Garbage Garbage

Chennai city has never looked dirtier than what it is now. After the Government takeover of the corporation, one can find garbage dumped all over the streets. Places that had never been garbage dumps before are being used as spots to dump litter.
The garbage collection guys don't come any more. Dustbins remain overturned or overflowing.
The shame of the city is in full view.
Anyway, heard that a private firm has taken it up on piecemeal basis. Let's see how they fare.

Meanwhile, check out these stories of hope and experiments on this site on solving the garbage problem.

Vandalur Zoo

After atleast a year of planning, we finally went to Vandalur Zoo on Saturday. Though we were dithering because of the expected crowd during the 4 days of Pongal. And plus Dadda didn't want to walk- err he might have aswell seen discovery channel at home if one doesn't want to walk.
This time I had used my sure sort stragety- Ramban- err, Ram's arrow- telling the kids Dadda is taking them to the zoo- so obviously they wouldn't rest for the entire long weekend until we actually took them to the zoo.
We reached the zoo at around 3-ish and thankfully there was a good cloud cover- so atleast for an hour we had a cool-ish walk. There were buggies that could be taken and they stop at strategic locations and then honk like hell to call you back, but then they are for the faint hearted who cannot do a 2 hour plus walk. I admit I was feeling a bit faint towards the end and and went on asking the kids if they were also tired. However, my little darlings braved on and had they said yes they are tired, I wouldn't have been of any help either.
We also did not do the lion safari as it is not really sure that you may spot a lion in the wild.
So the first stop was at the duck pond.- My family and other animals below... And then the langur monkeys and a huge chimpanzee who refused to come within camera range

The peacocks

Silver peacock

A very curious hornbill

A pair of majestic grey eagle and many colorful crested parrot like birds

And then there were deers, sambhar, bison, Ass, an otter even and assorted others whom we crossed in a haste to reach

The main attraction- lioness

and Lion

The tiger pair far inside

Here, take a closer look- this was the "hand wash" tiger as the kids put it- it was cleaning itself like crazy

And there he is again- pacing the far end of the enclosure

The white tiger pacingthe wall and roaring at intervals

Bears Jaguars .....and

Leopard- labelled as Panther- kids went on insisting that it was leopard and I guess they are right

Many many types of crocodiles, giant lizard type of reptile, turtles, tortoise, a giant squirrel, jackal, and snakes- cobra, python, green chameleonand assorted other snakes

A family of hippos with their vast behinds towards other

A herd of elephants in assorted sizes

A very cute faced pygmy hippo

A pair of giraffes

Zebras that were hardly visible

Lion tailed/ faced monkeys, an aquarium where we did not venture and a butterfly park that we did not care to look for and ostriches. There, I guess we have covered it all.

The zoo is closed on tuesdays and the entry fee is nominal. Value for money definitely. The lions and other large animals get into the cage at 5 pm so it is good to finish well before that. There is a children's park right in the beginning and a few refreshment stalls where you get cold drinks, kulfi, hot drinks, snacks etc.

Carry your own water. Lots of people carry a picnic inside. Eatables with plastic cover not allowed.

H2O

I am rushing in to give my entry for the Blogathon 2 announced by Tulika a while ago- I know I am late but please excuse- I was travelling...
Water stories from around the world is a book I am quite excited about. The subject of water and water conservation being close to my heart, I would love to take my kids through it.
The first few thoughts on water conservation was planted way back by my Dad in my mind- he would always say- paani barbaad mat karo- paani milta nahin hai.- Don't waste water, water is scarce
Frankly, that's what got me thinking- we lived in a place where water supply was rationed - once or twice a day. And therefore we would fill buckets/ drums of water and keep it well covered for using throughout the day.
My parents were very particular about water recycling.
Whether it meant collecting the waste water after clothes were washed and using them for the toilets or using water after the first rinse of the vessels/ rice/ veggies/ soaked gram for watering the plants.
Growing up, I have inculcated that habit of conserving water.
We do not own water- our children own it. Therefore I would make every effort in conserving it. And more than that, it is important that children also undertsand the importance of not wasting water.
So I tell them to empty their water bottle into the potted plants or close the taps tight when not in use- little things that go a long way because it was the little things that registered in my head a long time ago.
On one hand is conservation and on the other hand is fun
Water can also be fun- A hot summer morning, I sent the kids out in the garden in their chaddies and made the gardener hose them down while he was watering the plants!!
Swimming is another fun aspect that my kids enjoy and so this is my little prayer to the God of water...
Let there be enough water to drink and play forever - let no one be deprived of the joys of water!

Urgent Reminder - For Your Action

Save Fuel Campaigns are running full scale on National TV & Petrol Bunks and Traffic Signals.

And as a tree hugger I hereby give some "gas" on the issue...

Saving Vehicle Fuel

1. Drive only if you must. Walk or Cycle if you have to go to the neighbourhood store. If you need to cover many stores in a single location, park the car and walk to all of them. It is good for health too!

2. Drive fuel efficient cars within the city

3. Car pool if you can. Saves money too and ensures lesser cars on the road. If you are a corporate- try to provide office transport

4. Limit visits to the petrol bunk- fill when you are nearly empty and do a full tank. You save time and the extra distance you need to travel wherever applicable. Ok I correct this line- Thanks Sue for pointing out - it's better to not go below half tank is what most of them say - check out this discussion

5. Plan your route in advance

6. Drive at constant speed, avoid sudden brakes, remove the foot off the clutch, drive in the gear appropriate for your speed - 40 is the suggested speed for maximising fuel efficiency

7. Switch off at signals if you have to stop for more than 30 seconds. and start only when the 3rd/ 4th car ahead of you start moving.

8. Keep the tyres pumped up. Infact there are many other technical points to watch out for - you can find them here in a nice presentation format.

9. The car is not your additional wardrobe space- do not overload your vehicle with junk.

10 Service the car

Saving Cooking Gas

1. Cover cook as much as possible.

2. Pressure Cooking is faster and thereby saves both time and fuel- After one whistle, cook on lowest flame.

3. Small burners are for small vessels- Don't plonk them on the large burners.

4. Reduce the flame while stirring, adding spices etc or when boling starts. Apart from saving fuel and preventing burning of the dish, it also prevents your hands from feeling the heat of the flames

5. Use shallow, wide, lighter pans and kadahis made of metal wherever possible- they heat up faster, cover the entire flame on which they sit and cook faster- metal being cood conductor of heat gets hot faster than traditional terracotta pots

6. Adjust the size of your vessel depending upon the quantity of the food you are cooking.

7. Soaking lentils/rice etc before cooking ensures faster cooking.

8. Clean burners are more fuel efficient

9. Assemble all raw materials before lighting the gas

10. Cooking a large portion that is good enough for 2 meals also saves fuel, time and effort

11. Avoid adding too much water- most veggies give out their own water while cooking. especially for non veggie stuff I don't add water at all as the meat lets out water that is sufficient for cooking either in a pressure cooker or in a kadahi.

12. Clean vessels- minus the coating also save fuel

13. Little things like planning the entire family's meal to be done at a single time saves fuel- avoids multiple reheating / gas lighting

14. Allow frozen food to reach room temperature before cooking. Infact if I have to reheat food I leave it outside while I am cooking other stuff so that the temperature comes down and when we are ready to eat, then only I heat the food

15. Cook with separators or do sametime cooking- boiling eggs & potato together for egg curry, or Chicken and rice cooked together for chicken fried rice, (make sure you account for the chicken stock that will be released while cooking), the masala base cooked together for 2 different preparations and then divided at a later stage.

16. Keep (ginger garlic) pastes, ground masala handy so you are not slicing/ pounding them at the time of cooking

17. I spend some time every day in deciding the exact sequence of cooking I am going to do- popcorn before daal in the same cooker, using the same hot non stick tawa sequentially for dosa, parathas, bread toasting, omelette - the maid is happier too!

Winter is Cool but Summer is Nice too

I love Chennai winters. It's cool without being brrrr cold requiring layers and layers of woolens, there is a nice nip in the air and the kitchens are not sweaty at all. The kids (and their father) can play during the mid morning hours without feeling the heat of the sun (and at the same time be out of my hair)! Except for the dust, it also feels good to drive with the windows rolled down.
Part of the reason we had our wedding held in Chennai was because the December weather would be a welcome escape to people travelling from the North.
Well, starting yesterday, I have begun to switch on the A/C at night, the kids are sweaty all over everytime they do a little running race and I do not even want to talk about the kitchen. Yet I refuse to acknowledge that winter is over so soon.
Except for the fact that I can also do one thing that I like about summer.
I can leave office while the soft rays of the setting sun are reflecting on the cars and reach home while it is still enevin (evening in Ojas Tejas speak)- which means the kids are happy as their only complaint during winter is-
Mamma tum enevin mein ghar aao, night mein nahin aao (Mamma, you come home during the evening not at night)

Life Finds a Way

Said the cute Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park.
I say maybe a little nudge in the right direction from humans help too!
There are only 1411 numbers of our beloved stripey left and concerned citizens are collectively roaring.
We are talking of ways to lead the change.
But the buck must stop somewhere (no animal puns intended here) which is why 13 nations have come together to work on saving the tiger.

So How was my question. Will just talking and writing and sms-ing about it help? Yes it definitely makes all of us aware and sit up and think, which is why for starters I did an intensive google search to see what are the actual steps apart from awareness building that could be taken to save our tiger.

So what do I gather from my Internet tryst?

1. For Starters- Understand- understand what it does to the ecosystem when the tiger becomes extinct- Tigers are at the top of the food chain (among other carnivores offcourse) and humans are the only threat to them. Tiger eats grazing animals and grazing animals eat vegetation. To cut a long story short- Tigers go extinct, so grazing animal population increases and they eat up the forest which in turn affects the human population. Therefore a healthy tiger population means a healthy forest / landscape.
2. Accountability- who is accountable to protect the tigers- the government? forest department?- I found an old article which talks of privatising forests to save the tiger- involve locals, allow them to benefit out of the forest earnings, make forest reserves and wild life tourism a viable investment option for corporates.
3. Fund Generation- Ecotourism places a value on the natural habitat of tigers which makes us stand up and protect it. Given a little peace, protection and space the tiger population should theoretically spring back to a healthy number.
4. Discourage Poaching by legalising- If Tigers were Chicken would they have survived?- An out of the box idea suggests we farm tigers to commerciaize their body parts legally and at a fair price, we could succeed in discouraging poaching. There are arguments that counter this but well, it was worth a thought! Anything to save this guy! China seems to agree as demand means opportunity rather than a threat.
5. Support - donate or visit accredited zoos who have a tiger conservation program on the cards like Corbett in India - We visited Corbett in 2002 and probably we were the last of the few people who actually followed a tigress. We were taken through a presentation which indicated the scary and steady decline of the various varieties of the big cat. Alas!

Go through the links, read up, think about the views. And maybe next time you take a holiday, do a wildlife tour, won't you?

E-cycling News on Recycling

Afterlife for Empty water bottles- shove those bottles uner the carpet

Responsible Recycling- You pay to get labour intensive, hard to recycle stuff, recycled

EnergyCalculator- so what are the stakes of your device

Why Recycle

• Good For Our Economy -companies rely on recycling programs to provide the raw materials they need to make new products.
• Creates Jobs
• Reduces Waste
• Good For The Environment -Recycling requires far less energy, uses fewer natural resources, and keeps waste from piling up in landfills.
• Saves Energy -Recycling offers significant energy savings over manufacturing with virgin materials.
• Preserves Landfill Space -No one wants to live next door to a landfill. Recycling preserves existing landfill space.
• Prevents Global Warming
• Reduces Water Pollution -Making goods from recycled materials generates far less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials.
• Protects Wildlife -Using recycled materials reduces the need to damage forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.
• Creates New Demand -Recycling and buying recycled products creates demand for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our economy.

Recycling Facts
• Recycling a ton of paper saves 17 trees, two barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for six months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space and 60 pounds of air pollution.
• Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild their entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months.
• Recycling creates six times as many jobs as landfilling.
• Recycling glass instead of making it from silica sand reduces mining waste by 70 percent, water use by 50 percent and air pollution by 20 percent.
• Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV for three hours.
• The energy saved each year by steel recycling is equal to the electrical power used by 18 million homes each year
• If every U.S. household replaced just one roll of 1,000-sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100 percent recycled ones, it could save 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space and 155 million gallons of water.
Sources: Eco-Cycle, Environmental Defense Fund, Colorado Recycles, Steel Recycling Institute, Seventh Generation Co.

Simple Stuff You can Do to Make a Start

• Ebills- say no to paper bills
• Online transfers
• Re-Using 1 side used paper- taking notes, printing, converting to tiny notepads- use it for must writes like recipe notes, shopping lists, grocer bill track etc
• Printing on both sides
• Not printing at all
• Using a white board on your office wall / desk / calendar for short term notes instead of paper
• chalk & slate/ magnetic board for kids instead of paper and pencil for general doodling
• Recycling packing foam/ cartons
• Using bottles/ beakers/ cracked vase as planters- they look overtly pretty too
• Using large calendars for lining cupboards
• Converting old cotton dresses to kitchen napkins/ wipes

Chidiya Chidiya Udti Jaaye- 500th Post

खुशी के गीत sunaati जाए...
दस choti chidiyaa khaati थी अनाज
एक udd के chalee गयी
baaki bachay नौ...
And so on we used to sing the backward counting game. And in my imagination these birds who would fly and sing and eat grains would be sparrows as those were the birds I had grown up seeing.
Unfortunately these birds are no longer so common.
I am afraid my kids would grow up without experiencing the joys of watching a pair of sparrows- the one with the dark patch on the chest being the male and the lighter brown one the female, making their nest out of twigs, leaves, cotton and thread.
Sturdy nests that would be built inside our homes on precarious spots every summer on ventilators, behind light bulbs, inside empty cartons, lofts and even on the fans making it difficult for us to switch on the fans and neccesiating the sad destruction of those nests before they got a chance to complete them.
We siblings would even attempt in helping with the construction- climbing up chairs and stools to place twigs that would fall off near their nests but those would be rudely pushed off by the suspicious birds.
And not to forget the constant chirping. Every morning the Dad bird would tap the windows frantically to be let in and the Mamma bird would "pace" inside the house chirping loudly to wake us up and allow the partner in. Wonder why hey didn't sleep inside the nest together!
We would leave all windows open inspite of the summer heat just to allow them their passage all day.
The summers use to be alive with anticipation. And also filled with dread. We would be ultra-careful before switching on the fans as we had experienced birds cut by the fan- some of them inrescuable and some of them were nursed back to health by Mom using our ever available homeopathy medicine Arnica.
The sparrows would never re-occupy the same nest next year- what a waste of perfectly usable homes and construction material.
I have removed used nests of perfect shapes - triangles- taking the shape of carton corners and well- nest like also- using dry twigs and padded with soft cotton.
The joys of watching the mamma bird hatch the eggs vigilantly and Daddy bird getting food and out of habit picking more twigs some times.
And then the eggs would hatch out and the tiny chirps would fill the entire house- for their size, they have a voice box that would carry throughout the house.
Mamma and Dad would go in search of grain and feed the hungry, wide open beaks the entire day.
We would again attempt to climb and leave rice at their nest-step and those would be thrown back literally on our faces- they really do not accept alms.
The Mamma bird would be especially bold though after becoming a Mom. She would at times brave into the kitchen and hop on the floor to pick up grains.
And then the training for flying would start. What an organised effort from the Dad & Mom. They would chirp encouragingly and the little birdies would try their best - sometime found lodged between the window grills and picked up by us- soft, cuddly, cute balls of fur, so delicate..
And one fine day the birds would fly the nests and the parents would circle their haunt for a day or so and leave...

Why Only Us?

Come a Calamity from the (Un) human kind- we fail..
We fail to defend ourselves...
Be it a large scale well executed one or a so called minor badly planned one.
Where is strategy?
Why the repeat attacks?
Why are we targets?
Where are those who go on hunger strikes for inter state issues, intra state issues or even world issues?
It's not about blasts in a city like Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore. It is about all of us. Everything ploughs back to the country in effect.
We can fight for every thing except critical emergencies.
Come a natural calamity...
We are yet again unprepared.
Continuous rains... (that's the dustbin that floated to the middle of the road)

Cities waterlogged... People wading through the water- these are our main roads in posh coloniesPoor visibility for motorists...this is at 5.00 pm Vanishing Pavements...And Contrasting Signals -While one road is dry the other side is waterlogged Trees fallenA median broken down at various points to allow water flowWater that does not soak in inspite of supposed rain water harvesting...
Water invading homes, farms and our prawn farm... And that's the Raj Bhawan- what an equalizer todayEconomic losses...
No electricity...
No water supply...

It's happening to people whom we know or who have touched our lives in some way or another.
Our heritage sites are targetted...and we can only talk about it.

We can't get the basics right....

So what are we really talented at?

Oh Wait! Is that the dark clouds leaving and white clouds struggling to defeat it?

Taking Pleasures for Granted

Last Sunday I noticed a family of 5 on a bike- 3 kids & 2 adults. I responded with my usual reaction- how foolish. Why take such a risk.
Why actually?
1. They do not have the money for public transport & they would rather risk their lives and take their own transport.
2. Hassles of Mass transport system- overcrowded, cannot get a seat, alighting points not convenient.
3. They just do not imagine it is so risky - rather the adage- tragedy happens to others.
4. Saving that extra rupee- if everytime the family needs to go out, and they take a public transport- it is a huge drain on their finances.

Overloaded buses, almost tilted to one side due to the more than extra weight on the door side is a common sight. Mostly during college/ school hours or office time. In their desperate attempt to save every extra rupee and every little minute to reach their destination on time, they risk their lives everyday by travelling on the footboard and beyond.
I have a big one with these helmet wearers also. They only believe that the rider needs this protection and not the pillion rider. As it is I find bikes unsafe because staying on seat depends on your hands- the moment your hands leave the handlebar- you have a close to 100% risk of falling off.

Made me think how we take life's little pleasures for granted. Today I cannot imagine a life without a car or rather more than a single car per family. It is not my right to judge the above set of people because there was a day when I was travelling these crowded buses & vans & share autos so that I could reach office on time. So that I could save a 100 bucks of auto fare.

There was a time when I did not mind eating a quick breakfast a the cheap hotels. Today, even a Sangeeta hotel is not too good for me because the last time I went there, I found a hair on the table. Considering that I was pregnant at that time, it is excusable that I found it revolting and vowed never to eat there again.
I solemnly promise, I will never take that coffee day cake, sandwich & frappe for granted. Atleast for the bomb they charge they are giving me a clean place to relax.

I have lived in a place where there is frequent loadshedding expecially during the day to divert the power to the factories. We have lived through power cuts during summer taking our chairs outside in the garden or the terrace and enjoying a moonlight chat / antakshari and a lovely breeze if lucky. We studied by candlelight and slept with the little breeze that came in via the window or used a hand fan.
Today even a few seconds of power cut is enough to make us grumble and start calling the Electricity Board for quick service. I have spend 3 hours straight one night just fanning my sons through the power cut because I knew if they wake up, the troubles are multifold. So it is easier to fan them while they sleep.
Makes me appreciate the joy of air conditioning & continuous supply of electricity in offices.

Same with water- every drop is precious to me also because only here I have experienced 24 hour water supply. Water was rationed to one or sometimes 2 supplies during the day in our town. That is why I scream everytime I see a leaking tap or find that the maid has opened the tap in nearly full blast. It is so precious that I am scared to enjoy it.

Infrastructure, convenience, hygiene factors- one can never be satisfied- the bar moves everytime we feel we have reached it. But that is also in a way a name for progress!
The point of this post is to appreciate these little pleasures thrown my way- a clean toilet, greenery, on time delivery of mail/ on-time landing of flight, safety, security in my apartment complex, long distance calls on the mobile...

An Hour on Earth on Earth Hour

March 29th we switched off all lights (except the fridge, as hubby pointed out). We drove to the beach and spend a good hour and more, wondering how much of the beach can be saved and for how long. With the callous, indifferent and uncaring attitude of most of the residents. I don't know how much difference we can make by this gesture but it is a matter of being sportive for your earth. Probably a sneaked up loadshedding would have helped. We would have grumbled but managed for an hour. We would have come out of our homes and chatted with other residents and complained and gone back to our homes when the hour was up. The TV channels should have stopped transmission. Radio Mirchi was campaigning for it, News channels flashed the pleas but atleast in my complex inspite of my mailer, nobody was concerned, and we live so close to the beach. My hubby said we are the only ones who have gone dark. As if I was to blame for it.
Probably in some way I was. I could have taken a stronger stand. I could have requested the secretary to take a firm step and shut off the mains. No one would have been any wiser. By hook or crook we would have participated. In our own ways, we do make efforts in our apartment to save power. We shut of alternate lamp posts after 8 pm every night. We do not switch on all lights on the corridors. We have energy saving lamps so therefore we have a set of conscientous people. So we could have participated. Why be forced to do so when you can on your own accord, though? K got his boys in office to switch off the non-essentials during the hour. He also has energy saving hours/ days priodically in his office.
Anyway, we went to the crowded beach dressed in our Saturday best. The kids enjoyd jumping off from the seating area.
My stupid question to hubby- why do the pushcarts selling icecream and the raw mango/ channa etc park themselves together at regular intrvals down the beach. My stupid guesses - either they want to socialize or they want to create mini one stop pitstops at regular intervals or they want to stay close to each other so that incase one feels that they have eaten too spicy stuff, they can neutralise it with icecream.
We then celebratd by driving down ECR and dining at the Delhi Dhabha- part of the triad of restaurants- Asia Garden that serves Thai, Malaysian, Chinese etc, Malgudi and Delhi Dhabha all part of the Savera group, who also owns the Kabab court on the same road.
I had been given my farewell lunch at this place in 2006. The place is much developed now. The parking lot is well organised and the place looks inviting.
There is the customery well at the entry point. A garden walk leads us to Malgudi on the left and Delhi Dhaba on the right and the Asia Garden is on the 1st floor at the entrance.
Astrologers seat on the left- with a parrot and a tiny rabbit and another palmist. We missed the potter who is there during the afternoon. There was a portrait artist who does it for Rs 49 in 20 minutes. Since he was leaving by 10.30 pm and had time to do only one, we did not do it at all. There is an ancient style bare swing and Mom and babies had a good time on that. On the right, there is a fish pond and the kids were fascinated by the coloured fish. The pond is visible from Delhi Dhabha and they spend a good time with their noses pressed to the glass from the inside and jostling their way with a couple of kids in the restaurant.
There is a horse cart without the horse and a tiny lotus pond with a bell, a pond which you may risk falling into, it is so small and hardly distinguishable from the lawn grass. There are pushcarts at various points that serve as service points and a visible kitchen.
A garden party was on and the bamboo framed sofa size seats made the whole setting look very inviting. A huge screen was relaying something I don't recall and the whole atmosphere was very comforting and homely. There are cottages made of mud each labelled Uttar, Dakshin, Madhya, Purab, Paschim. Only Uttar is occupied with ethnic wear from Sanskruti-this is a Kutch home-office outfit from somewhere in North Chennai and very visible in all exhibitions. She has good dress material but the readymades are not too great. Very oversized (like the owner) and disproportionate- atleast the M & L sizes. There is an Auroville type store also.
The Delhi Dhaba interiors are based on the movies theme with lot of contemporary movie posters and chair backs adorning portraits of the stars.
We had butter chicken, tandoori, rotis & biriyani. The portions were small albeit tasty. We had gulabjamuns which were too soft and almost like a gulabjamun halwa in sugar syrup. The food could have been better - the expectations were raised but I was sort of disappointed - the taste was not addictive, I want to go there again for the sake of the concept but not for the taste. And moreover I did not feel bursting to the seams after eating inspite of 1.5 naan/ paratha which is usually more than sufficient for me.
We watched Race yesterday- again sort of hyped expectations, but falling abruptly flat in the end. I ended up feeling a little cheated, wanting for more, as if I did not get the entire paisa vasool- like a Jab we met or a Guru...everything was very formula-ish and fast paced as if the director is in a great rush to finish the movie. But it did keep me interested and it was the blink and you miss the links in the story kinds. Some of the songs were danceable numbers- the kids danced to them giving their seal of approval and cried for more. Anil Kapoor's double meaning cheap dialogues were totally tasteless and unnecessary. Katrina looked stylish but dumb and I don't know why Bipasha cannot put some realistic expression on her face. She can do great - I liked her during the reality shows but her diction is poor and expressions are incongruous in movies. The beard suited Saif- for the role he was playing and between him and Akshay, I was not sure on whose side I was in the movie. It is timepass movie but you won't miss anything if you don't see it.
This morning K gave Tejas a hair cut in his sleep. We didn't have the energy to get it done in the salon. He screamed so much last time that the passerbyes from the street peeped in to watch!
Have stacked up a few Danielle Steels- trashy but since they are a long read it is good in the toilet.
I have grand plans of buying the entire Archer/ Sidney series for my collection in the near future. I would love to rediscover the stories because I am sure I have forgotten how they progressed.

Save the Environment- Best of Waste

I did one on saving our precious water and I did one on diapers Now this one is another one on going green, recycling and maximizing usage.
1. Ditch those plastic carry bags. Get your own shopping bag. Most stores have the habit of putting different categories of items into different bags- sometimes one ends up with a separate bag for Bread alone. Return that extra bag. Some stores give large carry bag for a small item. Ask them for a smaller one. And when you can stuff that purchase into your handbag, refuse the carry bag all together.
2. Re use the carton packing of sweets, cake etc- use it to pack your lunch and save the usage of water for washing your lunch box for that day. Use the shirt carton for storing bangles, medicines or letters. Use the shoe box for storing the shoe polishes. I always send the empty packages to the packaging department to reuse it for the next courier.
3. Switch off the computer screen when not at the desk. Set the power saver mode on the laptop for shorter durations. It could be a good idea to let the laptop discharge and charge it again rather than plugging it in everyday. Good for the battery and good for the environment. Switch off appliances from the main switch when not in use.
4. Reduce use of paper- avoid taking print outs & photo copies when not needed. I have a colleague who has the annoying habit of leaving photo copies of newspaper articles in an envelope on our desks. We could have circulated the original article among ourselves.
5. Maximise the usage of paper- every bit of space in every scrap of paper should be used before discarding. If possible, use it further for packing your food / soaking the oil off fried food or shred it and use it as packing material in the office. Sell it to the waste fellows who will recycle it. Use the newspapers similarly and you could cover your books with the newspapers or use it as gift wraps- claim it to be your own contribution to saving the environment. Especially the magazine sections or old calendars are great for covering those precious books and lining the cupboards. Kids could use the calendars or old greeting cards for their artwork or for making them into tags for pasting on the gifts or using them as funky invites for their birthday. One just needs to challenge the kids and they will make it into something useful. Punch together the one sided papers and tie with a nice string and make it into a scribbling pad. The secretary in my previous office used to get our binder to bind it into various sizes and believe me; it was much sought after by all. If possible, share the newspaper with your neighbour or read the office newspaper rather than buying. Donate old magazines to a clinic/ parlour waiting room/ library.
6. Reuse terracotta / clay pots / vases as flower pots. Punch a hole at the bottom before using.
7. Wash clothes once or twice a week. Use the most energy efficient washing machine.
8. Get better fuel efficiency by parking in the shade wherever possible, reducing usage of A/C, switching off the ignition if you need to stop beyond 30 seconds, taking less congested route, car pooling, walking instead of taking the vehicle, keeping the tyres well inflated, off-the-clutch driving, reducing usage of brakes (remove foot off the accelerator instead), planning your route in advance, car well serviced.
9. Recycle old clothes- use it as nappies, dusters, mops. Make a carry bag (especially trousers and jeans make funky bags- use the label to make it look hip), cut it into smaller pieces and fill it into cushions, stitch the front and back panel of a shirt at the bottom, button it up, write some funky messages with a marker and put it on a hanger to use it as a wash bag. Socks or vests are very good as surface wipes and for stuffing cushions. I normally ask my tailor to return left over bits from my fabric and use it for making night suit/ home wear for my kids. You could even use it to make a patchwork quilt or apron. Remember to save the buttons and re-use it.

The Nappy Confusion

My take on cloth nappies vs disposable nappies

There is an endless debate between tree huggers and earth lovers and disposable nappy users and manufacturers on the benefits and otherwise of cloth nappies and disposables. Being a self proclaimed tree hugger I campaign for cloth nappies and shorts for kids any day. On a regular basis I use cloth, sometimes the nappy pad, but when I am going out, I swear by the disposables.
Since I use cotton shorts the entire day nowadays and used to use cloth nappies when they were younger, I had the practice of taking them to the washbasin or their potty chair and making them pee very often- as soon as they get up from sleep, before taking bath, before making them sleep, before putting a diaper, sometimes if they wake up in the middle of the night, every 45 minutes- 1 hour during the day, when they are playing. I feel it is comfortable for the baby also to pee comfortably rather than tied in a nappy. Also, after breakfast and after evening snacks I make them sit on the potty for the big job. According to me, when they pass it in their diaper/ nappy they do not do a thorough job.
At night I use the nappy pad so that the wetness does not spread to their clothes or the bed and they stay dry for some part of the night.

In this post, I offer my opinion on the good and the bad side of both kinds

Cloth Nappy

Comfort-Cool cottons / terry cloth used for cloth nappies is good for the skin as long as the baby is not left in the wet nappy for a long time. The frequent changing and may be washing/ wet wiping at every nappy change helps in airing the skin too. A wet nappy is extremely uncomfortable for the baby and the wetness/ poop tends to leak out creating a messy and embarrassing situation. So what if they are babies? They do have their self respect. Since it is changed more often it may be less responsible for rashes or skin infection. Cotton shorts or a cloth diaper is much more comfortable any day.

Convenience- Extremely inconvenient when outside. May need to carry the soiled ones back home in a separate bag or anyway you might throw it away and that adds to the garbage. Cleaning them is a lot of hard work and time taking. And then one has to dry them and fold them back and keep them within easy reach for the day’s use.

Cost- Low or no cost. Many people use old duppattas, saris for making cloth nappies. Best of waste. They are recyclable and can be used atleast for 6 – 8 months. Some people also invest in the washable foam & plastic nappy wraps that holds the cloth nappy and does not allow the wetness to leak out. Some people iron nappies and therefore there is electricity cost added.

Environment- In terms of not creating landfills, this is a good one. But one does waste a lot of water in washing soiled nappies and pumps in a lot of detergents into the earth. Better to invest in energy saving washing machines which uses far lesser water than the standard ones. Eco friendly detergents could be another answer. And offcourse club the washing. Important to train the maid/ child care person in this. And since cloth diaper tends to leak, the bed gets wet and adds to the wash load.

Aesthetics- Low on the aesthetics score. Especially while going out, the look of the dress is spoiled by the cloth diaper. Take a lot of space in the cupboard. Soiled nappies in the bathroom are not a grand sight and neither a good one for the senses.


Diapers

Comfort-The latest ones are getting baby skin friendly. There are diapers with wetness indicators to alert the parents too. The discomfort factor with the wetness in a diaper is less. But the problem comes when the diaper is left overnight or beyond 4-5 hours and one tends to become lax and does not frequently check the diaper for soiling. The baby may be left in the soiled / wet diaper for a long time causing rashes/ skin infection/ fungal infection. And my famous thought- may feel like wearing a sanitary napkin all while.

Convenience- Scores highest on convenience. Use and throw, no need to worry about washing, drying, ironing. Space saving. Tightly packed in the pack it comes in. Does not spoil the chair, does not wet/ spoil the bed. A blessing when you are outside. Easy to carry spares.

Cost- Expensive especially in India. Atleast Rs 10 per piece. Minimum 5 diapers daily if there is no poop done in a newly changed diaper is Rs 50 per day and therefore Rs 1500 per month. One needs to be prepared for the expense. Not affordable to someone below the consuming class/ middle class. The nappy pad costs Rs 5 per piece and tends to be more economical but cannot be conveniently used inside shorts. If one can get the diapers from abroad during their trips, it may cost as less as Rs 8/ I believe Naidu Hall has their own brand of diapers which is Rs 8-9 per piece and available in the T Nagar Branch. Some statistics-

• A baby will use around 5,000 nappies over their nappy-wearing life. That produces a mountain of waste equivalent to 130 black bin-bags full.
• Nearly 8 million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK; that's 3 billion a year.
• More disposable nappies are found in UK household waste than anything else. It is thought the plastics in disposable nappies could take hundreds of years to decompose.
  
  Environment- Bad for the earth. The 8 million nappies that are thrown away each day, contribute to about 4% if the UK's total waste. We are running out of room in landfill sites and as the plastic used in disposable nappies may take up to 500 years to degrade, the impact this 'convenience' product has on the environment is questionable.
  The long term impact of chemicals used in nappy production has not been studied.
  But,
  - Disposable nappies contribute an average 2.4% of household waste which equates to around 0.1% of total landfilled waste. Paper and card contribute 17% to household waste and garden waste contributes a further 15%. Household waste is a fraction of all waste which is landfilled in the UK.
  - Manufacturers have decreased the overall weight of disposable nappies by around 40%. Technology ensures the continued improvement of the overall environmental profile of disposable nappies.
  -Disposable nappies are compatible with all prevalent forms of waste management.\
  Biodegradable diapers may be the answer. And may make the tree huggers happy.
  
  Aesthetics- High on aesthetics score. Does not spoil the look of a good attire.
  
  Training- A baby may get used to passing urine only in the safety and comfort of a diaper. A friend mentioned that a child she knew used to poop only in his diaper and he refused to use the potty for a very long time. Trainer pants are extremely convenient for potty training and for older children when traveling and one does not have access to a clean bathroom- especially for girls.

As parents it is left to us to decide what we wish to use without feeling guilty either way as the impact of both on environment, wallet, convenience, comfort in total is more or less the same. Depends on what is the key to one as parents, is it comfort, convenience, cost, water or landfill.

To me the prime deciding factor is comfort for the baby. I rather leave them in shorts and let them run around comfortably than tie them in either diaper or cloth nappy which they try to remove nowadays. But at night, they may wet themselves or the bed and that is very annoying for them. Therefore I use a nappy pad on the cloth diaper or sometimes the diaper.

WATER IS PRECIOUS…. …SOME TIPS ON CONSERVATION

DO NOT WASTE – BE STINGY, RECYCLE
• Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets. Dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons of water each year. A leaking toilet can waste up to 20,000 litres of water per year
• Check the tanks and outdoor faucets/ pipes periodically for any leakage
• Switch off the motor before the tanks are completely full
• Close taps while brushing, shaving, scrubbing clothes, scouring dishes
• By keeping your shower under 5 minutes, you’ll save up to 4,500 litres a month
• Wash vegetables in a bowl of water not under the tap. Wash the cleanest vegetables first
• Water used for washing rice, vegetables can be used for plants or for flushing toilets
• Water used for bath can be reused for flush
• Encourage school children to pour the left over water from their bottles to plants
• Do not over water the lawn- water towards the evening or when it is less windy so that evaporation loss is minimal
• Use the mineral rich water of fish tank for plants
• Collect rain water in a tub to water plants
• To wash cars use water from a bucket and not a hosepipe – up to 300litre of water can be saved
• Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean sidewalks and driveways
• Run the washing machine on full load / Select water level as per the wash load
• Defrost food in the refrigerator or in the microwave instead of running water
• Cook food in as little as possible. This will also retain more of the nutrients
• Drop tissue in the trash instead of flushing it and save gallons every time
• Install a toilet dam or bottle filled with water in your toilet tank to cut down on the amount of water used for each flush. Be sure these devices do not interfere with operating parts
• Bathe your pets outdoors in an area in need of water
EDUCATE
• Create awareness among your kids/ family members
• Teach maids water conservation
• Get your club to cover the swimming pool to cut evaporation loss by 90 percent.
• If you notice water being wasted anywhere, speak up!!
Become the “Brand Ambassador” for the cause of Water Conservation