumption is that mining is a threat to the groundwater regime. It will hence, be most rational to carry out a situational analysis for all the mining sites separately. The situation analysis included the following:

  * The location of the mines vis-a-vis the physiographic features and mining trends.
  * Rainfall trends, dry and wet months, moisture balance situations and drought trends.
  * Features of the water basin, drainage system and its relationship with the groundwater regime
  * To collate information about the base flow in the nearest influent streams and attempt quantification on a month to month basis.

# 17

# Pollution in Patancheru

The life and livelihood of the farmers living in Nakka Vagu basin are affected beyond repair and compensation. After choosing the area for my Doctorate, I have visited the place for the first time in the year 1995. I still remember the strong unpleasant smell that greets one the moment one gets down the bus at Patancheru which is about 2 km from the Nakka Vagu (which means Fox stream in Telugu). Mr. Prashanth, my friend accompanied me to the field area. As we moved to some of the villages, we saw brick kilns in once fertile lands. The contractors have engaged the poor people from Orissa State to work for brick making, where the children were also working. There are very few standing crops and they were not healthy. There are two streams with polluted water flowing in the area: Nakka Vagu (Fox Stream) and Pamula Vagu (Snakes Stream). We saw that some sheep were drinking the coloured obnoxious water from the Pamula Vagu, and shepherds washing their hands and feet in the same waters. I was so touched by plight of the people in the region. We heard stories that in some of the pools of water in the region, when a buffalo went for bath, its skin peeled off because the water was so acidic, its pH was less than 4.

Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy and Dr. Kishan Rao were fighting for the rights of the people since more than a decade already in the area. They have recorded the blue baby syndrome or a baby born due to excess pollutants entering into the conceived mother. The skin rashes are easy to be found. From cancer to all kinds of impacts on the internal and external bodies of the people were also found upon investigation by doctors. Women had often abortions too. Rice cultivated using the polluted water, smelled, turned yellow and spoiled by evening.

Saw a very old sculpture, the local Hindus have applied a vermillion to it. It is probably a sculpture of more than 1000 years old, was representing either Buddhism or Jainism. Upon enquiry someone said it was found while excavating the soil for brick making and was kept on the road side. They said innumerable such statues were found in the area. In business who cares about the history and the relics. I went to the Archaeology department and learnt there is continuous history of people living in the area since 2nd Century BC. It means the land which sustained agriculture since then has become infertile and unsustainable due to the so called industrial development.

Pollution of water, soil and air may be the main cause of fallow lands. On the whole about 20% of the lands were left fallow in most of the villages. Traditionally there had been two types of irrigation practices in the region, lift irrigation from wells and streams, and irrigation by gravity from tanks. The lifts worked with bullocks called _mhota_ are suitable for irrigating up to 8 acres. _Mhotas_ were in practice till 1980's. The present practice of lift irrigation is by electric motor pumps. The availability of water from a number of tanks spread in the region can also be attributed to the prosperity of agriculture. Tanks are adequate in numbers but now many such tanks are of little use except as storage ponds for industrial effluents. As these tanks are connected in series the pollutants entering a tank at higher reaches pollutes all other tanks down stream. Presently many farmers shifted to dry-land farming as the water sources are polluted. The pollution of wells and tanks crippled all those farmers irrigating crops under them.

People don't have access to the drinking water in the area. Some of the villagers were buying water or they were paying for the water supplied by the Government and sometimes buying from private agencies. By the end of my PhD I have filed a Public Interest Litigation in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh to provide free drinking water under the polluter pays principle. The order came immediately and the villagers are being provided free drinking water. Sad, the court had to intervene to provide drinking water which they had from any of the sources since centuries in the region. 

# 18

# Fox Society

While doing Ph.D. on the topic, "Environmental Impact Assessment of the polluted water at Patancheru Industrial Area," I became very sensitive to the impacts of pollution on the local ecology, environment, and livelihoods of the farmers and others. I started the organisation "Fox - Society for Environmental Protection" for creating broader awareness among various stakeholders. My concern was that the highly polluting industries should stop pollution.

Designed and printed posters to promote awareness. Got printed the posters with the litho-press at Patherghatti, near Charminar, Hyderabad, as it was cheaper. The logo depicts a fox and degraded environment. The polluted water of the Patancheru Industrial area was let into the Nakka Vagu or Fox Stream, a tributary of Godavari River. The fox always inspired me as they are the only major surviving carnivorous still found in the rural areas having adopted so well and have not become the enemy of people.

As I was alone, with the support of a friend one whole night,

I spent one whole night pasting these posters in the industrial area. There was another friend with me that night. The head of Bachuguda village also supported me. My sister's marriage was only within a week's time. I also took financial support from my sister's fiancee too to print posters. I could create awareness, but the result was zero. Soon I understood the difficulties of bringing the change as an individual, so later have chosen a multi-pronged approach to bring the change.

# 19

# Environmental Legal Activism

While doing PhD with Environmental Impact Assessment, I realised that the EIAs done for the establishment of industries are mostly superficial and often an exercise in justification of the proposed project rather than depicting the reality. EIA experts work like a chartered accountants, who by all means work to protect interests of their clients. I was not so happy to serve the industries by doing such consultancy, unless they wanted genuine reports. The same EIA techniques can be used to study any issue of public importance.

In my journey of Enviro-legal activism, I came across two great lawyers. Mr. Mahesh Chandra Mehta and Mr. K. Ashok Reddy.

One day Mr. Shiva Prasad, introduced Mr. K. Ashok Reddy a lawyer working at the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, to Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy and me. He volunteered to file environmental public interest litigations cases without fee for us. He wanted to contribute for a common cause. He was earning well for his regular civil cases and other PILs. He was also one of the prominent PIL lawyers of that time.

As he was new to the subject of environment I was supporting him with the drafting of the notes. I was doing my PhD at that time. I was regularly meeting him in the evenings in his chamber to discuss about the environmental issues. In this phase we could file several important cases and also got good judgements. Sometimes, I attended the court to listen to the cases.

In public interest litigation cases it is important to address the challenges pertaining to majority of the people and larger geographical areas. The judgements in such cases have impact on similar issues elsewhere too. It is mean to go for public interest litigations against individuals or out of grudge or with some vested interest. These individuals would become personal enemies as they would also ask why you are against only particular industry and why you are not questioning others who are also causing pollution similarly. One should adopt PIL without enmity against anyone, as it is a means to improve the system. Exceptionally one could adopt PIL to avert any adverse outcomes against individuals too. Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy and myself were the petitioners in several PILs. 

# 20

# Airport Expansion

One day the residents of the Mahendragiri hills came with a complaint that the government was planning to demolish the high rise buildings for the expansion of the Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad. Mahendragiri hills was on one side of the runway. The government had the intention to convert the existing airport into an International Airport. To facilitate the landing of the big international aeroplanes, they planned to expand the runway. Incidentally, Mahendragiri hills was on the path of the landing and takeoff.

The Begumpet airport was small, , there was a need to expand the airport to meet demand of a fast growing Hyderabad city. But it was not considered right to further expand the airport and also increase the number of flights takeoff and landing due to high traffic congestion, disturbance from air pollution and noise pollution to the high density of population living in its vicinity. Already many people in the area were complaining of hearing problem due to noise pollution, respiratory problems from pollution and traffic congestion challenges to the commuters. Also there were a number of educational institutions, hospitals and religious places around. In case of a probable accident of crash landing, it would cause a great damage to the people and properties. The case studies were provided in the note. Based on this case argued by Mr. K. Ashok Reddy, we got an order to not to expand the existing runway. Subsequently the government found a site in the Southeastern part of the city for the new International airport about 30 km away. That's how Shamshabad International Airport came up.

# 21

# Rocks blasting

Kukatpally housing board colony (KPHB) it was one of the big housing colonies built by government in Hyderabad. One of the residents of the colony Mr. Swadeen, a senior journalist in 'Hindi Milap' Newspaper, approached with a complaint that the building walls developed cracks due to blasting of the granitic rocks nearby. Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy and myself accompanied him to see the impact. The buildings had several cracks due to the vibrations from the blasts. The blasting was happening close to the railway line and the culverts also had cracks. Over a period this would also damage the railway track and lead to train accidents. The sound from blasting and the dust pollution was also a concern. Considering all the impacts on the hundreds of residential buildings and people, we prepared a note for public interest litigation and submitted to Mr. K. Ashok Reddy, Advocate. He made the case ready for filing, but in the morning called us to provide us the address of the person who is responsible rock blasting. We did not collect the crucial information. So Prof. Reddy and myself reached the site. No body was willing give details of the contractor, for fear of annoying the contractor. So, Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy acted as the contractor from Rayalaseema having relationship with a particular politician. As Professor was waiting at a distance. I acted as his aide and approached the supervisor for details of the owner. Told that my boss is a class one contractor from a particular place and his allegiance to a politician, wanted the metal for a major road work and requested to give the address details of the owner of the rock crusher unit. The supervisor said that they are also from the same place and are related to the same politician. And they wanted to meet my boss. Now, I was afraid of what they would make of us. I walked briskly and asked them to follow me. I went ahead and told Professor what happened. I could not stop laughing, how a Professor would deal with them as a contractor and get the address and owners details. Somehow professor managed to converse with them and got the details. For a good cause even drama was required. I jumped into the vehicle and laughed uncontrollably. We returned back to the advocate and gave the address. The case was filed on the same day and we could get the interim orders to stop the activity.

# 22

# Protecting Taj Mahal from discolouration

Taj Mahal is a historic monument, one of the beautiful structures of our country. Mr. M. C. Mehta filed some of the major cases and got good judgements for its conservation and protection. In one of the cases, he asked me to support. I was asked to assess the deforestation or cutting of trees around Taj Mahal. There was a ban on cutting trees around the monument. Yet trees were cut due to the interest of few people and officials. In this regard, I used the imageries of different time periods to assess the extent of deforestation. Identified the periods when the trees were cut. This analysis was useful in the case on action against those responsible for deforestation. The whole area around Taj Mahal is considered as sensitive zone as the air pollution is causing the white Makrana Marbles tarnish and degrade. Trees lessen the impacts of air pollution to some extent. 

# 23

# Drinking poison from reused chemical drums

While working for my PhD in the Patancheru area, I saw that a number of used chemical drums being sold for reuse. As per the Hazardous Materials Act, they should be safely disposed in a designated area. But they were being sold for reuse especially for storing the drinking water. I was surprised how come they are allowed to sell them. One day, I informed the matter to Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy. He wanted to see for himself and also brought Mr. Swadeen a reported from Hindi Milap daily. There were several shops selling the 200 liter and other size chemical plastic drums near Patancheru in industrial area along the national highway. When I got down from the vehicle and tried to take photographs of the drums, the people selling the drums got suspicious and threatened me not to take pictures. I had to accept their threats and pack up my camera. But, I took the pictures from Professor's vehicle without their knowledge. I explained the whole story to Mr. Swadeen, and he wrote an article that was published in the Hindi Milap newspaper. Immediately, Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy sent this article to the Chief Justice of High Court, Andhra Pradesh with a request letter that he has seen this article in the newspaper with the request that it may be considered as a public interest litigation. After few days the judge issued an order banning the reuse of chemical drums. In practice still they still sold and people use them for drinking water and other storage purposes. Pollution is part of our bodies as the minds have not yet started rejecting the slow poison killing us.

# 24

# Ganga River

One day I got a call from Mr. M. C. Mehta, the renowned environmental lawyer. He requested me to do the analysis of the activities close to the Ganga River at a particular location in Uttar Pradesh. A hotel was under construction close to the river upstream of Haridwar and also there were a few camping sites. Using the google maps and by observing the imageries of the area, marked the changes happening on the banks of the river. This analysis I sent to Mr. M. C. Mehta. He presented the details before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Delhi. The chairperson of NGT, requested to present the analysis in detail and asked the person who prepared this analysis to be present during next hearing. Mr. Mehta asked me visit Delhi to do a presentation before the Chairperson and members of National Green Tribunal. I went to the office of Mr. Mehta and discussed in brief about the presentation. Along with his junior Ms. Katyayini, went to the NGT court at Faridkot House. When our case came up for hearing, Mr.. Mehta presented the argument before the court. There were five people including the chairperson of National Green Tribunal sitting at a distance. He introduced me as an expert who did the analysis of the area. I started explaining, since it was a spatial issue need to be presented, I opened my laptop and could not explain properly as there was huge crowd. One of the members warned me to think before making a presentation as it will have impact on the decisions and policies on Ganga river. I said let us prevent its pollution as priority rather than on spending so much on treating the polluted waters of the Ganga River. The chairperson of NGT asked us to do presentation in his chamber, as it was inconvenient in such a big hall. The courts should adopt technologies and create facilities for presenting the case through other methods too as everything cannot be explained in the traditional form of argument or oral presentations. Sometimes the things explained are differently imagined by the people. The chairperson, members of NGT the opponent lawyer, Mr. Mehta and myself arrived in his chamber at the designated time. I got nearly 30 minutes to explain the details and supported by Mr. Mehta, The chairperson of NGT, was Justice Swatenter Kumar, he is a sensitive person and a committed Judge. The order came saying that the construction of the hotel is clearly illegal. It also said. there would be no camping or camping site allowed in the mid of the river or river bed and anywhere within the area which is less than 100 meters measured from the middle of the river up to 2 km beyond boundary of the Rishikesh upstream and not less than 200 meters measured from middle of the River there onwards till boundary of Haridwar downstream (100 meters as a crow flies). This was an important judgment as it will prevent people from polluting the Ganga River especially in the upstream. But even this judgment is being misinterpreted and used by each according to their advantage as the river flow varies in a years and the middle of the river changes accordingly. I was consulted on two more cases to give opinion. I suggested the following measures to prevent misinterpretation or taking the spatial situation as advantage in doing activities close to Ganga River.

The middle of the river cuts the river flow area parallel. It varies with the flow of the water (quantity) and it cannot be fixed.

The rule fails where the width of the river is more than 200 meters. It is illogical to have the rule of 100 meters' distance. As the river approaches lower areas the order of the river increases. The width of the river also increases as we move down the length of a river (in general). It means there is more violation of the norms downward of a river flow. Therefore, the sensitive zone should be declared and fixed from the bank lines on either side of the river.

Suggested a scientific approach to be adopted for declaring the sensitive zone along the banks of a river. It should be based on the historic flood line or banks line (right and left banks), river flows, geology, slope, soils, flora and fauna, etc.

The historical bank lines of a river should be studied. Bank lines are high flow levels of a river. The "sensitive zone" along the banks of the river should be demarcated on either side of the bank lines (Right and Left).

Studies have to be carried out to quantify change in bank line of a river. The bank line vectors taken for different time periods (at least 30 years' period) to be superimposed. The changes in the bank lines thus became clear on superimposition. The satellite data along with toposheets (Survey of India, Maps) should be used for the scientific study.

Marker stones to be fixed (say every 25 meters) on either side of the bank lines (right and left) to delineate the sensitive area parallel to the river. This would help the local community and administration to identify the sensitive zones. One cannot go by case by case, there is a lot for the policy decisions to be taken for conserving the rivers and water bodies in parts of India.

Based on the above arguments another order was issued in December 2017. Now the court has considered the edge of the river rather middle of the river for measuring the distance to demarcate the sensitive zone. And the distance was reduced to 50 meters. Still this judgment was not fool-proof, it could be exploited by the people based on the local situation.

The details are as such. Construction activities will be prohibited within 50 meters from the edge of the river Ganga in hilly areas, as it would now be treated as a 'no-development zone', the National Green Tribunal (NGT) said on December 18, 2017, modifying its earlier order. No-development zones are areas where no construction, including commercial or residential buildings, can come up.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that keeping in view the topography of mountainous regions, there was a necessity of revisiting its direction. In a detailed judgment, the tribunal had said in July 2017 that "Till the demarcation of floodplains and identification of permissible and non-permissible activities by the state government of this judgment, we direct that 100 meters from the edge of the river would be treated as a no development/construction zone, between Haridwar and Unnao in UP."

However, at the latest hearing, the bench said the area falling between 50-100 meters, would be considered as a 'regulatory' zone and there would be a ban on construction activity in this area, till the state comes with a specific policy. "We reiterate that an area falling within 50 meters from the edge of Ganga, would be considered as 'no-development zone' in hilly areas and no construction or any other activity will be allowed in that area," the bench, also comprising justice UD Salvi, said.

# 25

# Fog and Rocks

Water is available in different forms in nature. Fog or cloud at the ground surface is one such form of water available to serve nature. Everyone enjoys the early morning fog, that is the coolest time in a day. That is the reason the moisture in the form of fog appears close to the ground in the form of fog.

Winters are very cold in parts of Telangana. This is because of less number of water bodies and vegetation. The land mass gets cooled very fast too.

There is intense fog seen, called Manchu or Mankuru, everywhere especially during early mornings during the winters.

I was at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Digdi Village of Zaheerabad on December 24th of 1996. Mr. V. R. Reddy was the Director of KVK. Office and a few guest rooms were constructed with laterite stones in the traditional style. It was newly constructed at that time. I opted to stay at that place for the night so that next day early morning, I could observe the fog and how fog is used by the plants.

There were so many rats in the building, I could not sleep properly. I was told it was common to find snakes crawling in the building searching for rats. I woke up very early in the morning. There was intense fog, I started walking in the wilderness around the centre. Almost all the plants were wet with the moisture accumulated on the plants. Within no time, half of my lower body was wet with water from the plants. Every part of the plants were harvesting this fog. The attraction between plants and water is great. An agave plant caught my attention in particular. It was trapping the fog through its needle-tip-long-leaves and channeling the water droplets to its root zone.

The black colour basalt stones which turned spherical due to conchoidal fracturing by the diurnal variation of temperature were found everywhere. These stones being black in colour, by radiating all the heat, they became too cool by early morning. These stones have also become wet in the fog, and the water droplets started moving underneath (being spherical) these stones.

I lifted few stones to see what was under these stones. I found several small plants or saplings so fresh with good source of water. Often scorpions and other small insects are found beneath them. They take advantage of keeping themselves cool and protected from the scorching sun and other predators during the daytime.

Hyderabad and its surroundings are home for beautiful Archean granites. Many big trees are found growing from the crevices or joints of these rocks. The rocks help the seeds, saplings and plants while they grow. These rocks also channel the rainwater and fog droplets towards the roots of these plants. The plants have so much strength that some rocks are split wide open when they continue to grow.

People should not remove stones from the fields. Instead they should start growing plants in the rocky areas too. The belief is that fields should be devoid of any rocks is wrong from plant growth. The stones can be used as mulching for the plants too. One should understand this intricate relationship between, fog, moisture, plants and the stones or rocks. Ecosystem is the intricate relationship between the biotic and abiotic components of the environment.

The massive absorption and conversion of solar energy causes 'cold' energy spots on the continent which attract the warm moisture laden winds from sea and lake. Around 60% of moisture transfer from sea to continent happens through condensation on leaf and bark surfaces. Only 40% of moisture falls as rain or snow. Life continually draws and creates weather. 

# 26

# Home reflecting Nature's bounty

Earth is the only home, if humans lived in nature like any other life on earth. One would have been living in a green home, with least ecological foot print. The human beings are wasting so much energy and resources in creating living spaces and work places more than what is required.

I got an opportunity to teach at the Contractors Development Institute (CDI), at National Academy of Construction (NAC), Hyderabad. CDI was headed by Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy. He requested me to take a few classes on traditional green buildings or green buildings whenever trainings were conducted in the institute. I was gave lectures regularly between 1998 and 2012.

I got into basics of understanding the traditional houses that I had seen in the villages. I focussed on the materials required for construction; necessary spaces created for use; meeting the aspirations of people; maintenance; cultural values; a space which could bring peace and enhance one's spirituality. The natural interacting aspects, such as light, air circulation, flow of water; temperature and relative humidity were also considered. Being an environmentalist everything was understood. Based on the observation of other buildings and houses, I used to give lectures. Sometimes the students said what I taught was practical and not found in their text books.

While developing the GEO Research centre, I was conscious to build the environment friendly structures mostly using local materials, and reuse of materials. The thumb rule was that they should be maintenance free at the end. Altogether they should be low-cost.

The first building walls were built of mud called Pati-Matti. Pati (old) Matti (earth or soil) is procured from the place where once a village existed. It had all the evidences of the people living there such as pottery shards, pieces of charcoal, bones, broken bangles, slag, shells, etc. This soil is resistant to erosion. The challenge was to identify the person to construct the house. About 30 years back the last house was built with mud walls. It is very common to see very long earth walls constructed even now in As in Afghanistan the farmers to build mud walls to protect their fields from gazing animals,. Mud walls are common in parts of India, especially in the semi-arid and arid parts. The less rainfall conditions in the arid and semi-arid climate regions makes the walls last longtime. I have seen houses which are more than 100 years old and intact even now. The mud walls in some houses are as high as 15 feet. There are some double story houses with mud walls too. Sometimes the roof also is made of pati matti. In less rainfall areas, over a layer of wood, a thick layer of pati matti of alkaline soil is used as roof. This soil is clayey and the permeability and percolation of water is very low.

I love the earthen structures because it is like living with the soil. They cause less impact on the environment as the embodied energy is very low. It is always locally available and accessible. Even a poor person, can build a house like a bird builds a nest when it is needed. One could start construction of house without big plans of procuring or importing the materials. . No tools are used except for a bare hands and legs for preparing the material. There is no need to depend on outside experts for the construction. I observed how the tribals construct and maintain their houses with great love. As they are constructed by themselves, the houses reflect their aspirations, needs and aesthetics. They have great love and pride in living the space they made into a home. With maintenance they always looked new and with the floral and animals designs / drawings on the walls, which bring their life world live with them. They know that the space belongs to all and they are only occupying for sometime in space and time. Everything should disintegrate and one day would be part of the same soil where one would rest after death.

I found one old person in the village who had some experience of constructing the mud-walls during his youth. I requested him to guide the young labour in preparation of the material and support in the construction of the house with mud. To get the Pati-Matti, I searched the fields near a 500 years old temple around which the village existed in the past. Now it is a field. I found all the evidences of the village in the soil. I requested the farmer to give me the soil from his field. He agreed and I collected the soil and brought to the Geo Research Center.

The construction of the mud-walls happens in phases. One cannot construct as much as one wants in a day as it is done with the bricks. Only 2 to 3 feet height wall can be constructed in a day. Then it should dry completely for add another layer of few more feet wall over it. To reach a height of 15 feet it took more than one-month time.

First the pati-matti is soaked in water and pressed with legs to create a good clay. The balls of clay are prepared and passed on to the person sitting and constructing the wall. The mud ball is pressed to create layers of the wall. Even the smoothening is done by bare hands and fingers. The streets in the villages are designed to be narrow, to prevent the erosion of walls from rain, wind, diurnal temperature variation. As this structure was in the centre, I need to protect it from the walls, therefore with a chicken mesh wire as a layer made rough plastering with the cement. Plastering was done inside the room with dubba matti (a fine soil). The sil-koyya they are the sticks stuck in the wall for hanging things, a shelf with doors and two windows were made in the traditional way. The two-winged door is also traditional.

I experimented with biochar, creating bricks using sand, cement and biochar. These bricks are environment friendly. Biochar is used as an amendment for improving the fertility of the soil. These bricks are breathing bricks, which can absorb some of the harmful gases, create a habitat for good microbes, emit long-wave radiation, reduce the moisture in the living spaces, etc. At the end of life-cycle as they turn into mere construction waste, they would still improve soil fertility where they are dumped contrary to the modern construction wastes which cause much damage to the soil. On the whole they address the carbon sequestration by fixing the carbon in the bricks. I used them in one room and partly in one hall.

I built a museum for the stoves that I designed. I once went to a friend's village near Yadagirigutta for facilitation of the stoves. I saw them demolishing their 50 year old house. All the wood was dumped at a place. I asked them what they wanted to do with it. They said one local carpenter was willing to buy for Rs. 15,000 and would cut into pieces and sell. I told that the wood with beautiful carvings should not sold as scrap to be disposed off as waste. I offered to take the wood and brought that to the research center. I added those wood carvings and old plain blocks of wood made into doors and windows in the hall displaying the stoves that I designed. It came out very well.

I wanted the floor of the museum to be maintenance free, so instead of laying the floor with slabs, I dumped the coarse sand. That's way all the dust seeps down and people prefer to sit on the sand too. It is also safe from rats making holes, ants and termites making nests. The whole structure was constructed with cement bricks and some biochar bricks. They are not plastered and don't need regular maintenance. The edges of the walls which are prone to weathering only were plastered with three inches' width border. For the roof, I used the pre-coated tin sheets along with a fibreglass sheets to let enough light during the day. the walls were raised to 12 feet to prevent excess heat in the room during the day time. Besides, several ventilators were provided for cross ventilation and escape of the heat that otherwise would have been trapped in the hall. The convection currents are well established. The same hall could also be used as a training hall when it rains outside. A platform with coarse sand was created underneath a huge neem tree. As no vegetation grows in the sand, it is convenient for people to sit and attend the lectures under the cool shade of the neem tree amid biodiversity of more than 100 plant species.

Minimalistic approach is the only way to address sustainability of the resources on this earth. Otherwise we do need one just more earth to sustain the present demands, because we are living at the cost of degradation and over exploitation of the earth.

Recently, I designed and constructed a Mini-tree house at the Earth Center. It was constructed with minimum resources. As the area was prone to termite's infestation, the granite hut and the _Machan_ was constructed over the granite stone pillars. The _Machan_ was prepared using the sticks of _Sarugu_ plants, which are grown in the fields. The whole structure is adjoining a huge mango tree with complete shade. The ventilation is very good. Plastic material is used for roofing. The height of the hut is 4.5' with a base of 4.5' x 8', convenient for two people to sleep. Two more persons could sleep outside on the _Machan_. The hut does not get heated as it is completely under the shade. During day time one could take any place around the tree. A small room was prepared underneath the hut. To climb a mound of _Morum_ (erosion resistant coarse soil) is created. This is one of the low-cost structures. Living close to the nature with minimum requirements makes one an earth leader.

# 27

# Biochar compost bin

Bio-waste is a major problem in the urban areas. Because of congestion and high density of population, it needs to be disposed of immediately as decomposes. The dry biomass can be stored and disposed but bio-waste should be disposed immediately. There is a lot of waste generated everyday from all sources. Therefore, we need to pay attention to the solutions to convert the biomass into a resource. Biochar is the charcoal derived from pyrolysis of biomass. It can be used as an ingredient to convert the biomass into compost. In-situ compost bins which accelerate the composting time period and also prevent the obnoxious smells. Using biochar as a media, I designed several models of biochar compost bins. Biochar compost bin is efficient, convenient and it is the low-cost conversion of domestic bio-waste into compost using biochar.

Biochar compost bin uses converting bio-waste into compost. It takes about two or three weeks to convert biomass into compost. This composting system is aerobic and in the presence of biochar there is not much smell emanated while composting. There is a value addition by converting the bio-waste into a useful resource.

In these biochar compost systems there is a facility to collect leachate. The raw material could be loaded in batches and removed conveniently from an opening below. This facility is adoptable in urban areas with less space. There is also a facility to wash hands by growing some plants in the compost while the whole thing is in operation continuously. The details are in this link https://www.slideshare.net/saibhaskar/biochar-compost-bin

# 28

# Wild animals in villages

In parts of Rajasthan and Haryana States in India, there is a drastic difference between the villages where the Bishnoi community lived when compared to villages where others lived. That is the wild animal's density was very high, and they roamed close to the Bishnoi villages. There is a historical reason why the wild animals loved to stay close to Bishnoi community habitations.

During the visit to Bishnoi community villages in Haryana for a study, I met, Mr. Vinod, he narrated the story of a lady named Amrita Devi. She is a member of the Bishnoi sect who inspired as many as 362 other Bishnois to go to their deaths in protest against the cutting down of Khejri trees in September 1730. The Khejri tree that is Prosopis cineraria is also considered to be sacred by the Bishnois. The Maharajah of Jodhpur, Abhay Singh, requiring wood for the construction of a new palace, sent soldiers to cut trees in the village of Khejarli, which was called Jehnad at that time. Noticing their actions, Devi hugged a tree in an attempt to stop them. Her family then adopted the same strategy, as did other local people when the news spread. She told the soldiers that she considered their actions to be an insult to her faith and that she was prepared to die to save the trees. The soldiers did indeed kill her and others until Abhay Singh was informed of what was going on and intervened to stop the massacre. This is the commitment of the Bishnoi community. And I was there to address one of their problems.

With Mr. Vinod, I started in a vehicle to see the wildlife in the area. Badopal is a village, about 10 km away from Fatehabad town. In the areas around this village, there are 500 nos of Blackbucks, Neelgai (blue bull), deer, and other wildlife inhabit the area. The Government of India planned a Nuclear Power Plant at the Village Gorakhpur and acquired land for the plant, housing and other utilities. They made a fence of steel wire all around the acquired places. The place acquired for the township had Blackbucks, Neelgai (Blue Bull), Deer and other wildlife. They had restrictions on their movement, and some of the animals have stuck in the barbed fence have died recently. During the visit, I could see herds of animals roaming freely in the area.

_A black buck as seen close to a Bishnoi habitation_

# III

# Ecology

# 29

# Learning principles of wildlife study from Mouse Deer and Vultures

One day I got a call from Dr. G. Chandrashekar Reddy, Indian Forest Service officer, who was was also leading Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad. He asked me to make documentaries on Mouse Deer and White-backed Vulture.

I was thankful to Dr. Reddy for giving me this opportunity, as any work to do about nature and wildlife was so exciting. Going closer to these rare and beautiful creations was something, I was planning. How do I video record them, capture pictures on still camera with least disturbance was all that I thought for some days without break.

The White-backed Vulture is an endangered species now, only a few are there in the wilderness. Mr. Sandeep who was doing research and supporting the White Backed Vultures breeding program was asked to help me.

The first-day early morning, I went to the park. As it was winter, there was fog. I was welcomed by the roar of tigers and cacophony calls of the birds as I entered the Park. This zoological park is one of the most diverse and beautiful parks, built below the multipurpose arch dam of Miralam tank.

We both went to the vultures breeding place; it was a huge apiary, specially made to cater to the needs of the birds. It was closed from all sides up to three to four meters from bottom to cause the least disturbance to the birds. There were several birds, and they are awesome. Interesting thing was that recently a new baby vulture was born. Sandeep was very particular and did not want any interference. We both went around the enclosure and finally saw the beautiful baby bird and the mother on the sand floor. It was surprising for some reason this bird laid the nest on the ground, in spite of having the perches, specially created. The mother was sitting on it and giving the warmth. The ground must have been cold due to the sand. I didn't have proper openings to capture the birds and Sandeep was against opening any window to take the shots. He said "it is very rare that these birds give birth to babies and it is important to see that it survives". We discussed options possible which were not there .Finally we agreed to visit the sight again after a fortnight, hoping by then the baby would grow up. We left the place.

We both moved to the mouse deer breeding centre. There were tiger enclosures on the way. This enclosure had several chambers or cells, with small plants and grass. As we entered, I was curious to see them. I could not find anyone. Sandeep took me into an enclosure; I suddenly saw the mouse deer. Unlike any other deer, they were small of about a feet in height. This is a prehistoric animal that survived till date, because of its nature. Also saw their babies. They were used to people entering the enclosure for cleaning, providing water and feed. I was wearing a sober dress and moved very slowly in the enclosure without disturbing them much.

I planned my video and photo shooting, spread in some days. Scheduled to shoot especially during the mornings when the light is soft, and also when these animals were active. I took two cameras, HD GoPro with a selfie stick and Canon Digital SLR camera. We did sit patiently for the animals to come out or slowly crawl towards them for getting a picture. The first enclosure mouse deer probably became familiar with me; I had very less problem shooting here. For getting their close-up shots, I used to leave the HD GoPro camera on in the grass and go out or remain far off. These are curious animals. They sometimes came and licked my camera. It was so cute. I got some of the best shots of these Mouse Deer and made a documentary using both still photos and videos. Dr. Chandrashekar Reddy provided the voiceover and completed this film. We get great opportunities rarely; everything gives a chance to live another life. Spending time for other life to understand is also worth.

Mouse deer conservation program was successful to see the population grow from less than 10 to about 150. They were native to Nallamala Forest area covering parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.

# 30

# What we love is ours - Community Forest Management

I was the project officer, leading the Joint Forest Management Project at Center for World Solidarity (CWS) between year 1999 and 2000, supporting more than 600 Vana Samrakshan Samithis (VSS) or Community Forest Management groups in parts of Andhra Pradesh State. This project was supported by NOVIB. Mr. M. V. Sastri was the founder and head of the CWS. He had vast experience in working with civil society and was a great visionary in development sector. These 600 VSSs were associated with 26 NGOs in parts of 10 districts in the Andhra Pradesh State.

When I met Mr. Sastri he said that there was an ongoing Joint Forest Management programme and a Project Officer was required. Across the table we had discussion sharing my interests about environment and past experience. He liked me and offered me a position to work on the JFM project and asked when I could join. I was very much thankful to him for this opportunity although I didn't have much experience in forestry sector, but he trusted me with this position. Since childhood, I always loved forests and thought this would give me an opportunity to be close to the forests.

There was another parallel project project of some VSSs led by women headed NGOs, which was coordinated by Dr. D. Surya Kumari. This project was called Gender JFM. After joining the assignment, I said in every VSS there should be focus on Gender. So we merged the two projects into one project.

As a project officer, I travelled extensively to most of the VSS to monitor the activities that they were doing. Visited the remote forest areas, visited the the forest areas under development and addressed the public meetings on the importance of the forests. It was a great opportunity to meet and interact with tribal communities in remote areas. The environment was clean and loved the work after having see the most polluted area during my PhD at Patancheru.

Motivated the communities to own their designated forest areas and get the benefits of minor forest produce and other rights over bamboo and timber as per the JFM law. We organised several workshops with the NGOs to create awareness on participatory forestry and sustainable management of the forests. Some of the NGOs were innovative, and have already established check-posts in their areas to prevent the illegal exploitation of their forests by outsiders. Also participated in the consultative meetings on the JFM conducted by the Department of Forest, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Everything is organic in a natural forest. By marketing their produce, they could get a better price. The philosophy of JFM was, this is ours (Government), so there was exploitation by the people living in and around the forests. Now the forest belongs to us (Government + People), there is better protection and development of the forest, the people protecting forests were also given rights over resources from the forest area protected by them. The earth belongs to us, and not just that people belong to nations. The consciousness of belongingness to the earth is more useful to conserve and protect the earth from exploitation .

# 31

# Eastern Ghats Expedition

Eastern Ghats Expedition Southern Part

During the expedition to Eastern Ghats, we as a team of eleven members visited the Biligirirangana Hills (BR Hills) in Karnataka during first week of September 2017. After spending a night on the banks of Cauvery river at Talakadu, we headed towards the BR Hills. By afternoon we reached K. Gudi, a place where the forest department field office was there. After having lunch, the department arranged a vehicle to go to a place where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet (about 30 km away) in the B R Hills. Nine of the team members started the journey. On the way we saw many waterfalls. The forest was thick and lush. There were a few tea estates in the Jungle. Saw some ladies working in a tea estate. We stopped the vehicle and walked towards them to discuss with them. After some time, we noticed that one woman was bleeding profusely. She said that there were so many leeches around and one of them had bitten her. She also caught one of them by hand and shown it to us. It was like a needle walking in loops. She tried to kill it by pinching. But it was very hard to kill.

All of us got back into the vehicle, I saw that one leech was walking on the vehicle too which accompanied us. We soon discovered that three of our team members were bitten by the leeches. Having seen the blood flowing, they were worried. On the way we saw a snake basking on the roadside. We stopped the vehicle and waited till it moved into the tea plantations. Also saw a beautiful brown colour eagle sitting on the branch of a tree. Finally we reached the peak of the hillock. Could see the Shola forest, which is

typically found at higher elevations in this area. At higher altitudes, the grasslands are found, and forest areas are located in the valleys, this typical combination of grassland and forest makes the Shola forests so special. Because of the frost, high wind, and the forest fires, over centuries the Shola forests are shaped. The peak of the hill we reached was a beautiful grassland surrounded by the forest. Here the plants were dwarf. There was a room for the forest guards and also a watchtower. The guards informed us that two days back a tiger passed from this place. Regularly the wild elephants transect this place too. It was a beautiful place where the Eastern and Western Ghats merge. The merging point was not a point, it was the region that combined both Ghats.

After having snacks and tea, we started our return journey. In a puddle close by we saw the footprints of a tiger as shared by the forest guards. It was getting dark too. On the way, the driver has shown us a forest department place where the notorious Mr. Veerappan was once caught and kept. We arrived at a place where the Soliga tribals worship a big old tree, called Doddasampige. This tree was located on the banks of a small stream. It was almost dark when we walked from a distance to the holy tree. There were hundreds of stones smeared with vibudhi (holy ashes) - Lingas which the tribals worship with great reverence. Soon got into the vehicle as it was dark. Through another route started going towards the K. Gudi. This time the driver took a shortcut path to reach the destination at the earliest. This route was less used, so at places the dirt road was not visible, covered with grass and small plants. As the driver had knowledge and experience, he could take us with less confusion. It was a full moon night. The night in the forest was beautiful with the moon. As I was appreciating the moon-lit night, suddenly the vehicle stopped. About 100 meters ahead we saw two elephants grazing, turned their backs towards us. The driver stopped the engine, kept the lights on. They did not move in any direction so we waited for about 15 minutes. For us, this was the first time encountering elephants in the wild. Remained still and silent in the vehicle. The driver called another guard some distance away, and the guard came and flashed the torchlight at them. The elephants seemed to have understood and moved aside. We were not sure how far they moved away from the path. After waiting for some time, the driver slowly moved forward by carefully watching the sides. Suddenly we saw again the elephants grazing about 25 meters on the left side of the road. Now the driver moved very fast, and soon we reached the main road. On the sides of the main road, we saw a huge Gaur. Near the campsite, we saw a huge gathering of deer and Sambar. Their eyes glowing. There was the alpha male Sambar, stood in the middle of the road and alerted other deer to move away. After some time we could reach our Guesthouse. It was a beautiful experience of spending in the natural forest with lifelong memories.

From BR Hills, we have travelled to Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. This forest area continues into two other state forests - Mudumalai National Park, Tamil Nadu State and Wayanad wildlife sanctuary, Kerala State. There were forest guest houses in the beginning of the Bandipur National Park. There were so many tourists who arrived here by all kinds of vehicles. It did not appear like a forest with so many tourists around. It is said especially during the holidays the surge of tourists is very high. It appeared like we were in another town and not a jungle.

Soon we checked into the guest rooms of the forest department. The rooms were not so good, as there was a large clearing and so many buildings existing there. In the afternoon, we got into the safari vehicle to see the animals in the forest. It was written, 'seeing animals depends on one's luck'. So with hope we got into a safari vehicle. Soon, the vehicle got into the jungle on the forest track. It was the most disappointing journey as we did not see the expected wild animals, except a few spotted deer, peacocks, birds and squirrel and monkeys on the way. Some of the people in the vehicle were sleeping and those with their cameras ready to take pictures were just gazing around. The driver anticipating to show some animals took us on another track, and there too we were disappointed. So finally all that we could see was a few gaurs at a distance. Finally, we returned to see the intelligent monkeys around the guest house. Some monkeys were fond of cars and they climbed them and pestered for food from the tourists.

Mudumalai National Park was very close to Bandipur, so we planned to go there and see the Elephant Care center. On the way we saw some vehicles stopped, there were a few wild elephants grazing on the road side grass. Intentionally as part of tourism the bushes were cleared along the roads. That was for the people to clearly see any approaching wild animals and also these places with fresh grass which attract the animals, so the tourists could also see them. We were happy at least as we could see a couple of wild elephants. The elephants got used to so many vehicles and people, they seem to ignore.

After crossing a stream, we entered the territory of Mudumalai. It was late evening and it was time for closure of the elephant care center. Upon request the guards allowed us. Here large balls of food made of Ragi, Rice, Jagger, etc. were prepared and being fed to the domesticated elephants. There were five numbers. It was very interesting to see how they gulped the balls in one go. The Mahouts and the relationship with the respective elephants was good to see. Again there was a crowd. It was more like seeing people rather appreciating nature. There should be limits imposed on the number people visiting for ecotourism and the focus on revenue should be minimal. Our disappointment of having gone for safari at Bandipur was shattered after visiting the Mudumalai forest area.

Bandipur National Park is highly infested with the exotic Lantana Camara species. This plant with very small thorns grows up to a height of 3-4 meters and is impenetrable. It competes with the local herbs, shrubs and bushes and also not let the trees emerge. It is highly adoptable in this ecotype and expanding into the natural forest area like wildfire. Although there were few programs to uproot and eradicate, still it was a major threat considering its spreading. Sometimes the elephants also cannot pass through them. Forest does not mean just greenery. The department people are worried too, if all the Lantana is uprooted there wont be much greenery seen. The flora and fauna has little relationship with Lantana Camara as part of the food chain. Nor the people have much economic or usability from this species. For some young fauns or animals which are small in size, it was providing security from carnivorous animals. Parthenium, another exotic species, a small herb was also invading the forest area. The department should take necessary measures for the eradication and emergence of local ecotype species.

In the night we could see so many deer in the lawn around the guest houses, they remained there till early morning which may have adapted to the recent threats with changing scenario of their habitat. Considering the presence of people, the deer have learnt that the wild carnivorous animals would not dare to come and attack them. So it became a daily phenomenon for the appearance of all kinds of deer from dawn to dusk around the guest houses.

The canteen had few food items for dinner, and we had the Jowar and Sajja rotis which we brought from Hyderabad. Along with chutneys we had the dinner in one of the guest houses in the traditional way. It was a great experience of get together.

The places we visited during Eastern Ghats Expedition were many and some of them include the following:

While going from Bandipur to Udhagamandalam or Ooty the temperatures dropped. It is a Ghat road winding. As it was monsoon there was greenery everywhere. We could see beautiful waterfalls at a distance, and we visited the Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam, near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu state, India laid out in 1848. Its architect was William Graham McIvor. This has both exotic and local species of plants, with much to learn about the flora biodiversity. The fern house has 127 species. Putrefied fossil trunk of 20 million years old is on display as a pedestal. Tree species of botanical interest such as Hymnosporum flavum, Cordylline australlis, Cedrus deodara, Cupressus funebrils, Araucaria bidwillii, Cupressus macrocarpa, Cryptomeria japonica, Eucalyptus maculate, Eucalyptus citriodora, Salix babylonica, Salix heterophylla, Podocarpus taxifolia, Dracena lanuginosa, Pinus patula, Rhododendron arboreum, Quercus Montana, Quercus cerris, Quercus Serrata, Quercus grilffithi, Quercus illex, Magnolia grandiflora etc., can be seen alongside the lawn. Some plants were more than 100 years old. Important tree species such as Taxodium mucronatum, Pieris ovalifolia, Juniperus virginiana, Eucalyptus eugenoides, Pinus wallichiana, Photinia lindleyana, Pinus canaariensils, Ginkgo biloba, Araucaria cunninghammi and Cupressus lawsoniana are planted all over the section. A rose garden with three hundred varieties of hybrid roses, Floribunda and Polyanthas rose varieties in the upper part of the garden was part of great delight besides natural ponds with aquatic plants. The lawns matching the contours of the ground interspersed with beautiful exotic species was beautiful. There is also a nursery where saplings of various plants are sold. We were inspired after seeing the beautiful garden.

We left to see one of the highest peaks Doddabetta - another point where the Eastern ghats and Western Ghats merge. This place was heavily crowded with tourists and vendors selling all sorts of items. We have climbed the watch tower and got a glimpse of the Eastern and Western Ghats merging at this place. On the way to Kotagiri town we saw many tea estates. The urbanisation or the concrete buildings have come up like mushrooms on these precarious hills. The tea estates and the commercial agriculture was evident everywhere. The loss of soil, biota was very much seen. There is a need for restricting the urbanisation in the precarious hilly regions. We finally reached Mettupalayam for night halt.

Next day some of us travelled to "Kolli Hills", which are remnant parts of Eastern Ghats. This is like an island with its altitude and above with flat lands and gentle valleys. The biodiversity on the way to the top is very rich. The slopes of the hill are very steep, and we may have encountered nearly 50 hairpin bends on the way. This is one of the craziest roads we have encountered in our journey. At the top there were few houses and a small village. There is one annular road at the top. The soils are red and lateritic. The water from the rainfall supports the crops. People were cultivating spices, vegetables, fruits and paddy. The local market was very colourful, with all types of vegetables, spices and fruits. By the same ghat road we returned back to the base of Kolli Hills and left to Arunachala Hills at Tiruvannamalai. This part of the Eastern ghats called, Arunachala considered very sacred, is a complex of gneiss and granite rocks. There is a Tiruvannamalai, Lord Shiva's Temple and also Ramana Maharshi's Ashram. From Kolli Hills we reached here at round 9:30 p.m. Some of us planned to do Parikrama of Arunachala Hills by walk. It was a full moon night. Started the walk between 11:00 p.m. and 2:30 am (total 3.5 hours) and completed the Parikrama. It gave us the space for contemplation and peace.

The team was split into two teams, one team went to Tirupati to cover the Seshachalam Hills and the other team went to Vellore covering the Shevaroy hills. The challenges of forests in Chittoor district was mainly the red sanders illegal smuggling. This is also the last habitat for the wild elephants transecting across the border between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states, in the Southern part of Eastern Ghats. Again elephants were seen from parts of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts till the Northern most part of Eastern Ghats.

From Vellore we travelled to Kadapa district. On the way we saw the degraded Eastern ghats called - Erramalai hills having Barites which is used by oil extraction industry. On the way from Kadapa while covering Nandyala we reached the Atmakur, with the support of EFICOR an NGO, and visited a Chenchu Gudem. There are few houses constructed by the government. There is a 'Dargah' close to this habitation. This is also on the Southern traditional path for those who go by walk to Srisailam Temple. Traditionally these Chenchus were dependent on tourists and the forest resources for their livelihood. They sell many items to the visitors to the Dargah and also pilgrim's to Srisailam on two occasions in a year. It was good discussing with them about the wildlife and health of the forest here. Over a period the Chenchus are loosing their dependency on the forest resources due to restrictions being imposed by the forest department.

There is a block planted with teak during British times still intact and conserved by the forest department. This is the only place in the Nallamala where healthy teak plantation is seen intact. Otherwise almost all the teak from the Nallamala forest area is already exploited. On the way from Atmakur to Dornala the forest area is healthy. We saw a few women and children from Chenchu families begging on the road. This is a new trend, otherwise traditionally they were never found begging. From Dornala we reached the Shikaram, and on the way saw two Chenchu habitations. All along the route we saw many people grazing cattle. The forest area although famous for the tigers is perforated by the grazers and their animals. By crossing the Krishna River and through the Nallamala forest part of Telangana State, reached the final point at Uma Maheshwaram Temple. The journey of the Southern part of Eastern Ghats ended at 9:30 p.m. It was a great journey covering about 4,500 km started with 11 people from 2nd to 9th September 2017.

Southern Eastern Ghats (Telangana-Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu) covered Hyderabad - Kurnool - Anantapur - Bangalore - Cuban Park (Press Conference) - Talakadu (Mudukuthore)- Gumballi - Biligiriranganabetta - K. Gudi wilderness camp - BR hills convergence of Eastern and Western Ghats point - Bandipore - Ooty - Doddabetta - Kotagiri - Mettupalayam - Kolli Hills - Tiruvannamalai - Vellore - Kadapa - Atmakur - Dornala - Srisailam - Uma Maheshwaram - Hyderabad (2-9 September 2017) 2,400 kilometers.

**Eastern Ghats Expedition Northern Part**

Northern part of Eastern Ghats was also covered to complete the expedition. On 18th September, we started from Hyderabad to Vishakapatnam. Vishakhapatnam city itself is in the Eastern Ghats. Rapid urbanisation is impacting the local hills as the people are exploiting the hills for construction materials and encroachments. The government is also giving some of the lands to private people on lease. There is a strong civil society and group of environmentalists fighting for conservation of Eastern Ghats in and around Vishakapatnam. We hired an Innova vehicle to cover the trip. On the way we covered parts of Eastern Ghats in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts via Narsannapeta went to Pathapattanam. On the way we saw the beautiful bluish Eastern Ghats. All along the valley portions, Paddy was the main crop cultivated. There was greenery everywhere from Pathapattanam by crossing a river went to Parlakamundi in Orissa. These two towns are historic and in both the areas people speak Telugu and Odiya languages. Saw scars of mining on the Eastern Ghats for the construction materials. Located the route to Mahendra Giri Hills in Orissa, which is one of the highest peaks in Orissa and considered very auspicious. Locally they call it as Mahendram. During the festival of Shiva Ratri (the auspicious night of lord Shiva, lakhs of people climb and worship the idol at the top). Took the path of Narayanpur, Jiranga, Kainpur to reach Mahendragiri. All along the beautiful Tropical semi-evergreen forests of the Eastern Ghats. The tarmac road was single lane, winding crisscrossing the valleys as we passed several streams. The beautiful projections of the rocky parts of the Eastern Ghats were also seen. There was slash and burn and permanent cultivation practiced by the local people in the forest area. The people preserved the locally useful species such as date palms and other trees within the farm lands. The fields looked beautiful with these interspersed trees. As we started climbing towards the Mahendragiri Hills, it was even more beautiful. Reached the closest motorable point to the Mahendragiri Hills. We required a special four-wheel drive vehicle to reach the peak, as it was dark and raining heavily we could not go to the top. From here downhill we travelled to Andaanda - Jarada Gada - Chikiti and finally reached Berhampur for night stay.

Next day morning from Berhampur we travelled to Balugaon a town on the banks of Chilka Lake. This is a brackish water lake at the foothills of Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal (Sea). Saw the beautiful Chilka lake with several fishing boats all along the stretch. Went to the forest department at Balugaon and met the Range Officer. Requested for their permission to visit the Barbara Reserve Forest. The Range Officer gave permission and also a very young forester to accompany us to the reserve forest. By taking some snacks and fruits in the town, we started our journey. At the checkpoint of the entrance to the Reserve Forest one reaches very thick bamboo plantations. It was very rare to see such thick bamboo forest. By protection and conservation measures the bamboo was developed. Bamboo is one of the basic food of Elephants and there is considerable population of elephants in this forest area. As we were going into the jungle, after sometime we started seeing the majestic tall teak plants. Some of these plants are more than 100 years old. The girth of the trees is more than a person could hold with both the hands. There was human interference and people are found grazing the animals. The teak forest was beautiful. Finally we reached the forest office and the camp site of Military personnel who were monitoring the forests. There were about 50 personnel, who have protected the borders of India and now after their retirement they are involved in protecting the forest area. They represented different parts of India. They were fully armed , but they were strictly instructed to not to use on any violators. Till 2016 Central Reserve Police force was protecting the forests. These military people were engaged by the forest department. Teak being a high value plant, there is demand from Bhubaneshwar and other neighbouring areas for the timber. Even one plant is more than Rs. 300,000 in the market. The annual salary of the guards, was less than the cost of one teak plant. The area conserved and protected by them has immeasurable value. Similarly wherever there was threat to forests in different parts of India, the retired army personnel's services could be used. It depends on the respective state governments and forest department official's interests.

After discussion with the lead Army personnel we met all the other guards. Then we left for Balugaon by another route. On the way we saw a wooden bridge on a stream made of teak and very strong. It is rare to see the wooden bridges. Reached Salia Reservoir, while travelling on the bund we saw the deer grazing on the the command area paddy fields. These deer come in hundreds every day. The cascading irrigation canal of the Salia reservoir was beautiful. Returned to Balugaon and thanked the Range Officer. Left for Bhubaneshwar and in the night had a meeting to discuss on the press conference to be held tomorrow.

In the morning there was a press conference organised at the Press Club of Bhubaneshwar . Shared our observations and also about the objectives and goals of GrACE. More than 20 media personnel participated and some of them covered the event very well.

After lunch, we left for Anugul, via Bhubaneshwar - Urali - Kasinda Trisulia - Banki. - Kantilo - Sidhamula - Narasinghpur - Hindol - Anugul - Pabala - Tikarpada - Anugul. This route follows parallel to Mahanadhi River. The road was narrow and slow and at places due to irrigation canals and habitations . On the way we saw the wide, sandy Mahanadhi River. The Typha weeds and other grasses on the river bed made it even more beautiful. By night we reached Anugul.

The next day morning we were at Tikarpada Reserve Forest or Sarkosia Tiger Reserver. Here Mahanadhi enters a narrow gorge in the Eastern Ghats. River is very deep. There is a Gharial and Crocadile sanctuary on the banks of Mahanadhi River. Inside the forest areas there were many cultivated areas and habitations. The forest reserve appeared very poor all along the way to Tikarpada. From Tikarpada we reached Anugul from where we took to Jajpur Road, on the way observing parts of Eastern Ghats. The route was Anugul - Bhuban - Duburi - Jajpur Road. Saw the tall Sal trees all along. The ecotype has changed; the teak trees are taken over by Sal trees in this part. Reached Anandpur by night and could not find the accommodation. We had dinner on the banks of Baitarani River and left to Jajpur road for night stay.

From Jajpur Road we left for Baripada. The route taken was from Jajpur Road - Anandapur - Thakurmunda - Jashipur - Bisoi - Baripada. At Jashipur met the forest range officer of the Simlipal Tiger Reserve, and explained about the purpose of our visit. Saw the pictures of the tiger tamed by a professor. Also saw the tall Sal trees in the court yard. From there we left to Baripada. Where we stayed and in the next day morning addressed a press conference. After the press conference left to Vishakapatnam followed the route; Baripada - Jogal - Balasore - Bhubaneshwar - Vishakapatnam. In the midnight we reached Vishakhapatnam and next day for to Hyderabad completed the memorable expedition on Eastern Ghats.

Northern Eastern Ghats (Orissa-Andhra Pradesh) route from 19th to 25th September 2017, negotiating a total distance 2000 kilometers covered many villages, towns in the forest and outside including the following:.

Vishakapatnam - Vizianagaram - Srikakulam - Narsannapeta - Parlakamundi - Narayanpur - Jiranga - Kainpur - Mahendragiri - Andaanda - Jarada Gada - Chikiti - Brahmapur - Balugaon - Barbara Reserve Forest - Salia Reservoir - Balugaon - Bhubaneshwar - Urali - Kasinda Trisulia - Banki. - Kantilo - Sidhamula - Narasinghpur - Hindol - Anugul - Pabala - Tikarpada - Anugul - Bhuban - Duburi - Jajpur Road - Anandapur - Thakurmunda - Jashipur - Bisoi - Baripada - Jogal - Balasore - Bhubaneshwar - Vishakapatnam.

Total distance travelled was 4400 kilometers.

# 32

# Nallamala Hills

Nallamala Hills are part of the Eastern Ghats covering parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States. These hills have historic significance and are known for rare herbs which could treat any kind of disease. The Siddhas of Nallamala, the followers of Lord Shiva, wandered here. The region is popular for spiritual places such as Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Srisailam, Umamaheshwaram, Maddimadugu, Saleshwaram, etc. Once it hosted the largest Buddhist University at Nagarjuna Sagar. Much of the remnants have been submerged under the Nagarjuna Sagar Reservoir. Some of them are retrieved and preserved at Nagarjuna Konda (an island in the Nagarjuna Sagar Reservoir). Acharya Nagarjuna led this university who is known to be a great chemist in those days.

It has basically Chenchu and Yanadi tribes. Chenchus are the majority and they stay within the forest and along the fringes too.

I got the opportunity to visit parts of Nallamala on several occasions. It has its own charm and beauty, which attracts one again and again.

Mallapurpenta and Farahabad

I along with my friend planned to give TLUD (Gasifier) the stove designed by me and solar lamps as package to the Chenchus at Mallapurpenta. This was partially sponsored by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Srisailam. As this place was deep inside the forest no private vehicles were allowed. We discussed with Dr. Thulsi Rao, the forest officer to give us permission and also the vehicle to go there. We both along with 12 kits (stove and solar lamp), we went into the forest area. This was a four-wheel drive vehicle. There were thick bushes and trees all around. Suddenly we heard sounds of some animals. A pack of wild dogs surrounded us. They were moving in a pack and our vehicle transected their path. After observing us they moved on. We saw some cattle and and few huts. These huts were made of local materials, the thatch was made of grass. They were circular in shape and looked beautiful. Soon we saw the Chenchus and met them. Explained them about the solar lamps and also demonstrated the TLUD stoves to them. We told that, although they have so much biomass around, conserving it is important. Explained when they may find it difficult to gather dry wood, so they could use these stoves with small pieces of twigs. They liked the stove and solar lights. The Chenchus and the cattle herders from plains have a mutual relationship. Wherever there are Chenchus the cattle headers stay for security with the Chenchus.

We explained the stoves and solar lights to the Chenchus at Farahabad too. Here, the government has constructed houses for them. Strangely the houses were strewn around in different directions. Upon enquiry they said as they fight among themselves, they wanted to keep themselves as far as possible as a preventive measure. They too liked the kit. This area had lots of deer grazing around. Next to this place was a stream and a hand pump bore well.

Maddimadugu

Prof. Luc de Golbery and Madame Anne Chappuis were visiting Maddimadugu as part of the research they had been doing and the students they were guiding. Once I accompanied Prof. Luc to Maddimadugu, he had a Maruti Gypsy vehicle. All along by noting the distance (milestones), we observed the crops cultivated. He had been doing this observation since very long and noted the changes in cropping pattern over years. We reached the Amrabad Plateau that is Mannanuru. From here we need to go left towards Padra. On the way we crossed Chitlamkunta to reach Maddimadugu. Around Padra, the black cotton soils were there. This made people cultivate cotton as a major commercial crop. All types of crops were also cultivated here. There was a small Ghat section which was a beautiful place with good view all around. By night we reached the Maddimadugu which attracts tourists for two temples - Anjaneya Swamy temple and The temple of Kuruma community, where they sacrifice sheep / goats. We reached the Maddimadugu village by night where we stayed in the Government primary school. Next day morning we spent time with the Chenchus and returned back to Hyderabad.

At Chitlamkunta, Madame Anne Chappuis started a center for working with the tribals. A single story building was constructed there. As I was working on biochar and biomass stoves, she asked me to work for the tribal communities. Therefore, I visited this place several times. Here Lambda's, Chenchus and other communities lived together. They still used the traditional three stone stoves or basic inefficient stoves. I demonstrated and constructed few good stoves for them.

As part of my biochar experiments, I was interested to study the impact of biochar on termites. As this place had high density of termites it was convenient for my experiment. I chose a small Chenchus hamlet near Chitlamkunta for my experiments. I found an abandoned hut infested by termites. Almost all the wooden material was eaten and small stone walls remained to say it was a house once. Mixed straw with cowdung and placed in the inverted clay pots with and without biochar (biochar mixed in different percentages). After some days, I saw that the pots with biochar attracted less termites. This experiment proved that if biochar was added as amendment to the soil there would be less termites attacking the the standing crops. I saw that especially the fruit plantations such as Mango were attacked by the termites. There was also loss of fodder stored for cattle and the villagers were loosing their thatched huts too. So biochar proved to be a good solution. I explained its value to the Chenchus and others to adopt biochar.

Venkateshwara Bawi

Venkateshwara Bawi about 10 km from Mannanuru is a beautiful place. Once agriculture flourished well in this region. The people had nutrient rich water and farm yard manure from the cattle. In this village all types of communities existed. Next to the forest area, it was the most scenic places for me to visit. I visited this place along with my friend Uma Maheshwar Reddy, who had relatives in this village. The houses in this village are well constructed. Majority of the main farmers moved to the city and nearby towns for various reasons. So the houses remained vacant. Along the fringe of this village next to the forest area, I planned a place for the GEO Center. Although I got the piece of land of my choice, I could not purchase it as this area came under agency area where non-tribals cannot buy the tribal land. I abandoned the idea later, and I started the center at Peddamaduru village near Jangaon. The memories of this village with all kinds of deer close to the village are still afresh.

Kothigundu, Kollapur: Visited the Kothigundu a place at the backwaters of Srisailam Reservoir near Kollapur. Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy suggested me to visit this place. Someone from a village Regmangadda near Kollapur asked us to do a reconnaissance study regarding the feasibility of a lift irrigation project. There was this stream called Yerragattu vagu which joins the Krishna River. It was in the Peak of summer in May, that I visited the place. I stayed in a government school for three nights and spent four days in the field.

I got to drink the ragi and jonna gruel which keeps the body cool even in the hot summers. First day I went to the back waters to the point of Kothigundu. I wanted to see the water around so hired a Theppa (woven round basket made water proof is used a boat). This is a very dangerous way to ride on the waters. Saw some submerged tall trees emerging out of the water. They said there was village called Bollaram a lost village, submerged under the water of reservoir. Once under the same trees people gathered and had a great life. I felt very nostalgic having known about the life here before the Nagarjuna Sagar dam was constructed. By stopping the boat along one of the trees, I climbed it to get a glimpse of the surroundings. We crossed the river and reached the other bank. Here I saw the fresh water Otters living. They eat lots of fish and sometimes steal the fish caught in the nets of the fishermen too. With water and moisture and the scorching heat of hot summer day, it was very miserable. I reached the village. In the evening went to the Kollapur town and drank many cool drinks. I have also visited two other places in the valley of Yerragattu Vagu. I heard that once the Kolhapur king went in the same way for hunting in the forest area. The Chenchus living here had miserable life. Because of the summer heat, the same person did not accompany me the next day for the field visit. This place was found convenient for the lift irrigation project. After several years of my visit the Government has taken up the project called "Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme".

Yerragondapalem

One of the memorable Geo Spirit meets was organised in the Nallamala forest, near Yerragondapalem, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh State, India.

Nallamala forest is an important part of the Eastern Ghats covering parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States. It hosts the largest tiger reserve in Asia. The rock formations comprise mainly of quartzites and shales. The biodiversity of tropical dry deciduous forests and fauna makes it most beautiful. The forest trees with various forms in the background of quartzite add to the beauty. The streams and nalas creating beautiful valleys, gravel bed streams with adjoining magnificent trees made this place a paradise.

It was in the first week of February 2012 one of the Geo Spirit meets was organised with the support of an NGO working with local tribal communities. The participants from Hyderabad arrived one day ahead at Yerragondapalem, a small town. There were 18 participants from Hyderabad and 12 Chenchu tribes. After having breakfast, we started on a tractor trailer. To avoid the heavy vibrations on the rough forest path, the trailer was half filled with sand.

On the way saw Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, an ancient temple at Ganjivaripalli (16.033085, 79.200097), from here onwards the road towards Palutla (about 30 km away) is a rough earth road with gravel and small stones. The road and stream channel run parallel. Palutla is known for cotton cultivation, along the way one watches cotton sticking to the branches of the trees when the vehicles laden with cotton moved.

On the way, we had lunch with types of Sorghum rotis, i.e., plain roti, salted roti and hot roti (salt and pickle added while preparation), the traditional food of the local Chenchu tribes.

By around 4:00 p.m. we reached a place called 'Peddamma Bayyanna temple' Camp (16.097315, 79.124722) which is about 20 km away from Ganjivaripalli on the way to Palutla where Tribal people worship. Only basic facilities were available such as a hand pump for water, one solar light and a bamboo hut built by the forest department.

Four groups were formed with two to three tribal people in each group and were asked to transect walk in different directions. All the groups were instructed, not to go more than one km. All the teams collected information on local biodiversity. After returning, the teams shared their understanding and experience, against the sun setting over the hills.

In all the Geo Spirit meets modest food is preferred. On the way, we had crispy Rotis prepared with Sorghum flour, added with garlic, chili paste, and salt. For dinner, the food was cooked on three stone stoves. A local variety of brown rice and vegetable curries was prepared and served. For the first time we tasted i.e. Deodar leaf curry, Istsapa kaya curry, and Medikaya curry - it was like egg scramble in appearance and taste. Next day breakfast was the tasty Ragi-ball and rice with sambar.

The Chenchu tribe living in the forest were more knowledgeable. It was decided to learn from them first about their life in the forest, wildlife encounters or sightings, and any other stories. Tried to know their aspirations. Many of them do not have any intuition to amass wealth but preferred to survive through what mother earth provides.

They are afraid of tigers which were rare to find. Leopards were most ferocious, but above all the bears caused more injuries and killed people living in the forest. After breakfast, the team went to banks of a stream for appreciation and experiencing nature. Each one participated in the Geo Spirit exercises gets connected with nature through the activities such as -being Calm; bathing in the gentle rays of morning Sun; walking barefoot with closed eyes and experiencing the mother earth; hearing sounds of nature; listening to the calls of jungle fowls and birds; appreciating the trees; hugging trees, feeling the texture of tree parts; observing insects and birds; smelling surroundings; etc.

Having born on this earth experiencing the environment and being part of the earth enriches one's spirit.

In the morning, the tribals prepared breakfast, by the time we were hungry. We thought they would serve the breakfast immediately after cooking. But we were asked to wait for half an hour. They said that they would serve us only after offering prasadam (the sweet dish of rice and coconuts) to their gods. One of them had taken a bath, took the food in fresh leaves and placed before the stones (idols) as an offering. These stones locally available in millions were simple slabs. Although they have no significant shape, they pasted dots of red vermillion over yellow turmeric coloured on them. They had specific names for each stone. If one of the stone was missing, they would replace with another stone and prayed with the same reverence. There were trees around the 'Idols'. They were praying the stones and life around as gods. Nature and ecosystem are real Gods for them, which sustain life and created a living space. Ultimately their belief is that "God is in everything", including non-living things like stones.

Mallela Teertham - Water fall

This is on the way to Srisailam, on the Amrabad Plateau. Long back I heard about this beautiful and tranquil waterfall. One day I planned the visit with my family. By car we went. About 30 km from Mannanuru, we travelled to a place where there were several shops. We enquired about the route to go. After travelling about 10 km it was more or less flat area. Now we need to descent through a series of steps into a valley. This valley was formed by the stream falling from a top. As we approached, it was so beautiful with high trees and a pool of water created by the waterfall. The waterfall was gentle and the pool was also shallow. To our surprise there were no people at this time. All four of us had taken bath under the waterfall. The water was fresh. Some of the pictures I took then are still used by me for presentations, as cover page and brochures. This was one of the best time to spend in Nallamala forest area. My children and wife also enjoyed a lot.

# 33

# Visit to remote Assam

I got a phone call from Mr. Shamim from Kolkata, regarding an assignment to visit the Tea Garden at Tonganagaon and suggest the biochar application for improving the soil fertility. I agreed, and within 3 days I need to visit the place. This was also my dream come true, that is visiting North Eastern Part of India. My purpose of the visit was to suggest ways and means to improve the quality and yield of the organic tea by eco-friendly technologies.

There I met the owner and chairman of the Tonganagaon Tea Estate. He is a nice gentleman and known for his expertise in the tea business. They are part of the group involved in tea business since 100 years and one of the largest producers and exporters of organic tea in India.

It was about 550 hectares Tea Estate more than 100 years old. There are about 1200 households supported directly and indirectly by the tea estate. This is a 100% organic tea, produces both CTC and Orthodox Tea and exported to several countries abroad. This place is adjoining the forest area which continues 600 miles to the border of Myanmar. The Himalayas of Arunachal are also visible during clear days.

The bulk tea produced from the leaves collected is packaged and sent to Kolkata for blending or directly exported. Some of the best chain brands buy the tea.

This place has the majority of Moran Tribes. Moran means the one who brings dead people to life. In the past it seems one of their community members could bring the dead to life, so since then, they are called Morans. Biochar is also a dead material of some life, which can rejuvenate and charge the soil and plant life in its presence.

They are very gentle and people who love leisure and joy. The women work hard compared to men. Education is improving in the recent generation. From the 1990s there is an accelerated change in Assam.

Had been exploring the sources of biochar. Some of the local sources are as a byproduct from cookstoves. The fine charcoal usually left after charcoal production process is another source; otherwise, it is wasted. The rice husk biochar is also a source.

I visited few houses to see their biomass stoves in use. They were very primitive, either made of three stones or annular single pot clay stoves. After discussions, I decided to construct a stove as part of demonstration and training to the local people. We chose a family next to the factory. Within two hours the stove was constructed using 35 bricks, clay and few rods for the grate. The family tested it in the evening, the lady of the house was very happy. Soon, hoping to see at least 1000 such stoves in the area. They save 30% wood, release very little smoke, yield about 12% biochar. The factory has an obligation to provide fuelwood, which is uprooted aged Tea trees (bonsai) or pruning's from the shade trees. They were spending about Rs. 150 for 65 kg of wood supplied by a cycle load. One cycle load of wood is required for a family of 5-6 members for a week. They are spending about Rs. 450 to Rs. 500 per month. Otherwise, the Tea Estate gives a stack of wood i.e., 6x6x6 feet of wood.

The barter system was planned to exchange the biochar and ash for fuelwood. Say a person giving 1 kg of biochar in return would get a token which is worth to exchange for number times of fuelwood. They could also donate to anyone who is in need for more wood. They agreed to this model, it is based on a value based system. If money is given, probably they will spend it for some other purpose and will not buy wood, causing hardship for women in collecting it.

I taught them the basics of biochar compost preparation in which, many aspects should be noted. Identification of the location - on an elevated place, which is clean and underneath a shade. Sanitised by smoke and fire. The ingredients for biochar compost preparation should be collected and stored at a place. The soil microbes should be freshly collected from the source. The jiggery water used for wetting during the biochar compost preparation should be stored in open containers and the sweetened water should be sprinkled just enough. The water should moisten, but not ooze when pressed. The whole material should be placed under a shaded place or underneath dry straw/gunny bags.

Some of the suggestions given for adoption in the tea estate are:

Smart Agriculture: Kite balloon with IP 360 degrees camera and zooming facility. At least 4 or 5 nos should be deployed in the 500 acres area.

Mini-weather stations: Automatic weather stations with Wi-Fi facility should be located in three areas to understand especially the temperature and relative humidity and its impact on the plantations.

Drones for identification of affected areas: Train the staff on flying the drones for identification of the affected areas by various pests. Planning of the harvesting and other management practices based on the observations made from the images from the drone.

Soil moisture monitoring - The soil moisture sensors at various depths to understand the fluctuations and also manage drainage and irrigation should be deployed. Enabled by GSM the data should be retrieved from the system and mobile devices.

Organic crops cultivation in the estate - In the wasted water logging areas, Along the roadsides, In the wastelands and all along the boundary of the estate.

Designs for the crops or the plants that the workers could grow in their backyard and supply

Energy plantations cultivation in rotation in the designated areas.

Cultivation of trap crops - Trap crop, also known as a sacrificial crop, is a plant that is grown to attract pests away from the main crops. Such as Marigold is used to attract insects attacking the main crop as the trap crop in the borders.

Siphoning of the water - Designing the siphoning systems for drainage of water from the water stagnant areas. This would save the electricity and the investment on motor pumps otherwise used.

# 34

# Bird Islands in Hussain Sagar lake

We are fascinated by birds. In the year 2000 I was introduced to bird watching by Mr. Samuel and Mr. Kumar of the Central University. One required patience and will to watch the beauty and behaviour of birds. Most of the birds couple and live with only one partner throughout their life. Both the partners take almost equal responsibility to raise their chicks and make a family. It is even mysterious, how they navigate and travel long distances during the migration. There is a lot for people to learn from birds and their life.

There are many bird species in and around Hussain Sagar Lake. In spite of urbanisation and high density of people visiting the area every day, it attracts many types of birds. Many people are not aware of the existence of birds. As part of the ecological restoration of the lake, I was working on Hussain Sagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement Project (HCIP), Hyderabad.

I documented the birds through observation around the lake. Also referred the studies made earlier. There are many migratory water birds found especially during winter. Bird islands were designed to improve their habitat. The bird islands were intended to be constructed with the sludge or sediments of the lake. Especially for the water birds, they would be safe haven to lay eggs and for the young chicks. Also designed three bird watch-towers, two in Sanjeevaiah Park and one near P. V. Narasimha Rao Ghat. These designs were well appreciated by the media.

Bird islands designed by the Author for Hussain Sagar Lake

# 35

# Ecology awareness

Conservation of water bodies in the urban areas is very important. Most of the water bodies in the urban areas were originally meant for irrigation and recharge of the groundwater, especially in the semi-arid environments. Water bodies in many cities disappeared due to urbanisation and loss of irrigable land in and around the urban areas. Other reasons are because of neglect, pollution, encroachments and filling up with garbage.

Hussain Sagar lake, formed in the year 1563, now lies in the heart of Hyderabad city. It is one of the largest lakes in Hyderabad. It has a surface area of 4.4 sq. km. Its shape is like heart symbol. Till 1950's it was well preserved, protected and used. Difficult to believe, but its water was used for drinking and for other domestic uses. It had very good biodiversity of aquatic life. The fishes of many types existed in large numbers. It attracted the local and migratory birds too. Especially in the last 40 years, it is highly neglected and the polluted waters from the catchment area entered into it. There were some efforts made in the past to protect and prevent the polluted waters entering into the lake. Hussain Sagar lake and catchment area improvement Project, which was supported by JICA, Japan, is one such project. I got an opportunity to join the consultancy organisation as Geo-ecologist, and this project was coordinated for the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority - creating the facilities for the people around Hussain Sagar Lake and restore its ecology.

It was my dream job, as I could observe closely the challenges of an urban water body and strive to find solutions. At first, I studied the impact of human interventions on the ecology and environment of Hussain Sagar Lake. I have written a book on Hussain Sagar lake, covering its history, ecology and environment. The assignment provided an opportunity to design awareness interventions and prepare the educational material for different stakeholders.

I have designed a photo exhibition for which I have taken pictures of the Hussain Sagar Lake and I made this exhibition in the Sanjeevaiah Park, that is next to the largest flag hoisted in Hyderabad.

Another Exhibition that I have planned is at Lumbini Park where I have redesigned for an existing structure as a double storey exhibition. That is to create large-scale awareness to the visitors at Lumbini park. The two activities which were proposed at this open structure were - displaying the Audio-visual content that is Motion Graphics in Action, screening it on the Back-lit projector and also display of images, covering rest of the structure using back-lit pictures on the flexies. The content proposed was to cover the environmental, ecological and historical aspects of Hussain Sagar. The content also would focus on the positive changes brought through HCIP project interventions and for the sustainability of awareness activity.

A 3D Projection on Trees system was also proposed for outdoor display at Lumbini Park to create large-scale awareness to the visitors. The existing trees would cover about 30 feet width and 30 feet height area. The motion graphics and 3D technology would contribute to an awesome experience for the visitors.

For a permanent display of information on the Hussain Sagar, it is on the history, ecology and environment another exhibition and a cafeteria has been designed on the tank bund road. This facility would also have a souvenir shop to sell products with information on the lake for large scale awareness.

Also planned, Underwater display of aquatic ecology near IMAX Theater. At this facility using the underwater cameras the pictures would be live streamed, on to a huge LCD screen which is proposed to be displayed near the IMAX theater. Visitors could see the underwater life and appreciate the beauty of life in the lake eco-system. Fishing piers were designed for the lake view park ponds and the Siddhartha Pond which are adjoining the Hussain Sagar Lake.

# 36

# Cycling Track

I was given the task of creating the facilities for the people around Hussain Sagar Lake, while working as ecologist for the Hussain Sagar Catchment Area Improvement Project. Ms. Shalini Mishra, the HMDA commissioner suggested me to design a cycle track along the Siddhartha pond where the treated water from the sewage treatment plant enters this pond.

Cycling is non polluting and good for exercise too. I have designed an elevated track along the necklace road of Siddhartha Pond, so that people could have a clear view of the Hussain Sagar Lake while cycling. They could also halt their cycles on the elevated viewing bay to spend some time and return back. The pedestrians interference to the cyclists was minimal as the track was completely closed on either side. The track was extended into the lake-view park underneath the flyover bridge. The cyclists could see the lake waters, ponds, birds, floating gardens, fountains and information display boards all along the track. The cycles could be hired to the users or the users can bring their own cycles. This facility created was well appreciated.

# 37

# Gaia Aquarist

Since childhood, I had a love for the ornamental fish. While I was working on the rural livelihoods project in 2003, I got interested in Ornamental Fish. Once while I was passing by an Ornamental fish shop I got interested in it and purchased a small bowl with two gold fish. I brought it home, within a week the fish died. I felt very sad, thought what right I have to bring the beautiful fish and see them die. I did not buy fish again. I was using the glass bowl for keeping my pens, pencils and other stationery and forgot it. After about one year, I saw the bowl again. Now, I started contemplating whether I can do something about the fish since I am working on environmental issues now. Can II do something that helps me understand the environment of fish and give a space in the bowl which would make them happy and live. I emptied the bowl and cleaned it.

I bought a pair of gold fish and placed in the aquarium. I started reading about the ornamental fish and how to take care. Soon, I could understand how to keep the fish happy and these fish did not die. I kept the bowl on my Computer Processing Unit Box. I started enjoying. As I started reading about types of ornamental fish, my interest in them grew day by day. I visited several ornamental fish selling shops and started purchasing types of fishes. Now the challenge was how to keep them safe. I started using the old buckets, containers from kitchen and also the bath tub of my kid. They were everywhere in my room. I now knew how to take care and they were happy too. The mortality rate was very low. It happened that on my job, I need to go on tours often. There was difficulty in maintaining them. My interest in the fishes was growing everyday and I wanted to keep and know about many fishes.

An idea stuck to me to have an Aquarist shop or the shop which sells ornamental fish and other accessories. Immediate reason was I could employ someone to take care of all my fish already in my possession. Secondly, I could buy more varieties of fish and see them everyday. As part of the job I was working on the sustainable livelihoods project, we were also advocating people to have enterprises for diversification and sustainability. I was thinking what right I have without being and entrepreneur and never taking a risk, but advocating others to take up enterprises. Ornamental fish shop would give me an opportunity to diversify and also become an entrepreneur. I found a vacant shop available for rent near my residence at Champapet, Hyderabad. I was on the main road next to a function hall. I liked it very much. I named by shop "Gaia Aquarist".

Mr. Sandeep a young college student he was also a fish lover, and had a small shop. I asked him to help me to set up the shop. Soon with his help learned to make the glass aquariums. He taught me how to cut glass pieces and stick them into aquariums using the silicon sealant. The work is done using hands. We also got the steel frames made for keeping the aquariums. On a fine day, we opened the shop!. As ornamental fish hobbyists are few and mostly educated people and children, they were visiting mostly during the evenings and on holidays. After office hours and during holidays I spent time mostly at the shop. My wife with my elder son also used to take care. My elder son liked the fish very much, he used to hold fish with his hands from the aquariums.

Mr. Ramesh joined me to take care of the fish in the shop. He failed in the 10th class at that time. He was very young, but very enthusiastic to learn. In the first week on a Sunday, I took him to a water tank, at Mailardevpally. This was a beautiful tank close to the main road. I wanted to learn more about the natural environment of the fishes, so I used to visit many tanks with a small fishing net. We both went into the water, and saw that there are so many leaches in it. Mr. Ramesh ran to the shore and saw that a leach sucking the blood came along with me. He was so young and afraid. So I asked him to stay on the shore and I stared exploring the underwater life. I often visited the stream of Esa behind WALAMTARI and Near Kidwai Gardens of Agriculture University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. There I often saw plenty of eel grass and other aquatic plants. Often caught some small ornamental fish too. The Miralam Tank had plenty of Eutopis Suratensis or pearl fish from the family of cichlid. My learning on the ornamental fish improved through: observing fish both in captive and in nature and by joining the ornamental fish hobbyist groups.

I had to go to Secunderabad wholesale market close to Railway station for purchasing the fish every Sunday. The fish arrived on Sunday mornings by the train as parcel in plastic transparent packets. As soon as all the fish arrives the place, people picked up their packets with several numbers of the fish in each packet. Used to observe them for their colour, health etc., in the sunlight. The collected fish, was taken to the shop by tying them to my motorbike on either side. After reaching the shop transferred them to the different aquariums

Soon, my interest grew into breeding them. The guppies and mollies often gave birth to small babies directly. But the adult fish ate them and very few survived. It was easy to breed some fish and difficult to breed others. Once I visited the ornamental fish breeding place called Kolathur in Chennai. The surprising thing is that with my knowledge on the fishes, I became an advisor on Ornamental Fish breeding to the Government Fish Breeding center at Rajendranagar. They knew to breed fish which is eaten as food, but not the ornamental fish. I also designed a training course on ornamental fish breeding for the Swamy Ramananda Tirtha Rural Institute (SRTRI). I also implemented a project on Ornamental Fish for an organisation at Nagarjuna Sagar for helping the rural school going girls of the tribal tandas in breeding the ornamental fish in their backyard. They need to spend just one hour or less in managing the fish, could continue their schooling as they earn some money. The cement rings were provided in the backyard of the houses where they were trained to breed the fish.

Facilitating the ornamental fish enterprise was a great opportunity to teach and make the clients conscious of environment. To make a fish live happily, if one could create a space in a closed environment, they are far more sensitive to understand the space of the environment. The clients come with many complaints and I tried to understand why their fish is sick or died. Try to analyse and tell them how they could manage them better. Many children used to come, many times gave them fish freely or at a highly discounted price. I never made any profit selling the fish. But the experiences I earned were great. It gave a space of being humble, teaching about environment, learn about enterprise, etc.

After taking care for about two years intensively, I started getting busy with other works. I gave all the freedom to Mr. Ramesh to take care of the shop when it was convenient to him. Also encouraged him to join college and soon he passed his degree. After about six years of managing the shop, I gave it over to Mr. Ramesh. Now he is still running the shop.

# 38

# Spirituality, Nature and Wild Life

One day evening I was having dinner with friends. I got a phone call from Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy, he wanted my assessment regarding the status of black bucks and other wildlife in a place. He told that Mr. M. C. Mehta, an eminent Environmental Lawyer would contact me regarding this task. Soon, I got the call and Mr. Mehta, briefly explained why I was required urgently for this assignment, and he told that the place to visit was near Delhi. I agreed and said that, would catch early morning flight the next day to Delhi and requested him to text the details of the place. I was not sure where I am going and it was still unknown. I got down at Delhi and checked the mobile phone and saw a message with a Drivers Name, his mobile number and vehicle number. I called the driver and I got into the vehicle and saw another message, that I need to go to Fatehabad in Haryana. I opened the Google Maps and searched the place, it was about 230 kms in the North-west direction from the airport and this place was close to the border of Punjab and Rajasthan States. I showed him the directions on Google Maps, and asked him to take me to Fatehabad. We travelled till about 2:00 p.m. As we were close to the town about 50 km away. I got a phone call from Mr. Vinod Karwasra. I was not sure who he was? I reached the town, I met Mr. Vinod on the outskirts and he directed me to a small house in a narrow lane. It was summer and very hot. He was a teacher and volunteers for the conservation and protection of wild animals. After brief introductions, he showed me a room and asked me to take bath and get ready for lunch. He served me with hot chapatis with curry. He asked me to have a short nap as he found that I am tired. After I woke up that is after one hours rest, I saw a picture of a Guru on the wall. I asked him who he was? He said that he is the revered Guru Jambheshwar who lived between 1451 and 1536, and they follow a set of 29 principles/commandments given by him. He added, we Bishnoi community or sect strictly follow the principles laid by their Guru. The principles are also relevant to environment and compassion for animals some of them are such as Have mercy on all living beings and love them; Do not cut green trees, save the environment.; Provide shelters for abandoned animals to avoid them from being slaughtered in abattoirs.; Do not sterilise bull. and; Do not eat meat, always remain pure vegetarian.

It was observed that there is plenty of greenery; wild animals and birds wherever the Bishnoi community lived.

He narrated the story of Amrita Devi, a member of the sect who inspired as many as 362 other Bishnois to go to their deaths in protest of the cutting down of Khejri trees in September 1730. The Khejri tree that is _Prosopis cineraria_ , is also considered to be sacred by the Bishnois. The maharajah of Jodhpur, Abhay Singh, requiring wood for the construction of a new palace, sent soldiers to cut trees in the village of Khejarli, which was called Jehnad at that time. Noticing their actions, Devi hugged a tree in an attempt to stop them. Her family then adopted the same strategy, as did other local people when the news spread. She told the soldiers that she considered their actions to be an insult to her faith and that she was prepared to die to save the trees. The soldiers did indeed kill her and others until Abhay Singh was informed of what was going on and intervened to stop the massacre. This is the commitment of Bishnoi community. And here I am trying to address one of their problems.

In the evening, we started in a vehicle to see the wildlife in the area. Badopal is a village, about 10km away from Fatehabad town. In the areas around this village, there are 500 numbers of animals such as Blackbucks, Neelgai (blue bull), deers, and other wildlife inhabit the area.

I equipped myself with one Go-pro HD camera, Digital Camera, voice recorder and Garmin GPS. As there was hardly 3.5 hours of sunlight, I needed to make quick survey of the surroundings and make an assessment.

The Government of India planned a Nuclear Power Plant at the Village Gorakhpur and acquired land for the plant, housing and other utilities. They made a fence of steel wire all around the acquired places. The place acquired for the township had Black bucks, Neelgai (Blue Bull), Deer and other wildlife. They had restrictions on their movement and some of the animals have stuck in the barbed fence have died recently. During the visit, I could see herds of animals roaming freely in the area.

There was drastic difference between the villages where the Bishnoi community lived and the villages with Non-Bishnoi people. The animal's density was very high and they roamed close to the Bishnoi villages. After documenting and observing the surroundings, I returned to the Fatehabad town. Discussed with Mr. Vinod on the measures required to protect the animals. As it was late and the night journey of going back to Delhi would be dangerous. So, he asked me to sleep at their place. It was a summer evening, we had dinner on the rooftop, and after dinner, I said I would like to sleep in the open on the rooftop. In the summer especially in the semi-arid and arid areas, sleeping on the rooftop is like heaven with cool and cooler breeze as morning approaches the sleep will be more and more pleasant.

Next day morning travelled back to Delhi to meet Mr. M. C. Mehta and his juniors. I explained all the details of my observations and gave my notes which they used in filing the case. In that case, the court asked the government to take measures to conserve the black bucks and other wild life in the area. People may be rehabilitated by compensation, but for wild animals it is not so easy to recreat their lost habitat and also to displace them to another habitat.

# 39

# Change your environment

When I joined at Action for Food Production (AFPRO) an organisation , I saw the the office premises, particularly at the entrance, was very shabby. I told our head Mr. K. Shiva Prasad that people entering an office should like the environment and feel happy. It was just few days since I joined AFPRO. Wherever one lives, should own the space and strive to improve the environment. I made a suggestion that I would like to develop a garden with ponds. He smiled and gave a nod to go ahead. It was a small place, I made a plan. Using cement rings created two ponds for fish and aquatic plants and also added the plants all around these two ponds and these plants do not shed leaves. Brought the Mollies, Guppies and orange colour snails too and released them into the pond. Also brought some water lettuce plants and these plants float on the surface of the water. They are green in colour, they always look like green colour flowers. Over a period these plants attained the growth and size uniformly based on the amount of nutrients and sunlight they received. The fish soon multiplied and many fingerlings appeared. The garden was developed during the beginning of monsoon. And all the visitors to the office spend sometime observing the garden before entering into office. All the staff appreciated and enjoyed seeing the fish, flowers and greenery. Wherever one is living should create an environment which is also pleasant to oneself but also to all others, this way by changing the environment around one can bring in happiness too.

# 40

# Trapped in the lake sludge

Keywords: Striving for earth

As a Geoecologist, I worked for the Hussain Sagar Lake and Catchment area improvement project (HCIP). The Hussain Sagar Lake is a more than 400 years old lake. A few Nala's or streams are joining the lake. As part of treatment, these nala's were intercepted and diverted. Kukatpally Nala is a major Stream, covering a larger catchment area.

I was doing reconnaissance of the field for identification of spots for proposed bird watching towers. I went all along the shores of Sanjeevaiah Park. There was gravel, and at some places the clayey mud was present. I could walk conveniently, except at very few spots, there was wetness. I could feel safer while walking here. All the pollution especially floating materials washed onto this shore because of wind direction. Found a few water birds too.

I went to PV Narasimha Rao Ghat. There was no entrance/ opening to the ghat, so I crossed the fence and reached the shore. This corner of the lake is a wetland with lots of vegetation and birds. I saw two people fishing with hooks using earthworms as bait. I walked all along the fence and reached a place with tall trees. I liked this place, as I could see many water birds. This place was ideal for installation of a birds watch tower. The tower can be well hidden in the trees without much disturbance to the birds. Another area I explored was behind Jal Vihar and between the eat street eateries, on the shores of Hussain Sagar Lake.

Next day I returned, that was on 10, July 2015, to the Kukatpally Nala area. Kukatpally Nala over the years carried polluted water and sediments from the catchment area covering residential and industrial zones like Jeedimetla and Balanagar. Recently interception and diversion drains were constructed to divert the polluted waters to Musi river. Still, due to excess flow of waters, it was not entirely diverted away yet. Over the years the sludge and silt deposited at the mouth of this Nala was not dredged.

After crossing the bridge across Kukatpally Nala, there is a small park. I went to the park asking the driver Mr. Raji Reddy to wait on the necklace road. There were very few people in this park, three young couples, and a lady Gardener. I went to the edge of the park, saw two people at a distance of about 800 meters on the shore of the lake collecting probably the plastic waste. I saw a good density of aquatic birds on the banks. Took some photographs using the camera at 30x zoom. I thought I could walk across and reach those two people as it was dry. My interest was to document the aquatic vegetation and birds. Water in the lake has receded exposing a large proportion of the shore due to the decision of the Municipality (GHMC) to empty part of the lake waters. , Avoiding the wet places and along the vegetation, I could walk about half a kilometre distance. At one location, there were many plastic papers carried by the Nala; it appeared completely dry. The dry plastic sheets made the place look whitish. I started walking over them. It looked like dry alkaline soil area. I was completely immersed in the surroundings. Suddenly to my surprise slipped knee deep into the lake bed. To lift myself back I stepped forward with my right foot and found myself stuck with both legs in the sludge. I realised it was a mud trap, so I did not push my right foot. I bent down and leaned forward with the support of both my hands. With the distribution of weight on four points, I could remain still. Slowly I tried removing my left leg, I struggled but could not remove. The mud was like tar, dark black and sticky. It held my shoes. It is easy to imagine than experience what it was like.

I waited there for some time thinking what to do. For people in the park, it appeared that I was sitting, rather stuck. Even if I shout, my voice will not be heard. Also, there were very few people around in the park.

There is a possibility that I might go deeper the more I struggle. I took out my mobile phone and called my driver, Mr. Raji Reddy. Told him that I am stuck in the mud, and asked him if he could can see me, and requested him to come with a rope if possible so that I can get out. He said that there was no rope in the vehicle, but he will come to help me to get out. I waited for about 15 minutes; my position was such that, I was facing the lake. Suddenly from behind, I heard the driver's voice calling me for help. He was behind me about 15 meters away; he was found with his two legs knee deep in the mud stuck.

I started laughing; I said already I am stuck, you know that, and you should have been cautious. One of us should come out first to be of any help to the other.. We don't have any options left, and we cannot spend more time waiting for help from anybody here. I struggled and by dividing my weight and force into the two hands and right feet, lifted my left leg up. By crawling slowly, I lifted my right leg also. Slowly reached a harder place. Now I helped him to come out by crawling and giving my hand. He said that his chappals were stuck. I asked him to forget chappals and pull out his feet. He could also manage to get out. We both were covered almost up to the waist in pitch dark sludge. This sludge was like tar, with the smell of sulphur very sticky and repulsive.

We took some plastic sheets to wipe out some of the mud. Reached the park in an awkward situation and got into the vehicle. Reached our office, washed. I requested the driver to go my home and get me the clothes to change. Our driver was allergic to this highly polluted mud. He started scratching his feet and legs continuously whole night. He went for a checkup with the doctor the next day and got treatment. His problem continued for three days.

Hussain Sagar lake was in the heart of Hyderabad city, myself getting trapped in it and being helpless, I can never forget those moments. I could understand the issues of Hussain Sagar Lake, its pollution and the degradation from many angles than many others could understand. It was not because of the accident of falling into the deadly mud trap! Later when I shared this experience with Dr. J. P. Singh an educationist and a life-saving organisation coordinator of the State, he said that in such situations even those who know swimming could die having trapped in the sludge. Luckily I was not a victim of that.

# IV

# Development

# 41

# Decision Support Systems

As part of my Ph.D., I have used the statistical analysis using the software packages and tools. I started loving systems which support the decisions. In one of my first jobs I was leading the projects with the application of Geographic Information Systems and Remote sensing. Had opportunities of implementing several projects employing advanced information systems across India.

My interest was how to simplify information and help in efficient decision making. Always liked the most straightforward and quickest decision support system such as traffic lights. A person in spite of language barrier can still understand the traffic signals and make decisions such as - to stop, be alert and to move, etc. I started learning mostly from online software and had been using it as a tool in decision support systems.

In the year 2001, I got an opportunity to attend a course Participatory Monitoring Information Systems. It was conducted by Madame Anne Chappuis the founder of Decision Graphics. Madame had been providing decision support analysis and was also training on the tools. I owe a lot to learnings from her trainings that I attended, especially on the use of Microsoft Excel software and the visual interpretation or analysis of the data. I also attended a short training course conducted by her at Rouen, France. I was fortunate to meet met her teacher in Paris, Mr. Jacques Bertin who wrote the book 'Semiology of Graphics - Diagrams, Networks, Maps' on the theory of information design. My love for graphics has increased since then and had been applying the principles in decision making tools.

I attended a training on the Bayesian belief networks (BBN) software and its applications. Instead of making decisions based on intuition and gut feeling, this method is based on belief. Belief is a probability based on aspects such as experience, qualitative and quantitative information and Bayesian belief network model or probabilistic is directed by the acyclic graphical model (a type of statistical model) that represents a set of variables and their conditional dependencies via a directed acyclic graph. BBN with learning models is used for artificial intelligence too, which I have used in the interpretation of sustainability of livelihoods in the rural areas.

I have also coordinated the development of the learning resources -development of Modelling and e-learning tools for Self-help groups, watersheds, and livelihoods. Dr. Vinod Joshi and his team supported in its development. Adoption of technology accelerates the learning and contributes to development. 

# 42

# Open Knowledge

Since beginning, I was against patents while working and designing technologies for communities. Some of my initial good stove designs became very popular. Some of the people suggested me to go for patents. I tried to know why people go for patents, the motives were mean.

I believe knowledge is eternal and universal, it is like water that flows and should continue to flow. A thought or an idea in time is the floating leaf on a flowing stream. It should not be stopped by the interest of a few. For every new creation, innovation, design, etc., I am also accountable to all those who have contributed for my thinking and knowledge. No knowledge can be attributed to one individual alone. We owe to both living and non-living things in the universe for our knowledge and any improvements therein.

Advocated open knowledge movement that I defined as a movement that individual/s or organisation/s develop technologies for common good without expecting profit through patenting. Open knowledge is all about solidarity and concern for this earth.

We know there are better technologies and production systems that are less harmful to ecology and health of several species including mankind. Advances in science have demonstrated healthier ways, for instance, alternative sources or renewable sources of energy for automobiles is possible. Similarly, better ways of preventing disease or cure of several deadly diseases or eradication of hunger is also possible. Holding inventions, discoveries and benefits of knowledge for greed and profit is wrong. It robs of health, happiness, and wellbeing and perpetuates poverty, disease and violence. That's crime and violation of knowledge, which is invented by the so called advanced civilisations of the current times. We must know that we would not have reached today's stage in our understanding of the universe, and developments in science and technology if our ancestors or civilisations from around the world did not share their knowledge openly. Wrong systems like patents may be effective with right people, but not totally fool proof when confronted with those who mightier and more wrongful.

The whole world is growing at a rapid pace in all aspects and with every other day better and more efficient technologies are available. The natural creations are the ultimate sources of sustenance of life on earth. The ecosystem is unable to sustain the needs of the human beings and human beings are not clever enough to copy and replicate nature in spite of so much science and technological progress. The very few technological innovations created by humans are also not accessible to all because of two reasons. 1) Self interest - A person or organisation is selfish and want all the name, fame, money, for oneself. 2) They want to recover the money invested for the innovation through patent rights or license permissions.

Practices aimed holding of the knowledge in time is a hurdle for those who could think similarly. Because they cannot share as it is already patented. It is not good to hold knowledge and create barriers to share in the public domain when it is beneficial to the whole world. If the knowledge is held as patent, there are three situations for the one who is holding the right 1. Use of knowledge by the creator 2. Share the knowledge with others for some gain 3. Sleep over the knowledge thinking that some day, they would use it at appropriate time. Often one sees situation 3 in practice, for which there is no remedial action of any kind against the person who is doing that. Holding a good thought and technology from benefiting mankind, for personal reasons is wrong.

We are accountable to our future generations first, because they would pay our current expenses and we are only paying the meagre bills of our forefathers. One should not forget this is a credit world and we enjoy present-future at the cost of future generations.

The world wide web and internet are the greatest communication tools of this century. In the history of mankind, the creation of digital world is unique and it would continue. The access to knowledge and its use is see, learn, copy, create or understand. The copyrights and patents are at stake also as not all people are honest or ignorant. Is there any method to prevent this? No, it is not possible; nobody can fight battles in so many countries.

Therefore, it is better and wiser to declare an innovation, idea or design as open knowledge and declare as creative commons or open source technology / hardware. Let us expand beyond boundaries by sharing. Sharing gives meaning to one's knowledge and gives freedom to the whole world. It is freedom which builds oneness. It gives immense satisfaction when one shares, while one is alive. There is no meaning to sharing later or too late, it is like serving stale food to someone.

The spirit of Open knowledge helped me reach out to thousands of people on the issues of Environment; Climate Change; Natural resources - Agriculture, Soil, Water, Energy; Sustainable Livelihoods, Disaster Mitigation And Response; and Information And Communication Technology.

One day in 2008, I got a phone call from someone in Canada, asking me why I have declared all my work as Open Knowledge. I said technologies relevant to masses and especially addressing the poor should not be patented. The time and money invested could be compensated to the person by governments or international organisations. They said that they will get back to me soon.

After about 9 months, I got call from Dr. Daniel Jolliffe again asking me to come to Banff, Canada as resource person for attending "Grounding Open Source Hardware" \- GOSH 2009 workshop and summit from 9th to 19th July 2009. I said I don't have any money for overseas travel. He said that all my travel and stay at Banff, Canada would be sponsored. I am one of the very few people invited from the developing countries. Most of the GOSH 2009 participants were from Europe, Canada and USA.

Initially, I was denied visa by the Canadian Embassy, I have reapplied immediately asserting how important it is for me to participate. I got the visa. I have decided to make the presentation of "Open Knowledge Sharing - why, relevance and as a source for freedom and integrity."

The Banff Centre, Canada is one of the beautiful places in the Rockies of Canada. What a coincidence, the art is the only thing which is patented, as each piece of art is acknowledged as the original creation, as art is human made and does not exist in nature. And here we are discussing about open source.

I made a presentation focussing on the technologies especially relevant to the poor and common cause. Explained the stoves, biochar and other technologies developed, improved and designed by me and why they should not be patented.

Patents and copyrights are ruling human decisions and development. The regime of patents leads to the creation of wealth for some. No knowledge has been created without following the principles of science existing even before humans started thinking of knowledge. Appreciation of once contribution to the pool of discoveries and innovations is required, but should not be monetised or exchanged for favours.

I tried to explain the situation of human beings interested in patents and copy rights is like a monkey that is chained. Many people are the monkeys of desire trapped in a cage, not having the freedom to give up what one has. Traditionally monkey catchers use a technique, where monkeys are cleverly caught by placing a banana in a cage or a hole. Only the hand of a monkey fits through a small hole in the cage, after holding the banana placed inside, as bait, the monkey pull out its hand. The monkey is trapped in its own desire to possess the banana and it is caught there losing all its freedom. Super smart individuals and institutions, proud of their inventions, are like the monkeys trapped in cages losing all their freedom from sharing their own creations. Sad, sometimes it's like conditions that you cannot deliver your own baby before your death. Possessing knowledge not to be shared for selfish desire is the cause of a strange suffering. 

# 43

# Leaders and Envisioning the Future

A scenario is a vision into the future based on certain evidences. Scenario planning is a practical tool to aid decision making in complex contexts when future circumstances are uncertain.

Those who can envision the future are leaders. There are several visions now as every political leader speaks of a vision in every state of India. The short term vision leaders are many and mean. Sometimes the myopic vision of the leaders does not allow them to envision long term strategies for development of the society. A great leader does not think about one's term, tenure of the post or age while building a vision for the future.

Short cuts or short visions often do not help in building a better future lasting for a long term. Many ordinary citizens have long term visions going beyond the vision of some leaders.

For instance, every parent tries to envision the future of one's child with regard to child's education where a child invests at least twenty years in learning. It takes into account the possible new economic scenarios, likely job market, possible skills and courses one must study to accomplish the goals. It means our educationists and leaders must foresee the changes in economy and society and frame the syllabus and lessons taught in schools are in line with the development visions that take into account the future economy, industry, demography, society and several other related sectors are likely to be say at least 20 to 50 years from now on . Only then the aspirations of a child are met. Of course the technologies and the requirements of the society are fast changing. To keep in phase, the midterm corrections are necessary, that is amending the syllabus or letting the student attend new courses. Learning is a continuous process and learning must meet the purpose. The purpose of learning should support one in achieving the personal and common goals.

The political leaders in democracy are chosen by people every four or five years. The present development is based on the vision of these short term heads of the states. Their concern is to show results before their term ends and get ready for another round of election. Therefore, there are very few leaders who have long term vision for a state or the nation.

A common management response has been to treat change as incremental: the policy making community takes stock of current trends, provision and existing problems, then decides what step to take next. A second response has been to forecast what the future will bring or take a political decision as to what is best, and then set about using strategies to make it come about. When any of these approaches tend to rely on the short term; they proved ineffective to take account of the unpredictability of future developments.

If a leader thinks that I know everything and understand better than anyone, it is arrogance and ego. They could have priorities of their own for development because such activities are more visible and appear to be pleasing the stakeholder. They may not be the priority as a whole. Some choices could lead to results over a long period which many not be perceivable and appreciated immediately. The investment planning should not be based on the immediate returns or appreciation.

Sometimes a person's vision and domination over all other opinions, studies, research makes them follow a path different from the world. Such attempts reveal the gaps between real development needs and the preparedness to address the challenges. Steering the people, resources and environment towards achieving the desirable development is the trait of a great leader.

Readiness and willingness are two aspects of people who define the development path. However, even if a great vision is developed, if the people are not ready and nor prepared one cannot achieve the results. To bring the people and system to ready level is an important effort. Ready means, skills, knowledge, wisdom, experience, etc. required for that task or mission. Although some people are ready their willingness matters the most. We know Government school teachers are better qualified compared to teachers in private schools, but their willingness to teach the children matters the most. Whereas in the private schools the teachers may not be highly qualified but their willingness to teach ensures better results.

Prioritisation and importance given to planning and implementation also matters at any given time and in space. Lack of timely importance and prioritisation given to the current challenges might lead to lose the long term vision and goals.

Sustainability is a single term combining both present and the future needs, and true leaders know that any vision has to be sustainable whether stated or not. It is worth stressing that scenarios are well suited to long-term strategic planning, and are often less well suited to short- or medium-term planning. Scenarios come into their own when uncertainties about the future begin to outweigh the certainties.

The visioning exercise requires a good team as different scenarios are constructed on the basis of sound evidence, and the best available views of experts. A leader should have the common purpose of helping stakeholders, planners and strategists to think laterally and in a practical way about the future.

A test of a good scenario is, therefore, that it should reflect the broad contexts that could possibly come about and is not bound to the strategic possibilities open to the particular players, or to dependent variables. That great visions cannot be limited to benefit only some sections at the cost of others needs no mention. 

# 44

# Food Security

Once EFICOR (NGO) asked me to do an evaluation of the project they have implemented i.e., 'Food security and Livelihoods project,'. The stakeholders were the vulnerable Malto tribal community living in Rajamahal area near the foot hills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand State. I was very must interested in this evaluation.

As part of the evaluation, I wanted to understand the following aspects relevant to the food security of the Malto Tribals. Visited some of the households to see the grains that they have stored in their home and how long they would last for consumption? What do they eat everyday? Do they have kitchen gardens and domestic livestock to supplement their food needs? How the natural resources are existing, which would support their livelihoods? Do they have alternative livelihood opportunities?, etc. I found that they store grains to last for months, as their production or income is seasonal and also at risk. With limited access to the Minor Forest Produce from the forests, the food security and dependence of the tribals is at risk. The carrying capacity of their immediate environment is also reduced.

# 45

# Poor and destitute

People often discuss poverty and about the poor people. Who is really poor? The person who is worried about the next meal while eating is definitely a poor person. Unless one was poor and experienced poverty, it is not possible to understand what is poverty or to be poor. One may partly succeed to realise poverty by being sensitive, by keenly observing the poor, by listening to their narratives, and by identifying the concerns.

In one of the projects, we wanted to support the poorest of the poor. Therefore, to understand, I started searching for the poorest of the poor in the villages. Wanted to know who are they? How do they look? Where do they live in a village?

Usually, they don't attend meetings or village gatherings, they are afraid to speak especially with the new people, and they don't demand anything even if they speak. They also live in isolation or stay away from the main community. One day, when I was in the thirties, I still remember having seen one old and very poor lady in a village in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana state. She was the most miserable person in the village among the poor and also destitute. When she came out of her makeshift hut, I saw her frail body holding a stick in her hand, and all her hair was white. She lives on the food given by others through compassion. She could not speak much and also did not ask anything from me. Her picture still lingers in my mind whenever I think of the poor.

During an evaluation, I wanted to understand the food security of the Malto tribals. Visited some of the households to see the grains that they have stored in their home and how long they would last for consumption? What do they eat every day? Do they have kitchen gardens and domestic livestock to supplement their food needs? How the natural resources are existing, which would support their livelihoods? Do they have alternative livelihood opportunities? I found that they store grains to last for a few months, as their production or income is seasonal and also at risk. They have limited access to the Minor Forest Produce or non-timber forest produce from the forests. The food security and livelihoods of the tribals were at risk. The carrying capacity of their immediate environment is also limited and lessening.

While working on biomass stoves - design and facilitation to the communities, I could visit the houses of many poor families in parts of India. It was a great opportunity to work for the poor and visit their houses.

All are equally born on earth, but the stakes on earth resources are different because some people claim more resources. Birth in space, time and the access to five capitals (Human, Social, Natural, Physical and Financial) makes a person poor or rich in this world - as a system was created by the humans called livelihoods.

_Two Girls from a drought prone area in Bundhelkhand, Uttarpradesh India._

# V

# Agriculture

# 46

# Agriculture and technology

Probably my interest in agriculture was because of my observation of people cultivating crops as a child. I have seen paddy cultivation on the tank bed after the rainy season next to our house and cultivation of greens or green leafy vegetables, such as 'Menthi Kura' (Fenugreek leaves curry). They used to spread the soaked Fenugreek seeds on a small patch of 2mx2m cleared area and spread the powdered soil on the seeds. The saplings used to rise and lift the soil up along with them. They used to slowly remove the dark colour soil fragments. Water every day with a hand water sprinkler can. Within one week's time by tying into small bundles, pack in a vine basket and cover it with a gunny bag moistened and sell them fresh in the local market. These memories are still fresh and coming from farmer's family, my interest in agriculture is still there.

In agriculture, the communications tools and the technologies are exponentially improving and also being adopted by the people. Information based agriculture is growing. People require reliable predictions and actual information to manage agriculture with less risks. Right time and right advice will save the crop. Farmers want the information as soon as possible to act.

Prof. P. Krishna Reddy from IIIT, Hyderabad is the architect of a system called eSagu, i.e., Information-based personalized agro-advisory services system. I was one of the advisors for the project since its beginning.

While discussing, I said that spatial analysis of the information is also important, as one could understand the incidence of pest and disease attack on the crops. So, he asked me to develop a GIS system to integrate the data being collected. I was given two Ph.D., students and four Masters students to guide for the task. Within six months' time period a GIS system was developed which was useful for spatial analysis and it was integrated with the eSagu system.

Once he asked me to find a method to communicate to the villagers so as to disseminate the information. By connecting the mobile phone with the public address system and a mike, I developed a system for communication and it was installed in the Malkapur Village, Warangal district, Telangana , India. This system was used for the following purposes:

1) Weather information sharing every day morning and evening and relating to the possible activities like sowing, harvesting, spraying pesticides;

2) Creating awareness and enrolling farmers for the eSagu services - sharing the successful farmer case studies;

3) Information on the current market prices announced directly from the markets;

4) Input dealers sharing information on the availability of seeds, fertilizers, quantity and rate;

5) Line department official announcement on the subsidies, visits, etc.;

6) Interviews with farmers; and

7) Thematic pre-recorded audio on crops, practices, etc.

This system was simple and effective. With the farmers having access to the smartphones and internet charges being low, it has become easy to share information and also for receiving the advisory services. With the GPS location and time stamp (meta data) on the pictures taken in the field using smartphone, it is easy to identify the location and do spatial analysis. The big data analysis and decision support systems in agriculture are beneficial to the farmers.

# 47

# Biocharculture

In visits to parts of India for studies and evaluations, the author has come across several challenges to soils and agriculture. The observed reality has sensitized and motivated him to work on soil management for agricultural sustainability, food security, and livelihoods. It has been nine years since he began his endeavour to understand the value of biochar amendments to soils and other applications of biochar.

I was associated with several studies conducted mainly among farmers in semi-arid areas in parts of Telangana, India. In this region, low and erratic rains have led to frequent droughts and reduced the crop yields. As a result, the livelihoods of villagers primarily dependent on the agriculture are at stake. Vegetation in the region is mainly tropical dry deciduous, with small trees interspersed through scrub vegetation. Agriculture is the main livelihood activity, and is heavily dependent on rainfall. The soils are diverse, including sandy soils, red soils, black cotton soils and alkaline soils, and support a variety of crops. Common crops include paddy, sorghum, maize, sesame, red gram, green gram, cotton, chilli, vegetables, and horticultural crops such as mango.

Biomass cook stoves are one of the sources of biochar. Many people in Telangana, still use traditional clay and three stone stoves. Some produce charcoal from Prosopis Juliflora and local biomass using traditional earth mound kilns, creating pressure on scant biomass resources. Part of the biomass from land development activities is disposed off by open burning which results in biomass loss, air pollution, and wasted energy. Cotton is one of the major crops cultivated. After harvest, many farmers openly burn the remaining cotton stalks in the fields, generating smoke and ash. Very little biochar is formed in the open burning process. On the other hand, demand for charcoal has been increasing. To fill the gap, the local population has been converting locally available biomass into charcoal through traditional methods.

To support communities reliant on biochar and related aspects, the author has engaged in a number of activities.

  * Study, design and introduction of energy efficient and clean burning cook stoves that produce biochar as a by-product
  * Development of appropriate biochar amendments for increased soil fertility and crop yields
  * Introduction of improved charcoal production techniques from Prosopis Juliflora, pine needles, cotton stalks and other biomass.
  * Introduction of crop residue conversion into biochar as an additional livelihood opportunity for farmers.

These efforts aim to demonstrate climate change mitigation practices at the micro-level carried out by communities. The scope of biochar has expanded during interactions with communities. Field trials, experiments, and capacity building programs conducted in various parts of India aided the discovery of traditional practices and methods of biochar use. The author discovered the value of biochar for multiple purposes which comprise 'biocharculture.' He helped to create wider awareness of biocharculture and promoted policy dialogues on sustainable agricultural practices at various levels.

The author has conducted a number of biochar experiments, initially on rooftops. To continue pursuing his research interests on biocharculture, he established the GEO Research Centre in Peddamaduru village, Devaruppala Mandal, Warangal district, Telangana, India (17°36'1.92"N and 79°18'2.74"E). Peddamaduru is about 100 km Northeast of Hyderabad. Also called the 'Geo Spirit Centre', the research centre carries out biochar production and processing and houses a wide biodiversity, with over of 200 plant species and related soil microbes on half an acre of land. The centre also produces biochar bricks used in the construction of 'green buildings.' The centre also has a 'Stoves Museum,' with gasifier stoves that produce biochar.

The philosophy of biochar has led me to understand it in the context of science, culture, society, economy, tradition, art, and history. It is a panacea, and much more ...

# 48

# Chowtkur village failed to offer cup of tea

Mr. Dharmaraj Ranka had many Goshalas in Hyderabad. Of the three major abattoirs in India, two were in Telangana. The cattle sold in the region was slaughtered and the beef was locally consumed or exported to the middle east. As a result, the cattle numbers in the state were reduced. The small and marginal farmers dependent on the cattle for farming were suffering. Therefore a study was proposed by Mr. Dharamraj Ranka under the leadership of Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy. A team of 6 people visited several villages, cattle markets and interviewed people to assess the situation. The team travelled part of Telangana extensively. I have taken photographs of the illegal transportation of the cattle with great risk. The brokers did not allow us to do the study. Once we went to a village called Chowtkur near Jogipet, Medak district, Telangana and requested for a cup of tea. They could not get a glass of milk in the whole village. Due to declining cattle, commercialisation of milk production and selling milk to urban areas, they could not provide a cup of tea. We made a statement "Chowtkur pote chai dorkaledu" i.e., Couldn't get cup of tea in Chowtkur village. Based on the information collected, a report was prepared titled "Game of Numbers" \- with details on the situation of cattle. A public interest litigation was filed in the supreme court of India with all the data to stop the abattoirs and illegal slaughtering of the cattle. That was also critical to address the needs of the small and marginal farmers. We got an interim order from the supreme court based on the report and findings.

# 49

# Sunlight Harvesting

There is plenty of sunlight in the tropics. There are many countries which are coping with the challenges of sustainable agriculture, soil degradation, water scarcity, etc.

Sunlight plays critical role in the higher latitudes in terms of photosynthesis for plant growth. House construction in such latitudes also influences location of homes because warmth and light in the house depends on that. The Southern slopes are preferred in the northern hemisphere for maximum advantage of sunlight.

It was in the year 1995 that I got interested in harvesting sunlight. People think there is plenty of sunlight in the tropics and subtropics. Tropics (i.e., between Tropic of Cancer (23.5 deg. N) and Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 deg S) and Subtropics that is between the latitudes 23.5 deg N to 40 deg N and 23.5 deg S and 40 deg S.

I did an experiment on 21st December 1995 at Hyderabad (17.3986352, 78.5574067) to understand importance of sunlight in plant growth. Usually, 21st December day is Winter solstice (or hibernal solstice) it is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. This happens due to the 23.5 degrees tilt of the earth and due to rotation of the earth around the sun.

In those days there was so no software available to calculate the shadows and sun path for the given latitude and longitude. To conduct the experiment for understanding the shadows caused, I made a sundial with a matchstick, and started noting the length of the shadow it caused with time.

The sun path, elevation and other details are as follows:

The above charts are created using the software in the link: http://www.sunearthtools.com/dp/tools/pos_sun.php

I got the shadow and elevation of the sun for different timings from the experiment. Being in the Northern hemisphere and during the winter solstice, maximum length of the shadows are cast, if one could design the location of plants based in their morphology (height, girth, canopy, the density of leaf cover, etc.), one could harvest maximum sunlight for plant growth. This was the main purpose of the experiment.

The Ecological succession after reaching a climax stage exhibits multi-tier system of plants living in harmony and symbiotic relationship. There is a distribution of the sunlight at different levels. Herbs; Grass; Shrub; Shade-loving plants and trees; vines, Lianas, and climbers; parasitic plants; trees with canopies receiving some light; emergent trees are the tallest in a given succession as they receive maximum sunlight.

In nature, plants use its environment and resources efficiently. They always coexisted in harmony with other plants, fauna and the abiotic elements. The three-dimensional environment maximised the space for the terrestrial life too. Given all other resources, the sunlight for photosynthesis and evapotranspiration are the main causes for the growth of the plants.

The graph shows the levels of rainforest vegetation and the relative amount of sunlight that each one receives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/tropical_rainforests_rev3.shtml

Two things are essential in agriculture, the slope of the land and the direction of ploughing across the slope and the sunlight.

In the mixed cropping, two or more crops are cultivated in the same field. The farmers can increase the efficiency by harvesting the sunlight. In this plan the density of the plants could be increased and explore the other advantages of symbiotic relationships such as legumes and other crops together could be planted.

The application of sunlight harvesting is umpteen:

•Plantations

•The choice of plants as hedgerows.

•Horticulture and densification

•Agroforestry

•Silvi-pasture

•Combination of shade loving plants and others.

•Areca nut, coconut trees, betel leaves, banana, ginger, etc.

3-dimensional habitat, food, material, and energy production as stewards of the earth as a entity with diversity (mixed complementary diverse plants, trees, vines & shrubs). Knowledge of this 3-D culture is passed down over tens of thousands of years through a sustainable human civil culture which recognises and respects the gifts, contributions, and capacities of each person and the whole community. https://sites.google.com/site/indigenecommunity/design/food-materials-resouces

# 50

# Charcoal production

While working in parts of Mahabubnagar district, the author observed that due to climate change the rainfall has come down. This is a semi-arid area with very less rainfall. The climate variability and extremes also impacted the cultivable areas. As a result, the farmers have left some of their lands fallow. These fields unattended were occupied with Prosopis Juliflora plants, which grow well in the alkaline soils too. The alkaline soils are less suitable for cultivation of crops.

This exotic species is seen in these parts since 40 years. In some habitations, the Prosopis Juliflora occupied 30% percent of the cultivable lands. Prosopis Juliflora is a thorny arid plant species. It is native to Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean.

This is the story of a remote village called Kothur where the author worked for the farmers especially to create value out of the invasive Prosopis Juliflora. It is located in the semi-arid environment in interior peninsular India. This village in the past was well known for paddy cultivation, there used to be abundant water available year round and in the milieu of the village and hence attracted the cranes and egrets. Especially during and after the rainy season all the trees in the village were occupied by the birds and their nests. Then this village was popularly called as 'Kongala Kothur' or Kothur with cranes. People also strongly believed that if the cranes have not appeared, there will be less rainfall in that year.

The present situation is the result of Climate Change and Human interventions. In the summer of the year 2005 when I first visited this village, I could see heaps of _Prosopis Juliflora_ was being converted into Charcoal. People from afar of coastal areas having seen the abundant _Prosopis Juliflora_ in this area have migrated and started making Charcoal with the support of local people. Soon local people have also learned the art of charcoal making and are able to cope with the recurring drought conditions prevailing in this area. This adaptation method has arrested the migration of people from this village to some extent. Otherwise, this district is well known for migration of people to far of places for livelihoods.

I was thinking about different solutions to help people to uproot this species and replace it with other useful species. But in the year 2006, there was a drought in this part of the district. People have not sown any seeds, and I was imagining mass exodus of people from this village to other parts for work. To my surprise, when I visited this village again during the peak of the drought, none of the people have migrated. And they were very happy too.

The secret was unprecedented demand for _Prosopis Juliflora_ wood and charcoal from Industries and urban areas. They were earning 2 to 4 times more by cutting _Prosopis Juliflora_ , than what they were getting from their regular agriculture work. Within no time about 30 % of the _Prosopis Juliflora_ was harvested. Even the people who have left their lands fallow were also benefited by getting about 10% of the total earnings as a payment from those who harvested _Prosopis Juliflora_.

The Climate change, energy crisis, new energy demands, and the adaptations by communities to the changes is a reality.

This is the new situation that happened in this remote part in the last 10 years. Still, Charcoal making has become very popular and a number of kilns are increasing every year. At last, I am not sure whether to encourage the community to continue to make charcoal or slowly replace _Prosopis Juliflora_ species with other useful horticulture crops. I have presently planned the later.

I have taught them to use the powder or fine charcoal as biochar. Along with biochar and other amendments such as sand, compost and gypsum reclaimed their lands. They are still cultivating on the same lands where once _Prosopis Juliflora_ existed, and the soils are no more alkaline. The yield is increasing every year.

This case study stands as a tip of an iceberg for the changes that would happen in the environment very fast, due to climate change, energy crisis, and other human factors.

# VI

# Water

# 51

# Efficient Irrigation Technologies

It was during summer of 2012, along with my friend Mr. Yugendhar, I have visited parts of Belgaum and met Mr. Upase. He is an expert on Mango plants. He gave me a challenge saying that the Mango Plants give fruits in the hot summer. There is a shortage of water due to groundwater depletion in the area. How I could help him with this challenge. I started thinking about the different methods for several days, and these are the technologies I have designed. These methods would help to give the meager water judiciously to the majority of plants.

In all types of existing irrigation methods, some water is wasted. To reduce the losses, these are the innovative methods. No one would throw water on the ground and expect a plant to consume all the water without wastage. These methods would assure that almost all the water is taken by the plants without any wastage.

In this method, I have used Biochar. It has an excellent affinity for water, biochar stores and releases to the plants. No water would be wasted as the water would be given slowly through the drip system at the points or area where the plant consumes it. if required the water-soluble fertilizers could also be given to the plants mixed in the water. The plant's roots take the water slowly.

In the Rootigation method, the water is given directly at the root zone. There is optimum water provided to the plants, and there is not much wastage of water.

For Sapigation the parasitic plants (of respective plants) roots are useful for grafting. There is more research needs to be done.

In Floatigation, one need not bother to give water to a plant. Through the capillary action, the biochar would absorb the required quantity of water as per the need. The containers height can be adjusted (sunk in the water) as per the requirement.

These irrigation models such as Rootigation, Sapigation and Floatigation technologies designed by the author are adaptable immediately and in the near future - a revolution in agriculture irrigation systems.

For details see the below links:

<http://biocharwaterconservation.blogspot.com/2012/03/rootigation-sapigation-floatigation.html>

<https://www.slideshare.net/saibhaskar/biocharculture-mast>

Biocharculture book http://saibhaskar.com

# 52

# Floatigation

Floatigation refers to growing plants on floats, where the water (including fertilizers) is taken up through capillary action. The plant absorbs the required quantity of water aided by the capillary action of biochar and soil. Water supply can be adjusted by raising or lowering containers into the water as required on the floats.

# 53

# Rootigation

In this growing method, a circular pit is prepared around the plant without damaging the roots. Part of the soil in the pit should be covered with polyethylene or biodegradable wax spray or covered with waterproof material. Biochar compost is then applied in the pit.

Other methods are small pouches of biochar compost are then attached to the roots of the plants. Pouches can be made of durable material. Water is fed to the plant by a drip irrigation system. Root- root Graft: Grafting a root of a plant to another root of a similar or different species for better uptake of water.

# 54

# Sapigation

In sapigation, sapwood is exposed linearly, a layer of sterile biochar powder is applied to it, and it is wrapped in a muslin cloth or synthetic net. Water is fed to the plant slowly via drip irrigation. Fertilizers can be mixed in with the water in diluted form so that the plant consumes them slowly and is not exposed to high concentrations of nutrients. This system benefits from biochar's superior storage capacity and affinity for water.

In this another method of sapigation, the sapwood of a tree is grafted onto roots of the same, similar, different species. Water-loving roots (i.e., roots that remain submerged in water constantly) are more beneficial for grafting. The grafted roots will take the required amount of water from the water pipe and transfer it to the plant. Biochar is used to cover the exposed root.

Parasitic plants could be encouraged to grow on certain plants and suppress the growth of parasitic plant shoots. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or both. These roots could be used for sapigation.

Note: Research should be  
conducted to further improve this  
method. Usually the capacity of  
parasitic plants to take on  
moisture and nutrients is very high. The rate of transfer of the same to the host plant would be high if properly facilitated.

# 55

# Perchigation

Perchigation is a means of creating a shallow, perched biochar aquifer for irrigation. This method is highly suitable for semi-arid and arid areas to reduce water evaporation and store water under the soil. Perchigation prevents water from going deeper into aquifers, thereby increases the water availability to reach plants.

Biochar absorbs the water and soil nutrients. By absorbing harmful pesticides and chemicals mitigates their impact on soil. Perchigation also has the advantage of reducing emissions from the soil. Biochar has the capacity to purify water in areas where polluted water is used for irrigation.

The perchigation method is highly suitable for the cultivation of vegetables, tubers, cereals, chilies, cotton, etc., and for adoption in the fields, greenhouses, polyhouses, etc.

# 56

# Sewagigation

Under normal circumstances, sewage water is drained away from homes and left in water bodies. There is always a demand for water for various purposes. Water resources are becoming polluted and this is affecting aquatic ecosystems. Many cities are already facing water shortages to meet the demands of the people. Water is also required for greenery too.

Sewagigation is a sewerage design using biochar to filter sewage water to irrigate plants and to store water for multiple uses other than drinking.

# 57

# Geo Biochar Capsule

Designed for sub-surface efficient irrigation. Water is given through the drip irrigation system to the subsurface biochar capsule. Water is absorbed by biochar and slowly released into the root zone soil. The water loss is very less. The roots of perennial plants over a period encompass the biochar capsule and absorb the water without much loss. As biochar has greater affinity to water, the water losses due to percolation into the aquifer is less. Biochar is not biodegradable for longer periods (up to 1000 years or more) of time, therefore the investment is only once.

Advantages

  * Water conservation and efficient irrigation
  * Water provided to the root zone
  * Control of weeds
  * The pressurized irrigation is not required such as in sprinkler, drip and rain guns, etc.
  * Highly suitable for perennial crops for long term benefits. Such as Tea, Coffee, Fruit trees, etc.
  * The surface activity such as ploughing etc., will not affect the system as they are located below the surface.
  * As biochar lasts for more than 1000 years, it is a one time investment.

# 58

# Water Names

Drinking water is the fundamental right. People supplied or forced to drink contaminated water is a crime. Bholakpur is one of the slum areas in Hyderabad, where 14 people died after consuming unclean contaminated water. The sewage got mixed with the drinking water. People buy water and are not sure about its quality.

Water is not just H2O. People's understanding of water is much rich and comprehensive. Just as complex as the world and the way it is looked at in different ways, so is the world of water for man. In Telugu 'manchi neellu' means drinking water, which literally means "good water" and which used to be perhaps as simple as that a generation ago before we advanced to be plagued with all pollutions. But that is not the case now and manchi neellu also are seen in many ways as the way the water is today.

I tried to understand the names given to the water by the community. People' s description and terminology includes the following:

Relative terms: Pure water, Clean water, Hot water, Warm water, Cold water, Snow water, Dirty water, Drinking water, good water, clear water, sparkling water, acid water, alkaline water, Healthy water;

Source: Rain water, Spring water (chelama water), Artesian Water, Thermal spring water (taptapani), Sulphur water, calcium water, Surface water, River water, stream water, pond water, reservoir water, lake water, Ground water, flowing water, stagnant water, Forest water, chelama Open well water, Bore-well water, Pit water, Puddle water, green water, brown water, blue water;

Mystic: Spiritual water, Sacred/ holy water, divined water (Mantrinchina Water);

Water plus: Soda water, Carbonated water, flavoured water, oxyrich water, Zinc water, Mineral rich water, Micronutrients water, energy water;

Treatment: Reverse Osmosis water, chlorinated water, Distilled water, Treated water, Filtered water, Mineral water, drinking water, UV treated water, Boiled water, Sterilised water, treated water, activated carbon treated water, sand filtered water, demineralised water, Ionised water;

Usage: Cooking water, washing water, garden water, mixing water;

Secondary source: Sump water, overhead water, Machine water, Tap water, leaking water;

Taste: Salt water, fresh water, brackish water, sea water, saline water;

Smell: smelling water, normal water;

Bad water: Grey water, dirty water, polluted water, sewage water, black water, algae water, insects water, dusty water,

Caste and non-chemical pollution water: Juta water, untouchable water;

Branded Water: Named after brands like Bisleri water, Aquafina water, Kinley water and all going by the 'mineral water';

Hand Pump water, Motor pump water, Supplied water, Tanker water;

Container: Bottled water, Bubble water, Pot water, Urn water, Conch water;

Nature: Running water, Stagnant water, Living water, Dead water, Active water;

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. Not sure how many more types of water would emerge in the future for the needs of people and environment as we face new forms of crisis unless we wake up at least now to conserve water and arrest pollution of water. Most important and urgent thing we need to do is to accept the fact that it is not safe or alright that we can buy water imported from wherever goddamn place while the poor neighbour is dying because the natural sources or killed or poisoned. Mankind is repeatedly warned by droughts, epidemics and dead civilisations caused by water crisis that no amount of money can help us buy life from the dead environment. We wake up or only read more and more names of water crisis. Choice is clear and simple!

# 59

# Biochar Bathrooms

One day I was discussing with an interior designer and was explaining how important it is to design the bathrooms. Sometimes they are close to hell, if not properly designed and maintained. Some bathrooms are well maintained and are cleaner than the office table or keypad.

One could improve the environment by integrating biochar as one of the materials used inside the bathrooms. Biochar absorbs the emissions from the bathroom and keeps the air clean. It takes the excess moisture too. It is excellent for indoor bathrooms which are less spacious and having very less ventilation or with no exhaust fans.

Plants can be grown inside the bathrooms with the biochar as the media. It adds to the aesthetics and improves the oxygen level in the bathroom released from the plants. Some of these plants require less or no water as the moisture absorbed by biochar is sufficient for the roots. Water could be given sometimes, if required. The creepers can also be planted which would climb using biochar pieces for grip. LED lights can be used as an option in the very dark bathrooms, which serves the purpose of lighting as well light for the plants for photosynthesis.

Wall of a bathroom with biochar

# 60

# Gardens on the move!

Life in contact with plant life has many benefits, understanding importance of greenery, meeting some of our food needs from our own efforts, or adding to the efforts of pollution control in a small way are only some of the simple and direct benefits. People in cities think they cannot grow plants just because they never gave a thought of how to do it. In fact, plants can be grown even in the mobile vehicles as an option. Biochar Mobile Gardens is a concept that I designed as an example to show how it is possible.

Biochar compost is used for growing plants on the mobile platforms. I experimented having a Biochar Mobile Garden inside my car on the car deck. This has added vibrancy and energy to me while driving. During the traffic jams, I enjoyed looking at the plants. Some of the advantages are:

•Biochar compost absorbs the emissions in the car.

•The plants absorb the CO2 emissions as part of photosynthesis and useful as real air fresheners. This is a cheap and better option, instead of using air fresheners or other scents which are harmful too.

•Biochar compost is a light weight material so convenient to adopt.

•With very little Biochar compost by volume high density of plants can be grown.

•Conserves water and need to apply very little water.

•Aesthetic value to the inmates of the vehicle and other passersby.

•Aromatic plants would emit very nice smell

•Creepers would occupy the different parts in the vehicle

•Would make the interiors of mobile vehicles cooler during hot days.

•The food and salad plants would be of great value during long distance travels as readily they would be available for consumption.

The roof tops or rear end spaces of all types of vehicles can also be conveniently used for biochar mobile gardens. Many important measures to improve our life and environment are simple too. 

# 61

# Plants Library

Children study books and they have libraries with books. Similarly, I wanted the children to have plants library in each school. So that children could see, observe, learn, experience and share.

In a school to establish a plants library at first the school should procure some diverse plants in pots. These plants should be potted in a mix of biochar compost and coir pith. The weight of this composition is far less as compared to the soil. The children should have access to these potted plants. Children could carry these plants to their homes and keep them for about a week's time. The medicinal, aromatic and other herbal plants are convenient to handle as they are small in size. They would water them and take care and exchange for another new variety of plant after returning the first plant. They would share their experiences with friends and also parents at home. Children's knowledge would increase on the plants and their uses.

In this regard, I discussed with Mr. Madhava Reddy the founder of Vandemataram Foundation. He liked the idea and asked me to give plants to two government schools near Amangal, Telangana, India. One day we both went to the schools and provided them the plants. With all types of plants the school premises looked green. Asked the school to demarcate some area for them and issue the plants to the children just like they lend library books.

Some students could be given seeds, pots biochar compost and coir pith to take home. They would sow the seed and grow them into saplings and bring back to the school. This way they could develop children's school nursery. They could plant some of them on occasions and also give them to people for planting. This way children can understand the plants better, that is science of biology and learn skills such as nursery raising.

These concepts were well received and there is a great scope and possibility for the implementation on a large scale. The children would become part of the greening the earth and also gain knowledge and experience.

Exotic plants given to a school for Plants Library

# 62

# Rainharvester

There is a great need to conserve and harvest rainwater in the urban areas, this is due to the ever growing demand for fresh water and also as the groundwater resources are depleting at a fast rate. Having done several groundwater studies, I was sensitive to this issue and wanted to do something. Therefore, I have designed a system called 'Rainharvester' to address this challenge. Rainharvester is for harvesting rainwater for reusing the rainwater directly and also for recharging the local aquifers and increase the groundwater table.

In this system, there are two chambers i.e., chamber-A and chamber-B. Those who want to do only recharge they can use chamber-A alone. It can be constructed in Ferro-cement or can also be prefabricated with plastic material. The whole system would be placed in the ground after digging a pit. After placing the system in the ground, the gap between ground and the system is to be filled with gravel. The rainharvester top can be covered with a slab and through the manhole one could reach the bottom for silt removal.

First, the rainwater from the roof top which is guided through a pipe enters into chamber-A. After initial filling there occurs a pool, and the velocity of the downward flowing water also reduces. Here any silt and sand which comes through rainwater, would settle down at the bottom and it can be removed conveniently and periodically. Even if the silt is not removed, it does not totally affect its performance in recharging the aquifer due to its design. The holes made on the walls and bottom of this chamber would let the water slowly percolate into the ground in all directions. The increased surface area because of the chamber, allows the water to percolate more efficiently. The overflow water from chamber-A then enters into the second chamber-B, which is optional. In chamber-B there are layers of charcoal that is biochar, coarse sand and gravel, filled up to half of this chamber depth. There will be least silt accumulation in this chamber as the silt and sand was already got accumulated in the chamber-A. From the Chamber-B, water could be collected through a pipe, and stored in regular sumps or in the containers for reuse. The excess water could be let out for recharging the groundwater. The water collected in the chamber-B is relatively clean and can also be used for drinking with minimum treatment. This system requires least maintenance and anyone could use it conveniently for residential homes or institutions. There are many simple solutions for major challenges, with urbanisation and growing population smart technologies need to be designed and adopted.

# 63

# Geo Filter

Once, my friend Mr. Srinivas Murarikar came to me telling that he wanted a device for rainwater harvesting. There were people who mystified the rainwater filters and in the name of patents were charging large sums of money. The world is simple, and sometimes it is complex because people want to make money.

I went to his place in Secunderabad. Considering his requirements, I drew the sketch of the system on a waste paper. Within few minutes the design was complete. I asked him "now let us go and get the materials to make this". I always want to make and test things, without any delay, so that I could improve or think differently without wasting much time. In a harware shop procured the types of connectors and pipes, and assembled them into a rainwater harvesting filter. He asked me to name it, so I called it "Geo Filter".

For testing and demonstration, the same day we both came to my home and fitted it to our dry borewell for recharging the groundwater with the rooftop rainwater directed through this filter.

In this rainwater harvester the water is passed through the two filters in it. Stage one the water is filtered through sand and in stage two it is filtered through biochar or charcoal. Then this filtered water is directed into the sump for reuse and the excess water is sent into the dry borewell for recharging the groundwater. It costed less than ten US Dollars. And I had declared the design as open knowledge and Mr. Srinivas had been installing these Geo Filters for collecting and using the rainwater, to the communities on demand. The other filters available in the market were costing 3 to 10 times higher in price.

# 64

# Cursed Lives in Fluorosis Affected Regions

It was in the year 1997, along with Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy an environmentalist and a Senior Journalist we have visited Shivanna Gudem village, Marriguda Mandal of Nalgonda District. This is the native village of Prof., and it is one of the village's with high concentration of fluoride in the groundwater. The local geology has granitic rocks with apatite, that is Fluorapatite veins. Fluorapatite is a mineral with fluoride, which dissolves in groundwater upon contact. Due to overexploitation of the groundwater in the area, the groundwater table has fallen down. As a result, people started going for deeper borewells every year. The groundwater was contaminated through contact with the Fluorapatite as the depth of the borewells increased, so the surface area in contact with the groundwater also increased. Therefore, the concentration of fluoride was more in the groundwater drawn from deeper borewells. The surface water bodies were less polluted and relatively fluoride free. This place is in the semi-arid drought-prone area, the availability of surface water was less. Without any freshwater availability, the people were forced to drink the water with excess fluoride. As a result, people got affected by fluorosis, the people are suffering from dental fluorosis, and some of them were also suffering from skeletal fluorosis. Who had been consuming the water since very long in the area.

As we were close to the Marriguda village, I saw at a distance a dwarf person he was walking in the middle of a dirt road. We came to know that he is the head of a village. He was also affected by fluorosis so could not grow well. It appeared like, I am in a different world where there is inexplicable suffering and misery for want of drinking water, although this place was within 100 km from Hyderabad. On the outskirts of Marriguda village, there I saw a person lying on a cot in his house. His spinal cord became very weak, and he cannot get up on his own. He is affected by skeletal fluorosis, and his bones became very weak. There was a rope hanging above his bed, and he barely could sit by pulling the hanging rope. He also needs support to walk too. I saw many children, young and old with deformities in the village. Although rainwater harvesting was done for some houses and few de-flouridation plants were established in some of the villages, there was not sufficient water to meet the requirements of all the people in the villages. Being in this area was a curse for the people. The successive governments have not done any concrete activities to provide the drinking water to these people. The fluorosis affected region witnessed several struggles for long years including protests, public hearings, and also they appealed to the National Human Rights Commission. Struggles by several agencies of civil society, NRI groups, NGOs, environmental activists, and the movement of Jala Saadhana Samithi since 1980s represented the woes of fluoride affected villagers.

Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy was very keen to do something for these villagers. He had seen in his lifetime how the fluorosis concentration increased in the groundwater and the people got affected.

It was in the year 2004, Dr. Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy was the most popular Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Prof. Reddy wanted to bring this issue to the attention of the Chief Minister. He planned a meeting with the Chief Minister, civil society and the affected stakeholders at Jubilee Hall, Hyderabad. To sensitize him on the gravity of the issue, he asked me to make a documentary on the impact of fluorosis. The time was very less. Within 24 hours the task had to be accomplished. I took Mr. Rajashekar the cameraman and rushed to the Marriguda Mandal. As time was less, in the editing mode shot the visuals and edited the documentary on fluorosis on the same day. Media plays a vital role in sensitisation, awareness and decision making. And this was an opportunity to show the chief minister, the impacts of fluorosis in the region.

Next day, Prof. Reddy has asked me to show the documentary to the Chief Minister at the meeting. The Chief Minister was touched by the visuals and understood the gravity of the problem. After listening to Prof. Reddy and others, he declared that he would provide the piped drinking water from the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir to all the affected villages in the area. He was one of the dynamic leaders to take good decisions, and within a couple of years, all the villagers were supplied with clean drinking water. Now the people have fluoride free safe drinking water. For more than two decades the people were fighting to have safe drinking water. Especially, by the younger generations who were most affected by the fluorosis in the area.

For MetaMeta organisation , I also got an opportunity to collect and compile content for a website on fluorosis. This was a resourceful website for awareness and information. It is disheartening to see that many new areas are being affected by fluorosis as the groundwater is depleting in the granitic regions with fluoride mineral. During my field visits I made it a point to observe the teeth of the school children. It is unfortunate to see that many children have teeth which are tarnished with brown colour streaks or the enamel is removed and they look bone white. This is a preliminary stage of fluorosis impact on the children. These signs indicate that the fluorosis has impacted the children.

The state and central governments should take the responsibility to map all the fluoride affected areas and provide safe drinking water on priority, which is the fundamental right of the people.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU4xDNlKyhw>

# VII

# Energy

# 65

# Facilitating stoves and getting scolded

The facilitation of stoves was one of the exciting things for me. I had many kinds of experiences and response from the community I thought of serving through good stoves which makes a remarkable difference in their quality of life, economic status, health and to their environment.

I must share one such experience from people in a large slum called Singareni colony in the Southern part of Hyderabad. The people were poor and mostly working in the unorganised sector such as labor, domestic help, driving autorickshaw's, etc. Upon request from one of my friends, I went to this colony. I explained about the biomass stoves in a public meeting organised at a community center. After the meeting, I walked into the slum and to observe the stoves they were using. Most of those stoves were inefficient, and people used all kinds of combustible materials for cooking such as plastics, carton boxes, pieces of car tyres, etc.

I approached a tribal woman using a three stone stove for cooking. I asked her to test the efficient stove designed by me for one week, and if it was found useful, she could purchase it or else return the stove. Their stoves were produced using reuse material and were very cheap and highly inefficient. I wanted to introduce efficient stoves without any profit motive. And this stove was one of the very low-cost efficient stoves. She accepted to test the stove by using it. I went to see that lady after one week along with some friends. One young woman was sitting outside, and we asked her about the woman who took the stove. She went inside and told the woman that the people who gave the stove have come to meet her. The young woman returned and said that she was sleeping and asked us to come later. We asked her to wake her up and tell her that we were waiting to meet her. Finally, after making us wait for some more time she appeared. We asked her how the stove was? She told that the stove was very bad and she did not like it. Then we said okay please return the stove. She became furious and said how can you take back the stove which was given and I was used. I said, "Okay, keep the stove and pay the price of the stove if you don't like to return it". The issue was, she liked the stove and had been using it. But she did not want to pay for the stove. I thought of leaving the place by leaving the stove with her and not asking her any amount. But my friends insisted that I should collect the stove as she was lying about the performance of the stove and not willing to pay. The lady started abusing in her language for having asked her to return the stove. I got to listen to such abuse and vocabulary that I didn't hear in my whole life. But we insisted that she returned if it was not useful, finally we went off smiling by taking back that stove. We gave that stove to a tea stall vendor on the way to use and test the stove. We gave many stoves freely to very poor people to popularise the good stoves.

When the community was unable to pay in cash for the stoves, I also introduced the barter system. Barter system was practiced since long before money became the dominant currency. Most rural homes-- even if they do not have cash- have several goods that can be procured though barter trade. I met a woman in one of villages who said that she would sell her chicken to pay for the stove. So I asked my team to collect the chicken if they cannot pay in cash, as it was more convenient for them and there would be no loss for her in exchange of chicken for money. The option to barter improves women's purchasing power with respect to stoves as women manage the chicken at home. There are ways so unimaginable when there is a will.

# 66

# Good stoves in Cherangani hills of Kenya

I was in Kenya on the invitation of Mr. Peter Kuria from Finland to train a network of NGOs on Good Stoves and Biochar. The campsite was organised on the Cherangani Hills near the Ugandan border. There were no materials available that could be used in training. Therefore I used soil and stones to create the stove to demonstrate the TLUD gasifier stove.

The program was flexible and gave space for all the participants to interact from morning till late night. Our discussions would not end until late night or wee hours . It was not uncommon to have rain in the evening as this place was also closer to the equator. Campfire was regularly organised to cope with the cold. The dry wood was very precious, so I designed a system using 200 liters steel drum. One could get a roaring fire in this drum with little wood, with least smoke, and good heat in all directions through convection and radiation. If harvested, this system also yielded a good amount of charcoal (biochar). I made it portable with two handles, we used to shift if from open space to underneath a shed if it was raining. Everyone enjoyed the campfire because of this system. We spent a week's time in Cherangani talking about efficient stoves, environment and health hazards of domestic pollution.

# 67

# Stoves for sex workers

SAI NGO invited me to design stoves for the sex workers and other slum dwellers of Mumbai. They also asked me to train some of the sex workers in the production of stoves as an enterprise for their livelihoods.

I visited some slum areas in parts of Byculla South of Mumbai to see the type of stoves they were using. The stoves used by them were highly inefficient. A tin can of 15 liters is converted into a stove, by making two holes, one for feeding fuelwood and another at the top for the flame to cook.

I enquired about the biomass or fuel available for the stoves. People use wood from the packaging waste that is near Rheay road in some parts near the railway lane. Some of the poor women would go scouting to collect the scrap wood and other materials to be used as a fuel. Some of them have to pay and also few of them were sexually exploited by the security guards in exchange of fuelwood. In places like Kamathipura, they are using wood, charcoal, and kerosene as fuel for cooking. In some areas coal is mainly used for large scale cooking. For a family of 5 members, the cost on the fuelwood per month ranged from Rs. 500 to Rs 1500 per month. This was a huge amount of the households' monthly income! This was a more serious concern because they were not enrolled in the public distribution system to avail subsidised food grains and kerosene. They purchased fuels at a higher price in the open market or in black. The inefficient biomass stoves such as the makeshift three stone stoves or converted tin boxes in use consumed more fuel. The total amount spent on energy per capita for cooking was very high among the poor people for the above reasons.

Many times the government schemes are not accessible to the poorest of the poor. They also face harassment from the municipal administration for cooking in the open and on the streets. When caught, the fine was as much as Rs. 1500. During my visit along with the volunteers, some residents came to give us money as fine thinking that we were municipal authorities. Several people cooking on the streets, on seeing us started extinguishing the flame in their stoves and ran into their homes.

People living in the makeshift ghettos on the pavements have very little space to live. They cannot afford to have a kitchen. Their houses are so small that they are forced to cook in the open. The vehicular movement creates variable air pressure, with which the flame becomes unstable, and the cooking becomes difficult. Cooking is a big problem during monsoons as it rains heavily in Mumbai for about three to four months. It is further harder to cook, as they cannot cook inside due to smoke and the biomass fuel remains moist. During the discussions, the community agreed to pay up to rupees 500 if they can have a good stove. Their willingness to adopt efficient stoves for saving fuel was very high.

So, I bought some used tin cans from the scrap shops. Started designing a stove for the requirement of people living on the pavements. This stove was planned to be light weight, mobile and efficient. It should not get affected by the variable air pressure caused due to the vehicular movement. Considering these aspects, designed a stove and called it SAI Stove, named after the SAI NGO. The stove was demonstrated to the staff and volunteers. There is a potential of at least 100,000 efficient biomass stoves for facilitation in the Mumbai city itself. The local enterprises can be facilitated with community participation and networking in the dissemination of the Good stoves and also strive for creating livelihood opportunities to the Didi's.

All the SAI NGO staff and volunteers call the sex workers as Didi (sister) and menfolk there as Bhaiya (brother).

# 68

# Values in promoting good stoves

One day I was in a village called Srirangapur in the Ranga Reddy District, Telangana State. I was trying to understand the rural energy situation. I observed that there was heaps of fuelwood stored in the courtyards of many houses. This fuelwood was collected, for use in cooking and which could last for several months for the respective families. It was harvested from the village commons and the nearby-degraded scrubland. I found that, on an average, people spend up to four days in a month collecting fuelwood. Considering the rural wage rates being currently offered under government programs, it amounts to no less than Ten US Dollars a month. Where most of the rural poor earn around only one or two US Dollars per day. Their spending on fuelwood sometimes works out costlier than the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) supplied by the government through a range of subsidies.

To understand the biomass stoves being used, randomly I visited about 50 household kitchens. I noticed that about half of the stoves were of 'three-stone' stove type and the rest were made from clay. Such stoves were highly inefficient, rudimentary and primitive. I will never forget those visits; they made me realise how a large number of people are still stuck with the inefficient and highly polluting stoves.

The stoves and the kitchens do not reflect the changes in the lives of the families over the generations. Many people are now living in concrete houses, eating high-value food, can afford mobile phones, and send their children to English-medium private schools, but they don't have a good and efficient stove. Despite all the winds of change and development, the kitchen remains a smoky place with dark-soot walls and the roof. Even traditionally, kitchens have occupied relatively small spaces inside or outside the house.

I got sensitised and myself declared that my first step would be creating awareness about indoor air pollution and its harmful effects. I went to communities and showed them pictures of their stoves using a LCD projector. Although people-in-general were interested in watching the slideshow, some women objected when it came to seeing their own stoves. This is because the kitchen was not a place of pride for them, even though they respect the stove very much. I then explained to the communities the impact of indoor air pollution and its multiplier effects on them. They were quite interested in adopting efficient stoves, but they were helpless, as they did not have access to good stoves.

In the villages, the state government promoted chimney stoves with grates this was about 15 years back. Those stoves were nowhere to be found. Within a few years, the stoves had disintegrated, the chimneys were choked with soot, the grates were burnt down, and the stoves disappeared. The design of the stoves did not take into account how adaptable they were to local conditions and practices. The stoves were routinely distributed under a government scheme and were also highly subsidised. They were not accepted by the communities for various reasons, and therefore the sustainable demand from the local communities did not exist.

This exposure made me sensitive towards the issues associated with the stoves being used in the rural areas. I was motivated to help and improve their stoves' design. I realised that there could not be a single globally accepted good stove design to meet the local needs. As the challenge was adapting designs to meet the local needs.

As I started off, I could not easily access specialists in the field of good stoves. However, using the internet, I found numerous, and diverse stove designs that evolved around the globe - in response to a variety of food habits, cooking methods, cultural traditions, types of available biomass for fuel, family size, etc. Studying them formed the basis of my initial understanding of stoves, and I continued the research and designed the stoves to meet the specific community needs. In a span of 5 years, I designed more than 50 biomass stoves, which were low-cost efficient and adoptable by the communities as per their requirement for diverse geographies and food habits of the people. I continued my work and facilitated the stoves in parts of India and abroad. My stoves designs were very much useful to the recent mass exodus of people, especially from the disturbed countries to the European countries and especially to Germany.

All the information on stove designs was written as a book titled 'Understanding Stoves,' MetaMeta, Netherlands published it. All my work on stoves was declared as open knowledge or creative commons for the common good.

A stove is not just a stove or a piece of equipment, it has so many values around, which are addressed by its use. They reduce the drudgery of women in cooking and in accessing the fuelwood. The health of women and children is improved through less-emissions. Time is saved for women to spend on other aspects required to improve quality of life. The local biomass and biodiversity are conserved. They mitigate smog and CO2 emissions which is a cause of global warming and climate change. There are so many values around this simple initiative, and I feel very fortunate and happy, for working on this aspect and popularized it globally.

_A woman cooking on three stone stove, suffering from smoke_

# 69

# Biomass Pellets

I wanted to use the loose biomass materials as fuel while designing the stoves. By densification and forming the biomass into a shape, one could improve its usability as fuel in the stove. The transportation becomes easy as the fuel occupies less space. I remember my mother was using a hand-press to make a traditional dish called Murukulu i.e., thick vermicelli like threads made up of chick pea flour, etc. which are deep fried in oil). Soon, I developed a low-cost biomass pellets making extruder.

I went to a place where the cooking utensils are sold. Found a heavy duty Murukulu making device which is pressed by tightening a screw at the top. I made a new die in place of existing plates used for extruding the Murukulu. A circular die plate was welded with two 1-inch size diameter pipes of 2 inches in length, to create the guide for extrusion the material. This plate has very fine openings so that some of the excess water could flow out. Also created the support for operation. Using this device created pellets with different combination of materials such as: cowdung + rice husk; cowdung+ charcoal powder. Different types of waste loose or fine biomass mixed with binding material could be made into pellets with this device. The villages could use the biomass such as charcoal, cow dung, agriculture residue, etc. The cost of the device was Rs. 1,000 or about $ 20 USD. Women can handle it conveniently.

<http://e-lowcostextruder.blogspot.com>

# 70

# Open kitchen

Open Space is a concept to give freedom to the people. Within minimum given place, people would have access to Fire to cook (good stove), have access to food, water for drinking, source for light (apart from stove, some light from solar powered lamps), place for communication and networking with others and a place for reading books, news papers, etc. These type of "Open Spaces" would be kept in public places, especially for the poor people to access all the above facilities..

Open Space was designed by Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy..for facilitation under the theme "Be-Cause".. for the urban poor people... by Dr. Surya Prakash, Open House, Hyderabad.

# VIII

# Education

# 71

# Teaching

Teaching has two simple definitions i.e., to Impart knowledge or instruct (someone) as to how to do something", and cause (someone) to learn or understand something by example or experience.

Within teaching, there are many methods such as Teaching, lecture, and doing a Presentation. In teaching method, personal attention is towards the students or discussion between the teacher and the taught. Lecture is a talk addressed to a group of people to teach them about a particular subject, often as part of a university or college course. Lectures are generally broader than presentations. Presentations actually have many more possible outcomes. Presentations can be of various types, depending on its purpose : Educate, Inform, Motivate, Persuade, Advocate, Persuade, Entertain and Sell. During presentations, I let the participants relaxed, be present and not write anything. For this conversation, I club all these under a single term "teaching".

I had been teaching for years for diverse people and age groups. A teacher should not be biased in teaching, that is looking only at those who seem to be listening and ignoring all others. A teacher should make eye contact with all the students. All the eyeballs should move along with the teacher. Writing down notes deviates one from absorbing the essence of teaching. It is like teaching a dead log, there is not much energy nor presence between the teacher and the persons listening. It is said that the book in which a person is writing becomes more knowledgeable than the person listening. The absorption and understanding of the person is essential. The teacher should provide all the notes and material (video of the lecture, audio of the lecture and written notes) instead of making every student write and waste paper. Each student should be given some time at the end of each class to write the essence or understanding of the topic covered in the class, if possible. It helps as as an evidence for the students, parents and the management to evaluate the teachers. There is a need to write, especially in subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, etc., while solving a problem or deriving a result or to practice. The teacher should use all the latest methods in addition to talking, audio and video recordings, animation, charts, posters, etc.

A student should not just listen or try to record a sentence as it is. Reading between the lines or sentences and also bringing the contextual learnings from the past is a must to expand the understanding and also for memorising the things. While listening to the present, the mind swings between the past as well as future sometimes while anticipating the results and outcome from the process as the mind functions from subconscious to conscious states.

Creating Awareness, Sensitisation, facilitating Experience, sharing Information and Knowledge and making them Understand are the various levels and forms of teaching.

Making a pupil sensitised about something is the most significant aspect of Teaching. Unless a teacher is sensitive, it is not easy to sensitise a pupil. Mathematics is a subject with less sensitivity, that is why it is difficult to teach this subject and make someone interested and practice.

Teaching is not so easy the teacher needs to be present and perform. Say, teaching for three hours is more than producing a Hollywood movie. To make the listeners be present and attentive with concentration, was a challenge. All the subjects may not be interesting to a listener, but the teacher should be able to create interest in the listener. That too, you are not a hero or heroine, nor there are so many characters around to make it captivating.

# 72

# Presentation

I have made hundreds of presentations to the people from all walks of life for more than 20 years. When I started making presentations in 1993, there was only Over Head Projector. The slides were prepared using the transparency plastic sheets with a special OHP colour pen. The professors found it convenient and had been using some of the prepared sheets during the lectures for over a decade too. Using a white paper and covering some parts they could bring animation, i.e., showing only the required. Soon the power point in Microsoft came into existence, and people had been using them more creatively for presentations with default slide designs. I started using it for creating the pictures and over a period gained all the required skills.

During the presentations, the presenter is not much visible. The LCD or LED projectors project the slides on a white screen or wall. Therefore, the attention of the participants is on the screen. The presentations can be become effective if they are self-explanatory and pictorial. Sometimes there are only a few points, and the presenter explains at length dwelling on varied dimensions and details of the point mentioned in the slides. The presenter has two sources of media for the audience to know and understand the content: voice of the presenter and subject matter in slides on the wall, The attention of the participants is achieved more due to the screen. To keep the presentations visible less light is allowed in the hall. That helps some smart participants catch some sleep in the disguise of darkness when the presentation is dull!.

The first slide is more important to attract the audience. I sometimes spend even half a day to create the first slide. There should be a theme or colours chosen aptly for the content of the presentation. The font size should be at least 18 no. Exceptionally one could use the smaller font if it is a lecture instead of a presentation. At the end of a presentation, if notes are given, one might add more information on the slides and share. No presenter should read line by line, lest the audience lose interest. One shouldn't forget that participants can read too. Presenter should in fact use the main points and explain. The presenter should face the participants and should not be facing the screen and reading the content all the time. The dress of the presenter should not be too loose, and the colours could be sober.

The purpose of presentations is mainly to sensitise the participants on the subjects. Many times the presentations are done to the already learned people. They are here to understand the new developments and concepts. At the end most often there are no exams for the participants. They should be present and be absorbing the content. To make them store the content, reminded of the subject for long time in future each slide should be impactful. Using pictures, audio and videos in the slides will make them remember longer. During the lectures, the appearance of the lecturer plays some role, but during the presentations, the nature of the presenter is assessed through the presentations. The commitment and intention of the presenter is seen in every slide.

Once I was asked to give a lecture, and I had very less time to prepare slides, so I used only symbols such as Triangle, Circle, Line, squares, etc. to give my lecture on the subject. The slides can be a tool to make the participants concentrate and finally the listening to the presenter is also important. No presentation should be made dull; I always say one need not be serious to discuss serious things. Apart from talking about content and subject, one could blend stories, experiences, some humour to bring life to the subject which is important.

Some of my presentations were meant to teach the content, but finally, also to remind them of their duties and responsibilities in their position. One day Mr. Rajashekar, an officer of an institute told me that, they know the subject, and usually the non-performing officers are sent on priority to the training, as their absence will not make a difference, so in your presentation let them realise their duties and responsibilities. The purpose of learning is to perform, therefore for such participants, I always give examples and make them understand their duties and responsibilities through the subject. I started enjoying giving such presentations too.

Some people prepare, rehearse and do a trial presentation. The slides are also timed to end as per the schedule. Ultimately it is the purpose, commitment to bring a change and create a long-lasting impact on the participants, which makes a presentation great. The continuity of thought and flow of words are necessary. Getting away and getting into the mainstream of presentation is also required, especially while sharing examples. It is like a beautiful song with a rhythm. Few examples or instances makes a person get connected to the subject and the presenter and continue to listen with concentration. Establishing such connections with each and every participant is required. Finally, the presenter and the participants should feel happy and contemplate on the contents of the presentation over a period of time.

# 73

# Environment is an open book

I was very happy during my tenure as a lecturer at Engineering Staff College of India, conducting the module Environment Management. Mr. Padmanabhan, The Principal, gave me the syllabus and asked me to cover the prescribed subject within specific number of periods.

As I am a field person, I don't like much rooms and halls with AC. As environment being an open subject, I don't want to teach them in a closed environment. This college was in a beautiful place with rocks and a small jungle. After taking few classes, I asked the students if they were interested in learning outside. They all liked the idea and said yes to the idea of walking about 200 meters to the little jungle and listen to my class. . We all went to a place with flat granite rock surrounded by smaller rocks and some greenery. There were some peacocks too. I conducted classes to them there on the environment. I took them to the highly polluted industrial area at Patancheru for the class on Industrial pollution . I asked them to smell the pollution, see the polluted water, discuss with the villagers on the impact of pollution on their livelihoods and health. It was another great experience which they would not have ever got in the AC classroom.

Dr. Geetha in Bangalore was working for imparting environment education to the children through experience. She invited me to Bangalore to teach the children concepts of environment. I wanted them to learn through the experience.

I designed the course based on experiential learning. I taught them about the aquatic environment and ecology by demonstrating an aquarium with ornamental fish. Told them the biotic and abiotic aspects of the ecosystem. Explained the three-dimensional aspect of space in an aquatic ecosystem. Taught them the genetics and Mendel's laws of breeding by showing the colours and variations of the ornamental fish. On community living, demonstrated the species of fish which can coexist. Explained to them how an aquarium can help people get connected to nature and other life. It also develops love and compassion for other beings, by being sensitive to them.

I taught children to make the fuel or pellets out of waste paper. Children were happy tearing the waste paper into pieces, which was soaked in the water and created a mash. They squeezed and pressed with their tiny hands the paper mash into small balls. Some could be used as pellets of fuel in stoves. With some pulp, they have created spheres and some animal shapes. It was great fun for the children. Some children who rarely spoke and interacted with otherwise, were happy and completely involved.

I have shown them a biomass stove designed by me to tell the values and create awareness. Through this device, they could understand the rural energy aspects. Made them aware of the difficulties faced by women during cooking every day, impact on the health of women, children and indoor air pollution. The use of excess biomass in inefficient stoves leading to the loss of biomass and biodiversity loss, CO2 emissions leading to global warming and climate change were explained. They could learn about many impacts and the need to work on the rural energy issues especially for the poor.

Environment being an open subject should be best taught to sensitise and act to protect the basis of all life forms and ecosystem. People fortunately can learn about environment everyday and everywhere by being observant.

# IX

# Policy and Advocacy

# 74

# Ekalavya Foundation

Ekalavya foundation was founded by Mr. P. Venugopal Reddy. I knew him since 2010. He is a highly committed person for the development of the tribals and farmers in India. Mr. Mallikarjuna Reddy, one of the co-founders had introduced me to him. I like the way he coordinates and networks with people to achieve the results. He spends considerable time traveling to far and wide places. He is a great listener too and never shy of discussing topics with the younger generations. Although coming from the political unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) he left active politics and now he is into service. After retiring form active political life he has started a foundation to work for the tribal communities called "Ekalavya Foundation" and started his work in Adilabad District, Telangana, which is also in the heart of India. He recently started a center on agriculture called "ECOART", near Tandur and also a Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Medak district. His contributions for the sustainable livelihoods, agriculture, water resources are commendable.

# 75

# Prof. KPR Foundation

Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy is an eminent environmentalist. On 14th February 2018, his age was 75 years. Some of the close people associated with him have planned an event to celebrate his birthday by honouring him through a public meeting. When I came to know this, I suggested the formation of a foundation in his name. His lifelong work and contributions were for sustainable development and especially environmental conservation and protection. Through the foundation, there will be a declaration of awards to the people both at National level and International level. All of them agreed to this suggestion. Therefore a foundation was constituted with 32 trustees, including Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy as its Chairperson. The first meeting was held at Nizam Club on 14th Feb 2018. About 60 people associated with him attended, it was one of the most memorable days for all of us. He has given certificates "Earth Leader for Sustainable Development," to 31 trustee members and few others. The Trustees are recognised by him as the "Earth Leaders" who had been contributing for Sustainable Development on the Earth, within the areas of their interest. All of them are inspired by the teachings and the works of Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy advocating Sustainable Development for more than 40 years in various parts of India. 14th February 2018 from here onwards, every year will be celebrated as "Earth Leaders Day". This was an initiation ceremony for all of us to continue his efforts for achieving the sustainable development goals. It was also like passing the baton in the relay race. There should be continuous efforts, and sustainable development is a relative term, without conscious efforts the earth no more is liveable.

The objectives of the foundation are:

- The Aims and Objects of the Trust are to recognize and honor the efforts and contributions of individuals or agencies or organisations contributions towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

- To Innovate, Facilitate and Implement Practical, Rational, Science-based next solutions that help achieve Equilibrium between Human and Natural Systems, promote Earth System Governance and Sustainable Development for the betterment of Communities.

•To mobilise and share knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals.

•Organising Capacity Building programs like Lectures, Meetings, Seminars, Conferences, Workshops, Presentations, Exhibitions for achieving sustainable development goals of United Nations.

- Publication of materials such as books, magazines, newsletters, fliers, posters on relevant to sustainable development goals.

- Towards realising its objects, the Trust focuses on Capacity Building and Empowerment in the areas of environment, renewable energy, climate change (Mitigation and Adaptation), ecological and Natural Resources Sustainability.

- Other objects of the Trust are:

Establishing scientific knowledge that can be made available to the Communities that help achieve objects of the Sustainable Development.

Promoting Research and Capacity Building activities to foster Sustainable Development.

Recognition of services and rewarding the youth through fellowships

To do all such other things as the Trustees deem fit for achieving the objects of the Trust.

Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy was declared as the Vice-chairperson and me as the Executive Director of the Prof. KPR Foundation. Supported by R. Dileep Reddy and K. Laxma Reddy who had been the principal members in the formation of the trust.

# 76

# Conservation of Eastern Ghats

Council for Green Revolutions (CGR), an organisation for environmental issues, was started on 22nd April 2010. One of the initiatives of CGR was the Greens Alliance for Conservation of Eastern Ghats (GrACE) formed on 5th June 2011. I am one of the founders. There are several other key members of the organisation who had been contributing to the environment. CGR is the chief patron.

It was felt that protection and conservation of the biodiversity and forests are more important than planting. The Eastern Ghats stretch, spread over a length of 1400 km from Orissa to Tamil Nadu, is one the largest ecosystems in India. There was not much attention to conserve the Eastern Ghats compared to the focus given to the Western Ghats and the Himalayas. To bring up consensus among the various stakeholders, state agencies and organisations we have conducted several seminars and public awareness meetings. In this regard led and completed the expedition on Eastern Ghats travelled 4,500 km from Simlipal to Doddabetta covering parts of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. To bring consensus among the parliamentarians representing the respective parts of Eastern Ghats in their states the issues and challenges are prepared to submit to them. The status report on the Eastern Ghats - forest area, ecology, environment, social and cultural aspects is also prepared.

# 77

# Karma Bhumi

There are some places in my life where I have visited and could contribute in my life. They can be called as the "Karma Bhumi" or "Place (earth) of Work" of my life. Wherever I am on the earth that is my place, and it is my Karma Bhumi. Otherwise, there is not much reason that I have visited and done the kind of work and contributed as a whole in different parts.

One such village is the Peddamaduru village. After resigning from my job, I was focussed on the research on Good Stoves and Biochar. I was working from my home in Ramanthapur. I was testing the stoves in the Kitchen - 'Kitchen Lab' and doing experiments on the rooftop - 'Rooftop Terra Preta Experiments.' I was searching for a village for my research and extension with the community. Mr. Kumar had a common friend in Peddamaduru Village near Jangaon, who was working on the micro-finance facilitation to the farmers. As the biochar would help farmers to get better yields and help them to repay the loan, I thought it is a good option to explore.

One day I visited the Peddamaduru Village, met Mr. Jagan and his team. Asked them to show the village and the fields around. There was Prosopis Juliflora was growing in the fallow lands, and common lands and some people were engaged in the conversion of Prosopis Juliflora into charcoal. There was a stream to the Northern part of the village, and along one of the bank, there was a Shiva temple of about 500 years old. Near the temple, there was a village in the past. I started searching the soils to see the composition. I could find pottery shards, charcoal pieces, and bone pieces. This particular soil was very old with amendments done by the people since 500 years, and still, it was fertile. The crops cultivated in this village were almost every crop that is grown traditionally.

This village had a population of about 5000, by evening I liked this village very much. I have chosen this village as the main village for a project on Biomass stoves and Biochar. It became very difficult for me to continue my experiments at the residence in Hyderabad. I have chosen a place in this village and started the 'Geo Research Center.' All my works are displayed there, it is having a museum on the good stoves, biochar applied plants, biochar production retorts or kilns, green buildings, and biodiversity of more than 150 species of plants. Several people have visited the place from far and wide for capacity building in this place.

Implemented the project 'Good Stoves and Biochar Communities Project' in this village and the surrounding 50 villages. It is a climate change project with mitigation and adaptation initiatives. GSBC is one of the "Alternative Carbone Projects," which is research-based having the potential to reduce the Green House Gases (GHG's). This project was supported by the GoodPlanet.org, France.

I led this project with a team of 10 members who supported me during the 3 years period of implementation. Did the research, designed and developed the climate change mitigation products such as Good Stoves - efficient biomass cookstoves; Biochar for soil fertility improvement; and Efficient biochar production technologies. Facilitated field trials (the crops were: cotton, sesame, paddy, green gram, and mango plants) & monitored. Did capacity development to various stakeholders in parts of India & abroad on Biochar. This project supported rural communities mainly in parts of Andhra Pradesh state & other states Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and Jharkhand.

Similarly, I was lucky to have traveled to different parts of India, perhaps as part of a purpose (Karma) and meaning to my being in every place. I worked in parts of 18 states of India and had been to parts of 12 countries abroad without really knowing how it happened.

# 78

# Gods can protect their environment

There was a request from a law firm requesting to do a rapid environmental and social impact assessment of a proposed stone crushing unit at Parsayapally, Suryapet district, Telangana.

This hillock is historic with ancient remnants of structures which belong to the period of Phanigiri Buddhist site in the neighbourhood. It dates back to the 1st Century BCE.

Probably this hillock had an ancient Shiva Temple in the past, that is the reason it is called Jangala Bodu. Jangala are the followers of Shaivism. The nearby tank is called Jangala Cheruvu. The people take a bath and arrive at the temple to worship.

Even today some people worship occasionally underneath the Neem Tree situated at the peak of the hill. Considering its importance, people avoid interference at the peak of the hillock with great reverence.

Accompanied by the villagers, Mr. Koppula Vishnuvardhan Reddy and others we have visited the site on 5th November 2017. Mr. Uma Maheshwar Reddy, my friend also accompanied.

Parsayapally hill is about 0.5 km from the village. The village road passes partly over the foot of this hill. On the left-hand side we saw huge machinery being readied for cutting the hill. This hill is made up of Peninsular Gneiss or Archean Granites, which are at least 2,500 million years old. Traditionally a few local stone cutters have taken limited stones for the local village needs. They have not interfered with the core of the hill.

As we approached the peak of the hill, we saw soil and moisture conservation works done under the MGNREGA. There were old trees and there was considerable biodiversity. It was very peaceful and serene. From here the view around was at least 20 km in radius.

The villagers who accompanied us told that this hill has spiritual significance. This hill being located here has an aura of goodness for the village too.

The local hydrology is well established. The rainfall runoff from this area enters into the village tank, a source of irrigation for the crops cultivated by farmers. The Phanigiri Buddhist site confirms the fact that there was sustainable and prosperous agriculture existing in this area from even before 3rd century AD.

The mining activity as proposed would engage in extraction, processing and transportation i.e., blast the rocks, use the stone drillers, stone crushers and other machinery; extract stone blocks stone metal of various grades and rock powder and dust, transport the materials over huge trucks. All these activities will have severe environmental and social impacts. It is said the lease period is for 15 years and would damage the whole area of about 40 acres and will have impact on the surroundings up to a radius of one kilometre.

The following impacts are caused as a result of such a mining activity: The rock dust will cause silicosis affecting the lungs and the health of the people in the village and those working in the fields. The rock dust falling on the fields will deplete soil fertility. The crop yields will be depleted with the rock dust falling on the leaves which will reduce the photosynthesis. The breathing capacity of the leaves will be reduced as the stomata will be closed by the dust on the leaves. The groundwater will deplete as they go deeper by extracting materials. And already the people are facing groundwater depletion in the area. Being close to the village, the noise pollution of more than 100 decibels caused by blasting, drilling, crusher machine, movement of vehicles will impact the health of the villagers, especially affecting the sick, old and children. The village road will be damaged causing potholes with trucks plying with heavily laden mined material. Sometimes there would be accidents to the people and animals. The blasting will cause cracks to the residential houses - there are many houses older than 50 years in the village. There will be leakages to the two water tanks in the village and the canal system. It will also affect the Mission Bhagiratha pipeline running close to the proposed site. Some farmers would lose the grazing rights around the hill, which is used a Common Pool Resource.

The villagers accompanying me wanted to know the impacts of mining and based on the report wanted to file a case in the court. As observed considering the potential environmental and social impacts on the people, livelihoods, and environment. There is a need for the Government to reconsider the decision of leasing the place for mining. I was told that the Sarpanch of the village and other local politicians have supported the contractor for mining. There was no public hearing conducted to get the approval of the village community. The mining group did not shown the lease document, nor the approval letters from the mines and geology department of the government of Telangana. The chances of preventing the illegal activity was not bleak technically, but was not simple due to the nexus of politics, business and corruption favouring the mining group.

After reaching the peak of the hillock, we saw a grove of plants. At the peak of the hill there was an old Neem tree. The hillock made up of peninsular gneiss belonging to Archaean granites of about 2500 million years old, is about to witness the loss of its own existence. It has seen the evolution of life including human beings, but in the interest of few people would soon damage it and make it disappear over a period. Every villager is connected to this hill as a memory and spiritually being a landmark and close to the village. Generations have seen it in all shades and seasons and it was a mute witness to the history. Rocks are not just rocks, the same rocks are sometimes worshipped as gods and goddess in the form of idols.

One of the villagers told that they used to worship at the peak of the hillock in the past. Others talked of how this hillock is part of their memories and life since generations and cannot digest the fact that it would soon disappear.

Everything has a value, one need to weigh all the values and not consider just the economic value. This hillock was valuable Spiritually, Historically and Socially. One should strive to protect all such values which are part of the environment. Considering this I turned to the villagers that they could preserve this place by reviving the spiritual value of the place. Identified the place under the neem tree and the stone where people were worshipping in the past. Everyone there agreed to the proposal of constructing the temple at the site. Soon everyone got involved, and within no time got coconuts, kumkuma, pasupu, incense sticks and pooja materials. The collective spiritual energies of the people was so strong that construction work commencing from around 11:00 a.m. was complete by 3:00 p.m. All the villagers prayed at the new temple. A natural stone with an image like Shiva Lingam was used as the image for praying.

The initiative started by 5 people, saw 30 people joining in the construction of the temple by afternoon. Soon, all the villagers would visit the place and pray at the temple. The same villagers who would not protect the hillock from the mining group, could find strength to arrest illegal mining in the form of reinvented faith and considering the potential Environmental and Social Impacts.

The intention of impact assessment was not to build temple, but it triggered community's shared value that surprisingly became a great means of unleashing collective strength to arrest mining disaster. The collectiveness of people in spirituality is still there and very high. When leadership fails to address the people, the gods would lead and do good. When God is Good, it means bad will not happen. Gods are also not interested to visit polluted environments, even though people may call them with great faith.

# 79

# Biodiversity

As a student, biology was a very interesting subject for me. Nature and biodiversity was always interesting to me. While applying for intermediate I applied for Biology, Physics and Chemistry subjects. Upon my father's advice I was forced to do Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. In my life as a career, I am more connected to environment and life sciences. Dreams turn into reality through freedom.

When I came to know about Convention on Biological Diversity, which was declared to be organised in Hyderabad. I was very much interested to participate. Mr. K. Siva Prasad was working in the State Biodiversity Board. I told him that I was very much interested to participate in the CBD. He gave reference of Dr. Faizi one of the key members of CBD Alliance. Through him, I sent my CV to Ms. Tasneem Balasinorwala, Coordinator of CBD Alliance. I was selected as the Resource Person for MOP6 / COP11, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It was organised in Sep 2012 - Oct 2012.

This was an important event conducted every two years in different countries as part of CBD. CBD Alliance is represented by civil society organisations relevant to biodiversity from all over the world. I could facilitate the accommodation by booking the guest houses for some of the representatives.

During the convention, I was responsible for improving the CBD process, addressing issues & concepts by producing a newsletter, called ECO. And at CBD meetings to maintain communication & capacity among civil society. Facilitated the civil society coordination & communication between inter-session & session periods.

It was very hectic for me, especially for a period of 18 days. My day used to start at 5:00 a.m. and would go to the press for collecting the ECO Newsletter printed copies. By 8:00, I would make them available to the participants. We were provided a hall, where the representatives of the civil society would have a meeting in the morning. They would discuss about the agenda and distribute themselves to participate in various sessions. Agenda notes were given at the venue. I also attended a few sessions and documented the happenings. I took photographs and updated on the tweeter and Facebook social media. By evening at around 4 p.m., all of them gathered in the NGO room for sharing the happenings in brief. All their views were documented and matter for the newsletter was prepared along with a team of editors. I had some breathing time by the time the inputs were edited and referred to me by email. The head of the Sakshi TV requested me to present the happenings of the day during news hour between 7 - 7:30 p.m. Being in the CBD Alliance as resource person, I could grasp the happenings and share the gist. From the TV channel I had to rush to the printing press to submit the soft copy for print and be ready by next day early morning. By the time, I reached home it was around 11:00 a.m. It was one of the most hectic schedules in my life which was worth, especially to understand the International consensus efforts for a common cause.

# 80

# Good should pervade

I was more into research and designing things. I was against the patents too. I never had any inclination to start a business with some of the initiatives that I have taken up.

One day along with Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy, I met Mr. Jaipal Reddy, the then Union Urban Minister. He had more than 4 decades of experience as a politician. He is a well read politician and an encyclopaedia. I took one Magh 3G stove to gift him. He was at his home in Jubilee Hills. While interacting he asked how are you scaling it up. I told about my plans, but he said that do whatever possible but scale the facilitation of stoves. Achieving the numbers are more important. He took half an hour to explain, taking the historic examples. I also remembered two more people. Dr. B. P. Radhakrishna a renowned geologist, said that, "No publishing if it is like a drama without audience". Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy said that "no one will come and put Kiritam (helmet in honor), one need to put oneself".

I explained him how the scaling up initiatives were taken up by me for reaching my goal of facilitating one million stoves and also biochar to the farmers. Also shared all other contributions aimed at reaching out to larger population through my involvement -directly or indirectly- in varied ways and levels of making it a movement transforming lives in caring the earth. On the whole Trained and encouraged the local artisans and masons; trained people in parts of 10 states in India and several other countries; published the information on stoves with pictures, videos and explanation; awareness created and sensitised thousands of people; through press and electronic media could reach lakhs of people; the information was published on internet and everyday more than three thousand people visit the sites; give lectures and address public meetings; written books and articles too. Also declared all my contributions as open knowledge, that is facilitating people to use the knowledge with all kinds of freedom. One of the reasons for sharing so much and in so many ways was to reach out to the maximum number of people possible by all means.

People need not come and recognise and give publicity to a good cause or work, if it is good work, with good intention one need to spread it by all means. The good should pervade to replace the bad. There are many people on earth who spend much more time and invest all energies in spreading the bad.

Anytime is good time and everyday is auspicious for good things. People doing good things take more time rather doing in time. Auspicious time for doing good things is existing throughout the world in different cultures. For not seeing the failure of the good things started, one searches for the auspicious time. In a day the number of hours suitable for doing good things are very few. It most of the time in a day is not so good. Probably people doing bad look for a time for not being caught.

Doing good for others may not be always recognised or appreciated. One should not forget that sometimes even good people might also be found in jail, while trying to do good by all fair means.

# 81

# Entrepreneurship

I am not a good entrepreneur, but to scale up technologies we do need entrepreneurship.

Once I demonstrated my Top-lit updraft gasifier stove at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad where Prof. Rajeev Sangal, Director, Prof. P. Krishna Reddy and Prof. B. Bhaskar Reddy and others were present. They were very much impressed with the performance of the stove. Prof. B. Bhaskar Reddy, said that you have produced one stove and only you could use, we need many such stoves to be made accessible for the benefit of all. I said that I could do that very much if only I had the required funds. He came forward and said, I will give you Rs. 50,000 from my recent retirement benefits and asked me to invest Rs. 50,000. I started production of the stoves with his support. I am no good at business. But could facilitate some of the stoves produced over a period of time. I returned his investment after a few months. Personally I have made a loss, that's a different story.

I understood and wanted to encourage anyone who is interested in facilitating the technologies which I have developed or improved.

One day, I got a call from Mr. Vidyadhara Buddhiraju, saying that he is interested in facilitation of the stoves. He along with his friends, Mr. Shobit Mathur and Mr. Santosh visited me. I explained them about all aspects relevant to stoves facilitation. They were visiting regularly in the evenings and the animated discussions continued till late in the night. In about three months time several discussions were held. I knew that they are very much interested in facilitation of the stoves on a large scale, but action was missing. One day at around mid-night finally I said that now I want to see them producing stoves rather discussing again and again like talking about swimming without getting your feet wet. I have provided Magh 3G stove model specifications to them, based on that Mr. Vidyadhara Buddhiraju later produced a version of the stove for the requirement of the Chitrakoot people in Uttar Pradesh. Later Mr. Shobhit Mathur was leading Youth for Seva, Hyderabad and The Vision India Foundation, New Delhi. I was happy that somehow and in some way the technologies are scaling up and reaching the needy. One cannot do oneself much, one can only contribute for others, that is 'one for all' which may become the inspiration for all for one some time.

Mr. Srinivas had an NGO doing activities at Yerragondapalem, Prakasam District in Andhra Pradesh. He was interested in production of the institutional gasifier stoves. As mentor to him, I have also supported him in production of the Institutional stoves. This is a gasifier biomass stove. He is quite sharp and he could facilitate any number of them.

Regarding Biochar, I was mentor for two earliest companies in India- Anulekh and C6 Agri-sciences.

Mr. Sagar Bhansali was doing his masters in business management in Dubai, when he contacted me. He wanted to meet me regarding the biochar and one day he came to Hyderabad from Mumbai. It was summer and I was at the swimming pool attending my kids. We met in a park and discussed about his interest. He said that he came to know about biochar and wanted me to be his mentor for the startup company that he is going to establish. I was ready to share the details on biochar and on that discussed a lot and sent him other information too. Soon he started "Anulekh" and started producing biochar. This is the first company on biochar in India. He is very intelligent and committed for the cause.

Similarly, I met Mr. Chaitanya, Mr. Pranav and Mr. Vikram three young entrepreneurs. They have recently completed their masters from abroad. They are natives of Hyderabad. I used to call them early morning at 5 O'clock in the mornings for discussions on biochar. As they need to commute from the city, starting early morning was best since the traffic is less and easy to reach me. I was also testing their commitment on their initiative. It was winter too, they visited to me several times. As mentor to them, they started the company C6 Agrisciences. They are highly committed and could cater to the biochar needs especially in South India. 

# 82

# Service through Government

Initially my jobs were mostly with the NGOs. I got an opportunity to join the Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Programme (APRLP). This was supported by the DFID (UK). I was very young and this was the first job after my marriage. I worked very hard too. Incidentally I was the first person to join APRLP which was led by Mr. S. P. Tucker. He was the coordinator of the project. He is an innovator, leader and committed for the social cause. He was a very humble and down to earth person. He liked me very much. After scribbling the ideas, he turns back and asks me first, what do you say Sai Bhaskar. My reply was always positive and added value to what he he trying to tell.

Immediately after joining APRLP, during our first field visit to Mahbubnagar district, on the way we stopped at Jadcherla Government Guest house. Tea was prepared. He held the tray to serve us tea. I was surprised and very much impressed by his humbleness. I started liking him very much. Some of his other mannerisms which impressed me are: He addressed women as Madam and supported them. One of our colleagues could not attend the job as she was pregnant, he even permitted her to work from home and offered an office computer to use if required. Like other government officers, he never showed bossism. Milk and tea was made available at any point of the day and anyone including him could go and make a cup of tea whenever it one thought of having a cup of tea. Tea was never served at the work place. He used to be everywhere in the office, anything he had to tell someone he would walk to the person to talk, rather than calling them into his chamber. He supported the civil society organisations very much and always appreciated their work and contribution.

At the time of interview, I had chosen Anantapur district which is farthest from home town Hyderabad. When I was asked why I chose that district, I told it's because Anantapur is arid and poor. And there is a lot to do. Initially, he gave me an opportunity to serve in Mahbubnagar district considering it as the model district.

I was also punctual and sincere, always scribbled the points and tasks told by him. During our next meeting updated on the progress of the tasks. Made complete notes of all that he said. Kept every format and paper with me always for reviews and follow up.

He gave me umpteen opportunities irrespective of my qualifications. It happened that one day there came a person from Chennai to train on the 3CCD Canon camera that we procured recently. Mr. S. P. Tucker called many people in the office to learn. At the end only I was there, seeing this he asked me to take the camera with me and shoot documentary films on the livelihoods in the project areas. I hired a cameraman and with his instructions went to the field and brought the footage. With this footage 13 documentary films were produced. Later he asked me to coordinate the documentaries production as part of documentation of APRLP. Soon, I established a digital studio in one of the rooms with the support of Prof. Hemalatha retired as principal of a women's college for writing the script, Mr. Rajashekar the cameraman, Ms. Surpirya for dubbing and editing of the documentaries. On the whole in three years we produced about 100 documentary films of 5 to 10 minutes duration.

Mr. S. P. Tucker also assigned me another task of developing e-learning material on the watersheds and self-help groups. I used to meet Dr. Vinod Joshi and his team of SSI at Gachibowli. E-learning was new to me, it gave me an opportunity to learn and contribute.

I was also the subject specialist for the GMIS cell. It was headed by Dr. T. K. Sridevi, IAS officer. I also attended the Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) training course and developed the models on sustainable livelihoods and watersheds. Ms. Anne Chappuis taught me the GIS tools and also excel. Later I was sent to Rouen, France for learning more. Mr. Tucker has given me this opportunity. I was in-charge for the Mahbubnagar district too.

He also gave me the challenges of reading all the sustainable livelihoods models and present only the gist of it. I said that diversification is required for the stakeholders to sustain their livelihoods. Myself, as I was advocating communities to start small enterprises for improved and sustainable livelihoods. Without experience and by just being in this position telling them is not justified. I had never taken risk in life by being an entrepreneur, and what right I have to suggest them to take risk. Soon, I started an aquarium outlet selling ornamental fish and other gift items. He was surprised and I told him the above reasons.

One day, in one of the minutes meeting I found my designation mentioned Additional Coordinator against my name. I was surprised and asked the admin staff, they said I was promoted to that position and also my pay was increased. Without asking or informing me both things happened. I asked during our next meeting, why he had done that. He simply answered "you deserve". It is very rare to have such encouraging, loving, innovative officers as leaders who give you freedom to dream and innovate.

At the end of the project he asked what are the reasons that I would like to continue with him. I told that I want to work with him and even if the honorarium is less. One day he himself suggested that I should continue in a government agency considering the family needs.

With this experience in APRLP, my attitude and respect for the government and some of the officers enhanced. I realised that government is the only agency which need to sweep the corners too. Whereas, the private agencies and civil society could be choosy in their approach of development.

(Mr. S. P. Tucker served as Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh State before retirement and is still serving the government).

# X

# Geo Spirit

# 83

# Earth leadership emergence

Everyone is an earth leader. Leaders are not those proclaimed by oneself nor declared by someone. Primary trait of leadership is living the values one preaches so that one sees in action the feasibility of living the beliefs despite odds and challenges and draws inspiration from the leader's commitment. A vision of a better world that is selfless and compelling for everyone to emulate is another feature of any good leader. Leadership has many dimensions such as taking right decisions and implementing things with the consensus and participation of everyone around which is the primary trait. There are so many other aspects of leadership. Great leaders provide space for contemplation and reinforce the commitments through practice of living what is preached. Many people working for a particular organisation climb the ladder by taking some significant responsibilities and that kind of growth they consider as leadership, and it may not be an honest way.

Leadership is about being mindful and resolve the challenges. For any person to be a leader should undergo all kinds of situations with grace. There is nothing good nor bad, everything is a situation and will change for a leader in the journey towards a higher goal. The leaders should come out of the comfort zone. Being sensitive is another trait of a leader. Education need not make a person more sensitive and humane. It is incidental, accidental or by choice, that the great leaders on the earth were not in a comfort zone. They subjected to the challenges of the world, struggled and have got sensitised through exposure in the process their empathy, compassion and response also increased with time.

I have been conducting humbly Geo Spirit Meets for the emergence of earth leadership. These meetings included people from all walks of life and sometimes exclusively conducted for children. During these meets, some activities were done which makes the participants mindful, focussed, sensitive, contemplative and determined.

The Geo Spirit meets are conducted mostly in the natural surroundings, where there is very less communication and they could have space for themselves. Especially the whole night discussions by sitting around the fire camp , in some serene natural surroundings. At the end they become more determined and committed to their common goals.

In every school, a space should be created for sometime to the children where they are taken to a natural environment for a few days to be mindful of the natural surroundings and also for them to contemplate on the common goals of their interest.

We are thinking human beings, and life is not a granted thing as we also spend so much time and efforts to make a child a person by imparting education, skills and knowledge. Which is one-third to one-fifth of a person's lifespan. Giving a chance for everyone to live the way one loves to be and meaningful, that is earth leadership.

# 84

# Earth Leadership for Children

A Geo Spirit meet on leadership was facilitated for 50 children from Sri Aurobindo International School, for two days. The children from 8th and 9th classes participated in it. There were girls and boys. It was in the year 2009, there was a drought prevailing due to scanty monsoon rains. The farmers in parts of Telangana State, India, were suffering from the impact of drought. The sown seed has not germinated much and the saplings were drying. The standing crops have wilted or dried in the fields.

Considering the severe drought situation, drought was chosen as the theme for the Geo Spirit meet. Before going to the field explained children about the prevailing drought and asked them to refer to media reports and books for understanding the drought. They were invited to prepare posters on drought in groups.

The field visit was planned at Chempak Hills and surrounding areas covering some of the severe drought affected villages. A few teachers have accompanied the students. The children were asked to go in groups and visit the villages to interact with the farmers on the situation of drought and its impact.

By discussion with the villagers, children learned some interesting things. The birds could sense drought ahead and the weaver birds have woven their nests hanging low in the open wells. During drought situation, the open wells don't get filled full. Therefore, the bird nests are made hanging low. These birds build their nests in open wells, on the hanging branches for security to the eggs and chicks from predators.

The standing crops were found dry. The green leaves turned brown. The sorghum plants became poisonous with an accumulation of cyanide. Therefore, the farmers don't allow their animals to eat them.

There were full water level marks in the water tanks and open wells, which indicate the water has not recharged till now. Indirectly these markings indicate the drought situation. The farmers' hardships during the drought have been understood by the children.

In the end, the children were asked to make presentations on their observations. Their expressions were so authentic and from their heart. It appeared as though for the first time that they understood the challenges of making a living with vagaries of nature and unsustainable agricultural practices. The books could have never taught, what environment taught them. At the end, they were sensitized to drought and environment. The children were asked to declare their choice of profession in the future. Most of their parents wanted them to become engineers or doctors, but they have declared all types of professions such as - Doctor, Engineer, Scientist, Writer, Teacher, Journalist, Lawyer, Politician, etc. But none of them wanted to be a farmer although they understand the importance of farming and have respect for farmers.

# 85

# Geo Spirit being

The author has been conducting the Geo Spirit Meets for earth leadership and consciousness. There are several techniques. One of the methods is to connect to the earth or immediate environment through the senses.

Walking barefoot in the wilderness to connect to the earth. While walking one would feel the hardness and softness of the soil, texture of the soil, warm and coolness of the soil based on the sunlight falling on the ground through the leaves, feeling the dry leaves. Avoiding the thorns by the feel of every step, feeling the slope of the land, feeling the sheet rocks, etc. With this exercise one can be present continuously and nothing else. It gives lots of peace through mindfulness. This exercise is also good for concentration and as a meditation, especially in the morning. The blood circulation also improves. The acupressure of the feet improves the health too.

Meditate like a tree. The tree does not have eyes but can feel all other things in the environment. It is non-reactive and always maintains the calmness and composure, even when it is in a difficult situation. It has consciousness and compassion for other beings which is far more than the humans. Without their sacrifice, there would not have been so much other life possible on this earth.

Smelling the plants: Plants have stomata to breath. While taking CO2 they will also breath other gases by default. Although they consume only CO2 as food in the presence of sunlight, they can feel the presence of other molecules in the air. With the sense of smelling they can identify people, animals, and plants around. The can feel the life around and the relationships.

Temperature: Plants don't like fire. They are also afraid as much as any other species on the earth. If observed when a fire is lit close to the plants, the leaves of the plant shake a lot. Although one might say due to the hot convection current the leaves are moving, still they would not have moved so much vigorously. They make lots of sounds while burning especially when they are alive. They orient themselves as per the requirement of the sunlight. All the morphological adaptation of the various parts of the plants are also to adjust to the temperature also.

Observing the trees physically: One could always feel the various parts of the plant by touching them gently. One gets energised by touching them gently. They also like the compassionate touch. It is like greeting them and appreciating them for the services they render. One can see that the plants which are touched and some good words are spoken appreciating them, they grow well. These plants also look very happy.

Hugging the plants: Hugging the plants, especially which are older than us gives lots of energy. One becomes cool, with least hypertension. The trees seem to take one's problems and give back the unlimited love. In a world where hugging is a rare thing with other beings, at least plants are there to give a hug.

# 86

# Earth Leadership

Geo Spirit is about everything that one strives for the harmony and well-being of one's inner space and the outer space on this Earth. Human beings are the single species dis-harmonising the earth.

Geo Spirit is the consciousness on earth. "Geo Spirit" consists of two realms - "Geo" is the Earth, including biotic and abiotic worlds and "Spirit" is the consciousness of peace, freedom, and harmony for oneself and everything else on this earth. Geo Spirit is the ever pervading consciousness on the earth at all levels, including the sub-atomic level.

Geo Spirit is for understanding and getting connected to the earth. Geo Spirit ultimately aims at the oneness of the earth integrating and harmonising the diversities. Consistent earth leadership is needed, to understand and participate in these processes for positive change. One should be sensitive and should be the means and cause of earth resources sustainability.

Spirit manifests in oneness and freedom. Earth is a single living thing; in which we are also a part. Geo Spirit helps to understand why the earth has provided us everything to celebrate another day. One should also strive and question, why I am born on this earth? If I am living, what is the difference I can make? If there is no positive change that one is causing, then there is not much meaning to one's life. That is the spirit of living.

Through Geo Spirit, one's awareness, sensitivity, knowledge, understanding, actions, and spirit become relevant to the harmony and well-being on earth and the infinite space. Through the "GEO SPIRIT," one could realise the possibility of becoming an "EARTH LEADER". Each individual is an earth leader - when one is able to unleash the potential to bring the positive change on this earth. Ultimately, whatever one does, it is important to get connected to the earth.

The communities are motivated to set up Geo Spirit centers. In these centers, Geo Spirit meetings are conducted for "Earth Leaders". Earth-leaders are all those who contribute for the sustainability of the earth. They are the world leaders with relevant skills, knowledge, and technology for shaping a resilient future.

Geo Spirit centers would strive to imbibe the following principles in the earth leaders:

•Being earth conscious

•Being sensitive

•Self realisation

•One for all and all for one

•Love all

•Strive for change

•Strive for achieving sustainable development goals

•Strive for Good Earth System Governance

•Practicing open knowledge and sharing

•Living a life of freedom with integrity

# 87

# Enlightenment, Nature and Spirituality

Nature is the existence of matter and energy in harmony. Forms and the characteristics existing in Nature is variable in time and space. There is a symbiotic relationship between the biotic and abiotic. From nothing, there is everything and everything from nothing. Questions to ask are unknown, so are no complete answers to every question. There is diversity and oneness in everything. Spirituality is also similar to Nature. Therefore a naturalist gets inspired towards spirituality.

A person's soul is connected to the whole universe. The soul is more connected to the immediate environment. People are happy in good natural surroundings. In the present way of a living people rarely get connected and understand this intricate and essential relationship. The environment also influences the decision-making process in one's life. Space is always filled with myriad forms of energy.

By breathing one gets connected to the earth. The air has oxygen and other gases, which is the sum product of existence of biotic and abiotic aspects in a symbiotic relationship. Every cell in human body is conscious of the whole, whereas body as a whole may not be as conscious as the cells or parts of the body are. The state of being in conscious state is a form of enlightenment. The human mind thought process is the hindrance to holistic enlightenment. The plants without mind as a whole are more enlightened than the humans. Similarly, the crystals of the minerals from micro to macro are more enlightened. 

# 88

# Beginning of Geo Spirit meets

I started organising Geo Spirit meets and lectures from 2010 onwards. These meets are for encouraging earth leadership and environment. These Geo Spirit meets always energise my commitment to the cause of the earth. In the process evolved, Mother Tree, Geo Spirit Centre, Geo Spirit Communes. Conducted such meets in diverse geographies for children, youth, men and women from all walks of life.

The individual consciousness of being and the consciousness of one for all leads to the collective consciousness of harmony on this earth. Each conscious person is a leader of the earth. Each person has the ability to change the earth for a better earth.

After starting the organisation 'Geoecology Energy Organisation (GEO)' in 2007, it was the time for intensive work with communities. I started moving to different places. The task is huge to bring happiness on this earth. My deep thoughts are on how to inspire more people committed to the common goals. The Non-government organisations and the first and second generation of the people, who came with commitment are becoming rare to see. The spiritual people attached to the God Men or Gurus are immersed in their activities as a close network. On the whole, it has become rare to see the committed people for a greater cause. We have enterprises and business models which are highly centralised and working for their goals of profit and amassing wealth. The number of countries is already high, and some more countries are being born. It gives freedom but also divides people in the name of nationalism. Nationalism is a reflection is as seen in the Olympic games. Defeating the person of other nation and winning medals is the pride of a nation. Similarly, people exploit people and resources of other countries to amass wealth and try to make some people happy. Considering the earth as one living thing is more important than looking it in parts.

The GEO SPIRIT is all about having that consciousness of oneness of the earth. Every committed person from any disciplines and profession is an earth leader with the Geo Spirit Consciousness. The well being and harmony of the whole would make people happy. The unstable situation in the Middle East is a concern for peace in America. So fragile and sensitive is the whole world. The interconnectedness is very high. Watching the global news or local news no one is happy. We all are emotionally connected to the earth. The earth is suffering, somewhere as its biotic and abiotic aspects are being exploited and causing imbalances. We all are connected to the same earth; it's suffering somewhere transcends to the people through that connectedness. Every living thing is suffering on this plant is the suffering of each and everyone. With the development people's suffering is increasing. People always love the past, which was more pleasant, emotional and connected. The future of everyone is isolation although we are living among millions. Human beings are the only species so well connected but living in isolation. The isolation is increasing with every passing year. The future is hopeless and bleak.

My concerns and understanding led me to deeply contemplate and brood over years on How to reverse the destruction of the earth. At the GEO Research center, I have declared a big neem tree as mother tree and conserved the biodiversity. When I counted the variety of species there were around 200types of tress. By giving a scope to the nature to emerge, through protection and by doing almost nothing this much biodiversity is existing in a small place of half an acre. This mother tree became a place for me to contemplate and the concept of Geo Spirit evolved.

It happened that, I was giving lectures on Traditional Green Buildings at Contractor Development Society at the National Academy of Construction, Gachibowli. In one of the lectures, Mr. B. Pradeep Reddy and Mr. A. Bhargava attended it. They were inspired by my lecture and have recommended me to their principal to conduct Environmental Management module for Masters in Business Administration in their college, Engineering Staff College of India. I accepted to take the classes for the first year MBA students. Within no time the seniors and juniors became very close to me. They were interested to listen to my lectures. One day while standing in the lobby of the college, I proposed to the seniors about the Geo Spirit Meet, that I planned to conduct Geo Spirit Meet for about three days. They immediately accepted to attend. This is how my Geo Spirit meets have started.

Initially, I thought three days intensive programme would be enough to sensitize the participants. I was not sure how to engage and the activities. I have also invited two people Dr. G. Chandrashekar Reddy and Dr. Surya Prakash to take two sessions. The Geo Spirit meet was organised under the Mother tree at the GEO Research Center, the place which motivated me to conduct such meets. I could altogether conduct for two days complete. Took them to Champak Hills for night stay and there conducted the camp fire, everyone enjoyed it. Next day facilitated the experiencing the nature activities with them. Mr. Raghava Rao of Champak hills took a session. I continued to discuss with them all the time, without very little intervals. I wanted it to be very engaging rather giving me free time to do other things. The second day evening after the respective self-declarations by the participants completed the first Geo Spirit meet.

Later the sessions were planned as per the situation, lasting from one hour to 1 day. The overnight Geo Spirit meets in the wilderness were of great success.

# 89

# Geo Spirit Center

The author has developed the concept of "Geo Spirit Centers" - the nuclei of life and the space for consciousness. This is to encourage conservation and facilitation for the continuity of local biodiversity, especially soil microbes. It would inculcate the expansion of the consciousness of the one's mind in being there.

They are the "sacred spaces," as declared by the communities. Such a sacred place includes specifically identified 'ancient' forests and other "natural landscapes" which are declared as the Geo Spirit Center. They are intended to be preserved, not only for the "mental health" of the people, but also (literally) to protect and preserve the Soil diversity and health -- and, thus create a "legacy" that ensures both Food and Bodily health -- the 'body' of the Earth itself -- is held sacred.

Geo Spirit means the spirit of the earth. These sacred spaces can be declared as Geo Spirit Centers, where people care for and come to respect "Mother Earth." In the literal sense the word "Earth" is also a synonym for the SOIL -- which means that literally, they are places to protect, respect and care for "Mother Earth," which mean respect and care for the "Mother Soil." It is true that the soil is really our "Mother" for without healthy soils, NO LIFE (on land) would exist. The earth is a single living thing, which represents oneness and diversity.

And once we have created these "Mother Soil" sanctuaries -- the "Spirit Centers" where soil (microbial) biodiversity is encouraged and left to flourish... we may then get an opportunity to use tools like biochar compost that has been inoculated by the "Mother Soils", to help restore our badly degraded lands.

In this case, heat sterilised biochar could be considered the "carrier" of soil biodiversity, allowing the abundant microbes from the 'Mother soil' transferred as intact as is possible, from the point of origin [the 'Sacred Spaces'], and be placed onto degraded lands, to act as the seed that can then re-populate these essential microbial communities back in the degraded landscapes. At a time when microbial biodiversity is suffering great losses and affecting soil health, these centers could serve as storehouses for microbes, which could be inoculated into the local soils by farmers using biochar.

When one spends time at the Geo Spirit Center, the interconnected and harmonious space will create a resonance leading to the super consciousness of the mind, where oneness of micro to cosmos is realised in the being.

# 90

# Earth Leaders Commune

There are many people who are working for the cause of the earth. These earth leaders have contributed relentlessly over years. They have chosen this path of service with commitment. Sometimes the extended services of these people also contributed to the efforts of Governments, Organisations and Institutions. In the recent past the civil society organisations committed to the grassroots work have come down for various reasons. Although they have vast experience, their services are not being utilised. They need to be recognised and organised for the sustainability of the earth. The following things need to be initiated for organisation of the scattered earth leaders for a collective effort for making everyone an earth leader.

  * Recognise them as 'The Earth Leaders'
  * Organise them into communes with the earth centers
  * The earth centers would be the common places for capacity building and demonstration of eco-friendly technologies.
  * Young people are inspired for earth leadership through capacity building.
  * Communes constitute the habitations with minimum facilities for living. The common kitchen, library and living places would serve them.
  * Facilitate the opportunities, to serve in the areas of their interest.
  * Facilitate basic needs such as insurance for health and life, savings, children's education, etc.

Note: The members should be chosen based on the nomination and a set of rules.

# 91

# Science and Spirituality

There are two levels that we are addressing one thing is the scientific knowledge how it is applied in different ways whether it is applied for one's own individual gains or for the common good this is one thing second thing is each individual how much aware he is on these applications which is related to the spirituality of an individual and at the same time looking at the society as a whole where the religion plays an important role in directing or leading the group or the social community for achieving the good things in society for all.

I think we need to discuss the role of individual, what is the role of an individual in influencing the society through his actions or through his work, or through the application of science and technology. How best can he contribute towards the common good of this society?

I think one of the issues we can discuss is on the spirituality of an individual, and the degree of spiritualism within an individual. It is not basically taught as part of subjects in childhood or it is not part of our jobs either but this is somewhat left to each individual to gather that knowledge or that understanding and there is no a means to standardise the spirituality of an individual, whereas science is definitely known, understood, principles, methods, proofs, so it's application, results everything is seen. So this kind of intangible thing with the tangible thing how do we relate these two things. So there comes our difficulty in explaining each individual at community level or at different levels in making them understand the spiritualism or spirituality. So our efforts are in this regard definitely but the means to achieve that kind of level of understanding at each individual level are the challenges.

Diversity is as one thing as in a human body all cells which are different - different in their function, different in their own existence but they all work together to create a single human body. In the society around us we deal with different types of challenges, people, developmental aspects with great diversities. Application of science and technologies are also different, say for a potter to make a pot is technology and a pot different but the spiritual element is the perfection that he would put into creating a beautiful pot. He will be literally meditating to create that particular pot. So we may not always say that spirituality means reading some scriptures or reading a kind of literature or understanding different religions. This is also something which we could call meditation or the dedication. If you are dedicated, then the results would automatically come. Mere application of science and technology is not the result but trying to go towards perfection by using our diverse skills, diversity of materials and the knowledge's that are existing and the innovations etc.

If you want to define sustainability in terms of spirituality, in materialistic things, it is the continuity of the product or the act say agriculture - so we continue to do the agriculture. But in the sense of spirituality, it is not that somebody would acquire spirituality to the top most level in a particular given time. Spiritual sustainability should exist to continue the materialistic sustainability. So both these things together - act as a kind of persuasion - a continuous effort that should go into every aspect that we will do. That way the spiritual sustainability of an individual would definitely help in the materialistic sustainability also.

One needs to also appreciate the relationship between human heart and the environment. This is a critical thing in the context of environmental changes, global warming and climate change etc. The environment influences the human being and anything that happens in the environment has definite impact on each individual and the community and also the overall ecosystem. How do we cope with these kinds of situations when there are so many negative things happening in the environment, how does it affect our heart, our actions, what sort of negative energies or influences it leaves. We need to think how we adapt to these changing environmental conditions without losing our heart. These environmental changes are not just related to the livelihood of humans but also to the existence of all life on this earth. Therefore, with a positive thinking, spirituality and work towards improving the environmental conditions would also help the whole environment thereby we will have the positive energy.

Human needs and aspirations seem to be unlimited for a person who is not spiritual. All the materialistic things except food, water and air, none of the assets and things that he possesses enter into his body. It is only spiritual satisfaction or his mental satisfaction that is important. We find people saying something like 'I have this much of assets, or this many people behind me, or this is my support ...', this is a kind of a state of human being which tries to satisfy human needs guides one's actions and provides meaning of one's being. These ideas in fact are mostly his greed. This is what is driving some of the humans in their rat race for materialistic goals which in reality is only a matter which is never a part of the inner being of a human. So this realisation should exist among all humans. Once they start realising these basic things then I hope the whole world and all the humanity will be more concerned and will be working for the common good.

We need to discuss more about the application of the spirituality and the science and technology in the field level programs that we are doing. How do we bring the quality of results in the activities that we are into? We can start with certain examples about how we are going about and what are the components that we would like to add on to the existing activities so that it would improve the over all quality of the program for instance, the Vulnerability and Adaptability of Climate Change in the semi arid areas of India. We are essentially trying to build the adaptability of the communities - adaptability has both, science and technology as well as strengthening the spirituality of the community because this vulnerability is a thing which is very critical for the communities to overcome and how do they cope especially during drought and other climate extremes -heat waves and including incessant floods which damage their natural resources, crops or their assets or their existing infrastructures etc. We could reflect on some of the activities that we are doing but how we are building the spirituality strengthening the communities or empowering them along with the introduction of technologies. Actually in this program what we have focused is more on the capacity building of the communities. This program is different from existing programs of AFPRO in a way because we are trying to build the capacities through exposure, training, sensitisation, awareness, networking, institution building and also through hands on experience in implementing certain pilot projects and programs, which is not just transfer of technology but also making people cope better with conditions of climate change, global warming and degradation of resources etc.

The governance at different levels is also the cause of the present situation. The best example is global warming because some policies are right in a country and some policies are right at a level but there is no common policy for the developmental activity that we are doing. Each country or communities are behaving are developing using science and technology in their own ways and means and which is the cause for the present chaos that is all over the world therefore another important factor that comes into picture is the development for materialistic gains. Are we developing or are we using science and technology only for certain materialistic gains? If it is not profitable we might not be interested in that particular activity. Gaining knowledge in a particular aspect is also more related towards the materialistic gains or financial gains or economic benefits. The whole world is going towards certain aspects and not in the sense of true development as a whole that is called the holistic development. Therefore, in this regard there is a strong need to create awareness at all levels including at political and policy level so there is a through understanding of what is development and how do we go about it.

Our debates on environment and spirituality also refer to what religion is and its role. Religion is the behaviour of a group of people based on some scriptures or based on some principles or sects or some societies. There are so many religions all over the world and each religion is having some of the fundamental truths and beliefs which are shared by other religions as well. As it is said in theosophy - each religion is trying to understand the truth. It is fine, but presently the way the religion is interpreted by each group, by each country, to their own interest is also sometimes a cause of concern, therefore, within the religion also, how do you go and preach certain things which were not imagined when the religion was formed, especially the population growth and certain cultural practices in using the resources. How to go about this in population control? So there are so many things that are involved. Yes, some of the religions are definitely contributing towards literacy, empowerment, micro finance development, capacity building, training so they are involved in so many even philanthropic activities to. As Gandhiji said even in politics also the religion should exist, then only it can become strong thing as a movement because only religions can bring the movement which we have seen in the entire world. Similarly, in development also we do not take religion in the same sense as a religion. Religion is a common belief of common development a kind of understanding of how to live in the society; it is not Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. It is a universal religion that we are striving for, the universal religion which preaches how to use the resources in a sustainable manner, how do we live with one another, how do we achieve the common good. That is how it should be.

I think in this regard it is very simple for God for whom every being is same so God is trying to bring a kind of equity issue. He wants to resolve this equity issue in many ways. He had given equal opportunities but socially we have created certain barriers and inequalities because of our laws, our principles over a period of time in history . So in development what we are trying to do is exactly trying to create the equity that is between sharing of resources, between reducing the gap of rich and poor, empowering the gender issues, women, access to education for children. So ultimately what we are doing is what God wants an ideal society to be like. So we are trying to help in those aspects. If it is truly a materialistic world say a private industry they go by profit only, there equity issues are not directly addressed but in development definitely where we are working are the areas where there are gaps, where even the governments is also not able to fill up certain gaps there this civil society organisations have taken a role in addressing those issues which are not taken up by that materialistic world and also we are trying to help the governments in achieving this equitable issues. What we are doing in development programs, therefore is closer to the spirituality and closer to the subject that the God likes.

Actually we need to define this development sector. We agree that development is not just the people who are working in the rural areas or in the civil society organisations. It encompasses the government the most important, the private sector, public sector and the international organisations and the most important is the religious organisations too. As we are means the people who are discussing now are involved in the development of the communities at the grass root level especially in the rural areas, so our discussion is focused mostly on what we can do.

Most of the development workers are the people, who are having very good qualifications, can compete and get twice or thrice the .... that they get but why have they chosen this path. Yes, there is some spirituality in them. Where Gandhiji should have chosen that path there was spirituality and spiritual development within him too. So definitely this spirituality is helping us to work in this sector and to go and work with the communities and take a diff path and still we require by looking at the ongoing happenings around the world there is chance that the younger generations might get deviated. So this way we have to also build up within the development sector a kind of army who are spiritually well charged and who can contribute for the society in the future too.

Usually the religion and spirituality are related mostly with human beings alone, not with the other life that is existing on this earth. We have traveled a long journey from animal stage to come to the human stage in the evolutionary process. So the humanness has the spirituality element in to it and over a period of time we have become religious too, but we cannot imagine that this earth is created only for humans so there is other life which may not be spiritual which may not be as capable as human beings but there is equal right for all the beings on this earth. Buddhism, Jainism and other religions also focus on environmental sustainability even the first civilisations in India they were worshiping the natural elements, had God's and even though we are worshipping many such natural living things. Development mission that all governments and people talk about should not sacrifice other ecological elements because without them even the existence of human beings will become a big question.

# 92

# Bodhi the Buddha

Buddha attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. Plants life is an inspiration to acquire qualities to lead a complete, peaceful and happy life. Here I am sharing how Buddha might have found all his answers through the qualities of this t ree leading to enlightenment.

All the plants have limitations as compared to other life on Earth. But they are the ones which existed and made possible for the existence of animal kingdom on the earth. Their very existence and continuity to become part of the energy and life systems are commendable. The algae, fungus, lichen are also no less than the plants.

The plant's consciousness is continuous. Every cell of the plant is present and striving for the whole. The calendar of events in their life is related to the cosmos and the terrestrial environment. Being mobile the animal life need not be more intelligent than the plant life. There is more suffering to the plant kingdom as compared to the animal kingdom of life. The acceptance of a given situation, is highest among the plants. The mobile i.e., the other life always has comparison, so the satisfaction is a variable factor. Never be content with a given a situation. Nothing is permanent, and the change is inevitable. This understanding is highest among the plants. The sustainability is not a factor of self-possession, but a factor of continuity of everything. It is not 'me', but 'us' that is more prominent among the plants. Even the birds and insects living on its branches are part of them. For every being, there is a body and an extended body. A plant is the living symbol of connectedness of everything from micro to macro and cosmos.

Say, the birds and insects are important as much as the wind which helps to pollinate and being part of progeny process for continuity.

For plants with just about 0.003 ppm of CO2 in the air, it is very difficult to breathe. They have no complaints on the percentage of CO2 in the air. Whereas with 21 percent of oxygen, people still breathe heavily and in hospitals, sick people are provided oxygen. Considering this the stomata or breathing holes on the leaf of plants are far more superior than the lungs.

Plants are the mute witness to the happenings around. They being always 'present to the moment,' are always mindfulness, therefore most of the time they enjoy the environment more than any other life on earth.

Everything that comes in contact with plants is happy. Even a burning wood creates happiness and helps one get spiritually get connected. The fire manifests itself as the sun the ultimate source of energy which made the possibility of the existence of a plant through photosynthesis.

The most resistant plants and which have multiple values including medicinal had been worshipped or revered. They consume the mother earth, water, and air and regenerate as fresh or anew. That is a manifestation of new from the old. Consume the compost, soil, CO2 etc., and give, food, wood, fuel, and oxygen. Their colour is green which is soothing and represents love. Their appearance and presence energises everything around. A bird returning to its nest in a tree is always happy, its chicks are also part of the plant. The plant is protecting and caring the chicks and mother trusted the tree to take care of the young chicks. Anything crawling, pinching, boring is not an aversion to a plant. Some life evolved to protect the plants too. The fungus has evolved to make the minerals and nutrients available to the plants. Also, they are a means of communication - the treads of fungus spread far and wide through an underground network - between the plants there is in an ecosystem. There are so many life forms which are working to sustain the plants on earth.

Some people in our villages and cities worship plants. They tie holy threads to the plants for their wishes to become true. This implies that plants are superior to humans. We are dependent on them, and they can live without humans.

Even Buddha preferred a Bodhi Tree and attained enlightenment. All the teachings of Buddha are already embedded in the life and being of a Bodhi tree. The composure of the plants is maintained even when they are being cut or damaged. Which is taught and practiced by some of the great souls on earth. Being present and non-reacting to pleasure or pain as a desire is what the Buddha taught, which is seen in the life of every plant. Ashtanga Marga is also practiced by the plants. The teachings of Buddha are followed by plants, then every plant must be enlightened. The unmanageable mind of a human being is the primary cause of sorrow. Thinking is not a problem, thinking the same things again and again or thinking waste or useless things makes one deviate from the present. For building the body or for one's physical growth one could do things repetitively, but for the mental growth one should learn or strive to do new things.

The plants work their way steadily; the roots of a plant have the power to break the rocks. There is umpteen power in the very small germinating seeds, the purpose of its existence is so strong that they emerge and grow by breaking the strongest rocks. The rocks are the primary source of material for soil formation. The soil is the source for the plants. The destruction and creation are manifested in this process coexistence.

# 93

# Geo Spirit Retreat

The day before Deepawali or festival of lights that was on Wednesday 18th October, 2017, I planned to visit 'The Earth Center' at Anmaspally Village, Kadthal, RR district, Telangana, India. This place is adjoining the wilderness of a reserve forest with few wild animals and great biodiversity. My wife and two sons have accompanied me to spend a day at the center. I am grateful for their support and was very happy.

For me Geo Spirit Retreat is a form of freedom and experience the consciousness of everything. This being is a form of meditation. Observing the environment in every detail and experiencing nature. Consciousness without attachment, subconscious thinking on common aspects and consciousness of only breathing are the three-forms of meditation that I practice.

By afternoon we reached the Hillock at the Hanuman Temple and walked up to the Buddha statue and spent sometime thinking about him.

This time of the year, I have been experiencing nature at its best. From Deepawali the winter cold just begins and the rainy season ends. As it rained well in this season, there was greenery all around.

I explored the jungle and meditated for some time on the rocks. It was so peaceful.

We went to the hillock next to the earth center to watch the beautiful sunset, lying on the rocks seeing the sunset and the two Pyramids about two kilometres away. It was one of the most peaceful evenings with the sounds of the birds in the background and domestic animals returning to their shelters.

While climbing down to return, saw two 'Ralla Kollu' of Chicken of the rocks. These were dark in colour matching the background of the rocks. They were walking instead of flying. It was a pair, probably roost everyday night on the safe hillock. They moved into the bushes and just flew to reach the higher branches.

At the time of dusk returned to the mango tree where my kids have pitched the tent. Removed it and placed it on the flat rock next to the Amla tree (Indian Gooseberry tree) on an elevated place and was convenient to stay.

As it was the new moon night, it was dark. Lighted the oil lamps made of clay. Placed them next to the Amla tree and prayed. The Karthika Masam a Hindu calendar month was just beginning in the same evening and praying Amla tree and sleeping underneath was considered auspicious. The tree had lots of Amla fruits and with good density of leaves. It was very clean underneath. I felt the air too very fresh and there were not many insects underneath to bother. This tree became one of my favourite places during my retreat, especially for sitting underneath the shade and writing. I could focus well and write.

A few lamps we placed around the tent too. Mr. Shankar from the village has come. He said that he would stay with me all the nights that I would spend here. Although he was from the village, he rarely slept in the open.

We had dinner and lit the campfire. It was Deepawali (the festival of lights) and the most peaceful night as there no crackers being busted here. Shankar bought with him a very thick blanket and I slept in it near the tent. The tent had two layers, and with zips to close the openings, it was very secure even from insects. The temperature inside was very warm. It was a warm night and by 9:30 p.m. we both slept. I had a very deep sleep.

Srinu a farmer was staying on the Manche (a hut on stilts), during the nights. The wild pigs were entering into the fields during the nights and eating away the corn. He had a powerful LED torch light. When the pigs enter they make the noise while eating. He will ward them off by shouting aloud. So in the night after midnight, I woke up once listening to the sounds.

The next day morning, I woke up early and brushed my teeth with Neem stick. There were some cows and buffalos kept by the farmers nearby. Got some fresh milk from them and made tea. As the milk was fresh and pure without adulteration, the tea prepared was very good.

I left for meditation in the rocks for about two hours in the jungle, i.e., till, 9:00 a.m.

Observed the plants, birds, flowers, rocks, etc.

A spider made its nest on the ground, with droplets of water from fog it was fresh and beautiful.

The dried purple flowers on the rocks.

The dried twigs of small forests appeared like miniature temperate forest.

The dried twigs lying on the rocks

A natural rock garden with grass and small herbs.

The Lantana camara plant is beautiful. There were two varieties here. Its flowers provide nectar to the insects and black colour very small fruits in bunches are sweet. The plants have small thorns on the stems. They are the exotic species invading the jungles of India. The animals don't consume the leaves. Excess presence of these plants degrade the health of the jungles over a period. They make jungles impenetrable too.

The Thangedu Chettu (Senna auriculata) is a bush plant with golden yellow flowers. It bark was used for tanning the leather. The flowers are especially used in the floral arrangement for Bathukamma - Telangana Floral Festival celebrated by women.

The rocks and plants together are always beautiful. It is a harmonious relationship between abiotic and biotic. These rocks are witness to the evolution of life around. They must be whispering the stories of the life since millions of years to these young plants. The granites in this region are about 2500 million years old.

Went to a secluded place and did meditation by listening to the sounds of nature.

I selected a place with diversity of species and few stones as a place for Geo Spirit. The excess stones and few weeds need to be removed to make it convenient for sitting. This place is for praying nature and meditation.

My curiosity was highest as a child. I saw some miniature flowers which are part of the bloom, that happens after the rains. It was delighting to see he wilderness with natural biota.

The bell shaped white flowers

The soil formation, algae and few small plants establishing the basic sequence.

The lizard camouflages well with the background of the granite. It might have taken many years for this evolutionary process. The environment or nature is older than life and so life adapts to fit into the niche for survival.

Another variety of lizard was found which is yellow in colour and looked different.

The pattern made by the algae on the rocks is a beautiful pattern depicting the universe at a micro-scale.

Some rocks appeared like the naughty boys hiding in the bushes.

My shadow although virtual, always gave me company and I never felt isolated in my life.

The Cattle and Egrets have a great relationship. The insects bothering the cattle are eaten by them and also the insects which come out of the grass due to the disturbance of the cattle while grazing are eaten. They sometimes take a free ride on the cattle too. Friendship and symbiotic relationship between two species is great to observe.

As I studied Geology it is easy to understand how the granite tors form over millions of years. They are the sculptures of nature created by the elements of environment. Still many stones seem to defy gravity and balance. A balanced person in life is dignified and appreciated.

The bonsai ficus plants surviving in the cracks of rocks are great. They adopted a minimalist approach, living is more important than comparing with others. Make the best use of every little resource and they look majestic. The size does not belittle but highlighted it. It also increases the value of the rock, and a feather in its cap.

Mini-flowers are the flowers of very small plants. They bloom after the grains. The create the beautiful gardens for the insects in the soil. For human beings considering their size, however beautiful they might be they could be insignificant. Whenever I saw them, they always inspired me by their form and beauty.

This is a small insect which traps the ants by creating a funnel of fine sand.

The Amla is a useful food and medicine in Ayurveda. It is always clean. After eating it if one drinks water, the water tastes sweet.

There are many peacocks in the area. One day underneath the Amla tree, I found a peacocks feather. How come even after the feather detached from its the tail of a peacock still creating and make one remember and love the source peacock. Love and admiration is beyond life. Some symbols and parts have the potential to spread the umpteen light infinitely.

Returned back to the camping site. I have planned a Tiny tree house. I started working on the logistics. Left to Kadthal with Mr. Shankar and inquired about the materials. Returned back to the earth center. Designed the plan for the treehouse at a big mango tree. This place, I liked as it is cool all the time and had a good view of the Jungle.

In the evening again went on to explore the wilderness in the jungle and returned back by 6:00 p.m. Met a few people, cooked the dinner and we all ate.

There came a dog, it was so weak and recently it gave birth to puppies. Shankar became very emotional and said we should give it food. As in the jungle there is not much full and it is already week. It also need to give milk to the puppies. Given it some food, it ate voraciously. With campfire discussed for sometime before going to bed.

In the night saw a jungle cat called Janga villi.

Woke up in the morning with lots of fog. It was a chilly night. I was comfortable in the tent and did not know the chillness. Had a cup of tea with fresh milk given by Anjaiah. Started planning about the hut to be constructed. First I designed the tiny house next to the rocks. As there were many bushes and rocks strewn around, it could be a home for several creatures and not safe at night. Next, I planned close to the Amla tree where a flat stone is there, where I am camping now. As it is on an elevated place, it was safer. But during the daytime, as the Amla tree is small in size and doesn't provide enough shade, and from the hot rocks the heat will be very high. During the summers the rock radiates heat till late night. So this plan was also abandoned.

I wanted the Tiny Tree House with minimum materials and to meet the basic needs only. Living in nature is the greatest gift. I needed a small place for one or two people to sleep during the night. A place for cooking. Also space for group discussions and sitting under and on the tree. Although a Mancha with a small hut costs very less, I don't want to use the trees cut and used.

Earth is our only ultimate home. A house is only a small space in time meeting the requirements of a habitat partially.

Finally, I went to see the Mango Trees. There was this mango tree which yields very few mangos, but it is tall and sturdy. The leaves were very good, it had good foliage. Beneath the tree due to the shade, there was less grass and, it was clean. I made marking using the compass on my mobile phone, tent pegs, and thread. Planned the 12 feet x 8 feet structure. With a hut of 8 feet by 5 feet hut on the top and a height of 4.5 feet. This whole structure I planned on the granite stone pillars so that the termites won't eat away the wooden structure.

As it was the busy time people harvesting grains, nobody turned up for the work. Until afternoon, I waited. In the afternoon asked Shankar to take me to Thatikuntal Maisamma Temple in the forest. It was about 10 km away from Anmaspally village. Shankar asked Shekar his cousin to accompany. We three left by a motorcycle at around 3:00 pm.

It was a dirt road and was slushy at few places with small streams flowing. Or it also means we were using the stream bed as the road.

As we reached inside could see the Teak Plants. The biodiversity was healthy although the trees were not so tall. Encountered some small waterfalls and pools of water. There were also alkaline soils, and the place was slippery.

There was a beautiful place next to a small waterfall with a pool, ideal for meditation. I sat there for some time listening to the waterfall and sounds of birds. I felt like staying there only. As it was getting late, we started again.

The stream continued with cascading waterfalls all along the route parallel.

About a kilometre away from the temple, we kept the vehicle underneath a Tamarind Tree. Now we need to transect the rough path with so many rocks and streams. I started asking Shekar the names of the plants and its uses. Every plant was useful and related to the local people, and nothing was a waste.

A wild lemon plant, the lemon. Its leaves had very strong smell.

Wild paddy seen in the wetland area near the shore of the tank.

Soon reached the foreshore of the tank. As it rained heavily, the water in the tank was full, the path to the temple was closed.

The path became very difficult as we approached the tank. We slowly navigated our path from the rough jungle on the banks.

Finally reached the bund where the Thatikunta Maisamma Temple was located.

There was another makeshift temple too.

In spite of the difficulties in reaching, people still come here with great reverence. An old man was staying in one of the makeshift sheds. Took a coconut from him and went to temple for prayer.

A huge very old tamarind tree on the tank bund. There were some cattle, left in the jungle by the villagers. As there are no major predators, they are safe here. They don't go home and continue to stay here. Occasionally the respective owners take them home. Having eaten good grass they have grown well.

Saw a nest with two chicks. The chicks were very small. They can't lay the nest on a high branch to prevent predation from kites and other big birds nor they can't lay at a low level.

The sun was setting, and it was a beautiful evening. We started our return journey. Reached the earth center, had dinner with Shankar. With campfire next to us discussed for sometime before going to bed.

On the way saw the land taken from people for the Pharma City. Considering the pollution caused by the pharmaceutical industries in and around Hyderabad, these are some of the highly polluting industries. My PhD was on the industrial pollution including the Pharmaceutical industries, which I have see and studied. Hope this beautiful area does not become another hell in the name of development.

The day before I told some of the people to come for the construction of the Tiny Tree House. They joined around 10 a.m. Mr. Giri also came from Hyderabad. There were eight people. It took lots of time explaining to them how the structure should be. Brought the sticks and the granite stone pillars.

Groundbreaking for the Tiny Tree House. As I believe in Aspect and the elements of nature. Used the compass for orienting the house. The whole structure is facing East.

As per the planned layout, started building the structure. I wanted it to be eco-friendly and low cost, simple structure to meet the basic needs, such as space for sleeping for about 2 people, sitting place and place for cooking.

Also cleaned the sacred grove, which I have declared. This is a small place with plants such as Neem, Rela, Custard apple, Jeedi plant and few others. Nice cozy place with small rocks and comfortable to sit. This was opposite of the place where I am constructing the Tiny Tree House.

Very little work was done till 3:00 p.m.. After lunch, the beautiful structure shaping up started working intensively. By 8:00 p.m. except for the roof cover and floor almost all the structure was constructed.

We all had tea on the rocks and requested some of them to come tomorrow.

Next morning Shankar wanted to go to Hyderabad on a personal work. The Mestri (Mason) came in the morning to the center. We left to Kadthal to bring some materials for the construction of the Tiny Tree House. Till afternoon almost nothing happened. Returned to the Earth Center and saw three more people waiting for work. The two carpenters also arrived to lay the roof of the hut. As the hut is underneath the tree, I don't want to spend much on the roof material, so brought the plastic sheets used for covering gates as roof. Everyone started working. We had lunch together.

The work was going on very slowly. But people are showing interest and with enthusiasm they worked. For them, this is a new design which they never tried.

Till 6:00 p.m. the roof laying work happened. Suddenly it started raining with thunderstorms. We all gathered inside and the new structure. We saw that, there were no leakages, good the testing also happened simultaneously. I was very happy sitting inside the structure.

In the night, I was thinking deeply about the Tiny Tree House and the improvements.

I requested Shankar to get one procliner machine in the morning. While I was waiting, I got a call that one person who agreed to do the job. Immediately with two workers, I left to the center. There was not much work without the machine, and four people were waiting there. At the Geo sacred groove, I asked them to clear the stones. This place is dedicated for nature. It has diverse species of plants, and I wanted to install the idol of Lord Shiva. In the presence of idols, people with reverence will not misuse a place and also will not cut plants. The fear of God also helps to conserve nature.

While waiting for the procliner, I spent some time with Gaddem Ramulu - the Shepherd. He is having about 50 goats which he takes to the forest area everyday, routine that he had been doing since 50 years or more. He knows every rock and climbs well. He had his own language of communication and names for his goats. The goats consider him as their leader and follow and listen to him. He knows every species of plant. He sings songs and dances; he is in bliss always. I also learnt from him about the types of species in the jungle.

The procliner arrived at 2:30 p.m. Moram is a good soil formed from the weathering of granite rocks. This soil withstand the erosion and has compactness. With lots of quartz and feldspar grains, it is very good for walking and often used for earth roads. I wanted the access to the Tiny Tree House convenient. So made a heap with Moram soil. It had a slope for the convenience of walking and reaching the Tiny Tree House.

Also moved the boulders with the same machine to create sitting places around the tree and other places. The work continued for about 3 hours. Bought some raw sand, found in an intermittent stream accumulated during the recent rains. Used it for construction of a sitting place beneath the Tiny Tree House. In the future we planned to create a small room beneath the Tiny Tree House for storage of things.

In the evening Dr. Indrasena Reddy an environmental scientist arrived. He wanted to spend some time with me at the center. We went to the village and discussed with the Pundit of the Hanuman Temple to come and do pooja for the structure. The fire from lamps, smoke from incense sticks, sprinkled kumkum and haldi makes a place hygienic and sanctifies. Brought the Pundit to perform the Pooja. To our surprise, the lamp lit during the Pooja kept before the Tiny house lasted till next day although it was in the open.

We had a campfire after dinner and were discussing till late night on the environmental challenges, especially the impacts of The Pharma City, which is planned by the government sooner nearby.

After late night discussions, I slept in the Tiny Tree House, Gave the camping tent to Dr. Indrasena Reddy. Surprisingly no insects were present in the house and I had a very good sleep.

Next day morning, myself and Dr. Indrasena went for a walk in the jungle. We observed the nature while brushing the teeth with neem sticks.

Cleaned the whole place again, removed the strewn stones around. Made few sitting places with the available rocks. Till lunch time we spent time at The Earth Center and reached Hyderabad in the evening.

The Tiny Houses enables one to live in the environment with minimum space. To reduce the ecological footprint, using the local materials is essential. These houses enable one to live close to nature.

# 94

# Happiness

The life existing on the earth is a natural evolution, which is being modified for the greed of humans. There is a suffering of life forms which were adopted by the human beings. A weak animal is was a source of food for a carnivorous animal, if there are no weak animals how a carnivorous would survive? The existence of weak and strong is the nature of life.

With the modernisation of agriculture chemical pesticides and fertilisers are extensively bieng used. Grafting of sapling is like replacing the head of a person with another young brain-dead person. The High Yielding Varieties (HYV) developed are like having only most intelligent children in a class and everyone gets maximum marks. In the Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering.

The plants are tortured to yield. There is a suffering of plants right from germination to its death. The chicken yield eggs with so much suffering in the cages in the poultry farm. The heavy bodied animals such as cattle which are overfed in cages for non-veg products lead a life of suffering. The animals are given drugs, antibiotics and growth hormones. The veg and non-veg products through suffering they grow and are all polluted. With so much suffering the final product is with the memory of pain.

People are drinking polluted water and are also breathing polluted air. They live in places where the indoor pollution is very high. They see so much bad and hear bad things. The noise is too much to be tolerated.

By consuming the products of suffering and living in a polluted environment, no person could be leading a healthy life and be happy. The human mind and soul also suffers in many ways in an unhealthy environment.

# 95

# Consciousness

The consciousness is achieved through a combination of means such as awareness, being, sensitivity, knowledge, learn, experience, understand and wisdom. For an individual, the logic and reasoning is the highest form of practice to be conscious. Belief and faith are the mean ways to be conscious. Religion is a source and a platform to launch one towards the conscious stage. It depends on the intensity of a person to be more conscious. The highest form of consciousness is super consciousness.

From birth to death everyone is aware but less conscious. The body never rests. Every part in the body is conscious and continuously working, unless the body is dead. Awareness works at the mind level and consciousness works at the soul level.

The universe is the manifestation of super consciousness. Within this domain there is nothing good or bad. Extinction of a species and evolution of another species is the norm. Creation and destruction are part of the cycle. Men and women exist in the same body, i.e., two opposites culminate into one. That is the flow of energy which is nothing but consciousness.

Consciousness of human beings is a continuous effort. It is being. Being conscious and strive towards super consciousness is the ultimate path for great leaders.

# 96

# Mindfulness and consciousness

Mindfulness is also defined as being present to the moment. Be present to the environment, that is experience every sense, good or bad. The environment is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Inner environment, the experiences of a person inside the body and the conscious and subconscious thoughts. The outer environment consists of Physical, Social, Cultural, Universal and Spiritual environments. A person in one's lifespan of 70 years, hardly spends 7 years of time being mindful. A person instead of being mindful spends more time either thinking past or the future. The origin of a thought causes a response or reaction and the chain of thoughts occur which are mostly imaginative. Thoughts are either pleasant or unpleasant and rarely a person is non-reactive. Therefore, every thought has an impact on the physical body. This state of non-reacting and letting the thought come and go is a kind of meditation. To be no-reactive in spite of having a good or a bad thought one focusses on breath or utters a word or few words in the form of sentences.

In a particular situation, I became more mindful recently. When, I was in Kabul. A person knows the value of life when the death could approach anytime and in any form. I got an opportunity to go to Jalalabad a far of city close to the border with Pakistan for a study. Some, of my colleagues were from that city. It is one of the most insecure cities especially for the foreigners. Even the natives feel insecure. This was a two and days journey. As very rarely people wear Pant and Shirt in the city, I also changed my dress to Kurtha and Pajama the traditional dress of Afghanistan. We started early in the morning, by the time we reached a check-post on the periphery of Kabul city, on the road to Jalalabad, the security stopped us for checking the vehicle. The guard asked, If I am from Pakistan, my colleagues said that I am from India. He was happy to know, but immediately said 'oose marvane ke liya leke ja rahe ho kya?' It means '.are you taking him to Jalalabad for getting him killed?' I understood the gra vity of the problem in the Jalalabad city. Now, I became more 'Conscious'. This consciousness out of fear for life, made me 'Mindful' for the next two and half days of my journey and the stay in Jalalabad. I also love nature, all along the road with narrow gorge of the Kabul river, it was so beautiful, I was mindful of the beauty and made me forget the fear for life.

The impressions caused on the mind of a happy person are less, because in happiness the mind wanders much more.

Being conscious in sub-conscious state: A mother while sleeping is in sub-conscious state. For someone to wakeup in the sub-conscious state, need to make noise or shout aloud. A mother with a child would wakeup even with slightest movement of the child or a small sound the child makes. This is a particular state where being present is constant out of love with the child.Therefore, one can be present in true love. The responsibility also makes one to be present all the time. The responsibility is part of the love with attachment.

In one of the common meditation practices one focuses on the breathing in and breathing out. This focus on the present breathing makes a person peaceful and gets rest to the brain. A brain with rest for sometime will become sharper. Regular and continuous meditation makes a person like a plant. One should come out of the routine meditation and focus on the things useful to many.

The fundamental questions regarding a persons spiritual practices. Can a person be awakened and enlightened for ever or are there only such moments in ones life?

Through meditation if someone is feeling peaceful and happy, so be it? The whole environment around that person becomes peaceful. The good vibrations inside pervade outside too. If good people or people with good thoughts are existing in a place, the whole place becomes a good environment. That's the 'sat sangath' effect. Bad thoughts and bad deeds make a person bad.

Can someone's peace and happiness transcend on to the observer? The observer and the observed both become one, like the image in a mirror. There are magnificent temples, but the statue in the temple may not be so enchanting, therefore there are only few followers to that temple. In the presence of Sri Ramana Maharishi many people found peace and were liberated from their problems.

Someone is working and providing basic things to another person who is searching for peace and happiness without working. Some people can go to extremes, the spiritual persons are respected in a society because they help everyone around come out of problems, either by spreading love, preaching, creating systems, social networks, create schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. The followers support the person with great reverence. No other life on earth ever has the spiritual system which the humans have.

The sermons given by enlightened person, can rarely make every other person around them enlightened. There is no limit to emotions so there is no experience which is called the ultimate enlightenment. Everyone is enlightened in their life, but people may not know what is enlightenment. An actor wearing a doctor's dress and behaviour may not become the real doctor. Enlightenment is inside and it is once own experience, who will assess an inside experience, intangible and infinite thing to say that so and so is enlightened. It is most often the self declaration of a person or assessment by others based on their behaviour and talks people are declared enlightened. I always feel that a plant is more enlightened by being present.

What is spirituality? Spirituality is a practice, like balancing on a bicycle all the time and moving ahead with an understanding of the essence of life. A person balanced even for a few seconds need to continuously be present and balance. This balance is possible only through being in the past, present and future. The experiences from the past will make a person to assess the present situation and the road ahead makes a person think to act now to avert the future happening. No one can see all the wheels of a vehicle and drive.

Cattle walking in a field rarely trample the young saplings, they eat rather than waste. Human beings are less sensitive and responsible towards the resources they are dependent upon.

A cat would lick the milk on the floor very clean and never waste it. Exceptionally few big carnivorous animals and humans, all other living things are mostly present. There could be a biography written even for an ant or an elephant. Being present for an ant makes it gain more experiences and learning in a short time. For not to be preyed they tend to observe and cultivate facultative senses and improve their chances of survival. In such a situation, their life expands manifold and being present teaches them many things, through observation and experience.

Being present to nothing is impossible, so people have evolved meditation techniques to be present to something - tangible or intangible. Breath is tangible and it is a continuous and always present so many people focus on breathing to meditate. Focusing on mantras or sounds is another means. Getting rest for the brain and being happy for oneself is not going to change the world. If one could get the peace, happiness and if could focus the energies for the common good has a greater meaning. Escaping from reality will not justify the living. Intoxicants and psychedelic media also make a person escape from the reality. If a person consumes cannabis and goes into another world under its influence, the cannabis plant should be more happy because it is the cannabis that has taken over the mind of someone to a different world. The plant is using the person as the media to achieve that state. 

# 97

# Who am I ?

I the subtlest of universe

There is neither you nor I

Who am I is everything

Everything is harmony

I responsible for everything

I the cause and effect

I the origin and infinity

Infinity is change

Change is inevitable

I the change

Change is the law of nature

Nature is my nature

Love is everything

Everything loves you

You are the love

Love is existence

Existence is continuity

Continuity is real

Real is present

Present is the next moment

Moments is I

I change

Change is growth

Growth is expansion

Expansion is life

Life is soul

Soul is consciousness

Consciousness is universe

Universe is I

# XI

# Serve the world

# 98

# Initiative into service

While studying in Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Uppal, I was in the 7th Class. There was an annual day celebration of the school; the auditorium was about half a kilometre from the school in the survey of India campus. I volunteered along with the support staff of the school in carrying back the tables, chairs and other equipment from the Auditorium to the school. As the support staff was also tired and there were so many things to be carried back to the school. It was late around 8:00 - 8:30 p.mm. I was still working with them and felt the responsibility to do this work. Most of the children who participated in the Annual day celebrations already left. Ms. Tara, our teacher, saw me volunteering and the very next day she thanked me and as an appreciation given me a storybook of Rabindranath Tagore. Probably this small gesture of appreciation for helping others had some impact in my life for getting into service.

As a child, when relatives used to visit our house, I was good with everyone. All of them used to like me a lot. I always saw, that they are comfortable and never got hurt by my behaviour in any way. I was ready to share my blanket too.

I was about 18 years old when, I started a voluntary service called "Lackey Young Men's Social Service," at Ramanthapur, Hyderabad. That was during summer vacation after the 1st year of my intermediate course. It ran on an experimental basis. Although, I had no idea but had the urge to support youth with various needs. Such as helping students with getting admissions in colleges through providing information on the courses, submitting applications and helping in applying for colleges. In this, I have requested the support of some people. Mr. Janga Reddy, who was supplying scientific instruments for the labs of various colleges has joined me in this initiative. We could provide services to some youth, but did not continue as I could not expand the services being a student. It gave me a lot of thought on serving others with various needs of the communities.

# 99

# Preparing for service

While doing graduation, my brother-in-law Mr. S. Bal Reddy, i.e., my elder sister's spouse was interested that I should get into the civil services. He is a school teacher. One day he has taken me to meet his friend, Mr. Narender who had experience of preparing and appearing for the civil services exam. He has introduced me to the preparation for the civil services exam. I understood that a person with good knowledge and understanding of many things (History, Culture, Environment, Politics, Economics, Science, Mathematics, current affairs, etc.) and excellent knowledge on the two optional subjects would get through the exam. Civil services in the Government is considered as one of the highest job, for serving the people and the nation.

While I was brooding on this option of joining the civil services, I got admission at IIT, Bombay to study Master of Science in Applied Geology. Our library was excellent, and it used to remain open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.. Everyday night after having dinner, I used to go to the library and study every kind of book to improve my knowledge on various aspects. Sometimes I used to read the weekly magazines for understanding the current affairs. I loved the subject Geology too. My senior, Mr. Patra we all called him 'Brother' had some experience of appearing for the exam. He used to guide me too. I decided Geology and Geography as optional subjects. I was just an average student while doing graduation and the post graduation.

After completing the Applied Geology, many of my classmates were preparing for GATE exam. One need to qualify and based on the score could do M.Tech. I have decided, not to write this exam and after completion of M.Sc. Applied Geology returned back to Hyderabad. I started preparing systematically for the civil services exam. My second optional was Geography, and I need to study that subject too. Someone suggested I should get admission into Masters in Geography, Osmania University as it was my one of the optional subjects too. And by being on the campus, I could prepare well.

As I need to prepare for the entrance exam, I started going to the State Central Library at Afzal Gunj. It is a beautiful library on the banks of Musi River. Its edifice with two story steps was often shot for court scene in the movies. It had a reading room for competitive exams, where all the books were available. I am also used to visit this library during my graduation. It had a good collection of books. With about one month's preparation going every day there, I appeared for the entrance exam. I got admission into the M.Sc. Geography at the Osmania University. It was difficult to get admission as anyone who has done graduation could do M.Sc. Geography. Mostly the students who are preparing for the competitive exams with Geography as an option used to appear for this entrance. Like me, many of them have already completed one post graduation or the other already joined as my classmates. I have joined the B-Hostel too so that, I would get more time for preparation.

Soon, I started appearing for the classes in the university and also preparing for the competitive exam. In the first year, both M.Sc. Geography and M.A Geography students had classes together. I started going to the RC Reddy coaching centre at Ashoknagar Cross Roads for the General Studies paper. This was about four kilometres from the University Campus.

Mr. Ramachandra Reddy was highly knowledgeable; he was an expert on public administration. Listening to him was so great especially his talks on the Constitution of India. All the subjects were interesting, as they were teaching mostly the fundamentals or basics so well that, it appeared I am going to school again. Being an average student during school days, this gave me another opportunity to learn again. There used to be at least 100 students in each classroom. The noise from the traffic on the busy road and smells of food from the hotel below did not bother anyone.

I appeared the civil services preliminary exam with geography as one of the subjects. I got good marks and qualified and started preparing for the mains. I could not fare well in the mains as I was going for knowledge rather the strategy of getting marks.

I got to know Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy, then he was Professor at Political Science Department, Osmania University. It was in the year 1993, that is soon after getting admitted into the Master of Science course in the Geography Department. Once there were no classes going on. Someone told about him, being the neighbouring department, I have gone to see him. He was sitting along with other Professors in a hall. After introductions, he started sharing about the environmental issues and his initiatives to mitigate the problems. I liked him, once invited him to give a lecture to all my classmates. It was a great lecture on the environmental challenges, not only me all my colleagues liked it.

I used to interact with him, whenever time permitted. He introduced me to two books - the first one ' **Silent Spring '** by **Rachel Carson** it documented the adverse effects on the environment of the indiscriminate use of pesticides. T **he second book he gave me to read on** 31st December 1994, that is 'One Straw Revolution' by Masanobu Fukuoka. It was on natural farming and sustainable agriculture and his lifetime experiments. I liked them so much.

I was preparing myself for the geography, and I was well in all the subjects. One Professor Vital Reddy senior geography professor said that you don't require attending the class as you already know everything. This was a compliment and his greatness to acknowledge me. One of our Professors was teaching Agriculture Geography and I knew, it was correct as he was teaching from old references and textbooks. After the class, I went to the staff room and explained him. During another class in the second year, I was discussing with another professor during the class on the subject of urban geography. Some of my classmates did not like, I went to the Professor and told him, I am not going to attend the classes again and would not cause disturbance to the students. This was in the second year of my Post graduation. I almost did not attend any of the classes, except the practical's. My routine was going by bus to the coaching centre and study till midnight. I used to go out for tea at the makeshift tea shop opposite the B-Hostel. Sometimes, I used to request them to bring tea for me and serve in the room. My roommates Mr. Murali and Mr. Rajendra Prasad were very cooperative and never bothered even when I used to keep the lights on for studying till late night.

There used to be many friends coming to my room. I used to teach them and also study. Some of them used to come from outside the campus too. Mr. Surya Prakash Bheri, Mr. Narayan Reddy, Mr. Sridhar, Mr. Balaji, etc. I wrote a quote and kept in the window, "The More you Give the More You Receive".

I used to write some of the important points on flash cards and go on for long walks in the campus reading them. Sometimes used to climb the rooftop of the hostel and study.

Now I appeared for the preliminary exam second time. This time, I got good marks. My answer paper became the key for many to calculate their scores. I scored 114 out of 120 marks in Geography. Everyone was expecting that I would get qualified for the Mains too. As my second year completed, I need to vacate the hostel. Instead of returning home, I started staying with friends Mr. Chandrapal and Mr. Chakri by taking a room at Ramanthapur, next to Public School lane. My home was less than a kilometre from here.

Although I started preparing for the civil services exam, I started becoming sensitive. We were on the top floor of the house. In the next portion, there was a family - a mother and a young girl of 10 years old. They were mysterious, the mother was bedridden and the girl used to rarely come out for collecting the water downstairs. I could not get how come one could live in isolation and suffering. Somehow, I got sensitive to this situation, and one-day tears started rolling over my cheeks. After a month, as my friend Mr. Chandrapal was insisting on moving to another place, we searched and took a room at Mettuguda. This area had Anglo-Indian's. The landlady was a good person. This house had spacious rooms. I took a small room for my studies. Mr. Chakri was a good cook. We had lots of time for studies. In the next house, there were German shepherd dogs. They were breeding and selling the puppies too. Sometimes the owner used to beat the dogs if they fought or barked in the night. The cries of the dogs were unbearable. One night between him and his wife there was a fight, he started beating her just like the dogs with a belt. Her cries and the dogs barking were so sensitive for me. I could not sleep properly on that night.

I was not feeling like studying for the exams anymore. Became very sensitive. Used to read many books especially for knowledge but not from exam point of view. Apart from the Geography, Geology, General Knowledge, I read passionately works of Swamy Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

In that situation once, I went on to meet a very senior Swamy (pontiff) of Ramakrishna Matt, Tank Bund, Hyderabad. I used to keep a beard and had lots of grey hair already. They thought I am interested in joining the Math or Organisation and said that there is no vacancy as such to take in. Then one good advice came that is "do what you love". On that day I liked that statement, although it is simple. It means freedom. I started thinking a lot about this advice. It opened up a lot of options for me. So I started thinking is this the only way of finding the right choice of what one should be doing in life. It cleared many doubts and confusion about career, future and current thoughts of getting into a permanent government job to serve the world. For about 15 days, I started thinking a lot.

At that time, I was living with my friends, Mr. Chandrapal and Mr. Chakri to prepare for the civil services exam. I have qualified for the prelims with excellent marks, and everyone was expecting that I would do well in the Main exam too. All my friends and well wishers encouraged me a lot.

But my mind was occupied with other things. I used to go on long walks in Mettuguda, Railway Colony area.

Things were also not so great at home, my younger sister needs to get married, and my father was struggling to arrange money. He had plans to take voluntary retirement from his service. In this situation, I met, Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy, I shared about my situation and said that I would like to work on environment and developmental issues and give up the idea of writing the civil services exam. He was surprised but got convinced and encouraged my decision.

I declared to my father on 1 November 1995, that I will not strive for the regular government jobs like civil services nor group one, declared that I would work on environmental and development issues. My father was annoyed and highly disappointed. He tried to explain and convince me, but that was my declaration. Already, it took some time for me to contemplate on this decision and declare. I thought it is my responsibility to share with my parents; this declaration gave me lots of freedom and happiness.

Having known me and my understanding of the subject, my Geography Professor. Prof. K. Vittal Reddy asked me to teach at the civil services Institute. This institute was started at the Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy Hotel, Abids. He gave me a chance to teach in 1995 itself after I appeared for the civil services exam. It happened that some of my classmates in Geography enrolled in the same coaching institute and I did not teach that year as it would be difficult to teach own classmates. After giving up the civil services, I started teaching from 1996 to 1998. I used to take classes on Physical Geography. There were students from all disciplines. My classes used to last for up to 3 hours. Prof. K. Vittal Reddy used to come and advice me to give breaks. I used to say, as they are listening I am teaching. My students used to request me to appear for the exam, I used to tell them that, I have already declared and would not appear. There was demand from other coaching centres too for teaching. For me initially, it was good teaching. Later on, it became routine and I gave up teaching. Preparation for the civil services improved my knowledge and understanding on various things such as Political science and constitution, current affairs, general knowledge, history, culture and environment, and in-depth knowledge of my two options, Geography and Geology. The whole process has also made me sensitive, human and increased my determination to strive for the communities. 

# 100

# Falling in the manhole

It was in year 2013, Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy the founder of Chetana organisation offered me a consultancy for WaterAid project. Through this project, they were creating awareness on the quality of water in the slums of Hyderabad. In May 2009, 14 people in Bholakpur area, Hyderabad died after consuming polluted water. The municipality supplied this water through regular pipe connection. Such incidents happened due to the mixing of sewage water with the drinking water. The situation in many slum areas and other low-income residential areas is same. The threat is more during the summer and rainy season every year.

I liked this task as it would give me an opportunity to visit slums where the poor people lived and contribute to their awareness of the quality of water. I visited at least a dozen slums.

I once visited Rasoolpura, a big slum close to the old Airport, near Begumpet. The roads are a maze and very narrow. One should be familiar to get in and get out of this area. I have visited several houses and checked how they are collecting and storing water. Seen the water collecting pits. People make pits, as they get more water due increased potential energy. Mostly the pipes do not have taps so sometimes the excess water leaked or collected in the pits, flows back in the pipes. It is responsible for contamination of the water.

I along with volunteers and staff of Chetana, used to go and meet people and enquire about the water quantity and quality being supplied and their hardships in some areas.

Roads are very narrow, and the drainage system runs in the middle of the road. Manholes are placed on this drainage system at every 30 to 50 meters distance, which is used for cleaning them. Many manholes are also the drainage leakage points, or sometimes water comes out as springs, due to blockage in the downstream. The manhole lids are removed for various reasons. If they are made up of wrought iron, some people steal them and sell it. Therefore, nowadays, the manholes are made up of thick concrete blocks. They are removed if there is any blockage or during the rainy season to let the excess flood water to pass through. We have several incidents in Hyderabad, where some people have fallen in them and lost their life or got seriously injured.

On this particular day, a meeting was organised with the women in one particular area of Rasoolpura. I was going to the community hall. As usual, I was more curious to observe the people and various aspects of the slum area. I had a very bad habit of testing things while walking. I step on the manhole lids also to test if they are strong.

Sometimes I had embarrassing experiences because of curiosity to test everything. While walking, I stepped on a manhole where something was lying over it. I was not so mindful on that day, as I also needed to give a live interview on a TV show, on the water quality in Hyderabad. When I stepped with my left leg over it, it suddenly went in. It bruised against the sides of the manhole and went it. I could not understand what is happening. The staff who were following me came to my rescue. My left leg got stuck, I realized that there was a used pillow, someone placed over the manhole, and it went along with my leg inside. The pillow obstructed me from pulling out my leg. My right leg was on the ground and the left leg don't know where!. I got out and saw there was blood oozing where I got hurt, and my leg and trouser was completely dark with drainage sludge. Never imagined that one day I would also fall in a manhole. Its not wrong when people say curiosity killed the cat! Usually, in the comedy scenes, it is shown, someone falls inattentively and we all laugh. So, I also laughed inside, in spite of the pain. A lady from nearby house saw all this, she brought a container full of water and poured over me. I pulled down my pant legs, and I didn't want to examine further the damage of the accident.

Went to the meeting with wet pant and created awareness on the water quality. Then I left to the TV studio (TV9 Telugu) for the live interview on water quality, with enriched live experience. Returned home and just slept. Went to the hospital in the evening and only then I saw that some part of my bone was also visible. It took about two months to get cured. This incident taught me that while one is working on serious issues, there is a chance of great comedy too. Always watch and walk, and don't test everything.

# 101

# Kamatipura, Mumbai

The Social Activities Integration (SAI), is an NGO in Byculla, Mumbai. Mr. Vinay Vasta invited me to study the use of biomass stoves in Mumbai slums. Also requested me to design an efficient biomass stove for them. SAI NGO is focused on livelihoods, health, and rehabilitation of the sex workers.

One day at around 11:00 a.m. we all went to the Kamatipura area, one of the main Red Light areas in Mumbai. It appeared like a slightly well off slum. On the way, saw many shops and workshops of various kinds.

As we entered the Kamatipura Area, I saw a woman coming in the opposite direction and said 'Namaste Bhaiya' (greetings, brother) to Mr. Vinay Vasta and quickly went into her house. After a few minutes she came, dressed up decently. She told that she was not properly dressed and that was the reason for her to disappear and came back to meet him. Although professionally they are the prostitutes, they wanted to live like any other with dignity.

We went to another lady's house who was in her late 40's. She has come from Bidar many years back. Settled in Kamatipura and she is into prostitution. It was a small room with two chairs and a bed. I saw that, in a corner, a wooden bracket shelf is there with small size idols and pictures of many Hindu Gods and Goddess. There was an oil lamp lit and burning incense sticks and flowers offered to the gods. Their belief in the Gods and spirituality is no less than any other ordinary person. She offered us tea, cool drinks, and a few biscuits. Although we insisted not to worry serving anything anything, but she insisted that we should not leave without having something in her house. I could see her as a compassionate human being with lots of love. Life is a mix of contrasts. By night it's a den for prostitution and now it appears like any other home. Her son of about ten years old has just arrived from the school for lunch. She started taking care of him like any other mother.

In the same street, I saw another young girl of around 18 years old sitting on a portable bed (Kaat) outside her house. She was completely immersed in observing a small chick in her hands. She was playing with it. She was not distracted by our presence. I became very sensitive and felt that she is the chick trapped in the hands of wicked men.

A mobile ambulance used as a mobile clinic of SAI NGO followed us. There was one doctor and support staff in the ambulance. The doctor took blood samples and checked some of the women for HIV/AIDS with an instant HIV testing kit. Also gave medicines to some of them for the common ailments and suggested them to take nutritious food for keeping good health.

I also visited SAI Ashram (a rehabilitation center) being planned in the Bhiwandi district in the Northern part of Mumbai. It is a shelter for destitute women sex workers and some of them with AIDS. I came here to advise the SAI NGO on the initiatives to be taken up for addressing the livelihoods of the women who would soon start living here. This place has very beautiful surroundings with the green hills. There were several tribal villages nearby.

On the way observed that the grass in the hilly areas was being burnt. Also in many places traditionally people burnt the crop residue. There was a need to educate and create awareness among the local people on not to burn biomass openly. Planned a micro- enterprise initiative with the inmates of the Ashram and the local community, for biochar (charcoal) production from the otherwise burnt biomass. This biochar would be used in the preparation of Biochar compost. The biochar can be utilized for plant nurseries too. The bio-intensive vegetable gardens could be initiated for meeting the vegetable needs of the SAI Ashram too.

There was a stream with water source from a spring. The groundwater potential in the SAI ashram was good. Mumbai is known for ornamental fishes marketing. There was an excellent potential for raising ornamental fishes and sale with the involvement of the inmates of the Ashram. I identified three varieties of ornamental fishes in the stream passing by the proposed site of the Ashram. As they are adaptable, the same fishes could be raised in numbers for sale as ornamental fish. The women working on the breeding of the ornamental fishes would be happy as they get connected to the beautiful other life.

The SAI team was found highly motivated and committed. The work of SAI is inspiring and their work could significantly improve livelihoods security of these poor and vulnerable women.

While in Mumbai, I was given accommodation at The Salvation Army hostel, at Byculla, Mumbai. It is a place where blind people were staying. I was completely absorbed by seeing how these people were sensitive even without vision. When I was walking in the corridor, they understood from the sound of my steps that I am a new inmate. They asked me who am I. It was a great experience to listen to their soulful, beautiful songs sung by them in the evenings. Some of them played musical instruments too.

I saw an old lady was sleeping on the footpath near the Salvation Army hostel. I felt empathetic about her living condition. I enquired about her; someone said that she has a duplex makeshift tiny house on the footpath, which she has given for rent to two families. And she survives on the rent and alms. It did not matter for her sleeping on the footpath, as she has spent all her life like that and many more are leading similar life.

I also interacted with the ex-sex workers, presently volunteering and working as staff with the SAI NGO. They were the human beings with all the sensitivity. They have the experience of exploitation and victims of the unfair desires of the normal folk around us. It made me more sensitive and increased my empathy for the exploited people. Through this task, I could get to see many worlds and layers of the dense Mumbai city.

# 102

# Confession

One-day Professor K. Purushotham Reddy, asked me to come for a meeting with Mr. Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi, the former Chief Justice of India (1994-97). He has come from Delhi on some personal work. It was the house of a person selling exotic Attars (scents). He is doing good business. Often meets celebrities to sell the scents, so has a large collection of photographs of him with the celebrities.

We all were waiting in a Nawabi style hall. Mr. Ahmadi has arrived, after introductions we shared about the environmental activities that we had been doing. It was evening time and the mood was very light and jovial. We were offered tea. Mr. Ahmadi refused to take tea with sugar. He told that he had been traveling a lot in the past and in the hotels they always kept fresh fruits so he consumed them a lot, probably that lead to diabetes in him. So advised not to consume because they are accessible or available, but one should have control on one's food habits.

He is a gentleman, so I wanted to ask one of the fundamental questions about committing sin and punishment.

In those days in the year 2011, the Indian anti-corruption movement started by Social Activist, Mr. Anna Hazare was in full swing. There were a series of demonstrations and protests across India intended to establish strong legislation and enforcement against perceived endemic political corruption. At that time, I saw three people in Tihar Jail for three reasons. Three Members of Parliament -one for taking bribe, another for giving bribe, and Mr. Anna Hazare for protesting against bribes. It means a person could be in Jail for any reason, right or wrong, in this country .

I was watching the media everyday and was also feeling how honest I am. So, I asked Mr. Ahmadi that I wanted to go to jail too for some of the reasons such as I have paid bribe to the police for getting my passport verification (a routine for no reason they take some money having visited the residence for verification). For getting the prior permission to get funding from a foreign donor for a project again I have paid bribe to the officer. Paid admission fees for joining my children in the school, where I did not get any receipt. For getting permission for our house paid money to the town planning officer, etc. All these acts also amount to sin. And I don't want to go to hell for these sins and want to get punishment here itself. Because the jails and punishment is far better than the punishment given in hell. Perhaps being a Hindu, I will obviously go to the hell of Hindus. There, I learnt that for every sin there is a particular punishment, such as burning in fire; hanging upside over fire; beating; burning in oil; piercing the body through a huge stick from bottom to the head, etc. Those punishments are far worse and severe. Although I tried taking holy dips in the rivers on the auspicious days, still not sure, if my ' _Paapam_ ' (sin) is washed away and would get the ' _Punyam_ ' (good deed).

VIPs who committed financial crimes are given a separate room with television, news papers, mobile phones etc. They could also play badminton in the evenings, etc. They are given free food, security and medical attention as part of punishment. Some people also study and complete their higher education without any hindrance in the jails. They get plenty of time to read and meditate. Some people also write books too. So getting punished in the jails in this world and now is sometimes not a great punishment. The jails are a burden on the tax payer.

Mr. Ahmadi said, okay you have confessed before everyone, so there is no need for you to go to jail. I said even in the courts people confess before everyone, but they are sent to the jails. Sometimes the judges asking a culprit to take oath that I will tell only "Truth" on holy books, even the characters in the book could be sent by the judge as per the law of the land. Every judge is a human being and not 100% honest human being. Finally Mr. Ahmadi said that you need to go to a police station for and First Information Report (FIR), most likely the police who makes FIR, may ask you bribe for the FIR. This is an unending loop of sin. Therefore, ending the conversation I said that I got it. Each person need to be as honest as possible in life. Unknowingly if one does something wrong, there is an excuse, but for each person the feeling of guilt is itself the ultimate punishment here and now. Guiltiness is for human people not for heartless people.

Some people are very honest and strict on small issues and issues with small stakes. But if the gains are high they would become corrupt shamelessly. True, many are honest and impeccable because the opportunities and temptations are not great enough to make them yield. I also saw how some persons great virtues surrender to mean monetary gains.

In 1995 I happened to discuss with Mr. V. R. Reddy, a great man not so much popular because of humbleness, founder of Deccan Development Society regarding corruption and how bad it is. He said okay 'you are less corrupt.' I started thinking for next two days, how come he could say I am also corrupt. I was thinking I am the most honest person till that day.

Being in a polluted environment as one also gets the impact of pollution. Being in a corrupt world one also gets corrupted directly or indirectly. Therefore I got the fact that there are degrees of corruption. If everyone has to go to jail for every small act of corruption or wrong, the jails are not enough. Persons who judge are not 100% honest too. Like a police person catching a thief, themselves need not be an honest and clean person. The world is only looking at the extremes and trying to prevent by punishing a few as an example. The guiltiness of a person is coming down as they are thinking that many are also doing similar things. Means of unclean acts are never thought as part of education, but how come people over a period in their life learn the trade of being corrupt.

I asked a fundamental question to Mr. Ahmadi, if he has come across any case where someone has come to the court for divorce, because their life partner is corrupt. He said he has never come across such an incident.

Regarding getting corrupt, say if someone has offered tea, one would have it, but would never ask if this tea was made from honest income. By drinking such a tea would some one also share the corruption. This is also pertinent to the religions with customs and traditions of making offerings to the Gods by people. If a corrupt person has made an offering in the form of money or other things, does "God" also would be corrupted. By offering such money how could they seek favours.

Corruption manifests in different forms. People might call it differently but corruption essentially comprises : a) Taking or giving money for an unjust favour; b) Taking money for being an authority although the work done is honest; c) Having bad thoughts about someone or something; d) Not doing the duties correctly; e) Exploitation of resources; f) Causing direct or indirect negative impacts through an action; g) Not paying the right price while taking a service or goods like purchasing vegetables from a farmer at a low price; h) selling goods or services at a higher price like hoarding ; i) Escalating or devaluation of shares through hype created; and j) Making offering to gods or goddesses for forgiving unethical acts or sins.

There is also life possible without shortcuts and life without corruption. All that is needed is honesty, patience and trust in the truth that what you sow you reap.

# 103

# Leaders in Politics

At a young age, I got in contact with the politicians or political leaders. While doing the Ph. D research work, I was got in contact with Mr. Marri Shashidhar Reddy, Member of the Legislative Assembly. He had done his higher education in the United States of America. He was a learned politician and had many skills. He was tech savvy and used laptop and mobile phone with ease. He was introduced to me by Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy.

Mr. Shashidhar Reddy started an organisation called, Forum for Utilisation of Godavari Waters (FUGW), to create awareness and consensus among the subject experts, politicians, farmers on the utilisation of Godavari waters. About 500 TMC or the equivalent of the water utilised in the Krishna Water was just flowing into the Bay of Bengal without utilisation. Parts of Telangana face severe droughts frequently and there is migration of people for livelihoods. Thereby utilisation of the Godavari water, could develop agriculture and dependent livelihoods and improve the economy of the state. I liked the cause. I started participating and coordinated the meetings of FUGW along with Mr. Shashidhar Reddy and Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy, with the representation of all the political parties for deliberations and consensus. Also conducted technical committee meetings with the chief engineers and engineers in irrigation. Also organised meetings in the districts with the farmers and local leaders on this issue in parts Godavari river basin in Telangana. I coordinated all the planning and correspondence for all these meetings including brochures, pamphlets. In the process, I learnt how to conduct and organise meetings, seminars, conferences, etc. I also knew how people spoke on the subject with their hidden intentions. Development dialogue is sweet poetry with lots of rhetoric because there is some bias among people. I could meet and see many political leaders including late Mr. P. V. Narasimha Rao former Prime Minister of India. I appreciate Mr. Marri Shashidhar Reddy's discipline and meticulous planning in implementation of an event.

Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy was instrumental in introducing me to several political leaders. He made me one of the Intellectual committee members in designing the Manifesto for the General Assembly elections for Congress Party (INC) of the Andhra Pradesh State for . two periods (2004 and 2009), I participated and shared my views on development and the issues to be considered in the Manifesto. The points were well appreciated and some of them were incorporated in the manifesto. Both the times Congress Party won the elections with absolute majority. Dr. Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy was the Chief Minister.

Once Dr. Vamshi Chand Reddy organised an event of demonstration and lecture on stoves in Gandhi Bhavan, Head Quarters of Congress Party. He was leader of Youth Congress. It was surprising that all the youth congress leaders attended and have listened to me with enthusiasm. Mr. Keshav Rao, head of the Congress Party also visited and gave a lecture on the importance of stoves. I liked the interest of these leaders on common issues like stoves so important in lives of the poor and for environment for everyone at the macro level. One may not see same enthusiasm from these elders because there is something which pulls them back at implementation level.

Recently, I got an opportunity to give lecture for the first Chief Minister of Telangana state Mr. K. Chandrashekar Rao, his Ministers and all the elected representatives from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). He organised a training camp of 3 days at Nagarjuna Sagar. Dr. K. Tirupathaiah invited me to share on environmental issues. The training was well organised, many of the elected representatives were newly elected. Mr. K. C. Rao insisted that no mobile phone should be switched on. All of them are great orators as they have come from public life. It was great seeing them listening with pin drop silence. Because of the leadership of Mr. K. C. Rao this could happen. We were given about 3 hours to speak. I have taken about 45 minutes for speaking about the Environmental challenges and the way forward. They liked my way of explaining things. Mr. Rao and others appreciated my lecture.

Politicians mainly spend time with the people of their constituency during elections. Otherwise they are not so much connected, except with a group of people who want to get their things done. Over a period a political leader fails to understand the ground realities. Being very much local or restricted to few areas in their respective state they also not understand the relative developmental activities happening else where. Mostly politicians not adequately educated even though they might have some formal degrees, but only few understand the ground reality. To sensitise there is a need to take politicians to different parts of India and abroad for exposure and improving their understanding about the development indicators and other challenges. Before completing their tenure they should travel every year covering all parts in their respective constituencies.

Once, I was insisting that the politicians should also have a course on initiation. They should sleep one night on the foot path like thousands of helpless people in each constituency or in a slum or in a poor people's house. A leader is one who is sensitive, empathetic, responsive and a catalyst for change.
