The group was a diverse one attending a workshop called  ”Where Journalism meets Environment” at Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. The majority were journalists from five South Asian countries, but there were a few of us from other backgrounds, like me from health. We were busy working against a deadline to finish our assignment, but we surely didn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit the polluted “river”.

So we got onto the bus the next day, and after the 90 minute ride on the roads of Delhi, we reached the barrage. On one side we saw fresh clear water and on the other side we saw sewage. Basically, the freshwater was being emptied at this point for use in the city, and the empty river basin was being filled by sewage from the city. A “convenient” arrangement apparently.

Anyway, we then hopped onto a couple of boats which would take us for a half hour ride. And there we were, on untreated sewage from the city. Not as much of an impact as I had expected. The rest of the group too was just sitting around on the boats, and identifying the bird species that were flying around.

This is not the first time I’ve been underwhelmed by visits to “polluted areas” or “toxic hotspots”. I’ve visited sites of industrial pollution, chemical pollution and land fills, and each of these visits were underwhelming compared to what I had expected. And I’ve always thought why. Maybe this is the reason we’re able to get accustomed to pollution easily and don’t take drastic steps to curb it. Do we, as a society, need to feel overwhelmed by something to make that change?

An attack of common cold or fever is so easily recognised by people, but increasing blood sugars or pressures get recognised either at a late stage or when it leads to a sudden loss of consciousness. Is it the same with pollution? Would it always take an acute event to draw attention to this chronic problem?

Reporters have been blamed for only reporting events and not processes. But these visits have shown me why reporters are always writing about events. Sudden occurrences are exciting. The sewage flows today, would flow tomorrow, and even in another year. What is “new” about that?

The only thing that was really exciting about this whole experience was watching all those birds. It was actually quite intense. There were hundreds, if not thousands of birds circling over our boats. It was quite a sight. And I’ve noticed birds wherever there is a lot of organic waste. I had seen a similar sight when I had visited municipal waste landfills. Seeing all those birds together, flying around us in random directions, finally gave us a sense that there was something really wrong with this part of the river.

At one point, some staff members were visibly annoyed by them, and so mosquito-coils were brought in. These are cakes shaped in the form of spirals, burnt at one end, and the smoke released contains a chemical which repels mosquitoes. A few coils were lit and kept under the table near our feet. As expected, the mosquitoes were driven away quite quickly. But soon, there was another problem which seemed to be more annoying, particularly to a colleague sitting next to me. It was the smoke coming out from the coils, which was making its way straight for her face from underneath the table. After 5 minutes, I offered to take that nuisance-maker from near her feet and put it elsewhere, for which she showed great gratitude. Others followed suit and returned the coils to the maintenance staff. The situation, I thought, was quite interesting.

On a parallel note, my sister had arranged for a clay bowl to be fixed outside our house for stray animals to drink water from. This was done a few weeks ago. When I returned from work yesterday, I happened to notice the contents of the bowl more closely before entering the gate. It was teeming with life! Some of it I could identify as mosquito larvae, and some were just plain weird.I asked my sister to come down to show her the secondary results of her intervention. Briefly I discussed the methods she could use to ensure that no larvae would grow there, considering that mosquitoes spreading malaria and dengue would grow in such waters.This could be done without jeopardizing her noble intention of providing water for stray animals.

The weather was delightful and we joined the hiking group right in time at Sevenoaks station. It was a long walk and you would expect a young bloke, such a myself, to feel hungry eventually. The simple picnic lunch would have to wait as there was still time for the lunch break, and so I had to help myself to a banana. When I was done, I needed to get rid of the peel (of course!). Strangely, and out of character, I mentioned my intention to throw the peel into the forest to my friends walking with me, which was when I was met with some opposition.

They were of the opinion that nothing should be left behind. Me being the one who would usually give eco-sensitive advice, the whole situation was bit weird. But I decided to give this some thought. I did have a trash-bag with me to collect any thrash that would be generated during the day but I’ve always felt that fruit and vegetable waste should never go inside a bin, but rather, straight into the garden. My friends argued that if all hikers decided that they would throw their fruit waste into the woods, it would create a nuisance. It seemed like a fair point. But at some level I was still uncomfortable about the idea. A fruit peel would take a few days to decompose. At an average of 50 hikers a day along a 12 mile route, would that really be a problem?

The economy of nature is a fascinating subject. At one level it is unfortunate that we need to understand the balance sheets so that we can rectify our wrongs, while at another level, it adds to the amazement of the symphony that is the biosphere. I did leave the woods without a trace, and the peel sat happily in the trash-bag. I would have to find a recycle point back in the city so that it shouldn’t eventually end up in a landfill.

Interesting points did occur to me about fruit and vegetable waste. It would definitely be wrong if fruit not native to the area be thrown into the forest (with the seeds, that is). The whole chapter on invasive species flashed across my mind. Powerful stories about invasive species which have created havoc in several places in the world. Maybe it was a good idea to leave nothing behind in the woods, the fruit have in any case been grown in plantations and they didn’t belong in the woods.

The hike was for a day, and we left the woods without leaving anything as much as a fruit skin behind. But how deeply we tread on our world all through our lives.

I volunteered to participate in a behavioral research study analysing abilities like concentration, memory and accuracy, with a final minor part about a charity donation (quite unrelated to the former part of the study). The compensation awarded for participation was 10 pounds. I did really well in all the tests and was quite proud of my performance (it doesn’t take much to make me feel happy).

Thirty minutes later, when I was finally done with all the pattern solving, word games and so on, the final page of the study advertised a charity called the Suffolk Wildlife Conservation Society. The advert said that they were raising funds for the conservation of a particular threatened migratory butterfly species by putting in place safe habitats for winter. Details were given about why conservation interventions were needed. I was then asked how much of I would donate from my compensation towards this charity. At that moment, I thought to myself “Are these guys seriously going to take my money away if I answered that I wanted to make a donation? After all this is a study, so I should get my full compensation anyway”. I answered that I was sympathetic to the cause (I really was) and would donate 7.5 pounds towards the charity.  I was prepared to be given just 2.5 pounds for all the time I had spent there. And that is exactly what happened, I was asked to meet the researcher who saw the amount I quoted and gave me 2.5 pounds and a copy of the debrief of the study in a ‘matter of fact’ way.

When I walked away, I thought about the Masala Dosa and Mysore Bonda I just had for lunch which cost me 4 pounds, and I asked myself, “Dude, you’re a student. Are you in a position to be making donations when you think twice to eat a masala dosa after 2 months of abstinence?”. It was then that I thought again about the wonderful conversations that I had with a friend who is doing post-doctoral research at the University at Reading. I had recently been on an excursion to the English countryside with her, and a conversation on pollinators and their role in ecosystems were inevitable. She does research on exactly that topic. Butterflies as you may know are also important pollinators, but she works on bees. She mentioned about the importance of hedgerows and how they had helped in increasing bee populations in many areas, which had in turn improved agricultural productivity.

When I read about the butterflies in the charity advertisement, I knew that I would have to part with my money. It was without doubt a worthwhile cause. When I eventually walked out the lab door, I was left with a lingering feeling of uneasiness. More so because I saw the payslips of other volunteers who had come in for the study, and almost everyone had taken back 10 pounds with them, and it was only I who left with 2.5 pounds (the logic behind the 2.5 pounds is that it would cost me that much for transportation to and from the lab. I, however, walked it). But I was soon at ease again when I read the debrief of the study. While they mentioned that the charity didn’t actually exist, the money I donated would be delivered to a similar real charity in the UK. One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t normally have made a donation during my time here, but this was a special situation. I had to option of just taking less money for the time I gave and that didn’t hurt at all. I think this is the first bit of overt environmental action I had taken since coming here. For what its worth, it was a good feeling.

The walk to my college (which is a good 75 minute walk from hostel!) takes me through Hyde Park through one route, and Regent Park through another. Both of these are great, very pretty, with a lot of trees, squirrels,  pigeons, ducks and geese. Good spaces for people to walk around and cycle.

The cycling lanes on most roads is the reason many people choose to cycle (which would have otherwise been a little dangerous on those roads). There is also a cycle hire service available which seems a little expensive, but none the less convenient. Its something I may explore.

The bus and the underground service are both great. Well, I have not actually tried them yet, but during my walks I observed the buses. I plan to start using these services when college opens.

The use of inner city roads by cars are charged extra, which is a method of controlling use of 4 wheelers in crowded areas.

People seem to be conscious about the eco-friendly approaches, there is a lot of advertising about it, but I’m not still sure how eco-friendly life in London actually is. It is something will observe and comment about.

Bottled water is one thing that is surely abused a bit. But there are ways to get past that. The charity shops are a great idea. It appears that a lot of people give away slightly used clothing to these shops to keep up with the trends, which appears to be the most important thing here at London. The charity shops in any case are a good idea, and something worth considering. I visited an Oxfam store which had a lot of stuff including clothing, accessories, books and music.

At hostel, I’m forced to drink juice from tetra-packs which I’m not happy about, but it is what’s keeping me alive (food in UK is very different from food in India, very different). I’ve also included taking a bit of milk and milk products into my diet as there seems to be no other option here (I was vegan otherwise).

I will soon start writing about lessons I learn from college. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is known for its world leading research in all fields of Public Health, especially with the perspective of developing countries (they mainly work in Africa, apart from Europe). I look forward to the experience!

Ram Damodar was a man of brilliance. From having built his own car when he was a teenager, to having flown for Lockheed and the US intelligence, he has had numerous crazy and wonderful experiences. I was fortunate to have heard some of them first hand. He was also a renowned expert on the repair of Classic Cars, especially Jaguars.

I remember how his understanding of mechanics and electricals were so strong, he would repair just about anything. Always in touch with the latest in science and technology, he would tell something new every time we met.

Since the time when my involvement with environmental issues began around 2 years ago, he has thrown at me several questions and facts to question my facts and motives. Noticing that I had switched over from cars to using public transport and bicycles, he told me jokingly “Enjoy life man, one meteor and the earth is wiped out anyway”.

Several times he emailed me about scientific reports rubbishing Climate Change and Peak Oil (there’s a lot locked up in Siberia, according to a report he sent me). He introduced me to the concept of Global Cooling and threw questions like how some places in South India were experiencing the coldest recorded temperatures now in the midst of Global Warming?

But at the end of all those arguments, he would still appreciate my arguments and activities and always told me to do what my heart tells me to. And I know that is what he did always. He never lived with any regrets. My friend has aptly quoted for the context “All men die, only some men truly live”.

His inquisitive nature and research aptitude were things that have influenced me, not to mention his love of work. If I am able to work even half as much as him with half the quality, I know I would have contributed well to the field.

I will miss those small provoking arguments with him, apart from several other things. Thank you for everything, Ram Uncle.

Still reluctant, I began to search for masters level courses on Environment and Health.  And instantly popped the course at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This was the first link that appeared on Google search and in 5 minutes, I was sold. I was so taken by the contents and the approach of the program, that I didn’t look for other programs after that (eventually I was advised to atleast see what alternatives exist and I did spend a little more time on that but never applied to any of them).

I applied well before the announcement for the next academic year and so I had to wait another 3 months for the result. It was in Feb this year that I received their offer letter and I was thrilled when I saw the words “Congratulations”.

After brief celebrations, I realised that it was now time to look for financial support, because there was no way I could take up a loan for this education. I knew at the back of my mind that the odds of winning a scholarship was small because there were so few of them and there were so many bright and interesting people who were applying to them. I was prepared to wait another year and apply to other schools later if the case arose.

But luck took my side and through a series of fortunate events I was able to secure the funding too. Now, while getting through the paper work and the visa application procedures, real questions begin to occupy my mind.

In what way will this course help me and in what way will it help the environment?

These questions after all are most vital to me. When I think about it, there is no doubt in my mind that exposure to a new culture and to an intellectually stimulating environment at London will do great good for me personally and professionally. The confidence for doing work in the field of Environment and Health will rise greatly. But sometimes all this seems a little too fancy and over-rated too. I get confused about this. There seems to be enough and more evidence that we need a healthy environment for better health and development. Is there a need for more evidence? Or is the real problem something else ?

The answers to these questions are not simple ones. In the mean time, attending a quality masters program to improve my thought process and skills in the subject are the best I can do and that is exactly what I will do, having been given the wonderful opportunity.

I have often struggled before to answer this question, simply because I dont know the answer to it. Every time the question has been posed to me, the answer has been different. The reason for the dilemma could be because Environmental Health is a new field itself.

It has been looked upon as a sub-branch of Public Health. The description of the subject varies from university to university and hence I had to do a bit of searching before finding out about which on would be appropriate in my context and the Indian context.

But it is this inability to explain satisfactorily about environmental health that is proving to be a downer for me. If I cant explain clearly what I want to study or do in future, why would anyone want to invest in my education?

I still feel that it’s okay, because no one seems to have adequately understood the subject. In fact, I may be best placed if I didnt look at definitions made by others and make one for myself, which would define my work through my understanding. Who knows, that may one day be “the” definition.

We shifted into our new house on the eve of the new year (2010). It didn’t take me long to notice that the neighbours had a lot of pet animals in their house. Pigeons, cows, roosters, sheep and dogs. Fortunately or unfortunately, our house is filled with people who are very sensitive to needs and to the communications from our fellow creatures. In other words we live a difficult life, simply because there are not many like us.

At no moment would I accuse our neighbours of being perpetrators of violence, but it can happen that insensitivity to the basic needs of animals develop in people through their upbringing. It may also have to do with unconscious capacity (our ability to do harm without our knowledge) about which I have discussed in an earlier post. My neighbours are simple folk with a large joint family, the strength of the household being around 20 people. An intimidating prospect.

The main issue was that they tie their 3 pets dogs 24*7. The dogs would protest and beg all day to be released from those chains and this was a constant mental struggle for the denizens of our home. None of the 10 children of their household was ever seen petting, talking or playing with any of the dogs. This I thought was very strange and I assume that it was probably because of rules that the parents may have set on them.

The basic needs of pet dogs include:

freedom of movement inside the house

daily walks outside the house

love from family members

playtime

basic food and water

Of all the mentioned needs, the one/s being satisfied in their house is/are: basic food. The three times I inspected the area where the dogs were kept I didn’t see a water bowl near the dogs. But it was the helplessness of the dogs that stole the show. Absence of opposable thumbs has facilitated this simple arrangement of chaining.

Restriction of movement, in my opinion, can only potentially be justified in punishing crime. Here we have a situation where the dogs are being punished with the severest of punishments for life for no reason at all.

Yet in the midst of all this, I was not able to push myself to talk to them for over two months. So many times I walked up to their gate and came back. What is it that held me back? There was no doubt in my mind that intervention was needed. This was just driving me a little crazy. After all I did have to live here for a long time now. In other words, I could not run away from the problem, as I have on many previous occasions. Was I going to only curse them in the confines of my room or was I going to have meaningful dialogue which could potentially bear result?

I had already readied my argument for the case, only the execution was waiting. Finally I walked into their house yesterday, and asked for the elder of the house. He was a big structured man, which I already knew having seen him plenty of times from my window. The gist of the conversation is as follows (it happened in my local language – kannada):

“Greetings, my name is Adithya. I live in the building beside your plot. I am a doctor working on issues of community health”.

He nods with a pleasant smile.

“I have something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while. Please dont feel bad about it, consider me as your son and excuse me if you feel that I have offended you”.

He encourages me to go on.

“I feel bad about the fact that these dogs are being tied all the time”.

I was speaking slightly incoherently, it was the first time i was doing something like this.

“Tying them up is taking a toll on their health. The dogs have been affected physically and mentally. When I see them and hear them cry, I feel that they have developed depression which is a serious illness. The reason for that is that the most important activity for them is running and playing and this is being denied to them. And with these thoughts, all of us at home are upset about the situation. I request you to kindly consider making ammends to the arrangement to keep them free all the time”.

I was more confident by this time.

The old man said:

“I will not be possible to let them free, there are so many tenants who live here and also, it would be a problem if they get on to the main road”.

I agreed with him on both the points.

“I also take it out once in the morning to our other plot”.

“That is not adequate sir, they need more freedom. Maybe you should consider keeping them on the terrace?”

“They fight amongst each other and hurt each other. Also, if they bite the kids, that is another nuisance”.

“I agree with you, but in any case, tying them is unjust, so i urge you to find a better alternative. I hope you have not felt too bad about what I have said, but this was on my mind and I felt it would be rigth to discuss it with you”.

“Please consider and think about this and find a solution. Thank you, it was nice meeting you”.

What will transpire from this conversation is a matter that has not taken shape yet. But I felt great, for having stood up for justice individually probably for the first time in my life. The reason I share this story with you is that I suspect there are many young people like me who witness violence in whatever form but choose to ignore or run away from it. A small enouraging story such as this one may help someone make up their mind to talk about how they are feeling with the offending party. Most people are receptive to constructive comments and this is something I will always keep in mind when I feel hesitant next time.

Mr. Vishwanathan highlights, in a very interesting way, an area that has been of concern to me ever since I took up work on environmental issues.

To better understand the process that lead to the disaster, he refers to this example: The workers and engineers who were involved in the construction of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The workers had unknowingly been involved in an act of great violence, and the brilliance of the concept of division of labour is that very often one does not know the end product of his efforts. This phenomenon of ‘not being able to see the full picture because it is being constructed in parts’ has been termed by Shiv as ‘splitting of vision’. If the entire image is not shown, the individual has a half truth on his or her hands and believes that to be the whole.

He also related this concept to the ‘divide and rule’ approach. The one who is in control of the division is the one with access to the complete picture. And this brings power to the divider’s hands.

Very similar to this is the situation of environmental degradation caused by our actions. Visions have been split now to such an extent that it would take quite an effort to get the pieces of the jigsaw back together. I have previously referred to this concept in another post titled The Special Dilemma.