GENRE: Features

Rapid urbanisation in India has claimed one major casualty – destruction of existing green cover in cities to make way for development and other projects. But with the growing realisation that a good quality of life means not just conserving, but also adding to the city’s green cover, and citizens pushing for the same, urban authorities in Ahmedabad, as in some other cities, are experimenting with ways of creating small green areas in an ever-expanding concrete urban landscape. One method, much touted of late, is that of Miyawaki forests. Developed by Japanese botanist and plant ecologist Akira Miyawaki, and named…

The story of Ennore is neither new nor untold. However, there is a need to retell it, only because justice seems to be slipping further and further away. The dual onslaught of unplanned industrialisation and deforestation has taken away an important constitutional right from Ennore residents -- the right to life.  Both public and private sector industries have been drastically exploiting the natural resources of Ennore since 1993. Who suffers the consequences? The residents in eight villages of Ennore, for whom clean air and unpolluted water has become an unattainable luxury.  As the locality suffers the consequences of industrialisation in…

On a scalding hot afternoon, a petite, dainty woman stands at a small shop in R A Puram, counting the change she has to return to her customers. Her bangles clink as she swiftly wraps some eggs and then hands it over to the customer along with the change. With her saree pallu tied at her hip, she toils to the sound made by the jangling of her armlets. “I had sold bangles like these to buy this shop. They were made of gold. It has been 10 years now, but I don’t regret it,” says Ponnarasi, recalling times past.…

Diwali 2019 could well be the quietest festival of lights Delhi has ever seen. For a city which used to reverberate to the sound and smoke of crackers for a week before and after Diwali, last year’s Supreme Court crackdown on bursting of crackers, its order that only “green crackers” be sold and used, and a tight police vigil on cracker sales, has forced Delhi’s citizens to be satisfied with letting off only flower pots (anars) and sparklers (phuljaris) this year available in only two colours . The so-called atom bombs of old are out, as the concern is not…

With India's mammoth generation of 26000 tons of plastic waste daily, Indian cities are struggling to manage their plastic waste, with single use plastic (SUP) posing a major challenge. So much so that the Modi government's big decision to ban SUP from October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, was shelved as the market was not ready to take such a toll without proper alternatives to plastic in place. However, the government's recent Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign, which aims at large scale collection and recycling of plastic waste, is being actively pursued by state governments. The campaign involves concepts like plogging, cleanups…

We don't want any trees in Chennai. No one said this, at least not to me, and certainly not out loud. I am saying this to myself. How else does one explain the heartlessness shown towards trees in this city? If one of the reasons it was called Singara Chennai, was the number of tree lined avenues we had everywhere; well, we are Singara no more. The Kotturpuram Tree Park is a jewel, a tribute to the persistence and dedication shown by a group of tree lovers, and supported by citizens in and around Kotturpuram. The park has many rare…

In ongoing efforts to deal with monkeys causing disturbances and impacting health in human settlements, the Delhi government is planning a census of monkeys (rhesus macaques) in the capital city. The monkey species, which has now adapted to the urban environment, is often involved in cases attacking humans. After two decades of effort, the government has now roped in the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, to study the “numbers and behaviour” of the animal. In 2018, more than 950 cases of monkey bites were reported in the capital. The proposed census will help the Delhi government identify the number…

On a Monday morning, I planned to visit the Moore Market to see if I could get a hard copy of the autobiography of Ansel Adams. Moore Market is famously known as the Mecca of used and old books. The place is an ode to reading, with close to 150 shops and more than 1 crore books for sale, according to sellers. Students of various disciplines -- science, arts, commerce, management, medical and engineering -- have been known to frequent this place. However, this Monday looked different. There were hardly any people in the market and most shops had not…

Palampur is a picturesque Himalayan town in Kangra district, in the foothills of the majestic Dhauladhar mountains and the gateway to the popular Kullu-Manali tourist destinations. Surrounded by lush green tea gardens growing the famous Kangra tea, which was first planted in Palampur, the town is also home to CSIR’s Institute of Biosource Technology. Sadly, barring some localities and the town’s peripheral belt, the once pretty lanes of this town are today lined with garbage heaps dumped haphazardly at some spots.  “We need to find answers to fix this problem,” said former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar, who hails from Palampur.…

Translated by Sandhya Raju மாற்றம் என்பது இன்று தொடங்கி நாளை முடிவதல்ல. ஒரு நகரத்தில் பெரிய அளவில் மாற்றத்தை கொண்டுவர வேண்டுமென்றால் அதிலுள்ள குடிமக்களின் பங்களிப்பு மிக அவசியம்.  கழிவு மேலாண்மை, மழை நீர் சேகரிப்பு மற்றும் நீர்நிலைகளின் மறுசீரமைப்பு ஆகியவற்றில் பாரம்பரிய மற்றும் நவீன முறையை பயன்படுத்தி பல்வேறு முயற்சிகளை (தெற்கு) பிராந்திய துணை ஆணையர் பதவி வகிக்கும் ஐ ஏ எஸ் அதிகாரி ஆல்பி ஜான் வர்கீஸ்  மேற்கொண்டு வருகிறார். பல்வேறு முயற்சிகள் குறித்தும், நடைமுறைபடுத்தும் பொழுது தான் சந்தித்த சவால்கள் பற்றியும்  நமக்கு அளித்த பிரத்யேக பேட்டியில் அவர் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டார். ஆல்பி ஜான் வர்கீஸ், ஐ ஏ எஸ் சென்னையின் தெற்கு பகுதியில் ஜீரோ கழிவு முயற்சி எந்த கட்டத்தில் உள்ளது? அடையாறு, ஆல்ந்தூர், வளசரவாக்கம், பள்ளிக்கரணை, சோலிங்கநல்லூர் என தெற்கு பகுதியை  ஐந்து மண்டலங்களாக பிரிக்கலாம். இங்குள்ள மொத்த மக்கள் தொகை 17,15,799…