Blessed are those for whom ‘green’ is a verb

by | Mar 1, 2021

I have been blessed with the love and affection of some outstanding people, who gave me new insights and changed the way I think and feel. It all started when I arrived at GB Pant University for my graduation in Mechanical Engineering. It was indeed a transformative experience. The sprawling campus, organized as a semi-circle with the administrative building at the center, overlooking the vast farm spread up to the horizon, was surreal. Rows of trees on both sides of every road; I had never seen this quality of landscape earlier. A thicket of eucalyptus trees surrounding the campus was another wonder. I learnt that these low-altitude hybrid trees, planted in 1962 over a 100,000-ha area of Terai, indeed paved the way for the people settling down here in what was otherwise wild. 

In 1982, I relocated to Hyderabad and witnessed the creation of the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in the mid-eighties as the missile integration laboratory. In ‘Wings of Fire’, Dr Kalam shared that on the penultimate night of the Agni Missile launch on May 21-22, 1989, when Defence Minister KC Pantji asked Dr Kalam what reward he would seek for the success, Dr Kalam asked for an urban forest of 100,000 trees in the new campus. It indeed happened. Now, three decades later, when a flight takes off from the new Hyderabad airport Eastward, flying over the RCI, nobody can miss the thick green cover in the otherwise rocky plateau of Hyderabad. 

After becoming the president of India in 2002, Dr Kalam launched an ambitious Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) mission articulated by Prof PV Indiresan, Former Director, IIT, Madras. Dr. Kalam saw the migration of villagers to the city as a serious problem and developed alliances with knowledgeable people in urban planning. On July 14, 2004, President Kalam inaugurated the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, declared as the only building in the world with ‘platinum rating’ under the Leadership in Energy & Environment Design (LEED) rating system Version 2.0 of the US Green Building Council. Only two other buildings in the US had this rating under Version 1.0. The celebrated Hitec City of Hyderabad was taking birth and it was such a timely event.  

I was present during the tête-à-tête that President Kalam had with the charismatic Jamshyd Naoroji Godrej after the function. When Dr Kalam asked him who indeed leads urban planning in the world, the Chairman of Godrej & Boyce crisply said – Japan. The mechanical engineer who had studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology explained, “The difference between Japan and the rest of the world is that in Japan, they plan extensively.” They both developed an instant bonding. Later, he invited Dr Kalam to inaugurate the Green Building Congress on September 15, 2005, in New Delhi. It was indeed a special day, celebrated as Engineers Day in India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania, honoring civil engineer, Sir M. Visvesvaraya, on his birthday. Dr Kalam made me a part of the event.

At the Green Building Congress, Dr Kalam said, “In our country, there are 300 million people who are in the mid-income group category and about 260 million people are living below the poverty line. Each one of them dreams of having a roof above his head. In order to make their dreams a reality, we need about 100 to 150 million houses to be built in the next 15 years. Today, when we talk about Green buildings, it always means a high society building or a high-tech laboratory. This Green Building Congress should address how you would give the benefit of the Green technology to the middle class and below.”

As if hearing this clarion call, Ashutosh Pathak, who studied Civil Engineering at GB Pant University, decided to make it the mission of his life. After his master’s at IIT, Delhi, in Building Sciences and Construction Management, Ashutosh joined CPWD and was working as Director, Public Works, in the Government of Delhi. Later, he freed himself from bureaucratic tangles and joined JP Greens, the biggest urbanization project that was being rolled out in the National Capital Region. He metamorphosed himself as the angel creating a holistic living experience through the perfect amalgamation of residential, commercial, institutional and recreational facilities in a self-sustainable format.

In 2010, I met another crusader of sustainability, Dr A Mohan Rao. A Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1972, he worked for GE Power for two decades, and pioneered private sector power generation in India. Dr Rao was starting a Bioenergy project to distil out the energy from the waste of the sugar industry (Press Mud and Spent Wash) and turn the remainder into organic fertilizer. He invested his own money and created the plant at the Warana Sugar Mill. But more than completing it, he obtained all the regulatory approvals for the use of biogas as LPG grade fuel and CNG grade automobile fuel. As a perfect example of serendipity, Dr Rao found Carbanion 6-6-8 in the final residue of this process, which acts as a highly potent Biostimulator for the plant, acting as a catalyst for photosynthesis.

His success was seen by the world and Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Santa Rosa, Texas, invited him to replicate his plant there. In fact, until I saw at his working table, Thomas Edison’s words, “Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge,” I had really not understood the source from where the spring of his enthusiasm was spurting. The coronavirus pandemic has shown us the perils of living too fast, pillaging nature, and disturbing the evolutionary balance that is as delicate as it is ruthless. This balance can take lives as efficiently as it creates them. 

Then I met Govind Dholakia, the self-made diamond baron in Surat. In 1964, he arrived as a diamond polisher from his arid land in Saurashtra, the peninsular region of Gujarat, at 16 years of age. He established his own diamond company – Shree Ramkrishna Exports in 1970 – which now (in 2020) has an annual turnover of US$ 1.5 billion. When he was creating the new building for his company, he decided to go for LEED’s Gold rating and met in that process, Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council. Govindbhai later received the USGBC Leadership Award from President Bill Clinton in November 2017 at Boston, USA. The building has recently secured LEED’s Platinum rating.

These gentlemen are indeed the finest examples of the people of the modern world for whom green is not an adjective but a verb. Whatever they do, they place Nature at the center of their enterprise. For them, the Earth is the ancestral mother of all life and they worship it with their work. Even before English environmentalist, James Ephraim Lovelock, proposed the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system, Indian ethos had advocated taking care of the Earth and all the forms of life it supports. 

I vividly remember when as a child I had recovered from a bout of fever, my mother made me offer a dried coconut, cut and filled with ghee and sugar, at the anthill under a huge tree. I now understand the meaning of that ritual. It was an offering to the unseen forces that supported life. As if to decode the ancient wisdom, in 2010-11 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a year-long seminar was organized to explore the study of the unseen.

Recently, Ashutosh completed his transdisciplinary research on Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary near Agra, doing a total economic valuation of ecosystem services. Ashutosh fastidiously established the various benefits that humans get from functional forest ecosystems. He cautioned against rampant and unbridled construction activities destroying such systems, especially urban and peri-urban forests. I see his work as a template for the future of habitat.

MORE FROM THE BLOG

Whose Truth and By what Facts do I Live?

Whose Truth and By what Facts do I Live?

I exist. My family, friends, and people I wouldn’t say I like all exist. I face situations both comfortably and disquietly. I feel happy and sad, relaxed and anxious. Like a flowing river, the stream of thought in my mind sometimes flows smoothly…

Devotion merely a technique to quieten the Mind?

Devotion merely a technique to quieten the Mind?

I visited Mr Radhakrishna Chandramouli, a long-standing friend and successful banker who spent two decades in Africa and is a devout Brahmin. My son Amol accompanied me. Now retired, Mr Chandramouli lives in his palatial house in upscale Banjara Hills in Hyderabad with his wife…

Living In the Shadows of Our Ancestors

Living In the Shadows of Our Ancestors

Last fortnight was the Pitra Paksha, an annual 15-day period in Hindu tradition observed to honour and pay homage to ancestors. During this period, Hindus perform various rituals such as Tarpan (offering water), Shradh (ceremonial offerings of food), and other acts…

28 Comments

  1. Dear sir, Thank you once again for apt and well articulated blog. To me, it looks like that each one of us understands the importance of green energy, green building, importance of trees and forest, and requirement to start reforestation but we donot want to do even one bit in that direction. I believe that we need to have two pronged approach. Long term approach is to start cultivating(inculcate) this habit of enhancing GREEN at the school level, Introduce a compulsory activity( which tells the imperatives of this activity and long term benefits of the GREEN to the society ) in the school and incentivize and encourage the students who show keen interest and do exceptional contributions in improving environment. A study conducted in Japan says that any thing taught at school level becomes a habit. Second( short term approach), bring in laws which make all of us to adhere to them without exception. I do believe that some of the spiritual leaders have started reforestation activities.

    Sadhguru ( J Vasudevan) of Isha foundation has started “Cauvery calling movement”. It is receiving support from public at large. One needs to contribute Rs 42 for planting one tree. I understand they keep people posted about the progress wrt to afforestation effort.
    As a small step, in BEL , we have started welcoming the guests with small in-door plants in place of flower bouquets. This has been appreciated by many guests who graced the occasions. This is one way of making people to start the habit of growing trees, even if it is small. In BEL, it is corporate decision that any building constructed has to meet green building norms, All units are given target to run their majority of the activities on solar based power.

    Developing GREEN can lead to multiple solutions like increased greenery, availability of fresh air, increased rain fall, availability of drinking water, reduction of carbon foot print, better harvesting, increased grain production, better economy and most importantly balanced growth of FLORA AND FAUNA. Ultimate prosperity of the nation depends on GREEN activity enhancement. VRUKSHO RAKSHATI RAKSHATAHA in three words tell us what is the need of the hour and what we need to do.

  2. Prof. Tiwari has mastered the art and science of bringing the best out of ordinary mortals. To what extent is this attributable to his ‘company of greats’ that he crafted early in his career is a moot point.

    Not everyone would be willing to take that extra mile with seemingly no short term benefit. His writing on the blog further on the issues concerning sustainability practices would guide policymakers and enthuse many.

  3. We all reader of your insightful deep lucid blog at each 1/24th orbit of Mother Earth, are blessed & grateful to you for such timely wonderful cocktail of Knowledge , Wisdom & Information that infuses in us hunger of curiosity with equanimity for sustainability of universe both inside & outside body mind.

    In february I made visit to Omkareshwar ji (One of 12 Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva) in Khandwa district of M.P. situated on a island called Mandhata On the Bank of river Kaveri & Narmada. There I found Greenery in its original form , Water of river was so fresh, transparent & clean I decided to drink & It tasted for better than RO water we drink . While writing my comment on this blogs I am recalling famous modern saying “Mineral water industry don’t produce water they produce Plastic “Forest are mother of river, and river are one of key player for sustainable ecology.

    A day before Om Kareshwar ji I was in Ujjain , after taking bath in Shipra River , I met an old man there that instance made me to recall one of your weekly column on Inforanjan website, In which you talked about need & benefit of conversating with old folk ,That old man advised me to visit Omkareshwar ji where i would find जिंदा नदी ( Living River means continuous floating water) that struck my mind about he greed of us modern sapiens being who are perennially exploiting natural resources & polluting it to beyond natural renewable limit.

    In Uttar Pradesh On 15th august 2017 ,Government planted 1 crore tree. News paper praised a lot, But no one knows how many of them sustained. As in blog you introduced us many kind hearted, visionary people for whom word Green is Not an adjective but a verb. There are also many policy maker for whom word Green is not an adjective & Verb but an opportunity of praise for making an Un-extensive unsuccessful plan to grab sudden eyeball through various media.

  4. A very beautiful piece, Arun Bhaisaab!

    Green requires Compassion.

    Compassion for self, and compassion for the generations yet to appear.

    As scientists, we need to work towards processes, and products, that are compassionate: Food, feed, medicines. But the pervasive use of plastics, flowing out of our oil wells and refineries relentlessly, seems to nullify all of the former.

    Green, one hopes, would not slide into a self delusional exercise to quell our collective conscience. But that may yet be so, given the visible as well as invisible hold of Corporate interests over power and politics.

    Keep writing. More strength to the gentle and gracious power of your pen!

  5. Dear Sir, You have mentioned very truly that for few people green is a verb not adjective. I am witnessing here in Australia that for whole nation green is a verb. Whatever activity they are doing, they kep “green” in the centre to support the nature and to reduce the pollution and adverse effects of growing population.

    The building “Huge Central Park” in Sydney includes 3000 residences is all powered, heated and cooled by an on-site thermal tri-generation plant which is estimated to reduce emissions by upto 190,000 tonnes over 25years- similar to removing 2500 cars off the road every year. Similarly “Santos place” is the largest building in Australia to receive a 6-star green building rating.
    There are several projects going on in this city and have observed that all ate in sync with nature and its greenary.

    In my view this is the way every country should follow to reduce the global warming issue across the world. Covid-19 crisis has given a clear signal of nature to act wisely and supporting the mother nature otherwise nature will control our activities in its own way.
    Eat Green – Act Green -Live Green! Regards,

  6. Dear Tiwari Bhaisab, Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this wonderful article. A very timely and appropriate blog particularly when the whole world is thinking green but only a few are actually working to really make it green.

    Your memories of childhood reminds us of those days as you remember taking out first a share of food for cows, dogs and birds. What a wonderful culture we have been through. Also it reminds us of our parents telling us not to pluck leaves and flowers from plants after sunset as it might awaken the nature.

    Not to mention cutting of trees and abusing the nature was considered a sin. Your article is an eye opener and wish the environmentalist who get involved in dirty politics will work honestly to help make the environment green again. Thank you again.

  7. Dear Sir, Your last writeup with its line – people knew how to live in consensus and cooperation — left an impact. And this article takes the same idea further, I feel, for Earth as a whole.

    Your instance of placing food items at the anthill reminded me of the ladies of previous generations in my family, who would first take out food for ants, a dog and a cow. Of course, offer one portion to God and only then consume it themselves. This was a daily exercise.

    I particularly liked the thought of including “green” in the dictionary of the middle and lower-income groups. Kudos to those you have mentioned are already working on this!
    It is true that “green” and “ecofriendly” are terms that are usually associated with high-society, the elite and the moneyed. Anything this exclusive and limited in scope surely cannot have the approval of the forces that watch over Earth.

    Surely there are ways this can become a way of life for all. Maybe we can look towards our villages for answers, rather than the other way round. There, that culture of consensus and cooperation is still alive and beating. Thank you for setting us thinking!

  8. Thank You Arun Tiwar ji for sharing a wonderful article and topic. Your article should enlighten the society and to remind them of their responsibility to preserve the nature for future generations. Most of us appreciate the efforts of others but are not willing to follow simple techniques like water conservation and energy conservation. If we sensitise the society it should be through education rather than enforcement. The moment it is mandatory the sprit of these initiatives will be lost forever.

    Im part of Indian Green Building Council as Chairman, Amaravathi Chapter. Because of the voluntary efforts of IGBC, INDIA is No.2 in the world with about 7.00 billion registered green building foot print. This is possible without enforcement and without government intervention. IGBC is able to sensitise all most all the big developers of India to develop their projects by following Green Building concepts with passion and commitment.

    All these practises are traditionally part of our culture historically and we don’t need to reinvent them. As you rightly pointed out Greenary is the richest source of oxygen and will give visual pleasure and will reduce your stress levels if you start enjoying their presence. Lighting and Ventilation is another important aspect in our daily life which was neglected so far. It is proved that Lighting and Ventilation will improve the health of residents and will improve the productivity of employees.

    As rapid development will have its impact on surroundings and environments, IGBC’s certified Green Buildings will definitely reduce its impact on surroundings and environment as a whole. Preserving environment is not the responsibility of only Government but the whole Society should be part of this movement to pass on this planet without further distraction and damage.

    IGBC is the only council in the world with about 29 different ratings for Schools, Villages, Gated Communities, Hospitals, Railway Stations, Metro Rail, Net Zero, Resorts, Interiors, Residential, Commercial etc. With these initiatives IGBC’s impact is significant with a saving 8.71 Billion Units of power per annum which is equivalent to 25 Million house holds consumption of village for an year and 28.6 Billion Litres of water per year which is sufficient for one month of water requirement of Hyderabad. Another significant and important milestone is about 7.6 Billion Tones of CO2 reduction per annum,.

    Reduction of forest cover is another serious problem facing the humankind. Though Governments are organising annual plantation program, the amount of destruction is far more than plantation. Unless a serious effort by society to arrest this phenomena we should see more and more COVIDs and face the consequences.

  9. Dear Arun, I have mentioned earlier also that you are a fantastic narrator. And a narrator has to remember a lot of things. Your new blog on ‘green’, forced me to recall old reminiscences of Pantnagar, our alma mater. The flora and fauna of Pantnagar came immediately to my mind. Arun, if you remember, our university song was echoing similar kind of thoughts in which we used to pray for the good of country and mankind.

    जय हो नवयुग निधि की जय हो,, जय हो नवयुग निधि की जय हो,
    पावन हिमगिरि के चरणों में, शीश झुकाये विशद तराई,
    शस्य श्यामला तरु तृण वसना, सहज उर्वरा धरणि सुहाई,
    इसके हृदय कमल में विकसित, हरित स्वर्ण छवि सौरभमय हो।
    जय हो नवयुग निधि की जय हो, जय हो नवयुग निधि की जय हो।।

    Hail to the Treasure of Modern Era, Hail to the Treasure of Modern Era,
    At the feet of the holy Himalaya Mountain bows the head to the mighty lowland,
    The fertile black soil covered with grass and weeds is now golden dressed Mother
    Let in its lotus heart [of this university] blossom the Green Gold of Indian future
    Hail to the Treasure of Modern Era, Hail to the Treasure of Modern Era!

    You indeed refreshed old days which we spent at university.

    PURA, as visualized by President Kalam, is certainly a novel concept which addresses many problems being faced by us due to rapid urbanization of the country. Adoption of PURA may be the right approach for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Wish you all the best.

  10. Sir, what a beautiful title – for whom ‘green’ is a verb! I am really inspired to list some possible green activities.

    1. Opt for recycled paper and packages

    2. Choose energy-saving appliances

    3. Purchase eco-friendly products

    4. Dispose of biodegradable items appropriately

    5. Eat organic

    6. Purchase green cleaning products

    7. Reduce paper use in offices

    8. Start carpooling or telecommuting

    9. Maintain a terrace/ balcony garden

    10. Never sleep under air-conditioner

    I seek suggestions on how to dispose of batteries. In the U.S., I used to return them to any store that sells them. But this system does not work in India. The trend is to throw the used cell in trash.

  11. Yet another enlightening post Sir. ‘Green is a verb’ is such a powerful statement and to see people follow it passionately is heartwarming.

    The US govt has also adapted the green building concept. Since 2000, when the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) started to promote its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, green building has taken off, producing environmentally sound schools and offices. Now the trend is catching on in health care, as hospitals seek to reduce toxins and provide a healthier, healing environment. By taking up green practices, whether incrementally or from the ground up, many hospitals are managing to lower energy bills, reduce waste and achieve healthier indoor air.

    Green hospitals make good sense for the health of the entire community: patients, staff and visitors. To prevent spread of infection in hospitals, it’s important to reduce exposures to germs—especially for patients with compromised immune systems—but the use of harsh chemical cleaners can cause respiratory problems. Conventional cleaning products, as well as many paints, adhesives and furnishings, can give off irritating, allergenic fragrances and toxic volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) such as formaldehyde; by choosing low-VOC products, hospitals help those in their care recover and improve conditions for staff.

    Studies have shown that poor indoor lighting increases levels of stress in hospital workers, leading to compromised medical care. “Daylighting” (that is, bringing daylight indoors with enlarged windows, light wells, clerestory windows and reflective surfaces), not only improves work performance but has been shown to improve patient recovery rates, while saving energy.

    These changes will lead to a sustainable environment and help us heal nature.

  12. I, too, have been lucky to enjoy the plentiful bounties of nature – first at GBPUA&T Campus, Pantnagar, and then, at ICRISAT Campus, Patancheru followed by a 5-year stint in Lilongwe, Malawi (Africa) and now, finally in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. I miss Hyderabad of 70’s and 80’s – a large, easy-going extended village full of greenery. The weather used to be mild and friendly; the temperatures hardly touching 37-38 degrees in summer without blowing hot air. The less we talk about today’s Hyderabad, the better it is.

    Having a few ‘Green Buildings’ here and there is not going to make any impact except for being a show piece and providing opportunity for write-ups and conferences. The ‘Green’ should become a revolution and should be a mandatory requirement for all new development – residential, industrial, government and entertainment infrastructure. We need many more crusaders and supporters of the ‘Green’. I sincerely hope the new Parliament Complex would the highest and finest example of ‘Green Building’ not only in the country but also in the world as well.

  13. Dear Sir, Thanks for sharing , it was an eye opener for me and honestly didn’t know about the achievements you have shared. The article shares an interesting journey of you witnessing right from your college days to your engagement even today.

  14. Feels amazingly good to read about so many change-makers, for whom as you called out, green is really a verb! It reminded me of a conversation with brother of one of my ex-colleagues. Brother was environmentalist and very passionate about his work. One of the examples he shared about how local tribal & village customs had trees, vegetations & plantations so thoroughly embedded in their daily lives that by default they never could even dream of harming the nature around. Their happiness and worries were all very integral to the nature they lived in. And the most interesting part I recollect from that conversation was he mentioning that lot of times when he visited such places and met locals, talking about his ideas, as an urban environmentalist, felt so naïve.

    Your mention of dried coconut with ghee and sugar for the ants also brought fresh to memory what I use to witness every sunday morning at Nanakramguda temple few years back, where a lady use to come in with food to be offered to ants around the place. She use to go from one mini anthill to another spreading droppings for ants to store and feed upon.. I haven’t been there recently on sunday mornings, but may be that ritual is still continuing till date.

    We often waste lot of time focusing on wrong people, wrong events and wrong stories around. While the world seems to be filled with amazingly great souls engaged in selfless actions all the times! And this positivity is what your blog brings in every fortnight to enlighten us on the right path forward in very interesting ways…

  15. It was a pleasure reading about your memories of Pantnagar University days. I too have a strong connection with Pantnagar Univesity. I was a student of this University from 1962 to 1966. Ours was the first batch of B.Tech. (Agri Engineering) Course in this University. The greenery at Pantnagar university campus was really refreshing during those days. We were so close to nature. Sometimes we encountered wildlife too. Keeping this in view, we had to take a lot of precautions. Happily, the Pantnagar University campus has retained most of its greenery even now.

    When we see the growing pollution and environmental degradation in our cities, we recognize the importance of trees and forests, While reading through your blog, the following quotation came to my mind:
    ” The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.” — Barry Commoner

  16. History reveals – the mutiny, the struggle and the battles undertaken to conquer as a tryst of success has always been a naught. The illusions to seek that elicit desire to live a happy and healthy life in the man created new environs have always remained a mirage. Be natural be original and be that green….The Green to Go……

    Your reference to our alma-mater surely transports us back to the so called Golden era of life. The care free inquisitive life spent learning, brimming to excel be it in sports, class hourly, quizzes or the final trimester exams or the care free ‘bindas’ bachelorhood life exploring uncharted territories could not have been possible had the environs not been conducive, healthy and surely natural….natural green.

    The colour green represents life, nature and energy. It represents growth, harmony freshness, safety and fertility. No wonders it is also traditionally associated with money, finances, banking and ambition. The ‘green building’ name probably culled itself from being the dominant colour in the spectrum visible to the human eye. It also is the most restful and relaxing colour for the eyes to view, enhancing vision, stability and endurance. Standing for tranquility, good luck and health, the colour green is directly related to nature and energy, so is also commonly used to represent and promote green products.

    While in Rome do as the Romans do……so while on this planet live like the green environment around. Develop that ‘green thumb’ referring to plants and gardening for it is here where life sprouts from a seedling to a full grown fruit laden tree. Be that ‘green room,’ where guests, experts or performers go to relax and above all not to be forgotten the ‘greenback,’ which refers to the United States dollar bill. The colour green in fact is entwined with our lives in umpteen ways. Not to be missed, not to be ignored. And how can we miss the colour of Christmas, coming alive with vibrant green in combo with red inside and a blanket of white outside.

    Crusaders, as you mentioned be it Ashutosh Pathak, Dr A Mohan Rao, Govind Dholakia or the like are warriors in true sense. We need the leaders, crusaders being the right word for showing the path to live and breathe in a natural environs. To care for nature, to plant trees, to build up and not unnecessarily disturb the natural equilibrium and not to eradicate the natural phenomenon has to be the way ahead. Any play with nature slowly and steadily leads to disasters. Human created and maneuvered for all to see. Global warming, a shift in climatic pattern and erupting of never heard diseases are surely the bane of playing with nature.

    So to be happy and let others too breathe happiness, be that traffic signal, Red…Orange…Green, to ‘Stop’ playing with nature, to ‘Start’ adding and contributing to its growth and to ‘Go’ on to live life naturally. Green to Go.

  17. Thank you Prof Tiwari Ji to take us down to the memories of Pantnagar lanes. Staring the day with the famous “Aloo Paratha” of the hostel would fill the heart with joy and energise us for walking and cycling to attend the classes between College of Basic Sciences and Humanities and College of Agriculture. Those were “green” days without car or the scooters. We had time to enjoy the beauty of the nature, and feel the blessings of almighty through trees and greeneries around. Environment of schools and colleges in early days have great influence on our thoughts and actions. Keeping such temples of education “green” would have long lasting impact on our action too, since we silently imbibe our surroundings. Corona period has reemphasised a need to have a right balance with the nature to save our mother earth on which human being is also an indispensible component of ecosystem.

  18. Sir, I read your blog with the usual enthusiasm and curiosity that every article you write incites in me, and I am sure many others. Some of what you wrote regarding your Pantnagar days resonated with me and took me down the roads of nostalgia. Going green is no longer a minutae of the willing, it is a modern day slogan, a crepuscular of the educated and aware.

    Your personal participation with such VIPs as our President and all other important and great people you mention in your blog accentuates the important milestones you have stepped on in your life that has enriched it so much. It is a privilege to read of such interesting events as the inauguration of the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad and what a milestone that was in the green buildings mission and of similar examples in the US.

    The reminiscences of the campus in Pantnagar filled me with nostalgia. We indeed lived in a green clean environment with emphasis on the best in agriculture and horticulture, to name a few. The agronomy department had several excellent schemes in pace and the motivation to plant trees and participate in special green projects was high and executed well. I was myself a BSc Home Science student and we had interesting projects of our own to cultivate and work on. If every Indian planted a tree even once a year in favourable conditions, our country could lead the world in being clean and green.

  19. Thank you for focusing on the issue of sustainability. It is a fine objective, from a philosophical point of view, and we all like clean air, clean water, non-polluted soil, healthy food, clean energy, and the concept of sustainability, in all types of environments, urban as well as rural. The hard part is figuring out how to provide affordable economic incentives so that people will be able to achieve sustainable development. Governmental incentives are required, such as tax credits for purchasers of electric vehicles. Perhaps in a subsequent blog you can provide practical guidance for policy-makers with practical measures that can lead us to sustainable development.

  20. All life on planet earth is indeed connected. And even the influence of unseen celestial beings is believed and for the believers, it is as real as the Sun makes us warm.

    When people say that coronavirus originated in a Chinese fish market, similar situations exist in India too. The way slaughterhouses are operated here is absolutely unsafe.

    I was there with you Tauji when even later as a grown-up man you put feed near an anthill. I have no doubts whatsoever about the connectivity of multiple life forms – animals, birds, and insects, whom we can see and viruses and bacteria whom we can’t see but can feel like an electric shock.

  21. Dear Sir, Very well written! You have conveyed many important message through this.

    We need to understand that we exist because trees exist. We have seen the disastrous effects of deforestation and if we need to secure the future of upcoming generations, we need to take care of the environment.

    Trees are the best example for all of us to learn selflessness. Trees bear fruit but, for others. Trees bear the heat, but provide shade to others. Even when people throw stones at the tree, it gives them fruit!

    Thomas Edison’s quote mentioned by you teaches us to be humble in front of Nature!

  22. Thanks for excellent piece of writing. I have met two of the three crusaders you mentioned. Ashutosh was wasting his time in the CPWD job as he didnt fit the bill. He went back to academic world.

    Nice to know about Dr. Mohan Rao. I had excellent South Indian breakfast at his beautiful home in Hyderabad. Nice to know he developed a bio stimilator for Sugarcane.

    The concept of sustainable living is someting we should built in our planning as more than 50% polulation of India will soon be living in urban areas where sustainability is not in-built. In a village “waste’ is an alien word.

    I think one of the biggest take away of pendamic lock down is ..’ why do we HAVE to live in cities’

  23. Thanks Dr Tiwari for such informative blogs. By sharing your varied experience you are enriching your readers. By taking up important issues your blog is filling the void in our concept of social responsibility and well being. I envy you for having such opportunities to meet and work with people who by their actions have been impacting this world.

    COVID-19 is perhaps the ONLY example of our old traditional concept of “vasudhaiva kutumbakam” – world is a family. Never before in the history of humanity has any issue impacted us the way SARS-CoV-2 has done and continues to do. I feel disturbed when I see humanity ignoring these wake-up calls.

    Life post-COVID (whenever it will happen, and I’m not sure when) will be different. And we should remember, despite advances in Science and Technology, we could NOT predict the arrival of SARS-CoV-2 and will NEVER be able to predict the next big pandemic. Whatever little I know of this smartest pathogen ever known to humanity, it will be a challenge to deal with them – look what the new variants are doing.

    Keep educating us about such social issues. Thanks again.

  24. Dear Sir, I am thrilled to read about SRK Empire’s LEED certification in which I played an active and critical role. I contacted Mahesh Ramanujamji at The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and persuaded him to visit Surat. The process of LEED rating has developed into a thick friendship that led to our Chairman Govind Dholakia Sir receiving the Green Building Leadership award from Former US President Bill Clinton on November 9, 2017 in Boston. I attended the function.

    It was a unique experience to go through the Expo which was held that year with the theme “ALL IN” − which is meant to reinforce the commitment and optimism needed to confront climate change head-on. I sat through President Clinton’s Plenary speech. He said that the most successful organisms on earth that collaborate are honey bees, termites, ants, and humans. While there is a lot of work to do, we need to celebrate the fact that millions of people are cooperating to solve global problems. Scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers, and designers are sharing and collaborating like never before. Thank you for writing this wonderful blog. Only you can do that!!!

  25. Sir, thank you very much for educating on Green buildings, which are all about constructing modern buildings that are both environmentally friendly and self-sustaining. When I read about LEED ranking, I realized that the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Jeddah is LEED-certified and one in five of all green building projects in the Arab world are implemented in Saudi Arabia. The investments that Saudi Arabia makes in green buildings are the biggest of their kind worldwide. In fact, Saudi Arabia because the country has the highest concentrations of Gold and Platinum LEED-certified buildings in the Middle East. Thank you for posting Sir.

  26. Sir, thanks for writing a blog on a different topic which is turning more relevant with time. In the last ten years, I witnessed the massive construction activity in the Gachibowli area of Hyderabad where almost all world’s major companies have their campuses – Microsoft being the biggest, and now Facebook. These are all green buildings and I believe there are more than 100 LEED certified buildings in Hyderabad as of now. In fact, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad set a benchmark for the green buildings in India.

  27. Sir, I am truly delighted to read your new blog article. How could you capture these things? I have my childhood memories of The Chipko movement, a forest conservation movement in India. It began in 1973 in Uttarakhand, then a part of Uttar Pradesh at the foothills of Himalayas and went on to become a rallying point for many future environmental movements all over the world.

    I vivdly remember, one evening in 1972, Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna ji coming to our house in Khela ( a place on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra route near Dharchula) and requesting my father to get ready to accompany him to visit far away places to create awareness about Chipko for 15 days and on foot. As a small kid I also requested him to take me also along with them . I imagined Mahatma Gandhi in Bahuguna ji, who gave the movement a proper direction and its success meant that the world immediately took notice of this non-violent movement to slow down the rapid deforestation, expose vested interests, increase social awareness and the need to save trees, increase ecological awareness, and demonstrate the viability of people power.

    At NRDC I always remembered his slogan, “Ecology is the permanent economy.” Now all government departments and even corporates now began to address the issues of tribal and marginalized people. Today, beyond the eco-socialism hue, it is being seen increasingly as an ecofeminism movement. Although many of its leaders were men, women were not only its backbone. When PM Modi called the cooking gas scheme Ujjawala, he indeed captured the spirit of ecofeminism.

  28. Sir, I have the opportunity of meeting Dr A Mohan Rao and sitting through some meetings with him. I have not met anyone so far more thorough and clear about biogas than Dr Mohan Rao. I wonder why our sugar mills and distillery industry deploy his technology and generate wealth as well as organic fertilizer for the farmers.

    I also attended some meetings at ICAR on biostimulators. People are talking but so far, no real evidence is there. If the organic fertilizer from Pressmud and Spent wash have carbon ion, it will definitely work. We must immediately start a study. I see a lot of scope in using this fertilizer in horticulture, especially cashew, where organic quality fetch good price.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This