Observing Earth Hour!

In keeping with my tradition of blogging about Earth Hour, here follows my lesson from this year.

Another year, another Earth Hour.

I've got lots to complain about this time around though. The goal of Earth Hour is to motivate, educate and aware people about the various harms that we are bringing to our beloved planet and the little ways we can make a difference to this world.

In order to do this, they need to market their initiative as well as they could. But doing so, they should have kept in mind less energy wasting methods.

In Delhi, people were invited to India Gate to watch Euphoria's concert during the Hour. They wanted people to print out their posters for a free entry to the concert plus mentioned that the stage will be all lit up with candles. They did not however mentioned that there were many microphones, generators and big screens installed. Plus, the numerous media vans that surrounded the venue.

In India, the youth is not really politically active. We just do what seems cool and what hundred others are doing. No questions asked, no answers given. Nobody talked about the adverse effects of million candled being lit up in that one single hour or petrol wastage by people roaming around the city. We just switched off the lights at home and hurt the environment another way.

it takes about 40 candles to produce the same amount of light as a 40 Watt light bulb and puts out a lot more CO2, so lighting candles during Earth Hour isn't exactly doing much for our greenhouse gas emissions. Although it is roughly carbon-neutral if you don't burn too many.

Basically, Earth Hour is about being grateful not only for mother nature but also for technology. By switching off lights for on hour, we learn how important it is to save energy so countless others who spend their lives in pitch dark can have some light at last.

Its also about realizing that united, mankind can face any challenge. If enough of us stand together to make this world a better place, we can Totally do it. So extend this Earth Hour and make the most of this knowledge.

The Ticking Clock!

The worst part of life, for some, is that you move on. No matter how strong your hold is, how deep your affection, time Does change it all.

It may take days, weeks, months or years, but change is inevitable.

Some learn to live with the pain, some suppress it and some simply replace it with happiness.

In this sense, time is a remedy and at the same time, a poisonous disease eating at your memories till what is left is either a rose-tinted picture or a sepia toned slightly torn photograph of the moments past.

What once was a bone-deep traumatic wound evolves into a slightly colored scar, a reminder of old mistakes; What brought insufferable pain earlier only brings light pangs to you now.

Some laugh it off, some remember fondly, some don't even have a recollection of what happened. We move on. The smarter ones reflect, it all happened for a reason while the simpler ones blame the Almighty.

But...we move on. In a way, its only fair on us. Nobody deserves to live with pain forever.

Life carries on like a carefree tide-ebbing and flowing with each passing day. We can either be the stubborn sea-shell on the beach-waiting for a connoisseur to pick up, the forgiving water that goes with the flow or the gutsy sand-welcoming each new tide with a smile and bidding farewell to the ebbs.

Whatever part we play in the bigger scheme of events, we do move on, lot of times against our wishes so why not accept the fact and let time run its course?

Eh, time, aren't you a bastard! :)

My Earth Hour!

It was my second time celebrating Earth Hour today and it was as much of a challenge as it was an eye-opener.

Now, everyone has different conceptions about this initiative called Earth Hour by WWF, which started in Sydney back in 2008 and has grown remarkably to become the world's largest global climate change initiative.

The task is rather simple as all we have to do is switch off our lights for an hour every year on March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 local time.

The basic aim of the Earth Hour is to spread awareness about climate change for people to start taking an action against it.

As awareness programs go, this one is rather constructive as we end up saving thousands of watts of electricity worldwide in just an hour of global power shut down.

Many people are skeptical of this one hour lights out event, including me.

Last year, I asked my friend to participate in the Earth Hour and he asked me why should i switch my power off for an hour when our power grid does it for 4 hours every day. Brilliant question, i told him but i didn't have an answer to counter it. Not strong enough anyway so I bullied him into doing it.

This year, I celebrated my Earth Hour (after lots of arguments with my dad) eating dinner outside in the gallery and looking at stars thinking.

I would get restless at times because I had nothing to do. I decided on a no power Earth Hour, not even cellphone.

That got me thinking, how us human beings are caught up in so many different activities, always looking for some sort of entertainment, a distraction be it music on iPods on a trip from home to office or Twitter from cellphone. Neither of it is bad of course, but in the process we forget to give some time to ourselves. Just to be with ourself, not doing anything.

I found the answer to my friend's question too. And that is, yes, we should do it more than an hour an year. Instead of going all pious one day of the year, if we consume less electricity every day, it would make a much bigger and better difference than annual Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is not about switching off your light. Light is being used here symbolically, like a mascot through which the message they are delivering is that if united, we all can make a huge difference to our loving planet.

Climate Change may or may not be man-made, but its outcome would not be good for us because we are not made to survive such drastic change. Thats how dinosaurs died, remember? We may never be able to stop this climate change from happening, but what we can do is Try to slow down the process instead of becoming a catalyst ourself.

Does it make sense enough? To me it does and i might be wrong.

Earth Hour shows us how many of us our responsible human beings; how many of us actually care to help this world.

By switching off our lights (or any other way you participated) we tell each other, I am there and i am willing to make a change, in my life, in my lifestyle, for the future generation.

I agree, Earth Hour maybe an initiative by developed countries to shed off all their guilt in one hour for the damage they cause to our planet everyday.

If you live in developing countries like ours, India you needn't switch your light off. Electricity is a scarce commodity here already.

I have had my share of dark nights when power wouldn't come back for 2-3 days at a stretch. And Boy was it an adventure.

Some of us urban educated Indians who like to call our fellow countrymen cattle crowd cherish in the success of Earth Hours. What they fail to realize is that this pseudo-developed country attitude actually makes Us a cattle crowd wherein we follow the footsteps of actual developed countries into doing anything that makes us look their equivalent.

The Fact is, we aren't their equivalent. We are still a developing country. So before pointing fingers at people choosing not to participate in this Earth Hour we should realize what we are doing. What message are we putting through. What difference will it make. And are we doing it right?

I know what I did today. I showed the world (or at least people who care to see), my planet is important to me, and I would do my part wherever and whenever necessary to help others.

Remember, switching off lights today will not be counted as a good deed unless you try to cut down your daily carbon emission.

This is our Earth, this is our world. Be a real hero.

Make a Difference!

The problem of a civilized world is that the bigger we grow, the uncivilized we get. As kids we live, we learn, we love. As adults, we kill, we earn, we burn.

Why the hell should we grow-up then? Why do the teachers teach us to be good human beings when life teaches us survival of the fittest?

How are we better than other animals? Just because we live in a cemented colony?

Animals live and breed in colonies too, but unlike us they live in peace with who they are, where they are and what they want.

We humans destroy those same colonies we are born in. We pollute, we populate, we destruct and then we calculate.

The more we get the more we want. The more we want, more selfish we become. Individualistic thinking ruins the lives around as as we prosper. On the other hand, other animals are more sensible; they know how to live.

There couldn't be a better teacher for us than a simple wild animal.

Well then, how are we better than animals when we are worse than them in everything?

We are better because we have better thinking ability. We actually have an option to make our life, and this world a desirable place to live in.

And we have the strength to do something about the choices we make.

In this order, we think, we choose, we work.

So all we need is to have a little more faith in ourselves, our world, our choices and our fate.

This faith brings us hope and hope gives us the strength to look beyond our failures and defeat.

Believe in yourself and no one can stop you from making a difference.

You will because you can and you want!

Show Me The Finger!

So it was V-day in Delhi yesterday! total turn-out came to be 53% with East Delhi recording the highest number of voters and South, the least.

All over India, states with high turn-out have been West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana while that with the lowest was Jammu and Kashmir.

Over the last few years, voter turnout has been steadily declining throughout the country.Though Delhi proudly stands as one of those few other states (or Union Territories) with an increased turn-out.

highly disappointing was the turnout result in Mumbai that stood to be only 43%. with all the awareness programmes, publicity and campaigns that drove the city in the wake of 26/11, everyone had expected bit more of it.

It is easy to bicker, easier still to raise a voice but very courageous to actually get-up and do something about it.

This lack of interest could be said to be a way of voters' boycott with the governance of the country. however they failed to take note of a few important things here.

First, if you don't vote you lose your voice. your vote is the way to tell what you want.

Second, if your reason to not vote was lack of a good leader in your opinion, you could go to the booths and cast a no-vote through the 49(O) option, the rule that allows a voter to vote for nobody by leaving a remark in the main register at the polling booth.

However, all said and done, i was one of the fortunate ones who got to excercise her/his right to vote for a 2nd time in a row.

Last year i voted in the State elections and each time it was the same feeling of belongingness to the nation.i felt like i matter, like i have a voice and iam proud to be able to raise it.

It could be that my choice of party comes to power or it could be vice versa. but what matters most is that i tried. i tried atleast to bring a change, even if in my own little way.

Valid reasons apart, if you didn't vote, you lost a golden opportunity that comes once every half a decade.

So next time i hear anyone telling me how screwed up the political jungle in the country is or how corrupt is the new leader, the one thing i am going to ask them is to show me The finger, show me your voice, show me your choice.

Of Bobs and Blunts!

Been a long time since i last got my hair cut. had a function coming up this week so decided now is the time.

The first thing that the stylist asked was what kind of cut i was looking for. i gave my requirements.

And while he was working on the look, i just wondered what kind of answers does he get each time? Short? long? dramatic? not hard to manage? sweet? different? what? I guess it all depends on the kind of personality of the person.

One simple cut can change the whole outlook of people.

You look at a person and you judge them by the way they dress-up, the way they wear their hair, the way they walk. Its all part of who you are.

Women magazines suggest to have a new haircut if in depression.

Just one cut and you're feeling way better than you did in days. you just can't stop smiling.

What is it about hair?

It is a part of your personality; it shapes your personality. It is very important thus, to choose your cut carefully. to decide well, what you are looking for.

One wrong cut and you end-up looking a totally different person.

Just one of those thoughts that crossed my mind and I decided to share it with those who care to read.

Women Power and Earth Hour

My first blog starts with a very spontaneous thought i got struck with.

I was sitting in my room, reading a book when suddenly my mother and aunt came barging into the room and turned off all the lights.

Together as a team, one announced it was Earth hour and the other went around the whole house turning all the lights off. and mind you, we have a really big house.

Any protests from family members, young or old, husband or kids were met with just one stern look; actually make that two. My father argued, so did my brothers. but they finally gave in when the women countered them with their arguments.

Our house now stands a firm and proud soldier in this fight against global warming and energy conservation.

My motto for Earth hour:- One hour for one world.

As i was biding my time standing in the gallery i just wondered if it all would have been possible had my mothers not intervened?

And i realised how women power, whenever and wherever united, can win the day. Women can be the soft-hearted souls but they can also be the fiercest of fighters. Therefore the saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

We all know how Mahatma Gandhi seeked active participation of women in all his freedom movements calling for another saying-behind every successful man there is a woman.

The calibre of a determined and focused woman is incomparable and impossible to beat to say the least.

the power of a woman can never be contained. its a one-(wo)man army.

A woman's life is a life of struggle. she fights for her rights, her life and basically everything that should be hers, naturally, in an ideal world. This lifelong fight moulds her character and gives shape to her personality, making her soul invincible. All the qualities of a born-leader indeed!

So just imagine what this born-leader could do once she put her heart and mind into it? Woman power should never be questioned. it should be nurtured with due respect.

United they stand, united they conquer.

Woman power, you have a taker!