A Vision for the Future: Founder of Earth Trust, Vanya Orr
The Nilgiri Hills consists of a heart-shaped region rising almost vertically from the lowlands of the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in Southern India. In order to protect its unique population of plants and animals, it was one of the earliest places in the world to be registered as a World Biosphere Reserve Home. The Nilgiris are also home to indigenous populations of India, including tribes such as the Toda, the Badaga... Read More
Urbanized: A film about the design of cities
Half of the world’s population now lives in cities. By 2050, it is estimated that this ratio will grow to over 75%. Put another way, 3.5 billion people live in cities now. Global population is project to reach 9 billion by 2050. That means that cities will need to the housing and infrastructure to absorb upwards of 2.5 billion people within the next 30 years. It is a staggering thought, and one of the great challenges of our time. An excellent... Read More
Displacing Rural Communities for Delhi’s Drinking Water: Is the Renuka Dam Worth the Cost?
I have a love/hate relationship with the many contrasts in India: the bright green paddy fields next to red tile roofs, the smell of jasmine and fresh food mixed in with the scent of putrid sewage, and the polluted cities juxtaposed with the expansive sky from mountain tops. The narrative of dams (and dams in India especially) is one stark contrast in development. It goes something like this: let’s drown fertile land and forests with a reservoir... Read More
World Record Eggplant Curry Made to Protest Biotechnology Bill in India
As part of a public campaign against the upcoming Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, the largest baigan ka bharta (eggplant curry) was made just a few days ago in Delhi. Chefs from Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi and the Indian Culinary Forum lead the cooking of about 342.5kgs (about 750lbs) of baingan ka bharta, which has been certified as a world record by the Limca Book of Records. “People have a right to say ‘no’ to GM... Read More
Can Indian and U.S. Ingenuity Lead the World to Clean Energy Solutions?
Last week, India and the United States crossed another significant milestone in their efforts to create a clean energy future for their citizens and the rest of the world. Both countries announced an unprecedented funding opportunity for joint, collaborative research in three critical fields: solar energy, second-generation biofuels, and energy efficiency in buildings. Together, India and the U.S. are contributing $50 million across these three fields,... Read More
Chai Chat: Making Change One Conversation at a Time
Photo by Flickr user: travelmeasia Chai, translated literally, means tea. In the West, mainstream consumers have been duped into believing that chai is a kind of tea. One will often hear people ordering their “Grande Chai-Tea-lattes” (or some other nouveau rendition of our simple sweet classic). Many in the West seem to believe that coffee is the all-pervasive force that controls the ability to function and raises us from the dead each morning.... Read More
Accepting Difference: India’s Nomadic Van Gujjar Community
“I can’t stay in one place for a long time, that’s why I work with nomads,” Praveen Kaushal Manto says smiling as he stands, pacing the room, while I sit. Manto reads eight newspapers a day, five in English and three in Hindi. As one of the founders and current director of the Society for Promotion of Himalayan Indigenous Activities (SOPHIA), Manto’s eight newspapers is in stark contrast to the under fifty percent literacy rate of the community... Read More
Ancient Wisdom from the Women Farmers of the Mandakini Valley
The following are two profiles of women farmers from the Mandakini Valley in the Garhwal Himalayas, India. “Everything comes from the earth. We sow one, and thousands come.” - Ganeshi Devi, Bhattwari village Surrounded by her harvest, Ganeshi Devi’s short frame sits comfortably amidst the dal laid out to dry, “the dal is my chair,” she says smiling. Ganeshi Devi’s favorite crop is black dal. After saying this, she immediately bursts into... Read More
Of Gender and Farming: India’s Mandakini Valley
Saroj Devi in the doorway of her home (Photo: Lakshmi Eassey) “What was her village before she was married?” I asked. “kyu? [Why?]” I heard a voice from the kitchen question in return. I thought it was a straightforward question, but I soon learned that it didn’t matter where you were born. What defines a woman more is her husband’s place, or village. This was something my California-Feminist-raised mind couldn’t completely comprehend... Read More
India’s Tehri Dam: Stopping the Flow of Life?
One of many farmers in the region who has been impacted by the rains and landslides. (Photo: Nuno Belchior 2010) “There’s no means to live here anymore,” said Mooni Devi, a 42-year-old farmer in the village of Sau Upu in the Tehri Valley. “What is left here now? What do we eat? They have made us all into beggars. All the good farmland is gone. We just do our work, what else is there for us to do?” Sitting with Mooni Devi, we heard first-hand... Read More
Ode to the Delhi Metro
Commuters waiting for a train. Photo by flickr user varunshiv My fear of Delhi began sometime in the wee hours of the morning a few years ago when I was stuck in a freshly puked-in waiting room near the airport. This fear continued the day I stepped off a plane from the tranquility of Ladakh (a mountainous province in the north) into a mad rush of men offering me a taxi. I cried and retreated back into the airport to regain my composure. But this... Read More
Debunking Development in Rural India
When I arrived at my host family’s house in rural India, I immediately wondered how and why they had a TV and no toilet. I soon realized the intricacies of development and the priorities of families are much more complex than meets the outsiders eye. “The concept that development is money continues to oppress and exploit those without it,” said Sonal Bhatt (“Sonalben”), one of the founders of Lok Mitra, a small NGO in Dhedhuki, a village... Read More
