If a river is the highway of life, cultures and commerce then the Brahmaputra is beyond par in this respect. With the effortlessness of a patriarch, a unique family of man gathers at his side, worships at his feet and accepts his rule with resignation tinged with respect.
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Category: Environment
Back To The Roots
On World Environment Day, I woke up to the smell of burning plastic. It was most probably coming from the garbage dump outside the boundary wall of our building, though I was too diffident to go look. It is not meant to be there, that dump but it grows unmonitored, unchecked everyday. Spilling over the road, claiming space meant […]
Stories from Kashmir: Alive and Floating
Imagine this. You are floating. Like a dreamy cloud in the starry sky. Like a leaf in a cool pool. Like almond slivers on a hot cup of kahwa. Like a lingering kiss on a cheek. You are still, but it is a moving experience. Staying in a houseboat feels just like that. It’s one […]
Stories from Kashmir: Weeping Willows
“So what did you get from Kashmir? Pashmeena shawls, saffron, carpets, walnut wood articles?” asked an inquisitive neighbor. “Er…cricket bats,” I replied. She responded with a huge pause. And then I put the receiver away from my ears. “Cricket bats! Who on earth gets cricket bats from Kashmir? Why on earth will one get a […]
Engage With Rain
It is an accepted paradigm that most cities in India will face a water shortage and that managing sanitation will be a huge challenge. Institutions are taking action albeit slowly. Large scale infrastructure projects are rolling out. Water lines, sewage lines and treatment plants are all coming up. However this will not be sufficient. In […]
The Way We Were…
A couple of years after I moved to Mumbai, a Bangalore friend of mine asked me if I missed living in Bangalore. I told him I did. He waited for me to add something to that response. After a while, he asked me whether I would consider moving back to Bangalore. I told him I […]
A Well For The Earth
On the occasion of World Earth Day, we bring you excerpts from the writings of Vishwanath Srikanthaiah who is at the helm of the water-conservation movement in Karnataka. In his own words, ” I am part of the Rainwater Club and we work on preliminary rainwater harvesting, that is, to collect rain when it falls anywhere and to put […]
The Rights of Mother Earth
She is sacred, fertile and the source of life that feeds and cares for all living beings in her womb. She is in permanent balance, harmony and communication with the cosmos.