Are we destroying the earth?

One day my sons Mohit and Pavit and I drove through the the middle of the city. We passed a stream, which flowed into what was previously a pristine river. 

Pollution destroys waterbodies and the oceans, killing all life, slowly but surely.

We humans had turned the beautiful gift of life, the river, provided to us by nature, into a sewer.

I sighed and shook my head muttering, "What the hell are we doing to our environment? If this continues we humans will destroy the world. We must save the Earth?"

Choked and polluted streams attract pigs and disease 

Mohit responded, 

"Dad, if we do not respect nature, how can we expect nature to respect us? 

Humans cannot destroy the Earth though we are causing much damage and numerous ugly scars. It is the arrogance of us humans, that we think we are going to save the Earth. 

Bird dies from eating junk, mistaking plastic for food

The Earth has been around for 4.5 billion years and humans for only 7 million years. What we humans are really doing is, we are destroying ourselves and our future generations. 

At the rate we are going, we humans will be extinct pretty soon.  In 20,000 or even a 100,000 years Earth will simply recalibrate and reset itself without humans"

No one spoke a word for the next three hours.

22nd April is marked as Earth Day. 

Countless speeches, media articles, editorials, and Facebook comments will change little or nothing. 

Unfortunately many religions, ideologies, and governments preach that nature belongs to Man for his pleasure and exploitation. The truth is, Humans are not apart from but just an integral component of nature.

We can only survive as a species if there is respect. **Respect for all nature, all life, different people, faiths, thoughts and cultures.

Tripureshwar Mahadev Mandir

© Larry Louie

Fog enshrouds the abandoned Tripureshwar Mahadev Mandir, a temple and a cultural heritage site in Nepal. It was built as a traditional Newari temple by Queen Lalita Tripura Sundari in 1818. 

Located in Kathmandu, there has been talk of restoring this temple. 

Miniature Ecosystem

This miniature ecosystem has been thriving in an almost 

completely isolated state for more than forty years. It has 

been watered just once in that time.

The original single spiderwort plant has grown and multiplied, 

putting out seedlings. As it has access to light, it continues to 

photosynthesize. The water builds up on the inside of the 

bottle and then rains back down on the plants in a miniature 

version of the water cycle.

As leaves die, they fall off and rot at the bottom producing the 

carbon dioxide and nutrients required for more plants to grow.

How long do things take to decompose?

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DECOMPOSE

• Banana Peel- 3-4 weeks 
• Orange peels- 6 months
• Apple Core- 2 months
• Paper Bag- 1 month
• Cardboard- 2 months
• Milk Cartons- 5 years
• Newspaper- 6 weeks
• Paper Towel- 2-4 weeks
• Cotton Glove- 3 months
• Tinned Steel Can- 50 years
• Aluminum Can- 200-500 years
• Disposable Diapers- 550 years
• Plastic Bags- 20-1000 years
• Glass- 1-2 million years
• Cigarette Butts- 10-12 years
• Leather shoes- 25-40 years
• Rubber-Boot Sole- 50-80 years
• Plastic containers- 50-80 years
• Monofilament Fishing Line- 600 years
• Foamed Plastic Cups- 50 years
• Wool Sock- 1-5 years
• Plywood- 1-3 years
• Plastic Bottles- 450 years

Miracle cure for killer dengue

Dengue a virus spread by the  Aides Aegypti mosquito is now emerging as  the most rapidly spreading viral disease killer in the Indian sub continent. 

While Indian statistics on number of cases are yet to be confirmed the statistics reported from Pakistan which is similar in many aspects to Indian conditions has the alarm bells ringing.

1995 -2004      -        699 

2005 to 2011   -  55, 946 
2011                  -  25,000

All mosquito  feed on nectar and plant juices, however increasingly rotting  fruits and vegetables in garbage heaps also sustains them. Ignoring building and city planning codes,  disregard for sanitation leads to rotting food  in garbage and stagnant water bodies are some of the main drivers of this epidemic.

The virus  is carried from persons infected with dengue virus to the uninfected person by the female mosquito which also feeds on human blood.

There is neither a preventable vaccine, nor is there a treatment that specifically kills the dengue virus in conventional medical practice. The only solution they offer is to place the patient in an Intensive care unit for observation and provide blood transfusions. 

Dengue and many other problems have been addressed over the ages by traditional herbs and plants which modern people tend to scoff at and therefore have to undergo unnecessary anguish.

Several first hand accounts have revealed that the leaf of the humble Papaya plant does provide a cure.
It increases the platelet count in the blood which falls critically low in a person infected with the dengue virus.

All you need is 
·         Two papaya leaves on Day One and 
·         Two papaya leaves on Day Two
 
Directions: 
Cut off the stem and the thick veins of light green on the leaves. 
Use only the dark green leaf portion. 
Grind it with a tablespoon of water. 
Squeeze the paste through a muslin cloth or a strainer. 
Drink the liquid which may be a tablespoon or two of papaya leaf juice. 
 
Instant Benefits
Within 3 hours of drinking this juice, your platelet count jumps up.
The effect is immediate 
 
Do the same procedure the next day, two papaya leaves, remove stem and veins, grind the green leafy part with a tablespoon of water, strain the juice through a muslin cloth or through a strainer. Drink the juice and that's it. You are cured. 

Please spread this around. It has saved many from both diseases, dengue and chikungunya.

You will only get one tablespoon per leaf. So two tablespoon per serving once a day. Do not boil or cook or rinse with hot water, it will loose its strength. Only the leafy part and no stem or sap. It is very bitter and you have to swallow. But it works.

Finger Pointing

Grumbling has become a sort of national past-time.

Many things in life are not the way we wish them to be, and almost everyone we meet moan and groan about something or the other. The best part is someone else is always at  fault. We point the finger at something or someone else.

The usual villains are;

The government:  Faceless, nameless and formless, constantly growing and consuming increasing amounts of resources, this is the black hole of our existence. No one knows what it really is and how it actually functions. The only thing you know about it is that it makes life more difficult. So if we have a problem that we cannot put a finger on, it must be the government's fault.

The political leaders: Unlike the government most of these are highly visible people. Usually obnoxious, blatantly insincere, unduly aggressive and surrounded by a bevy of people who hang on. Many of their companions look a little shady. If something is going wrong, people believe surely that these guys in starched white 'khadi' clothes must be behind it.

The foreign hand: This is a very convenient item in the closet of the grumbler. Anything that cannot be attributed to any logical analysis or observation is attributed to this element. It could be Pakistan, China, Al Qaeda, America, Britain etc. The antics of the elements named easily permit any dim wit to blame them. The advantages of blaming 'the foreign hand' is that it is almost impossible to prove and conspiracy theories are extremely engaging to the average person.

The illiterate masses: This is the poor Indian whose numbers are swelling. They must remain in misery and not make their plight known to the more fortunate of their country brethren. They are blamed for the squalor and the lawlessness that surrounds us. Yet statistically they are more law abiding than their fellow 'educated' countrymen. Since they are often desperate and therefore to provide a better future for themselves and their  families they must be doing something wrong. They get unfairly blamed for many of our problems.

We almost never ever accept responsibility for our actions and more so for our inaction. It has become fashionable to blame someone else.

We should ask ourselves, "What have I done to remedy the situation? If I have done nothing nor made any effort then maybe I should be silent until I am willing to participate in bringing about positive change."


Grumbling, lecturing or voting once in a while can hardly qualify as doing something. If we feel that we cannot do anything then all hope is lost and we are doomed.

As my brother Varinder always said; "Whenever you wake up it's morning. "Sat Sri Akal, Namaste, Salaam, Good Morning, whatever you may say, please wake up. It is your life and if you do not do anything about it yourself, no one else is likely to do anything about it for you.

Let us also stop rubbing our national nose and self respect into the mud. We as individuals are also a tiny part of this great land and rich civilization which is going through testing times. If we prevail, then we shall once again rise to reclaim our heritage and our sanity. If we fail then ....................

We will be amazed at what each one of us is capable of achieving , once we are clear in our minds and true in our spirit.

Respect yourself

Environmentalism can only work if there is respect.  

Respect for nature, and all of Creation.

During a walk one late morning, I passed through a back 
street and came upon a pile of garbage consisting of left 
over food and disposable plates and glasses etc. I asked 
around and learnt that the garbage was dumped there by 
the staff of a school from across the street.  So I marched 
up to the school gate and asked for the person in charge 
of the office. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and I gave 
the bewildered watchman a piece of my mind.

I saw some gentlemen, and mistaking them to be from 
the school gave them a piece of my mind too. I was soon 
embarrassed to learn that they were in-fact from a social
organisation looking to clean up the environment. The 
folks enthusiastically invited me to join their cause and 
attend at the school itself the launch of their environment 
drive the following Tuesday. I readily agreed.

My wife and I walked to the meeting on Tuesday. My 
heart sank when I observed that non biodegradable 
plastic disposable materials were used in abundance. 
The food was stored and served in disposable plastic as 
were the numerous banners, commemoration plaques etc.  

All this  amazing quantity of non recyclable  materials 
which would surely be dumped into the environment the 
next morning.

Our children and our followers never listen to what we 
say, but rather to what we do.  I tried to politely point 
out to my well intending hosts that I felt they were 
wasting their time and those of others.

My uninvited suggestions to the organizers were 
acknowledged by them with all the right noises, but 
their expressions betrayed the opinion that they thought 
I must be crazy to expect real change.

Everyone asks for suggestions and criticism but people 
really only want praise.

It is fashionable to go with the crowds, pretending to do 
what everyone else seems to be saying or doing. People 
should say only what they mean, and do what they say.

I am an optimist and believe we can protect our 
environment which nourishes us, if we do so with 
integrity and respect. Come. let us join together and be 
true environmentalists. 

If you wish to be respected by yourself and others 
then please respect your environment.