Deepshikha Shanker

Let there be light....

Sunday, June 10, 2007

posted by Deepshikha at 3:54 PM

There is so much rant about the Yamuna being the most polluted river in the country and loads more. Today I got to go for a Forum where the anchor interviews an expert panel and also people to react to this atrocity. Of course Yamuna, which has given life to cities like Delhi and Agra for Aeon's is now nothing but a black drain.

I felt the panel was missing the point when they kept talking about cows bathing in Yamuna and stuff. On the contrary I was at the outdoor venue by 8 in the morning near a vegetable patch and a small mound where Forum would be put... There was this one small tree where the arrangements where made.. As I stood on the mound in cool early morning breeze, I had become quite used to the pungent sulfide smell (or rotten egg smell Yamuna now emanates).. Eye sight can be so deceptive.. below the mound there was a small vegetable patch.. Lush green in summer heat and beyond was a dying river and as I saw water buffaloes with just their horns out, I couldnt help it, " It was beautiful!" . I shared this thought with the friend who'd come with me.. He obviously grunted his disapproval, not very happy with the prospect of a shoot where you get up at six and be at venue by 8, which was so smelly that your nose may burn from pinching it...to top the effect some lunatic telling ya its beautiful.

I sincerly feel cows should be allowed to bathe in the river, people should be allowed to pray and offer their rituals, there is only one thing ruining the river and that is industrial pollution..

Delhi, Gaziabad etc have more industries than a few smaller states combined.. to top it up people flush their toilets with water cleaned and treated, derieved from the homes of so many displaced, with sewage lines directly slushing into this already dying river which has brone the burden of an ancient civillization and a modern industrial revolution, furthered by the the ideology of ten percent growth.

But who cares what I feel.. The picture of this would be with me for some more days and I cant help it, I still find her beautiful and will remember her fondly..I find it much better than being caged in panels of glass and steel and trapped in AC building shutting out the real world and then complaining about the heat, for which Air conditioners are directly responsible.. Welcome to New Delhi, This is how things are out here. A typical example of a pyramid where environment and socially and economically backwards subsidise the life style for the rich..

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At 3:46 AM, Øyvind Bye Skille

After reading just the first paragraph I thought for myself, where is the photo of this river..

And then when reading the entire post that need of "seeing it" not exactly diappeared. But then again you might say the best images you create by yourself in your own head from reading such a text. Still as interested in photos and photographing, and knowing you own a nice digicam. Why not take that photo?

I see enviroment issues are making the headlines all over the world, just as well in Norway as in India, these days. Here in the north the big issue is the climate change. How to stop the world from being turned upside down due to mankind filling the atmosphere with CO2.

When talking about solutions some people say the rich countries should buy theirself out of the problem. Just say, OK I took ten flights across the world. Then I have to pay a fine to the poor countries to help them stop polluting the atmosphere and then it's ok. This way of thinking I believe is stupid. We in the richer parts of the world have to take our turn in stopping release of CO2 gases. In many ways we should take the biggest turn, because we have the ability and because we have had and still have the responsibility for most of the CO2 release in the world.
-byeskille.net-

At 10:27 AM, Deepshikha

hey oyvind!!
a noble thought indeed.. i believe you are talking about Kyoto protocol and stuff. Well its high time we remember its one earth and not multitudes of the worlds that we live in. What is true for the first world is equally true for wealth centres in India where villages are subsidising the lifestyles and powercut free atmosphere( metros, huge offices etc.) of cities like Delhi and Bombay..
We are too rethink a lot of things but the first one is to stop blaming poverty.. you can follow up my next post about the yamuna series my team is working on ...

ps: screwed up my digicam:(

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