Plastic Pollution

The next time you do the shopping and carry home the things in a cute, comfy plastic carry-bag, think: you are contributing your share to a deadly pollution whose ill-effects are irreversible and capable of reaching out to numerous generations to come.  Plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants of our time. Being a non-biodegradable substance, composed of toxic chemicals, plastic pollutes earth, air and water. There is no way whatsoever you can safely dispose of plastic waste. Plastic causes serious damage to environment both during its production and disposal. So the only way to reduce the hazards of plastic is to reduce the use of plastic and thereby force a reduction in its production. Plastic plays the villain right from the stage of its production. The major chemicals that go into the making of plastic are highly toxic and pose serious threat to living beings of all species on earth.

Some of the constituents of plastic such as benzene and vinyl chloride are known to cause cancer, while many others are gases and liquid hydrocarbons that vitiate earth and air. Plastic resins themselves are flammable and have contributed considerably to several accidents worldwide. The noxious substances emitted during the production of plastic are synthetic chemicals like ethylene oxide, benzene and xylenes. Besides hitting hard the eco-system, which is already fragile, these chemicals can cause an array of maladies ranging from birth defects to cancer, damage the nervous system and the immune system and also adversely affect the blood and the kidneys. And, many of these toxic substance are emitted during recycling of plastic, too.

Like in the case of all other chemical substances, disposal of plastic is a myth. Once plastic is produced, the harm is done once and for all. Plastic defies any kind of attempt at disposal be it through recycling, burning, or landfilling. When you recycle a hazard, you create a hazard. Recycling of a toxic waste merely puts the hazardous material back into the marketplace and, eventually, into the environment  thereby making no reduction in toxic use. Since plastic does not undergo bacterial decomposition, landfilling using plastic would mean preserving the poison forever. But can plastic be burned and thus its hazard got rid of? No way. When burned, plastic releases a host of poisonous chemicals into the air, including dioxin, the most toxic substance known to science.

Apart from these perils, recycling of plastic is very uneconomical, dirty and labour-intensive as has been reveled by a study conducted by the Public Interest Research Group, based in Dehi, India. Recycling of plastic is associated with skin and respiratory problems, resulting from exposure to and inhalation of toxic fumes, especially hydrocarbons and residues released during the process. What is worse, the recycled plastic degrades in quality and necessitates the production of more new plastic to make the original product.

Plastic wastes clog the drains and thus hit especially urban sewage systems. The plastic wastes being dumped into rivers, streams and seas contaminate the water, soil, marine life and also the very air we breathe. Choked drains provide excellent breeding grounds for disease-causing mosquitoes besides causing flooding during the monsoons. Any attempt to get rid of plastic through landfills is also dangerous. Apart from toxic seepage from the landfill, resulting in the contamination of precious water sources, the waste mass impedes the flow of ground water as well and obstructs the movement of roots thereby badly affecting the soils biological balance and organic processes. Landfills are also prone to leaks. The wastes especially cadmium and lead in the wastes invariably mix with rain water, then seep through the ground and drain into nearby streams and lakes and other water bodies. Thus the water we use gets poisoned. The only way out of the deadly and lasting danger of plastic is to cut down the use of plastic, if not avoid it altogether. Say no to plastic whenever and wherever you can.

Possible solutions to Corruption

India faces a big challenge today….This year will be known in the history books as “the year of the scams”. 2G Spectrum scam, Commonwealth games fiasco, IPL scam, Adarsh housing scam and many more came out of the closet, severely deteriorating its image across the world as well as in the eyes of its own people. Add to it, the common man has had to face frauds at individual levels also. Scandals and scams are nothing new or unique to India, but what is extremely disturbing is that it has spread to almost every major field and event, increasing in enormous proportions. Even the services like education and health have not remained untouched. Donations are given by parents to get their children admitted into schools. Doctors are influenced by the medical representatives of the companies through “gifts”. The government schemes to help the needy fail to produce the intended impact due to the multi level scams that eat up the money and benefits before they reach to the grassroot level.

I hope to give some practical solutions to the problem to the best of my understanding and knowledge. In my view, the sorry state of affairs in our nation is mainly due the politics of power and money .The politicians and the big corporations seem to bend the rules to get what they want. Undue advantages given to them must be taken away. Some major institutional reforms are needed to start with. We need an India where every person fears that corruption and frauds of any kind will land him in jail. That alone will replace today’s greedy deeds with incentives for honesty.

First, we need a mechanism that induces criminals to leave politics. What can one expect when Power is manifested in the hands of the very perpetuators of crime?? We must end the outrageous situation where criminals join politics and often become cabinet ministers. This gives them huge clout and ensures that charges against them are not pursued. Following are some highly alarming statistics to show the criminalization of politics in our country. In the 2004 election, 128 of the 543 winners faced criminal charges, including 84 for murder , 17 for robbery and 28 for theft and extortion. One MP faced 17 murder charges. Shibu Soren, a man convicted of a crime as grave as murder, has been the chief minister of Jharkhand. Parties do not find this deterring since all these criminals provided them with money, muscle and patronage networks that every party found useful.

All candidates are required to submit a list of their assets and criminal cases against them but it has not yielded any results. Exposure of criminal cases is not enough. We need a new law mandating that all cases against elected MPs and MLAs will be given top priority, and heard on a day-by-day basis until complete prosecution. This will make election victory a curse for criminals—it will accelerate their trials, instead of giving them the political immunity they seek. If such a law is enacted, we may well see criminal legislators and ministers resigning in order to get off the priority trials list. This reform can truly transform the face of politics in India.

Second, we need judicial incentives that speed up justice. Truly, “Justice delayed is Justice Denied.” Often, its the case that even if a fair verdict comes out, it is too late to punish the guilty either because he’s no more or is in the twilight of his life that a sentence so late does not matter after enjoying a lifetime of freedom. Giving time-consuming procedures and precedents priority over speed has to be questioned. Speedy justice may be achieved through setting a maximum time target in which judgement has to be pronounced. Strict monitoring of judges who preside over a case has to be followed to ensure that there is no conflict of interests for the judges. The already existing mechanism regarding this is not enough, since it requires that the judges voluntarily excuse themselves from the case in such situations. What must be done is that the lawyers on both sides must actively keep track of the judge to ensure no partiality to the other and no bribery. A provision for complaint can see to it that anything amiss is looked into.

Witnesses are a major problem to the conduction of a fair trial. Firstly, people do not come forward to help in an investigation thinking “court ke chakkar lagane padenge” or “police hume hi fasa degi” etc. Low confidence in police make witnesses hold back . In India, a witness is very susceptible to being influenced to change his stand since there are no provisions for their security. Not only in physical terms but they may be targeted through other ways like threats to destroy their professional and social life etc. Witness protection Program is something really credible that ought to be started to draw the witnesses and help in getting justice.

Third, We must free the police of political control . What we see today is that although cases are registered against the powerful but are not followed up by the police. This is because they are influenced by the ministers and the business lobbyists. The police is used to tone down the cases against the ruling party and their coalition members or to provide VIP security. Crime Detection has to be made their top most priority. One important step is making the police a powerful institution in itself. It is not something unheard of and has been successfully implemented in Japan which has an independent police commissioner. Extrication of police from the control of politicians, and having a truly independent Police Commission will mean police force can stand up to politicians as firmly as the Election Commission. Since law and order is a state subject, so we will need police commissioners in every state, under a national police commissioner.

Providing monetary and other benefits to family and friends or using their authority to get advantages for themselves by the officers or ministers of high ranking is not uncommon. This is often at the cost of worthy aspirants, and also amounting great losses to the public institution and the public at large. Recently the Adarsh society scam demonstrated this very hard reality. A solution to this could be that the awarding of contracts and positions should not be left to the monopoly of any one person but must be decided by a board of persons through reports submitted by qualified and experienced professionals after detailed analysis and examination.

Investigation and prosecution of the rich and the powerful regardless of their clout will mean making corruption highly risky instead of profitable. Some great person has said that the hallmark of a democracy is not that it holds elections , or represents the will of the majority , but that it creates independent institutions that can thwart subversion of justice by politicians and mobs.

Treatment of politics as a lucrative and tax-free profession has to be stopped. The youth, instead of just blaming the present state of affairs, must do something to change it. There has been some initiative in this direction with the joining of educated professionals like doctors, lawyers and IAS officers into the politics. More youth with the will to clean out politics and uplift the nation have to come forward. But the common people need to rise above the politics of caste, region, language and religion and give support to the really qualified and deserving candidates like these who are committed to the cause of working for the people. Media has an exceptionally significant role to play - communicating to the masses the wrongs prevalent in the society. Regular news ran by TV, radio and newspapers about these do create pressure on the government to act against the offenders. Telecom minister A. Raja was finally chargesheeted in the 2G Spectrum scam only due to the consistent cries raised by the mass media. Sting operations to expose the corrupt have seen some action being taken against the guilty, ranging from setting up investigations to even suspension. What the media has been doing is good but must not get swayed to anyone’s side by personal prejudices or benefits etc. It must rise as “the voice of the people, for the people and by the people”.

Only a few decades back, there was a general impression among the people that corruption was a shameful affair. Though even then, many persons were corrupt, the people looked down upon them and the corrupt persons were left socially isolated. But now it has become so common that the people have come to accept it as a way of life and think it better to mind their own business. They even have become a part of this scheme when they give bribes to get their work done, escape out of being fined etc. But if the public does not shun it completely, there is no hope for the corrupt to abstain. “JAAGO RE!!” very appropriately defines what we need to do... WAKE UP! Legal action and public shaming together can prove to be an incredibly effective means to root off this menace.

The common man who is affected the most by all the political or small individual scams seems to have accepted the evils as the way of life, thereby giving up the will to fight. What most people think is “is desh ka kuch nhi ho sakta”, “yahaan aisa hi hota hai, tum bhi aadat daal lo” etc.. This ‘chalta hai’ attitude is what is holding us down. But if everyone thinks like this, how can we expect to bring a change? If even only one takes an initiative it is possible that others will follow the lead. Even if not, such individual efforts will not go in vain and will definitely produce some fruits. The Power of “ONE” must not be understated- One voice can break the silence, and one ray can tear down darkness. To bring the change, you have to be the CHANGE!

Earth Day: Cleaning Up Our Planet

Making The World A Better Place - In 1963, Senator Gaylord Nelson wasn't happy with the earth's condition. He wanted to clean up the planet and solve pollution and environmental problems. As a senator, Gaylord Nelson was someone chosen by US citizens to help make laws, so he had a lot of power. He went to John F. Kennedy, the President at the time, with his concerns. The President agreed that the planet's environment was a serious issue, so President Kennedy went around the country on a five day tour to promote the idea of cleaning up the planet. People began making small changes, but it wasn't enough.

Becoming an Official Holiday- A few years later, Senator Nelson decided to put one day aside every year for the cause of saving the planet. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. Since then, Earth Day has become an international holiday. People all over the world are doing something to make Earth a cleaner, better place. Kidzworld along with founder, Allen Achilles, make an extra effort to protect the environment by recycling all used electronics.

Did U Know? - '80s rock band, Dramarama, wrote a song about Earth Day in 1993 called What Are We Gonna Do? More than 20 million demonstrators took part in Earth Day activities in 1970. Today more than 500 million people in 164 countries participate in Earth Day festivities! Every year, 14 billion tons of garbage is dumped in the ocean.
Do Your Part to Make a Difference

Encouraging your family to recycle on a regular basis is a good way to help the Earth!
Switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs in your house helps to reduce the effects of global warming.

Every glass bottle you recycle saves enough energy to run a TV for an hour and a half, while recycling an aluminum can saves enough energy to run your TV for three hours!
Turn out the lights when you leave a room - unless someone's still in there!
Use re-useable containers for you school lunches and snacks.

Beyond Boundaries, for Age Care

Delegation from ‘Vietnam National Commission on Ageing’ consisting of members from government & NGO working with Elderly under leadership of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan , Head of Office, Vietnam National Commission on Ageing recently visited India on Study Tour on Invitation of Sailesh Mishra, Founder President of Silver Inning Foundation – a not for profit organization dedicated for the cause of Senior Citizens.

This visit facilitated meeting & exchange of knowledge between various NGO’s/Organisation working with Elderly in both countries, which shares historic relationship. This networking meeting will help people from both the countries to understand issues and needs of the Elderly and work out solutions as required by country specific.
The diversity of culture and tradition in South East Asia has its own dynamics in care for elderly. There is a world out there that lends to us different cultures, different lifestyles, and educational, social, religious and political views.
We get entangled in our everyday lives and take most things for granted. It is important to enrich our lives with experiences from other countries for a lot of reasons; the social aspect, seeing how other people lives so that we can respect and appreciate the life that we lead.

The consequences of demographic change in Asia, with the continuously growing Elder population is a huge challenge.Asian countries need to increase knowledge about how to promote good social, healthy life among Elders with preserving our culture & tradition in changing globalization so as to promote health and quality in later life stages.

Policy-makers need good outlines to make decisions, based on research and good practice. This in turn requires that the “bridge” between research and public policy is open and constructive. NGO’s and Senior Citizens play major role in helping the policy makers making an elder friendly policy.

According to the 2009 estimate in Vietnam 9% of population of the country is of Elders 60+ , about 7.5 million. According to the forecast of the UN Population Program due to a decrease in the birth rate & an increase in life-span , by 2025 the Elder population in Vietnam will be about 17% of the total population & 25% by 2050.
In Vietnam traditionally, the elderly are respected in the family and are recognized to have contributed to the cause of constructing and defending the nation and have a lot of life experience. The elderly play significant role in maintaining the traditional value of the family, in educating the children and in different social activities of the community.

Elders in Vietnam actively participate into the family life and social life. In the family, the voices of older persons are important to their children. They contribute to both spiritual and material life of the family, in many cases helping to ensure the sustainability and happiness of the family. For the community, older persons participate in economic activities and continue contributing to producing material properties. Older persons play the key role in social activities, developing “cultural family”, “cultural residential area”, “learning society”, preventing social vices such as drug addiction, prostitution in the residential area. The elderly also have active contribution to the development of policies of the authority.

Vietnam has a saying “the Young rely on their father, the elderly rely on their children”, which means when you grow old, the elderly have to rely on the care of their children. Most of the elderly in Vietnam earn their income by doing farming, and do not have pensions so they need their offspring to take care of and meet their needs when they are too old. These days, in the context of the market economy, there is some change in the value; some of the elderly have prepared for their old age, but the majority still needs the caring from the children, especially those without any savings. The successful people with wealthy life still secure the needs of their old parents and can take care of older people when needed.

In current scenario there is a trend of increasing nuclear family and decreasing extended families. In the market economy, the young generation concentrates on making money for their living and have to migrate to urban area. There are some young people without incomes or employment, and those addicted to drugs, violating the law, etc. they pose difficulties for ensuring older peopled to be taken care of and in many cases bring about burden for the elderly.

In order to assist families in caring for the elderly, the Vietnam government has implemented different policies. The role of social organizations, NGOs and private organizations are strongly promoted thanks to the policy of broadening the participation of the society in caring for the elderly. The social organizations like Women’s Union, Vietnam Red Cross and international NGOs, as well as donors, etc. have made significant contribution to developing caring services for the elderly, which is still in shortage in Vietnam. The government is formulating new policy and programme for elderly. The Vietnam delegation visited capital city of New Delhi, commercial capital Mumbai and retirement paradise city Pune.

The first meeting was held at Helpage India HO at New Delhi with Mr.Mathew Cherian, CEO & his Team of Directors. Sailesh Mishra of Silver Inning Foundation was also present with the delegation. Helpage India shared information about their activities and their new vision for Age Care. It was an interactive information sharing meeting. Both the countries felt that there has been increase of neglect and abuse cases. Helpage India also assured of help to the delegation with regards to capacity building. The delegation was given CD’s of documentary of various activities and on issues of elderly.

In Mumbai the delegation visited Geriatric Psychiatry dept of The BYL Nair Charitable Municipal Hospital. Dr.R.V.Rananavare - The Dean, Dr. Charles Pinto - Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Dr. Alka Subramanian, Dr.Vinod Gangooli from The BYL Nair Charitable Municipal Hospital and Sailesh Mishra of Silver Inning Foundation were present. The delegation was impressed with the care and services offered to underprivileged by the public hospital. It also got the information of Geriatric Psychiatry clinic run by the hospital. Nair Hospital is a Tertiary care hospital one of the four big public hospitals attached to medical College in Mumbai city. The delegation was informed about growing incidence of mental illness in elderly including Dementia/Alzheimer’s’. Dr.Alka informed the delegation about high number of Diabetic, High Blood Pressure, Depression, Cardiac and Infectious realted illness in elder population. Dr.Charles Pinto explained the working of the Geriatric Psychiatry dept and the hospital. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan wished if Vietnam could have such medical facility in each district.

The delegation also participated in Networking meeting of NGO’s & Organization’s working with Senior Citizens in India at Center for Life Long Learning, Tata Institute of Social Science, (TISS) Mumbai. Prof. Nasreen Rustomfram - Chairperson, Centre for Lifelong Learning ,Prof. Siva Raju – Demographer & Social Gerontologist , Mr. Sandip & Mr. Darpan Ved from TISS ;Dr.Kinjawadekar & Mr.Chapke from AISCCON ; Mr.Vijay Aundhe from FESCOM ; Mr.S.Mahapatra from GIC Pensioners Association ; Mr.R.S.Desai from All India Bank Retirees Federation ; Ms.Shobha Philips & Ms. Regina from YWCA Asha Kiran; Prakash Borgaonkar & Vallerian Pias from HelpAge India ; Ms.Mona , Sailesh Mishra from Silver Inning Foundation & Ms.Laxmi Rao Project Coordinator from 1298 Senior Citizens Helpline were present for the meet. Prof.Parsuram Director of TISS chaired the meet but had to leave early for an urgent meet. Sailesh Mishra gave an overview of Indian Ageing and NGO’s working in India. Prof. Siva Raju shared Situation Analysis of Indian Ageing and Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan gave presentation on Country report of Vietnam Ageing scenario. It was followed by Q & A session and we all got to know more about respective country ageing issues. The Indians were impressed by the work done by Vietnam government, NGO’s and Community for their Aged. The Health Insurance and Community care of Vietnam elderly was appreciated. Representative from Vietnam delegation wanted to know if there can be support from prestigious institute like TISS on this Prof. Nasreen assured of the support and also informed a Tailor made programme/course can be made available. She also expressed her desire on behalf of TISS to strength the social science particularly in developing countries. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan invited a delegation from India to visit Vietnam. We all expressed our desire for exchange of resource/people among developing countries and developed nations vice versa for creating better social infrastructure for Age Care. Sailesh Mishra hoped if UN agency or International Community could come forward and encourage such networking among transnational organisation, expert and Senior Citizens.

To get the first hand experience with elder care facility delegation visited Harmony Day Care Center at Harmony Interactive Centre managed by Harmony for Silvers Foundation in central Mumbai. It was amazing to see the interaction among Senior Citizens and the Delegation. Hiren Mehta, Vitista Dhar and Amrita from Harmony and Sailesh Mishra from Silver Inning Foundation were present. ‘Harmony Celebrate Age’ and Harmony memento was presented to the delegates.

The Pune tour included visit to ATHASHRI Retirement Township for Independent Living. The staff of the township gave a tradition Indian Welcome to the entire Delegation member with a huge beautiful Garland. Dr.Vijay Rhayakar - Resident Manager , Ms.Neela Deshpande - Administrative Officer from Athashri and Sailesh Mishra & Laxmi Rao from Silver Inning Foundation were present. The delegation was shown the different facilities including Kitchen, Dining, Club House, Library, Temple, Sample Flat, Gym etc . They were also taken to ‘Continuing Care Center’ for assisted living. We all were amazed by Elder Friendly Design and Infrastructure & by generous and committed staff. The delegation also enjoyed a ride on Electric open car.
The Pune & India tour reached its climax with the Meeting with International Longevity Center – India (ILC –I) and representatives of SCOs, Govt. officials. Dr.S.D.Gokhale ,Mr.Jayant Umranikar, Mr.Prakash Ahirekar and Ms.Anjali Raje from ILC –I ,Dr. Gururaj Mutalik former WHO Director & Mr.Prakash Jawdekar, Wing.Commnd. Marathe, Mr.Avinash , Colonel Athawale and representative from FESCOM & Association of Senior Citizen's Organisation of Pune (ASCOP) were present . Ms. Lan gave info about Ageing in Vietnam. She stressed the need of Shelter for Aged and hope if we could help them. She also bought to the notice importance of Transport facility for Elderly and how difficult it is for them to avail this facility. Ms.Lan also informed that the Vietnam Govt. is drafting a new policy /Programme for Elderly. Dr.S.D.Gokhale informed about Review of NPOP (National Policy of Older Person) and assured help for framing a policy for Elderly in Vietnam. Dr.S.D.Gokhale also shared information on ILC- I ‘Leadership Exchange Programme’ between different countries. Dr.Mutalik talked about establishing ILC-I ‘Information Exchange Center for Ageing’ which could help to share and explore recourses for aging.
In the end Dr.Kinjwadekar of AISCCON & on behalf of all the organisation working with/for Senior Citizens in India gave ‘Silver Inning Foundation Memento’ to each member of the delegation. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan gave Memento to Helpage India , The BYL Nair Charitable Municipal Hospital, ATHASHRI , TISS and Harmony for Silvers Foundation.

Sailesh Mishra of Silver Inning Foundation , the host and facilitator thanked the Vietnam National Commission on Ageing, Helpage India , The BYL Nair Charitable Municipal Hospital, ATHASHRI , ILC-I , TISS, Harmony for Silvers Foundation , AISCCON, FESCOM, ASCOP, YWCA, GIC Pensioners Association , All India Bank Retirees Federation , 1298 Senior Citizens Helpline , Center for Lifelong Learning- TISS & other organizations working with Senior Citizens for their unconditional support for this Transnational Networking ‘Beyond Boundaries, for Age Care’. He also hopes to facilitate more such visits and sought invitation for Indian delegation visit abroad. Organization and Country interested to Network for the welfare of our Elder can contact Silver inning Foundation. This interaction and networking was also possible due to mentorship of Prof.Joseph Troisi and INIA, Malta.

Year 2011, Planet Earth, Time is Now. Switch Of

It’s no secret that humans are the dominant race on earth. A small education will tell you that hasn’t always been the case. In all our pride and vainglory we tend to forget that we are just one of the many species on the planet. We didn’t make a decision to let earth house us; we were put here, rather appeared by chance and as luck would have it we also happen to be the custodians of all this wonder and marvel that we don’t own and have done nothing to make possible. We rule. Don’t we?

Every activity that defines human habitation has done only harm to the planet. Every attempt to tame nature for our bloating needs has added something to the natural mix that doesn’t fare well with the all-important environment – that too, just to make sure we get cool air indoors or a shorter time travelling to the movies maybe. Earth has millions of species. We have just one earth. From the point of view of someone in need we are clearly not being very careful.

It’s as if humans, as a collective, have subconsciously accepted that we aren’t welcomed everywhere. Why would we be? Chance, evolution, biology, Gaia (if you believe in it) has been careful enough to populate itself with a variety of flora and fauna; much more complex and beautiful. There’s proof everywhere that earth wasn’t designed with humans in mind. What do we do on realizing that? We take it in our stride and barge into the next available piece of land, or atmospheric layer, to leave our mark on. If I were earth, I’d find humans very annoying.
Our entire presence has been expended in trying to master nature and all that it stands for. True, our knowledge has grown but so has our need to acquire more just for the sake of growth. Human history has many examples to show what happens when action loses reason. The most violent chapters in history are testaments to deeds accomplished with reason suspended. We seem headed to be reduced to just a violent chapter in the history of earth; one that no one will be around to read.

There have been many calls for action in the past. How you responded then and how much of a loss was your unavailability is not to be delved on now. You have your chance to respond positively to a new call. March 26, 2011, 8:30 pm Earth Hour.

All we need is for you to switch off all your lights for an hour. This is the smallest step you can take to show that you are willing to make a change to your way of living in favour of the planet.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable if you ask what Earth Hour actually stands for. We’ve put together a small quiz for you to better understand the symbol of a lightless hour and also realize where you stand in relation to the need for change.

Where am I from?

As I sit at my desk to give you a humble account of the last 26.99 years of my life, I am amazed to note that I cannot.

Cannot give you a 'humble' account, that is. I am oh-so-extraordinary that there is nothing humble about how I have lived or what I have done in my life thus far!

Did I mention humility is one of my most privileged assets?

I was born in Mumbai (thankfully!) and brought up around the world. My father, now a retired diplomat (from the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi) has been on several postings across the globe, and I as a privileged child have gone along with my family everywhere.

I’ve studied in countries like Germany, Kuwait and Thailand and have worked in various fields in Hungary and UAE. Oh, what a life! What a life I’ve had!

Global nomads. That’s what we call us ‘young members of diplomatic families’. That and DiploBrats. But hey, who’s judging? I’m often asked – “How does it feel to have moved around the world so much, to have never lived in one place for longer than 3 years of your life? Must be odd?”

My answer to these people is always in the form of another question: “How does it feel to have lived in one place all your life? Never moved around in your life? Having had the same set of friends, having grown up in the same environment for 18 / 20 / 25 / 50 years of your life?” When I get a confused look as an answer, I answer for them: You don’t know, do you? When you’ve lived life a certain way, you know of no other way to live. I cannot tell you how I feel about having moved around all my life as opposed to lived in one place since I’ve never done the latter. I do not have a basis for comparison. I do, however, have immense gratitude for the life I have been exposed to. Immense joy and gratitude.

Gratitude towards whom? Towards my family? Of course! If it weren’t for my father’s job and my mother’s dedication, my brother and I wouldn’t have been brought up the way we were. But more than that, I hold my head high and salute my country. For if it wasn’t for them, we would’ve never got the kind of education we did, we would’ve never travelled to these exotic locations and we would’ve never known of life the way we do now. The best schools in the world, the best education one can have, the highest form of respect (being young members of the diplomatic community) and immense amount of pride. That is how I have grown up. That is what my country has done for me.

What have I done for the country? Nothing. I’ve done so little for my country, that I have done nothing. My head hangs in shame when I think of what I can do and what I am doing. I see a path in front of me – a path that I will soon take. A path that I have been working towards, a change that I have dreamt of ever since I was a child. I dream to serve my country.

My dream was to do so as a combat soldier in the Indian National Army, but this dream was shattered the day I found out that as a woman, I cannot be a combat soldier for my nation. I took that with a pinch of salt, but pledged that day forward to do my bit every single day towards the change that I want to see.

I have been given many nicknames over the years because of this passion of mine – desh-premi, paagal and patriot are mere examples. The list goes on and on. But there are two nicknames that are extremely close to my heart: kooradaan (dustbin) and don (goon).

Of course there’s a catch behind me liking these names. And you’re shaking your head, smiling and saying to yourself: I’m going to have to read the stories behind these two nicknames – might as well light that cigarette. Go right ahead. This might take a little while.

Kooradaan. Trashcan. Dustbin. Yep, one of my favorite nicknames for me. There have been a number of occasions where my friends have dug into my bag to find a certain something and come up with a million items that, had it been them, would’ve found their way on the streets. Toffee wrappers, chocolate boxes, scrap paper, used tissues, broken pens and many other things have always found home in my bag / purse because I refuse to trash the streets. Now, if there were dustbins / trashcans on the roads in India, I wouldn’t need to do so. But that’s an entirely different discussion. Moving on with kooradaan: I have pledged not to litter the streets of my nation and I stand by that pledge. If that means that my handbag / purse is overflowing with garbage, so be it!

“Swati, you are in Bangalore, not Boston” followed by uncontrollable laughter – one of the reactions I have received when I’ve outright refused to let those around me litter and volunteered to stuff my bag with their trash too. My response is always the same: If you want Bangalore to turn into Boston, then start behaving as you would in Boston. Else, stop criticizing the government for everything.

Of course, this is followed by further fits of laughter. At this stage when I join in the laughter these people don’t seem to get that I am not laughing with them, but at them.

Alas! Such as the ways of the wise. Them thinking they’re wise, that is. I am no more than a fool. A privileged one, but a fool, by their standards. Such is life, and shall always be.

I want to say “that leads us to my second favorite nickname”, but unfortunately I can’t find a decent way to link the two together. So let’s pretend that I’ve made some ridiculously intelligent connection between the two nicknames. Here goes…

And that, my friend, leads us to my second favorite nickname: Don. Yes, this five and a half foot tall, 47 kg heavy girl has had this name associated with her for a while now. (Daymn, how’d I get into this third person mode?)

Known for picking fights with anyone and everyone, I have always stood for what I believe in. Be it the fact that chocolates should become tax free, or that corruption needs to be eradicated at the grass root level, I practice my beliefs and hold tight to the stand(s) I take in life.

As a fresher in college I have stood by my juniors, refusing to allow any kind of ragging; as a citizen I have refused to pay 10 rupees to the peon who wanted to get my papers signed by the Principal – I’m quite capable of standing in line for 2 hours, thank you very much.

I have also flagged – or tried to – those individuals who have approached me with leaked papers. Needless to say, I got nothing but apathy from the authorities. I did not stop talking about it, nor did I stop openly declaring who these people were. From frail threats to open arguments to potential fist fights – I’ve been a part of it all. And proudly so.

When I walk the streets of my country, I walk with my head held high, for I know that I am making a difference. Out of a hundred people who have seen me fight for a cause or who have seen me smile while putting away a wrapper in my bag, at least one will think before handing that money to a peon ‘under the table’ or before chucking that scrap piece of paper on the road.

That’s what I am doing for my country. That’s how I am trying to make a difference. Is that enough, you ask? It may not be enough, but is one thing: a beginning.

I was recently asked to send my details for a city-wide contest that was happening in India. Whilst I do not reside back home, home will always be home. The self-nomination resulted in this lengthy monologue and I ended up extracting bits and pieces from it for this blog entry. However, I never did get to hear back from the guys about the nomination. I suppose this last bit of my write up / letter is the reason – they probably never figured out where to place me:

I will not be able to tell you which city I am from. Originally a Punjabi from Amritsar with ancestors hailing from Lahore (now Pakistan) and Sialkot; born in Bombay (now Mumbai); lived briefly in New Delhi in between postings; moved to NOIDA and lived there between postings; and finally lived in Bangalore (the only city I can call home) for 5 years, while currently living in the UAE.

Where am I from, you ask?

Soaring High on the Wings of Hope

19-year-old Warrant Officer Hena Pore became the first girl pilot and NCC cadet from the state of Rajasthan to fly a Microlite Zen Air STOL CH-701 aircraft on the foggy morning of 27th January in 2007. WOW!

The SOS Children’s Village in Jaipur, where Hena grew up, rejoiced in the triumph of their girl along with the entire state of Rajasthan. Daniel Verma came to SOS Children’s Village (Jaipur) when he was barely 10-week old. Right from this early age, he had a passion for computers and information technology! He started his schooling at Tagore Public School and later joined the World Wide Web Institute where he honed his knowledge and skills while working as a Business Coordinator. His hard work and determination paid off when he got a scholarship for pursuing higher studies in Computer Science at Demontfort University, Leicester, in the UK. He now lives in London and is currently working as an Account Manager – Mid Market with Software Spectrum, the world’s largest software reseller.

These are but only two of the many success stories of the children who have found love, hope and a strong support for a new future in the SOS Children’s Villages spread across 132 countries in the world. SOS Children’s Villages of India is a voluntary organization that is working to give children in need a family, a home and a sense of security. It is dedicated to caring for parentless, homeless and abandoned children. It also works with families to strengthen the ties between parents and children, so that children don’t suffer or get abandoned because of broken homes. The organization neither works for profit nor is it supported by the government. SOS Children’s Village of India was established in 1964. Today, there are 40 Children’s Villages and 122 allied projects like Kindergartens, Medical/Social centers, Hermann Gmeiner Schools, Youth Houses and Vocational Training Centers, spread across the country.

“At SOS Children’s Villages, we believe that the love of a caring mother, an upbringing in a natural family environment and a permanent home, can help children grow up as independent secure and contributing members of society,” says Asha Fernandes, the area coordinator of SOS Children’s Villages in India. “We’ve responded with major relief and rehabilitation work during times of major natural disasters and calamities that have befallen our country.”

Every SOS Children’s Village comprises of 15 to 20 family homes, each family unit consisting of 10 children. Each family home is headed by a mother who brings up as many as 30 children. The children share their lives as brothers and sisters and grow together, under the care of their SOS Mother. The mother is supported by mothers-in-training called aunts, and professionals called counselors. The entire village is looked after by a father figure known as the Village Director. The SOS Children’s Villages in India are looking for volunteers. You could help bring hope and love in the lives of these distressed children. Jaago Re!