My cup is half full, my cup is half empty!

2022 is waving out 

And 2023 waving in,

Assuring filfillment of hopes and dreams

Something to look forward to, from within! 

Embrace the new year 2023,

with wide open arms,

Bidding farewell to a year,

that's gone by, with all its voids and charms!

2022 was full of hopes and apprehensions,

Fearing the return of unknown events and elements,

Many realizations and awakenings, 

Yet waiting for a healthy tomorrow and celebrations!

We are unaware of what 2023 has in store,

With the lockdowns facing us once more!

Fear of one dominating the others, 

When will humans consider others as brothers?

Things were looking greener and better,

On the horizon far and near,

Was it just a mere deception, realized with a tear?

Or hoping against hopes, all future unclear?

Shall we be aware and aware?

Will it come or won't it go?

It's all too futile to think,

about what we do not know!

Is it our own doing that's acting against us,

Have we wished for too much,

More than what God granted us?

Nature has been very kind and generous,

Showering us with all blessings and pleasure,

Abundant, green, lushly leisure!

Have we poisoned the soils and waters?

Is it we that contaminated the rivers?

Have we polluted the air around us?

Also the brains and minds, that surround us?

We all will think and act together,

Fight out what has come up hither!

Let's all unite and say aloud,

A silver lining to a dark cloud!

2022 is waving out, 2023 waving in,

Let's welcome the transition with all our being!

Happy 2023 !!!!!

Prof. Dr Jaya Kurhekar 

Green Blogger 

On the occasion of 75th Anniversary of our independence day, I salute all those who have fought for and laid down their lives for the independence of our beloved motherland, a coveted independence, which we all are enjoying today. 

There are many inspiring and motivating patriotic compositions, by eminent composers, one of which I have included today under the theme of Silver Lining. Narration of one of the most beautiful poems on patriotism;   "Ek tutari dya maj anuni" penned by Keshavsut. Passion, vision, sincerity, patriotism filled to the brim;

Enjoy!!!

Click here: 

https://youtu.be/TLmGuzsKjlk

Copy paste this link in your browser

Green Blogger

Prof. Dr. Jaya Kurhekar

 

It’s a delight conversing with you all! There are a few things in my mind, which I wish to share with you all, regarding the environmental awareness I experienced in the part of US that I visited. Care is taken in very small ways, but which goes a long way, in terms of caring!

It was the month of May, 2012! My son had moved from Stanford University, Paulo Alto, CA, to Bellevue, WA, US. We planned a visit to Bellevue, to meet him and to get a feel of his working and residing place! It was our first visit to the US, followed by many more, later on! 

It was a Delta KLN flight, destination Seattle Tacoma; with a layover of about three hours at Amsterdam. I was excited about travelling to the other half of the globe, which was exactly 12 hours behind us. We had talked to him often and were well aware of the impact; the time zone lag has, on human body. It was an era of no whatsapp, so no whatsapp calls. There was no logging in at the airports. Our mobiles were quite useless, till we reached home in US. We were aware that the only connection after we took off would be at the layover point, where we could send an e-mail about our whereabouts to our son or relatives at the other end! It sounds so funny and out of date today; we can’t imagine a situation like this, bringing home the fact that communication and technology have advanced so magnanimously!

The flight took off at about 1.30 early morning, underlining the fact that now we were cut off from land, homeland as well as our destination. A grumpy feeling engulfed me. Being suspended in the air for hours together can act funnily on your psyche. The time was such that finally we fell asleep, not even for about an hour when we were awakened for food. We were not hungry as it was our midnight but we accepted, for the fear of being hungry later on. Flights to US, feed you so much, at all odd times, that you really don’t feel like eating, hours after you reach your destination! It’s all because of the 12 hours’ time difference! After about ten hours, we reached Amsterdam. We had started in the night and we continued travelling in the night, as when we reached Amsterdam, it was night! 

I had read about Amsterdam and the airport, so was curious to see how it was! It was a very lively and clean place; all hustle and bustle! Three hours, on paper, seemed a long time, but it proved to be very short, when we actually reached there. Huge airport, getting down from one flight, finding your boarding gate for the next flight, all formalities proved three hours to be less. What I was impressed about were the sparkling clean washrooms, which were cleaned immediately after every use. Later on I experienced that washrooms even in the remotest places were very clean, a delight! Rampant use of tissue papers was observed everywhere. Clean drinking water was no problem at any place. Shops with curios and mementoes were alluring.

Flight to Tacoma Seattle took next twelve hours, the screen in front of my seat showing the places on earth, which we were flying over. It was a mesmerizing view out of the window, at the same time, fearful too. Crossing seven seas, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Europe, Canada and finally when the wheels touched the land of Tacoma Seattle, we heaved a sigh of relief!

After taking an underground train to the luggage belt site, finally we were ready to move out. My son’s smiling face relieved us of all the travel fatigue! The view from his car window was our first glimpse at the USA. High rises, green belts, lawns, beautiful roads, fly overs, disciplined traffic, cyclists, almost no two wheelers, few pedestrians, no shouts, no horns, no hawkers, were a few things I noticed at first sight.

Bellevue is one of the eight most beautiful cities in USA. Our residing place was near Downtown Park in Bellevue. We walked down every day and observed that, as pedestrians, we were very much respected. Cars in full speed too would stop and let us pass. People greeted us, as they walked by. All streets were lined with pots with fully blooming roses and other flowers, which no one touched! Trees laden with apples too, were untouched. I couldn’t quite imagine this happening but later learnt that the thought, “What is not mine, belongs to the state” was deeply ingrained in the citizens. Not a speck of paper, dust, debris could be seen on the road. The park was huge, citizens of all ages strolling around. There were many with pet dogs, at the leash; what truly surprised me was that the dog owners would scoop up their poops and clean up the place! There were huge dust bins everywhere, more importantly, which were used. 

Bellevue Library is a wonderful place; Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside made us feel at home. You can take any book or magazine and comfortably sit in any place, for hours together. Cleanliness, neatness, discipline was very obvious. We even took membership for a month as we were truly fascinated by the system and order in that place. Citizens of all ages visited and sat around reading. All facilities like scanning, zeroxing, computer, internet were provided to the visitors, as they believe in developing a reading culture amongst the citizens! 

Carpooling is appreciated by the state; there are separate lanes for cars with more number of passengers and they save time. There is no horn honking, no speeding beyond a limit and no throwing litter out of the cars. Separate lanes for cyclists are seen everywhere. Helmets are mandatory. The physically less privileged, children, aged are given priority, wherever possible!

In the residential areas, there are green belts, small forests, after every big community, which are functioning like lungs for the establishment. I observed ponds in the forests, where placards were put up, instructing passers-by not to disturb the natural ponds in any way, so as to maintain the ecosystems. Wetlands are protected similarly.

Each society has very similar types of houses, with huge backyards, similar front yards and chimneys, painted in two or three colours. This helps in keeping uniformity and an ethnic beauty. Well planned look is definitely more attractive.                                    

Lush green lawns, almost like prairies, can be seen very often along the roads, where rabbits, deer, ducks are rampant and freely grazing. Traffic stops to a halt, if they wish to cross the roads and they too, do it in groups! There are sign boards for vehicle drivers, instructing them to stop if they see animals crossing the roads. 

Speed limit is strict and the huge penalty is sent directly to your numbers or on mail, by the cops in blue, in blue light flashing cars. They are feared by the public! Penalty goes on increasing, if you do not pay it in time! 

We noticed that it was pre-election time, but the size of campaigning placards used was pre-decided, small and compact, which fitted at the end of road dividers. No huge banners, hoardings, placards with wishes; which was mind refreshing change! The beauty and sanctity of the place is maintained.      

All water is drinking water; thus purified and potable. Homes are equipped with hot and cold water tanks and basins are fitted with crushers below the drains; so that if any vegetables or solid debris goes down the drain, it can be mashed and it then goes to the drainage tanks. Imagine how much load on the sewage system is decreased; moreover, it also avoids blockages.

Homes are provided with three wheeled and closed dust bins, about four feet height; green, blue and black. The green is for dumping all wet, biodegradable waste from the house like kitchen waste, blue for dry recyclable waste like paper, plastics, metal and black one for e-waste. Each week, one specific day is allotted to a locality, when one is supposed to wheel the dust bins out, at a particular point on the front road; the special waste disposal vans come at a particular time and empty the waste in closed tanks in the van. No open debris, no foul smell, no filthy sites!

One is not supposed to smoke in public places; there are special smoking zones provided. 

At the bus stops, there are recycling dust bins, making it convenient for all to use. Public transport systems are strong, clean and very sensitive, with respect to time. So much so, that even a second’s delay is flashed on the screen, at the bus stop.

There are forest trails all over Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle, Kirkland, Woodinville, wherever possible. These are well maintained, with tall shady trees and a boon for trailers, hikers, pet owners and regular strollers. Natural eco-systems are maintained here; preserving, protecting the environment.

               

In tourist spots like Mount Rainier, various interesting quotes and placards are put up for the tourists, urging them to respect the environment and nature. 

One great gesture I observed was that whenever you visit a restaurant or hotel, at the end of the meals, they provide you with TOGO boxes; requesting you to carry all left over food, so that it wouldn't be wasted; moreover the money you spent, is respected! 

What I realized was, it’s necessary to inculcate an awareness about the environment in a child, right from its formative age. A child imitates parents and hence it is necessary to imbibe good habits in every citizen, young or old. Unless one understands the importance of  protecting, preserving, propagating nature and its values and considers the earth as one's own home, the deterioration cannot be reversed. 

So much for now!  Let's think about how such an awareness would be created around us! 

Prof. Dr. Jaya Kurhekar,

Green Blogger

KEY WORDS :

FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT, STARTEGIES, HYGIENE, LOCATIONS, WONDERS

LEPA TRIP – AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE!

This Diwali, a trip to Lepa, near Indore in Madhya Pradesh was a totally unexpected affair. It was aimed at a very spiritual experience of taking advantage of Ramkatha being narrated by an authorized person in the field Shriman Ravindra Pathak. We all were eager to listen to his spiritual deliberations, as we were aware of his spiritual base and captivating mastery on mythological deliveries. 

We reached Lepa early in the morning and were greeted warmly by dedicated workers of N.A.R.M.A.D.A. (Nimar Abhyuday Rural Management And Development Association, a totally dedicated, spiritually oriented, service mission). Young enthusiastic children took our bags and led us to our rooms, where we were to stay for the next week.

This Diwali, post corona, when getting together was in jeopardy; a totally unknown destination that we chose, was a pleasant surprise. 

A warm welcome, delicious breakfast accompanied by hot tea was enough to forget the travel fatigue. We got ready for the first session of Ramkatha, followed by delicious lunch, a short nap, prawachan, tea, snack followed by evening Ramkatha and arati, dinner and a stroll in the night. It was late October, with light winter, pleasant and starry. We followed this routine for the whole of next week.

A delicious treat of listening to, experiencing, grasping the gist of various episodes of Ramayan; at the auspicious place, from an eminent personality, made our Diwali very special. The part of Tulsidas Ramayan related to the boat sailors or "kewats", as they are known as, took us into Dwapar yug, a heavenly spiritual experience. Without any tensions or stress of urban life, worries of achieving everyday routine, we were totally immersed in a divine environment, full of positive vibes. It was truly an out of the world anubhooti. 

What impressed me most was the fact that this whole project is an idea of a totally selfless and dedicated personality Bharati Thakur, who got this inspiration when she went for Narmada Parikrama. She had to stay one night in a tribal’s hut, where she was welcomed warmly and given a share of whatever they had for meals! When she realized their poverty and ignorance, she decided to resign from her very safe and secure bank job and took up the work of educating their children.

She selected a place called Mandaleshwar on the bank of Narmada River, where she set up her mission of educating children of boat sailors, for whom education was not at all a priority. Girls, school dropouts, young child labours were taught by her and slowly this expanded to a large area after establishment of N.A.R.M.A.D.A. Today it boasts of a few lovely buildings, used as school and residential complexes for teachers and students.

What impresses the visitors is that the resident students have worked to build a big auditorium, water storages, biogas plants; they manage cattle rearing, biofertilizer plants, organic farming, to name a few! This has developed a work culture in them! The two storeyed auditorium is an example of what a bunch of dedicated students can do, if they decide so! The masonry, building, painting, plumbing, electrification, all has been done by the students. This place in MP is one which has very hot summers and faces scarcity of water. They have even built underground water storage tanks, which take them through the summers. All toilets are built by students and even cleaned by them! When we visited the cow sheds, we were surprised to see the cleanliness, care taken and how it had satisfied the milk demand of the resident students. Moreover, the dung has been utilised in making fertilizers. I was surprised when I got a prompt answer to a question asked; about what species are used in biofertilizers? The students of sixth, seventh standards have cultivated Azolla and Spirulina in shadows and are updated about their advantages! Ms Bharati Thakur mam has slowly made her associates independent and responsible and they are working industriously towards being competent enough to stand proudly to face the world. Students from this institute have got prestigious jobs world over and they have been awarded best paper prizes for their innovative ideas and paper presentations.

Their regular syllabus is supplemented with skill developing courses; some have learnt plumbing, some masonry, some farming, some painting and so on, in order to help them stand on their own feet. Beautiful chants on River Narmada, considered as the mother of that region, have been composed and are sung by the children every day. A proper orchestra with musicians and instruments is set, with the help of dedicated teachers and students. Prayers mark the beginning and the end of the day. Students are well versed with all traditional Hindu practices like rangoli, diya making, garland making, handicrafts, stitching, embroidery which again helps them in their daily life and personality development. Articles made by them are kept for sale and we could play a small role in that!

It was like our maternal place, everyday different local vegetables for lunch, cooked with love, sweet dishes, soups, puris and parathas, variety of snacks; every day we would wonder how they could work up such lunches and dinners for 300 plus devotees and still maintain the sanctity of the event, that too at no cost? It was surprising how the dedicated workers maintained the cleanliness and discipline. The greenery around, clean air, fresh environment totally refreshed us! 

We immersed ourselves in River Narmada, bathing in which is considered very pious. We visited the ancient temple of Mandaleshwar, situated on a mound, other beautiful temples of Ganesha, Narmada, whenever we had time in between.

Maheshwari sarees are a trademark of this region; so how could we really miss them? Environmentally rich, great biodiversity, a motivating place; we came back chanting;

त्वदीय पाद पंकजम, नमामि देवी नर्मदे !

Green Blogger

Prof. Dr. Mrs. Jaya Vikas Kurhekar

AN ENCHANTED ENVIRONMENT !!!!

It is true that you have to see it, to believe it! This Ramnavami, falling on Sunday, 10th April, 2022 was a special one for us, which was the epitome of our spiritual anubhootis! An everlasting, never to be experienced again, episode in our life, which was totally unplanned and it was as if planted by SOMEONE, for us to live-in!

We reached Rameshwar, replacements for two drop-outs; on 9th April 2022. We had started memorizing Ramtandaw, praising Lord Shri Ram in Sanskrit. It was planned that about 1200 women clad in white, with lights in their hands would chant it at sunrise on Ramnavami, at Dhanushkodi, the southernmost tip of India, from where Shri Ram had initiated the Setu from India to Shri Lanka, in search of Sita!

Rameshwar was a blazing 40 degree centigrade, when we practised the Shivling arrangement, on 9th April, at hotel Blue Corals. It started raining, as it is a coastal region, very humid; scurrying everyone to move indoors. 

Arrived 10th April, Ramnavami, waking us at 2 am. We bathed and assembled at 3 am. Seated in respective buses we reached Dhanushkodi, around 18 kms from Rameshwar! Dr Kurhekar was the head of the medical team, heading towards Dhanushkodi in an ambulance. 

Around 4 am, mesmerized and driven by an inner force, we assembled to form our Shivling arrangement, taking our designated places. A lot of time and energy had gone into this planning by the organisers, specifically Madhuri Sahastrabuddhe, New Delhi. 1200 mothers from all over India had come to this auspicious place, on an auspicious day, for an auspicious event, to pray for global peace! 

Sunrise was predicted at 5.50 am and at 5.30 am we all were asked to be silent and peaceful and perform Namsmaran of our own favorite deity! 

Exactly at 5.50 am Sun God made appearance and we, with all our being started chanting the Ram Tandaw! Hardly about 12 mins, but the environment was full of positive energy and vibes, an unforgettable mesmerizing experience! I can still feel the goose bumps, after a week! It started and it ended, leaving us and the environment speechless, the energy sinking in! 

The descendants of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shri Raja Babaji Raje Bhosale, residing in Tanjore, Vice Chancellor of Tanjore University, Prof. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam graced the occasion. We could not help but capture the beautiful moments in our mobile cameras. The rocky beach at Dhanushkodi, from where Shri Lanka is just 14 kms away, was clean and neat. We spent a few beautiful moments there with our near and dear ones!

What impressed me most was the clean and fresh environment, tar road till the southernmost tip of India, sparkling clean waters and beach! May God listen to our prayers and bless us with Global Peace!