Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tomatoes for thought - La Tomatino
Some things to ponder about -
Population of spain
- 2010 estimate 46,030,109[1] (27th)
- Density 93/km2 (106th)
231/sq mi
Population of India
- 2011 census 1,210,193,422[8] (2nd)
- Density 365.5/km2 (31st)
946.6/sq mi
Anything we do be it Holi or Tomatino we need to be aware that the resources we use are going to be limited. What some others possibly can afford - probably we can't.
Why are we having the festival? Somebody can make money - will they be buying the tomatoes from farmers at a fair price or will it be another profit making venture where costs will be cut at any cost? :)
Will they organize this event responsibly?
What happens after the event to the tomatoes - composted or wasted?
Point to those against the ban favoring democracy (are we really? Is it not a money making venture end of the day? Might as well sell dope/sex legally? Why is burning currency illegal?)
Point to those requesting for a ban - please retain this energy when Holi comes around and million other things that lead to wastage! :)
The trouble is it becomes a nice money making venture we will have more of it as it we don't have enuf of such things already - ganesha festival for example.
The trouble is it becomes a nice money making venture we will have more of it as it we don't have enuf of such things already - ganesha festival for example.
What is my take - no take - might as well do something more fruitful! And yes I will stay away from any such 'celebration'! :))
PS: I do celebrate Holi moving to natural colors slowly and using the same pair of clothes or those that are torn out - trying to reduce the amount of water used but yes it is scary (rather scarier) that it has a scale much larger than La Tomatino and nobody will notice loss of water like loss of food - water being a more important resource!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Creating an ecosystem - making NGOs self reliant
In the many years of volunteering with several NGOs we realized one thing that is most important to an NGO is their funding and effective use of the same. One children's home in particular comes to mind - Indira Gandhi International Academy - a nice write up about the place can be found here. When we visited the place long back it had several problems. The kids managed most of the things on their own. We used to get distress calls about funds every now and then. The Bright Society hardly managed the place well. If they got funding all of it was used in making food - a complete sink. Old clothes and toy collection drives helped them now and then. The problem nobody could support them for long as it is a life long process.
What could be done?
Generate Income
There are several ways NGOs make their own income. A lot of them are into creating craft items and make a decent amount of money through the sale. The children could be trained in some of the crafts which will be good learning and the products if made well will have a good value. A friend trained kids at an orphanage in making ganesha idols and it later was attempted to help them make money via terracota products. Focus needs to be shifted from raising funds to generating income!
Cut Costs
One of the biggest problems in most such places is efficient use of resources. A lot of the NGOs I know don't have a dearth of space (as they might be remotely located). If it is a residential place like the IHAI children's home this place could be used to grow their own food. The kids not very bright at studies could be trained in such initiatives as terrace gardening or home garden - growing their own food - new methods like hydroponics could be tested though that is debatable. This would at least bring down part of the costs. Fuel/lighting are other ongoing expenses which where alternatives could be looked like solar power. A lot of corporates would rather fund something which will sustain than a months ration.
It was probably a tradition to donate cows in the past and something that can be looked at for a place like this. The cows takes care of the dairy product needs to some extent. Again if the kids are trained a lot of the kitchen waste generated can be fed to the cows. The part that can be fed (cooked food) can be composted to create good manure to be used for the terrace/home garden.
Cow urine can be used to make panchagavyam or sold as is for a price that is higher than that of milk. The training of kids in this area can serve as vocational training probably more useful than a lot of the conventional education which a lot of children may not have the aptitude for. If there is funding (more likely for such a cause) a biogas plant can be setup to cut the costs of fuel in the kitchen which is significant (if solar cooker is not feasible that is). If not bio digester there is alwasy the option of vermi composting which has an increasing market today or can be consumed in their own garden.
Going a step ahead we can setup a complete liquid waste management from the toilets and kitchen. This would generate income once the project is stable.
Water requirements if currently paid for can be curtailed to some extent by storing the rain water. Minimally recharging of ground water is important. The space that the NGO has could be put to very good use.
Planting trees has become a cliched initiative for most corporates. But if you club it up with planting fruit bearing trees and such for a NGO might just interest them. There is an animal shelter Krupa in Kengeri which has 300 acres of space. The funding for animal care is often limited and their expense is mostly the care takers. Most of the above methods could be put in place for the same. With tree plantation the care takers can make some income for themselves. At a place like IHAI if the kids are trained - could be supplementary stuff for them to eat or sale of the same can help raise funds. Taking care of trees is an effort that needs to be put in place of course - the advantages several as a much needed pleasant side effect -
|
→ | Approximately 300 trees can counter balance the amount of pollution 1 person produces in life time.
|
| → | A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. So two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four.
|
| → | One tree removes about 1 ton of CO2 per year.
|
| → | One person causes about 10 tons of carbon dioxide to be emitted a year.Planting 10 trees per person will remove each person's carbon debt for the year. |
Info from - http://saytrees.org/
Making the org as self sufficient as can be with these efforts is far fetched as some of these require funding/resources but the way things are going Corporate CSRs are interested in doing something different and interesting. These are just some of the methods in creating an ecosystem. If we create one successful prototype - others can follow suit.
We are trying some experiments at Krupa Animal Shelter & Sri Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind (SRMAB). Both the places have some cows. The expenes of LPG cyclinders at SRMAB is around 36K per month. This can be reduced significantly with a biogas plant setup for the 18 odd cows they have. Currently all the gobar is just lying there losing the methane to the atmosphere!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
No more in the side lanes
The following was the original draft with hyperlinks in place for an article in the Hindu - http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article2126075.ece (A copy towards the end)
Spoilt for choice, are we?
The Bangalore Bikers Calendar is always bustling with activity. Just this weekend we had a Bangalore Bikers Championship race on Rajankunte road with a good turn out where other cities struggle to get bikers come out on a Sunday morning. Another group that organizes cycling tours, Cycling and More, is just back from their ride Green Aisle 2. They organized a second one due to the many registrations and now they need to organize a third which will be in July. Yet another such group, Tandem Trails, has opened their registrations for The Great Malnad Challenge - 800+ kms. Last but not the least, 4th Edition of the most coveted cycling event, Tour oF Nilgiris (TfN), has been announced and is already overbooked. The tour will take 100 bikers across 1000 kms of very beautiful and challenging terrain in the hills of the South. Hardly a weekend goes by when you don't have bikers blazing trails.
It's different!
Things have changed drastically from what it used to be a few years back. One had to probably wait 2-3 months before (s)he got a bike of choice. Today one can go into any of the dozen stores and in all possibility find a good bike with the right size. There are several players in the market and the prizes of high end bikes have come down significantly. Mr. Rakesh Shah, owner of RR International Bikes, told that the sales of Roadstar which was one of the highest selling bike in the 90s has gone down significantly in the last few years but since the advent of high end bikes the business has been flourishing. A lot of people who can commute to work are now considering using these cool bikes to go to work. We have conducted over 50 workshops in various corporates, colleges and apartments to encourage biking to work and otherwise. The traffic and pollution are more a threat for people on motor bikes comes as a surprise to many. The various tours have helped mitigate the myths surrounding biking as well. The many renting options help also since people can now try bikes before the make hefty investments.
Seriously???
Biking is also becoming a serious sport with the many Bicycling Championships and the Bangalore Brevets. There are several racing teams competing in these events and with the Brevets many riders are testing their grit and determination to the fullest. I remember a post, when I was new to group, discouraging newbies to try very long distances without training and now some 120 odd riders go to Nandi as if it were a picnic on a month end long ride. Stats from the brevets - a distance of 200 kms was covered by 100+ riders under 15 hours, around 40+ people did 300 kms in under 20 hours, 30+ did 400 kms and 20+ riders did a 600 km ride in under 40 hours. If your jaws haven't dropped yet there is soon going to be a 1000 km brevet. Even as I write this, a serious rider, Samim Rizvi is cycling 3000 miles (4800 kms) across America in The Race Across America(RAAM) in about a week - Hey Raam! It won't be a surprise if we had a Race Across India very soon.
About me
I have been cycling for as long as I can remember. Started with a BSA champ in 2nd grade and dreamed of buying cool bikes and cycling everywhere when I grew up. Now I am living that dream. I worked with RideACycle Foundation(RACF) on a 3 month sabbatical and that's where I got into evangelizing biking. Been part of most of the workshops conducted to encourage biking and love the growing numbers of the bums on the saddles - we plan to work in a more organized way to increase the same with the Wheels of Change program. Always loved this quote -
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
These numbers give a high but nothing beats the kick you get when you beat your own limits. My favorite ride was from Manali to Leh last year covering 420 kilometers - we had a blast. A more rigorous test was the Tour oF Nilgiris (TfN) with 800+ kms covered in 7 days. Hoping to do the MTB Himachal this year.
When one hears Bangalore most people think of the many parks and gardens some possibly think "Oh the IT capital" but few know that Bangalore is one of the most happening cities when it comes to biking. A community that had a mere 150 members in May 2008, the Bangalore Bikers Club today has nearly 2800 members with upwards of 6000 discussions. I have watched this community grow 20 fold in 3 years since I joined it and this can be attributed to the efforts of various biking initiatives like Bums On The Saddle(BOTS), RideACycle Foundation(RACF), Go Green Initiator(GGI), etc and increased access to better bikes.
Spoilt for choice, are we?
The Bangalore Bikers Calendar is always bustling with activity. Just this weekend we had a Bangalore Bikers Championship race on Rajankunte road with a good turn out where other cities struggle to get bikers come out on a Sunday morning. Another group that organizes cycling tours, Cycling and More, is just back from their ride Green Aisle 2. They organized a second one due to the many registrations and now they need to organize a third which will be in July. Yet another such group, Tandem Trails, has opened their registrations for The Great Malnad Challenge - 800+ kms. Last but not the least, 4th Edition of the most coveted cycling event, Tour oF Nilgiris (TfN), has been announced and is already overbooked. The tour will take 100 bikers across 1000 kms of very beautiful and challenging terrain in the hills of the South. Hardly a weekend goes by when you don't have bikers blazing trails.
It's different!
Things have changed drastically from what it used to be a few years back. One had to probably wait 2-3 months before (s)he got a bike of choice. Today one can go into any of the dozen stores and in all possibility find a good bike with the right size. There are several players in the market and the prizes of high end bikes have come down significantly. Mr. Rakesh Shah, owner of RR International Bikes, told that the sales of Roadstar which was one of the highest selling bike in the 90s has gone down significantly in the last few years but since the advent of high end bikes the business has been flourishing. A lot of people who can commute to work are now considering using these cool bikes to go to work. We have conducted over 50 workshops in various corporates, colleges and apartments to encourage biking to work and otherwise. The traffic and pollution are more a threat for people on motor bikes comes as a surprise to many. The various tours have helped mitigate the myths surrounding biking as well. The many renting options help also since people can now try bikes before the make hefty investments.
Seriously???
Biking is also becoming a serious sport with the many Bicycling Championships and the Bangalore Brevets. There are several racing teams competing in these events and with the Brevets many riders are testing their grit and determination to the fullest. I remember a post, when I was new to group, discouraging newbies to try very long distances without training and now some 120 odd riders go to Nandi as if it were a picnic on a month end long ride. Stats from the brevets - a distance of 200 kms was covered by 100+ riders under 15 hours, around 40+ people did 300 kms in under 20 hours, 30+ did 400 kms and 20+ riders did a 600 km ride in under 40 hours. If your jaws haven't dropped yet there is soon going to be a 1000 km brevet. Even as I write this, a serious rider, Samim Rizvi is cycling 3000 miles (4800 kms) across America in The Race Across America(RAAM) in about a week - Hey Raam! It won't be a surprise if we had a Race Across India very soon.
About me
I have been cycling for as long as I can remember. Started with a BSA champ in 2nd grade and dreamed of buying cool bikes and cycling everywhere when I grew up. Now I am living that dream. I worked with RideACycle Foundation(RACF) on a 3 month sabbatical and that's where I got into evangelizing biking. Been part of most of the workshops conducted to encourage biking and love the growing numbers of the bums on the saddles - we plan to work in a more organized way to increase the same with the Wheels of Change program. Always loved this quote -
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
These numbers give a high but nothing beats the kick you get when you beat your own limits. My favorite ride was from Manali to Leh last year covering 420 kilometers - we had a blast. A more rigorous test was the Tour oF Nilgiris (TfN) with 800+ kms covered in 7 days. Hoping to do the MTB Himachal this year.
---
The article in Hindu -
No more in the side lanes
Special ArrangementMayank Rungta sporting his favourite gear
The Bangalore bikers' calendar is chock-a-block with activities
When one says ‘Bangalore' most of us think parks, gardens and possibly ‘IT capital'. But few know that Bangalore is one of the most happening cities for biking. A community that had a mere 150 members in May 2008, the Bangalore Bikers' Club today has nearly 2,800 members with upwards of 6,000 discussions.
I have watched this community grow 20-fold in three years since I joined it, and this can be attributed to the efforts of various biking initiatives like Bums On The Saddle(BOTS), RideACycle Foundation(RACF), Go Green Initiator(GGI) among others, and increased access to better bikes.
SPOILT FOR CHOICE
The Bangalore bikers' calendar is always bustling with activity and hardly a weekend goes by when you don't have bikers blazing trails.
Just this weekend, we had a Bangalore Bikers' Championship race on Rajankunte Road with a good turnout.
This, when other cities struggle to get bikers to venture out on a Sunday morning. Another group that organises cycling tours, Cycling and More, is just back from their ride — Green Aisle 2.
Yet another group, Tandem Trails, has opened registrations for The Great Malnad Challenge – 800 plus km.
Last but not the least, the 4th edition of the most coveted cycling event, Tour of Nilgiris (TfN), has been announced and is already overbooked.
The tour will take 100 bikers across 1000 km of very beautiful and challenging terrain in the hills of the south.
Things have changed monumentally over the last few years. Earlier, one had to wait two or three months before (s)he got a bike of choice. Today, you can go into any of the dozen stores and find a good bike of the right size. Better still, the prices of high-end bikes have come down significantly. A lot of people who can commute to work are now considering hopping on to these cool bikes. We have conducted over 50 workshops in various corporates, colleges and apartments to encourage biking to work and otherwise.
Biking is also becoming a serious sport with the many bicycling championships and the Bangalore Brevets. There are several racing teams competing in these events and with the Brevets, many riders are testing their grit and determination to the fullest.
Even as I right this, a serious rider, Samim Rizvi, is cycling 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across America in The Race Across America (RAAM). Hey Ram! It won't be a surprise if we had a Race Across India very soon.
(Mayank Rungta is an avid biker and works with RideACycle Foundation and is a self-professed evangelist for ‘Bums On The Saddle'.)
Keywords: Bangalore Bikers' Club
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Mumbai Marathon - what kept me going?
I found a lot of things help when running the Half Marathon @ Mumbai - there was real peppy music at different places and that helped (esp the punjabi beats and drums), when the elite runners passed by u want to run faster (at least run if u r walking), then arbit people giving away stuff like biscuits and bananas, I took water from one lady (which was not bottled for a change! :)), had a chat with this 66 year old gentleman who has done many marathons, another 68 year old completed in 2 hrs 50 mins with a heart condition, inspiration all around!!! I hope to be able to run when I am their age if I am still around! :)
But what got me going was this one boy with Cerebral Palsy (I think) who was struggling to do 5 meters on the other side of the road, his mom helping him - 'everybody' around was cheering him - gave me goose pimples - I was almost walking with my knee hurting badly - immediatley started sprinting and probably the fastest bit in the day - ran all of the remaining 500 meters - the toughest! Such was the influence of that boy - I am glad I went all the way to Mumbai for this run! :)
I tried running with these slip ons from adiddas with not a very thick sole (qualifies as barefoot running I think) and my feet are really sore. My right knee was completely worn out. I need to fix my technique. Hoping to improve in future. Managed to complete the run in 2h 34m 5s around (by timing chip). If I do another HM decently this year will run FM next year! :)
I was to raise funds for this org called Touching Lives (http://ngopost.org/story/touching-lives-mumbai-marathon) but I was not sure of making it to the run till the nth hour. If you wish to support please ping. I love their recent work on micro credit and bachat khata. Their work with kids has been commendable! :)
38,400 (confirmed by a friend who was part of organizing team) people were out there to run/walk whatever distance. I am hoping the others can do their bit of walking/running/cycling also! :)) Can't emphasize enough on the importance of good health and well being. Just do it! :)
PS: Missed haivng a camera. Lotsa stuff to capture but can't carry a DSLR. Will invest in a good point and shoot sometime.
But what got me going was this one boy with Cerebral Palsy (I think) who was struggling to do 5 meters on the other side of the road, his mom helping him - 'everybody' around was cheering him - gave me goose pimples - I was almost walking with my knee hurting badly - immediatley started sprinting and probably the fastest bit in the day - ran all of the remaining 500 meters - the toughest! Such was the influence of that boy - I am glad I went all the way to Mumbai for this run! :)
I tried running with these slip ons from adiddas with not a very thick sole (qualifies as barefoot running I think) and my feet are really sore. My right knee was completely worn out. I need to fix my technique. Hoping to improve in future. Managed to complete the run in 2h 34m 5s around (by timing chip). If I do another HM decently this year will run FM next year! :)
I was to raise funds for this org called Touching Lives (http://ngopost.org/story/touching-lives-mumbai-marathon) but I was not sure of making it to the run till the nth hour. If you wish to support please ping. I love their recent work on micro credit and bachat khata. Their work with kids has been commendable! :)
38,400 (confirmed by a friend who was part of organizing team) people were out there to run/walk whatever distance. I am hoping the others can do their bit of walking/running/cycling also! :)) Can't emphasize enough on the importance of good health and well being. Just do it! :)
PS: Missed haivng a camera. Lotsa stuff to capture but can't carry a DSLR. Will invest in a good point and shoot sometime.
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