A Christmas Gift for Tamenglong

The villagers of Tamenglong in Manipur, North-East India, are building a 100 km road that is their only hope of access to medical facilities, all by themselves, with their physical effort and meager financial resources. They hope to complete it by Christmas.

I have included details below if you want to contribute, I did an online transfer. You could just read this article too, about this amazing young man, Armstrong Pame.
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Naga IAS officer builds 100-km road in Manipur without govt help
http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Naga-IAS-officer-builds-100-km-road-in-Manipur-without-govt-help/articleshow/17079710.cms

Villagers of Manipur's Tousem sub-division in Tamenglong district are a busy lot these days. At least 150 of them on a daily basis are clearing away a thicket with their machetes and daos. Some are lugging away heavy branches of recently felled trees; and others are operating bulldozers and earthmovers to give themselves the "best Christmas gift ever".

Theirs is one of the remotest corners in the country, where the India shining story has not yet reached; but the villagers are part of modern India's most ambitious road project embarked upon by one man, a young Naga IAS officer, without any funding from the government.

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To contribute:

Join the group (photos/details of road construction in here): https://www.facebook.com/groups/464587130228659/

Bank Details for Transfer from India and abroad: https://www.facebook.com/groups/464587130228659/doc/492222947465077/

This is Water

"...There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys, how's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the hell is water?"

.....The capital-T Truth is about life before death. It is about making it to 30, or maybe 50, without wanting to shoot yourself in the head..It is about simple awareness — awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: "This is water, this is water."

This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life
A commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace, to the 2005 graduating class at Kenyon College

http://grahamteach.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/This-Is-Water.pdf

Saving rivers

A friend cycled all the way to Sivagange to attend this event where Ramon Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh, popularly known as ‘Water Man of India’ (credited for having rejuvenated seven rivers in Rajasthan) delivered a lecture about the need to rejuvenate the Kumudavati river. I like it that they are reaching out to children too, building awarenes at that level.

Save Arkavathi, Kumudvathi basins, says Rajendra Singh

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/article588331.ece

Photos: Mayank's photos of the event, and the volunteer desilting activity that followed: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151206783138714.518919.601093713&type=1

Mayank Rungta: http://mynk.posterous.com/

Independence Day

What are you doing this Independence Day? Help build our country, become a Rang De social investor!

Three years down the line, as investor and volunteer, there is nothing that gives me more happiness, more purpose, nothing that makes me feel so connected to the exhilarating process of nation-building.

Rang De! http://www.rangde.org/ - what you receive is much more than what you lend.

Harambe!

A friend who took around a group of teenage Kenyan girls, whom I met during their lunch in the park:

"One of the girls lost her money (about Rs.2000) at the museum, as her bag was open and with such a big crowd there, I am not surprised that it was stolen. She seemed quite dejected but wait! As soon as we got into the bus, Sr. Winifred said a magic word "Harambe!". Immediately, 100 rupee notes appeared and within a minute or two, funds were pooled together and the girl got her money back. I was amazed.

"What is Harambe?", I asked. Harambe is Swahili for "working together in unity" or "let's pull together". Following Kenya's independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambe" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. He encouraged communities to work together to raise funds for all sorts of local projects. This is still a strong and widely used concept in Kenya."

How One Woman Revitalized a Watershed

This amazing woman prevented the Kosi river in Uttarakhand from drying up by teaching the villagers that the forests belong to them, not to the government – and therefore it is their responsibility to actively prevent deforestation, for their own survival.

http://www.thebetterindia.com/5131/basanti-and-the-kosi-how-one-woman-revitalized-a-watershed


Positive News. Happy Stories. Unsung Heroes: http://www.thebetterindia.com/

Please Help!

To Bangaloreans:

Remember the beautiful open grasslands next to Nrityagram, where Vasanthahabba used to take place? Please sign this petition if you want to help prevent it being destroyed to construct a theme park.(AAAARGHH!)

Hesaraghatta is the last remaining grassland in and around Bangalore and requires immediate protection.  It took me less than a minute to sign, it's a very simple process.

Please sign and share on your FB walls, thank you!

http://www.change.org/petitions/karnataka-government-don-t-destroy-hesaraghatta-grasslands 

Pusad, or Journeying into Colour

A life-changing trip. So many wonderful women. So many of my people. There is a reason why I love this country in spite of its many problems. There is a reason I stay. It is good to go out and be reminded about it. We forget, so easily.

 Post: http://whiletheworldisgoingplaces.blogspot.in/2012/04/rang-de.html

The Tundra Book

The Tundra Book: A Tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock

Director: Aleksei Vakhrushev
Russia I 2011 I 105 minutes I Russian and Chukchi with English subtitles

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpQjoFWsoKY

The Tundra Book: A Tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock presents a rare and stunning documentary about the lives of the Chukchi people who inhabit a remote Russian peninsula in the Arctic Circle, leaving them virtually isolated from modern life.

The story centers on Vukvukai and his community. Vukvukai, the Little Rock, is Chukchi from eastern Russia and lives along the Bering Sea region. He has lived his lifetime as a reindeer herder and thus is known in his community as a true man of the tundra whose life is inseparable from the reindeer. The Chukchi herd more than 14,000 reindeer. Vukvukai lives in one of the harshest climate zones in the world, the Arctic Circle.

His story and that of the Chukchi is one of a nonstop struggle for survival, but the people believe that following the practices of their ancient, nomadic, cultural traditions contributes to the perseverance of their survival in the unyielding, frozen tundra. The film presents a glimpse into a land, culture, and people that few have ever dared to capture, since it is so remote. For now, the nomadic Chukchi culture remains virtually intact away from the influx of modernity.

By the All Roads Film Project: http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/all-roads/film/

 All Roads Seed Grant

This grant funds film projects by or about indigenous and underrepresented minority cultures from around the world and seeks to support filmmakers who bring their community stories to light through first-person storytelling.

*Photo from Google Images

Call and get a Sparrow House

"As part of this campaign, we are distributing nearly 10,000 'Sparrow Houses' for free. You can put it up in your balconies and verandahs. You can hang it down from pergolas, or even put it up on a tree if you have one. We will also give shrubs, seed balls, and a small packet of grains to facilitate a proper nesting atmosphere for these birds.

If you are in Bangalore, please call: 9686456287 / 9686192739 to find out where you can pick up your 'Sparrow House' from!"

http://gubbigoodu.in/sparrow_houses.html

An initiative of Zed Habitats (www.zed.in)
BCIL, Poonam Chambers, Opp Food World,
397, 13th Cross, Sadashivanagar Main Road, Bangalore
Tel: 080-4018 4018. Cell: 91-96864 56287.

*Sandhya, who works at http://www.zed.in, says they have changed the design into horizontal now.

Peru bans GM Foods

Peru Passes Monumental Ten Year Ban on Genetically Engineered Foods

"In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as  Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review. 

Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”

The rest here.

By leaves we live

"This is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small,
and all dependent on the leaves.
By leaves we live.
Some people have strange ideas that they live by money.
They think energy is generated by the circulation of coins.
Whereas the world is mainly a vast leaf colony,
growing on and forming a leafy soil,
not a mere mineral mass:
and we live not by the jingling of our coins,
but by the fullness of our harvests."

Patrick Geddes

Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education.

“Geddes’ great achievement has been the making of a bridge between Biology and Social Science,” wrote his biographer Lewis Mumford. His idea now seems simple: just like plants and other animals, people thrive in healthy conditions. Patrick considered how people could improve these conditions and in so doing, established town planning.”

“His ideas were novel: cities must be planned with respect to their surrounding villages, he said, in a ‘conurbation’. Industrial development, if left unchecked, would damage the air, water and land upon which all life relies. Little wonder that today’s environmentalists consider Patrick a prophet of land stewardship and sustainable activity.”

And a time to share water

36 degrees. Time to keep water for the birds and the squirrels, in your balconies/gardens.

Watching birds happily drink/splash about in water is a great joy - don't deprive your kids of it. You can use the waste water to water your plants, when you refill.

So what if it is going to be really hot, this could also be a season to bond with birds?

How to Make  a Recycled Bird Bath: http://www.recyclescene.com/how-to-recycle/make-birdbath

*Photo from Google Images.

And the best bird photos, and the most lyrical bird stories, here.

A purpose higher than the individual

"My belief is that the key ideological struggle of the 21st century will be to bring a conscience to capitalism. ... To imbue a sense of meaning, and a purpose higher than the individual that both close-minded, mainstream religions, and the shallow, self-centered ideology of consumerism have failed to address."

Everybody knows that we're trapped, but nobody knows what the cages look like:

http://abeerdesai.com/2011/02/26/if-your-body-is-a-temple-of-god-then-you-should-worship-it-socent/

Abeer, who keeps his flame alive, slogging it out in a remote village against many odds, and reading Murakami in his small room, while elephants go rampaging outside :)

Borrower Evaluations



Regular evaluations are done by Rang De (http://www.rangde.org/evaluations) to ensure that the loans we give are well-utilized and borrowers are happy. Click on image to enlarge and read text.

Knock out Poverty. Be a Social Investor. http://www.rangde.org/

Rang De was started by the young entrepreneur couple, Ram and Smita.

Economic Localization, the need of the hour?

The Economics of Happiness: a documentary film about the worldwide movement for economic localization.

Site: http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomicsofhappiness

"The Economics of Happiness' describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, government and big business continue to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, all around the world people are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to re-build more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization.

We hear from a chorus of voices from six continents, including Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Samdhong Rinpoche, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Michael Shuman, Zac Goldsmith and Keibo Oiwa. They tell us that climate change and peak oil give us little choice: we need to localize, to bring the economy home. The good news is that as we move in this direction we will begin not only to heal the earth but also to restore our own sense of well-being. 'The Economics of Happiness' challenges us to restore our faith in humanity, challenges us to believe that it is possible to build a better world."

Rang De

Kokila Devi, a widow from Jharkhand, one of the 18 people I have given loans to so far, through Rang De. Eight people had lent money to meet her need of Rs.10,000, and she has repaid 75% of the loan already!

Her profile: http://www.rangde.org/borrower/microcredit/india/jharkhand/kokila-devi/4821

"Kokila is a homemaker and is the sole provider for her children since the death of her husband. Training to become a village level service center has given her new hope and is ready to set up her grocery store. This store will provide her with a regular income and also serve the community by imparting health, insurance and other useful services. She is happy that she will be providing for her children and helping her village. Please note the loan tenure is 1yr and will be repaid in 4 equal installments."

On another note, a few kilometers from Jungle Lodges, Kabini, 200 kms from Bangalore, live communities that have never seen electricity, earning a max of Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 10,000 in an entire year.

Rang De is trying to create alternate sources of income for them. http://blog.rangde.org/2011/10/just-another-day. I am a volunteer with the Bangalore Chapter of Rang De. Looking forward to field trips to visit these communities, and hoping we can make a difference to these people.

Knock out Poverty. Become a Social Investor.

Rang De: http://www.rangde.org
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rangdeorg
Blog: http://blog.rangde.org

Timbaktu

A fantastic success story of re-greening barren land, and resurrecting lives, in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India:

Where the earth meets the sky – Timbaktu Collective

http://www.thebetterindia.com/1596/where-the-earth-meets-the-sky-timbaktu-collective/

This is the story of a land that was at one time lying ravaged, drought stricken and forsaken. It was a committed revolution led by a couple, Bablu Ganguly and Mary Vattamattam, which has now transformed this land into an agro forest habitat. The unproductive soil was rejuvenated, rain water was harvested, trees were planted, crops were cultivated and the entire land blossomed...................

Timbaktu? Arcadia!

A couple—armed with ideas, patience and a Fukuoka blueprint—come to a withered Andhra district. Then the earth responded.

http://www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?278010


Video:  Watch this video where Bablu and Mary take you through the 20 years of Timbaktu.


Visit Timbaktu to know the true spirit of this land. Find information about them on their website www.timbaktu.org.


Photo from Google Images. 

The Healer of Broken Things

 

The Buddha, when he was a small child of seven or eight, was once taken to watch the annual Ploughing Festival, where his father, the King, ceremonially guided the bullocks in plowing the first furrow. At the end of the day, they find the little child seated upright in the same position they had left him, deeply disturbed by the plight of the tiny creatures who lost their homes and their lives in the plowing.

It is this story that came to mind when you spent a morning with Saleem, who runs the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. Day in day out, he looks after wounded animals brought from all over the city and outside, with an indescribable gentleness. Hardly anyone to help him, practically no comforts in this remote overgrown small place near Banngerghatta National Park. But he lives there all by himself, facing the dangers of wild elephants and hostile villagers.

You first met him when you went there to transport a wounded kite with a friend. The image of Saleem calmly putting his hands in and lifting the huge wild bird whom we had spent 30 mins gathering the courage to touch, never leaves your mind. You know you will return.

A Handful of Rice

The other day I ask my friend S who does wonderful work teaching small kids, whether she can use the Ugly Indian’s videos and photos to teach kids about not littering the city, about taking responsibility for their surroundings.

And she replies: “I keep trying, but it's so difficult nowadays since the parents themselves don't have these values. Very tough to get through to the kids when the parents themselves throw stuff out of the car window, you know."

 Cut. 

A few years ago, on a Notebook Drive by the Dream School Foundation to some rural schools outside Bangalore, happened to sit next to this young boy from Infosys, on the way back. The whole morning I had seen that he was the life of the group, the most active volunteer. Since I was the lone outsider who didn’t know anyone in the volunteer group, every conversation was a learning.

Especially the one with this boy. He tells me that he learned social responsibility from his mother. She is an uneducated woman, never completed school. But all throughout his childhood, he grew up seeing her keeping aside a handful of rice every single day, before cooking food for the family. At the end of the month she would take all the rice in that tin and give it to one of the poor families who stayed nearby.

He said that was the most powerful lesson he ever learned in his life, without a word spoken.