Saturday, 31 March 2007

India needs some attention from you all….

I scribbled down this sometime back and I always postponed to publish it as I was wondering whether it is worth writing something without doing anything. Today I did a small deed! To write something is easy, but to do something needs more dedication. Recently I read a blog from a friend of mine on a related topic and I saw the emotional comments on her blog and I hope this emotion inside you would come out as an act! Now my friends, I would like to ask you all some favours!

India is a fast moving country, which is converting a huge mass of population from middle class to upper middle class, from poverty to above poverty line every year. Economic growth rate of New India is 8%. Amidst of all these growth and increasing economy, there is one section, a huge section of India, which is still not touched by all these. The parts which are untouched by the globalisation and the economic growth. This huge region includes poverty, regions affected by natural calamities, underprivileged women and children, and the list goes on. It will take quite some time to eradicate these. The future of India is in our hands! If some of us put some effort, it can make a huge difference, by making lives happier and futures better.

Now my question is, if someone would like to give a hand, how to do it? Which is the best way to give help? There are microfinanciers, many organisations, foundations, within and outside India giving help for the eradication of this section of India, by helping them in any needs, giving help in regions affected by natural and man made calamities, with the basic education, uplifting underprivileged lives, etc. Many of them are not transparent enough to trust them. How to make the flow of money transparent? The non-transparency of some leads us not to trust any, which is bad.

Haven gotten this much opportunities in our life, with our job, education, why don't we think about giving a hand to one of these underprivileged life. Look to your vicinity back home! May be you can give a hand to one of them directly or may be though an organisation. A few thousands can make a huge difference to a life. What do you all say?

Recently, I met someone via flickr (photo sharing) and then later in orkut, involved in working in a cafe in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, with the aim of serving people. He is involved in a group which runs a cafe in Ahmedabad and the profit from this place goes to support social service projects in India. Anyone could volunteer to help in this cafe (for a day or so? as you like!), if you like to help them. I was quite fascinated by this idea and the sprit of team work.

I also know about an organisation called Asha, which was started in the United States. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to socio-economic changes in India, especially by helping to give basic education in rural India. It has also been started in Zurich by few Indian students and professionals in Zurich (
http://www.asha-zurich.ch/index.html). I liked their idea to inculcate charity as a hobby called 'charity as your hobby (CAYH)'. Asha has got now chapters all over the world. If you like to do something, you can get involved with them and see by yourself how they function.

OR if you like to give your help directly, atleast you can give a glance to your vicinity back home OR suggest your way to act. I urge you all to think about it and do something and I thank you all for reading this. I hope there will be actions!

Sunday, 11 March 2007

Global warming- Hypotheses & Facts

Every nation is talking about global warming! Global warming is due to man made activities is still a hypothesis. Now, what are the facts? Is there a real fact? Recently I saw an interview with Henrik Svensmark, an atmospheric scientist and the author of the book ‘The Chilling Stars’, and thought I could blog on it to initiate some discussion. The hypothesis that global warming is man made was made many years ago. It was more a political issue than scientific, without solid proof still. Research is still going on to understand global warming and the effect of man made green house gases on global warming.

According to Henrik Svensmark, the global temperature of the universe has not changed (or is constant) in the past 5 years. When people are talking about rising sea level and melting of ice in Antartica due to global warming, it is quite interesting to know that, major part of Antartica is getting colder (according to atmospheric scientists). Climate change is something which the earth has been facing at all the ages. The climate was warmer during medieval ages (the Medieval Warm Period around 800-1300 AD). It was also followed by a little ice-age. Cosmic rays have an effect on the formation of atmospheric clouds. The total amount of clouds is believed to cool the earth. Scientifically, the major contribution to any global warming happening is due to this effect and a minor contribution is due to the man made green house gases. Fossil fuel use is the main source of these green house gases. So every time we drive a car, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the air. The second most important source of greenhouse gases is deforestation. Science has proved this doesn’t mean that there are other proofs and facts, which are not yet proved or to be proved or might not be proved.

With all these hypotheses and facts, European Union (EU) has announced an ambitious target to cut their greenhouse gas to 20% by 2020. The target must be approved at an EU summit next month. The leading car makers like Honda and Toyota have introduced new echo friendly ‘Green cars’, which could run either on electric power (80%), ethanol fuel cars (85%), bio-diesel, compressed natural gases, with the aim of having 100% electric, fuel cell or hydrogen cars in the future.

As always, I say it is not good to take things for granted so we can care for what we have. So, even if the man made green house gases have a minor effect on global warming, it might be good to have a control. Isnt it? Who knows what is to be proved, what is the truth & what could happen in fact?
Follow the below link for further reading.