ISSUE NO: 177, 1-15 June, 2016

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gtt

P L A N E T

P E O P L E

P O L I T I C S

GOBAR TIMES
A

D O W N

T O

E A R T H

S U P P L E M E N T

TIME
TALES
from here and now

76 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

Do you think you know

everything about your
surroundings/environment?
Let's explore the environment around you.

CSE's best selling Environmental Education:

A book of
Activities II
will be soon available at
CSE Store in Hindi.

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 77

Chitter-Chatter

ENVIRONMENTAL TRAVEL
I must congratulate Gobar Times for coming out
with a wonderful cover story. Rarely to do we
have a story talking about responsible travel.
We are planning to travel to Uttarakhand
and the Chipko homeground, this summer.
Thank you.
Savita Prabhakar,
via e-mail
GOOD WORK
This dedicated environmental magazine
has so much to offer in terms of knowledge,
stories and games. Keep it up!
Ankita Mehta
Delhi
INTERACTIVE BUZZ
I think the magazine should dedicate a
column each month to an interactive activity,
to make it more fun for children and parents.
Rohit Singh
Delhi

Editorial

THE GOOD I THE BAD I THE UGLY

HOPING FOR A POSITIVE RESPONSE
I enjoy the supplement 'Gobar Times' which is
quite informative and entertaining with good
colourful illustrations to draw children's minds
towards caring for our environment. I would
be honoured if my poems find a place in your
acclaimed magazine.
Vandana Patel
Halol, Gujarat

Hello friends,
Robert Redford, the famous Hollywood actor, once said:
I think the environment should be put in the category of
national security. Defense of our resources is just as important
as the defense of our boundaries. Otherwise, what is there
to defend? As another World Environment Day approaches
us on June 5, I think it is time we sat back and introspected a
bit on what we have achieved since this Day was introduced
way back in 1973. Awareness of the dangers confronting
the Earth has grown, of course; and some actions have
been taken. But we are still very far away from doing what
Mr Redford suggests.
This year, the theme for the Day is the fight against
illegal trade in wildlife. In this issue, we have focused on it in
our own small way on our centre spread. Countless numbers
of species have disappeared and are disappearing almost
every day because we want them dead for one reason or
another, and are hunting them down to extinction. I am sure
most of us are quite familiar with thisbut the question
is, what more can we do besides making others aware? To
begin with, we can boycott all wildlife products. Say no
to anything that is made using any body part of a wildlife
animal. You think you could begin with that?
On that note, a happy World Environment Day, and
happy reading
Souparno Banerjee

Fun Dung

SCHOOL TRAVEL
I am a teacher and I think that schools should
conduct more and more travelling activities
for children to make them learn about what
is afflicting the environment and how they as
individuals can work towards a pollution-free
environment.
Jyotsana Saha
Bangalore

Supplement Editor: Souparno Banerjee, Copy: Diksha Chopra Design: Ajit Bajaj, Ritika Bohra and Surender Singh, Illustration: Sorit Gupto, Tarique Aziz and Ritika Bohra,
Production: Rakesh Shrivastava and Gundhar Das, Email: souparno@cseindia.org, Snail Mail: 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi -110062

78 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

GREEN SCHOOLS

Mission: going green

There are some schools more concerned about saving the
environment than othersthe GSP Gold Schools

ey, do you guys know that the GSP

Gold Schools are faring very well in
our mission of going green? GSP Gold
is an exclusive engagement with ten
selected schools in Delhi/NCR to bring
about change and sustain the green
initiatives launched. By working together
we hope to:
Rekindle the spirit of environmental
conservation among young students
of the school
Monitor the consumption of natural
resources within the campus of the
ten selected schools over a period
of five years to help the GSP Gold
School be resource-efficient.
Are you curious to know what these 10
particular schools have done in GSP Audit
2015? Lets take a look. The schools are
rated through an annual environmental
audit and according to their ratings they
are categorised under Green, Yellow,
Orange and Red. The ratings are done by
analysing their performances in the six
sections of GSPAir, Energy, Food, Land,
Water and Waste.

Ten GSP Gold Schools

ASN Senior Secondary School,

Mayur Vihar
Cambridge School, Noida
Father Agnel School, Noida
Government Girls Senior Secondary
School, Chhatarpur
Katha Lab School, Govindpuri
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Vigyan Vihar
Modern Public School, Shalimar
Bagh
Mother's Global School, Preet Vihar
Queen's Valley School, Dwarka
The Shri Ram School, Moulsari,
Gurgaon

Air
The first section, Air, focuses on
controlling and improving air quality.
The GSP Gold Schools have fulfilled
this by maintaining adequate oxygen
balance in the classrooms, adopting
sustainable motorised vehicles or
non-polluting modes of transport
and opting for CNG-fuelled vehicles.
Those schools that do not own
any vehicles have reported that
their children travel by non-polluting
modes of transport ( by foot or by
cycling).

Energy

Energy is the second section

and our GSP Gold Schools have
started adopting cleaner energy
options, particularly solar energy,
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and
Liquidfied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to
meet the daily energy requirements
for proper functioning of schools.

Food
What is the ultimate place we go to in school when
those hunger pangs start? Yes, you got it right. The
cafeteria, of course! The third section is on food
and our GSP Gold Schools are gradually doing away
with ultra-processed packaged food items in their
cafeteria and switching to more freshly prepared and,
of course, healthier traditional snacks. Anyone up for
Idli/Vada? Yes please!

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 79

TOP GUNS

Land

Our GSP Gold Schools are matching up to

the benchmark set up by CSE (Centre for
Science and Environment) for green cover.
(Ideally, CSE recommends that 33 per cent
of the total area should have green cover.) It
has been reported that six of the GSP Gold
Schools have more than 40 per cent of their
area under green cover.

Water

A similar water crisis, like in Delhi and

NCR, is affecting GSP Gold Schools, too.
Only two schools (Queen's Valley School
and ASN Senior Secondary School) have
managed to provide water as per the
prescribed norms. Six schools do not
have rainwater harvesting system in
place and four do not reuse/recycle their
waste water. A much-needed hard work
is required in this section.
Water is the theme of 2016 GSP Audit,
and we hope that the GSP Audit 2016
will help these ten GSP Gold Schools to
become water neutral by 2019.

Waste
Talking about waste, we at GSP recommend
segregation of waste, recycling waste and
composting. Eight out of 10 schools have adopted
the practice of segregation of waste, but there is a
glitchnone of the schools have reported source
segregation, an area which schools need to look
into.
The GSP Gold Schools are managing their e-waste
in an effective way, that is by handing them over to
the manufacturers or the scrapdealers.

Arent they doing a great job for saving the environment! So, by the next GSP Audit
we are expecting more of our GSP Gold schools in the Green category and in the
coming years becoming a cadre of environmentally responsible citizens. You can also
help your school become green! Every little help counts and till then, stay green.

80 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

COVER STORY

Talking Time
Why talk about Time in a cover story, someone asked. Why
not, we replied. After all, this is one entity which has no
tangible physical presence, but which seems to govern and
dominate our lives so completely! Isnt that intriguing? How
do we perceive it? What is Time? Is it a concept that really

magine a life without time. Without clocks or watches,

or parents telling us to do this and do that at specific
times. Without the steady ticking of our clocks, do
you think things will run smoothly? We will get late for
our appointments or for our school, and may not have
a clue about when to tumble off to sleep! We could end
up missing trains and flights, or forgetting to catch that
episode of our favourite serial on TV. It would be as close
to a state of chaos as we can imagine, dont you think?
What is this Time, which exerts so much power on us?
Where did it come from? We say time is a concept created
by us. Some thinkers and experts who have considered
the subject long and hard say time is a linear concepta
series of events that have a beginning, a present and
an end. Others point out that it is cyclical circular and
repetitive (as in the wheel of time or kaal-chakra).
To some scientists, Time implies moving forward, a
progression and hence a change in the physical sense
(such as people getting older). These scientists and
thinkers have been called relationists. Then there are
the absolutistsAlbert Einstein was one of themwho
believe Time has no relation to the physical world. It will
exist even if the universe was not there, and we were not
there. A third group of scientists says Time exists in our
minds! Time is, because we are conscious of it. All this is
like a maze, is it not?

moves and flows and passes, or does it ebb and stand still,
while it is we humans who do all the moving? Does Time
really slow down during emergencies and dangers? And
does it zip away too fast when we are happyor are these
tricks that the mind plays on us?
Quite apart from these theories, the question that
we often ask is when and where did Time really begin?
Stephen Hawking, the British physicist and cosmologist,
says time began with a Big Bang. About 14 billion years
ago, the Universe was a hot and dense bubble. Then one
fine day, it suddenly exploded. The Universe as we know
it now was born and so was Time.
Early humans took notice of daytime and night
time. These were the first variations of Time that
they perceived. Gradually, they observed that the sun
was dividing the day into smaller periodsmorning,
afternoon and night. At night, the movement of stars gave
them an approximate idea of Time; man noticed that as
night passed, different groups of stars became visible. In
fact, for early humans, the sky was like a giant clock.
The idea of the month could have come from mans
observation of the changing shapes of the moon, which
grew big into a full moon over 15 days, and then reduced
in size over the next 15 days. Similarly, changing seasons
might have triggered the concept of a year the cycle of
winter, spring, summer, monsoons and autumn followed
a 365-day period. As human beings progressed, they
came up with innovations and machines which could be
used to tell the Time (see boxes on these pages).

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 81

TICK-TALK

How we have told Time through the

ages
Sun dial: The shadow clock or sun dial was the

first clock to be used by humans. The hour lines

were placed on the sundial to mark the changing
movement of shadows. For example, when the
shadow moved from one number to another, it
indicated an hour. A day was divided into 12 intervals.
The sundial was first used in Egypt in 15001300 BC.
But it had a shortcomingit indicated time only when
the sun was shining. How would one keep account of
time at night or on a cloudy day? The clock that didnt
depend on sun or a cloudy day was the water clock.

Water clock: In this, water seeped in slowly from

a vessel with a hole at the bottom. A period of time

was measured from the moment the water moved in
and out of the vessel. Just like water was used here,
the flow of sand was too used to measure time. The
Greeks used this in 400 BC.

Hourglass or sand glass: It showed passing of

Oil-lamp clock: Oil was put in a glass reservoir on

which intervals of hours were marked. The built-in

lamp was lighted. Gradually, as the oil in the reservoir
was used up, it indicated the rough estimate of time.
The early clocks had a disadvantagethey could
measure time for a few hours and then they had to
be rearranged.

Clocks with gears and pendulums: Gears

made it possible to change the movement of the

clock. By the 14th century, clockmakers began to
make small clocks with gears driven by a spring. In
the 16th century, Galileo observed the property of
the pendulum, but it was the Dutch astronomer
Christiaan Huygens who was responsible for
introducing pendulum clocks in 1657. These clocks
were accurate to even measure the smallest
measurement of time.

Electric clocks: In the 20th century, electric clocks

came in. They were more accurate than the other
timepieces, and were powered and regulated by
electricity.

an interval of time, when fine sand passed from the

top funnel to the lower one.

Candle clock: Tall, thin candles were used to

measure time. Candles had evenly placed lines and

numbers for each hour on them. When the burnt
candle reached a particular number, it indicated what
time it was. Alfred the Great, the Saxon king, used
burning candles to measure time.

We physicists work with Time

every day. But do not ask me
what it is. It is just too difficult
to think about! Richard P
Feynman, American physicist
and Nobel laureate

82 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

COVER STORY

Bytes from the

history of Time
In 1714, the British Parliament offered a
cash reward to anyone who could invent a
clock accurate enough for use in navigation
at sea; pendulum clocks did not work at sea.
For every minute lost by a clock, it meant
that there would be a navigational error of
15 miles, and sailors died because they were
lost or smashed against rocks because they
were unable to figure out their exact position.
Then, in 1761, after 4 attempts, John Harrison
finally succeeded at inventing a small clock
accurate enough to use for navigation at sea.
This tiny pocket watch lost only 5 seconds in 6
and weeks.
In the early 1800s, one of the most
important events in clock making occurred.
Eli Terry developed machines, patterns, and
techniques that produced clock parts that
were exactly alike, so they could be massproduced and interchanged from one clock
to another. This drove the price of clocks way
down, and allowed common people to own at
least one, if not many, timekeeping devices.
At the dawn of the 20th century,
only women wore wristwatches. No selfrespecting "real man" would wear one.
However, in World War I, soldiers wore
wristwatches because taking out a pocket
watch to check the time was difficult or
impossible in battle. After the war was over, it
was considered "socially acceptable" to wear
wristwatches, and they became popular.
In 1884, twenty-five countries accepted
Greenwich, England, as the prime meridian
(0 degrees longitude). The prime meridian
gradually becomes the basis for time
throughout the world.
Source: Various online resources, including
www.time-for-time.com

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 83

TICK-TALK

Its all in the mind, actually

Lets now take a peek at some perceptions of Time.
People often say that Time seems to go slow or even stop
when they are in a dangerous or unhappy situation. For
instance, if you are skydiving, the actual Time spent doing it
might be just a few seconds, or minutes. Your own opinion
of it could be very differentyou may feel that Time has
stood almost still, and that the skydiving feat was taking
too long.
But is that true? Are our minds really processing more
information in these seconds or minutes in which Time
seems to stretch?
Take the case of a more common every day eventlike
when you are in school. Dont you tend to keep a closer
watch on Time when you are in your class (or at a tuition)
than when you are at home relaxing or playing? Does it
appear as if the Time is not moving fast enough when you
are in school?
There is also the opposite case to consider. When we are
having fun and everything seems hunky-dory, Time seems
to fly, doesnt it? For instance, if you are visiting a friend you
really like, you find that the Time to say goodbye seems to
inch closer at a much faster pace!
Scientists say that these are tricks that our minds play. In
the former case, we remember the Time as longer because
our minds record much more of the experience in its
minutest detail. At the same time, the mind wants to escape
from the experienceso it also gets drawn to Time and the
clock to guage how much longer will it have to endure it.
In the second case, it is again a mind warp: basically,
people perceive Time differently depending on their
mental state and the activities they are engaged in. If they
are having fun, the focus lies completely on the object or
subject of this fun; they do not worry as much about Time
the concern about Time having flown faster usually comes
only after the experience has passed.
Researchers who have studied Time have made some
interesting findings lately. For example, not all enjoyable
time flies by at the same speed. Researchers believe that
simply being happy and content will not necessarily make
time seem to pass more quickly. However, if youre engaged
in an activity that is focused on achieving a goal, then time
really does fly by as youre having fun. Researchers believe
that the excitement generated by the active pursuit of a goal
is what causes us to perceive time passing quickly.
Lets close this discussion with an experiment. All of
you might be doing things which seem to drag on forever
Time just does not seem to pass when you are doing them.
Why dont you try and make them fun and force Time to
pass more quickly during those moments? For instance,
if cleaning up your desk is a task you abhor, put on some
music that you like while you are at it. You will feel the
difference immediately.

84 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 85

ON THE WALL

World Environment Day Special

The occupied planet

Woolly mammoth

Extinction due to climate

change and hunting

Life on the Earth began some billion of years ago from the primordial soup which
eventually led to origin of a countless species of plants, animals, birds fishes, etc. This
planet was supposed to be the home for every individual, but something happened on the
Earth less than a million of years ago with the evolution of an animal species, otherwise
known as modern Humans. Soon after his origin, he started manipulating with the nature,
its forces and with his co-inhabitants. In the process of controlling the nature, the humans
started destroying his inhabitants. Some time it was for fulfilling his needs but most of
the time it was out of pure greed which resulted in mass killing of animals and plants. It's
the poetic justice of nature that now the all-powerful human
beings are fighting a tough battle for their own existence on
the planet because of their own greed, which resulted in
unending wars, pollution of air, water, etc. GT presents a
brief list of animals whom we the "humans" killed

t
rian elephan

do
us do to overti
i
r
u
Ma
n due

n
geo
i
p
ive
ue

s bl excess
u
ti
i
ur due to
Ma
nct
Exti ting
hun

n
nti

u
fh

o
ink cause
m
ea t be

S tinc r
Ex its fu
r

O und se o
ab cau
be

ol
w

in
ta on
n
u ti

Declared extinct

Bermuda saw-whet owl

2014

leopard

hunting

Formosan clouded

2010

Extinct due to over

Go
04
20
Text: Diksha /Sorit
Design: Raj Kumar

2013

40

19

Japanese riv
e

Hu

to

a to
sc ted
a
C n

Declared exti r otter

nct by the co
u
Environmen
t Ministry, aft ntry's
er not being
spotted for m
ore than 30
years

o c
m xtin
e
d e

Pinta island

19

ss n i rh
Pa nce o ant b f ove

rtoise
Extinction d
ue to destru
ction of
habitat by fi
sherfolk

14

.
e
c
r
ge of th s, be nting
n
e e rd u

fo

Vietna

186

t
os ct

m n
on rld's e exti
e
g
o
pi w m

The las ese rhino

t
its horn Vietnamese r
h
poache removed, it w ino was foun
d
rs.
as prob
ably kil with
led by

6
182

2012

ctio
Extin g
n
hunti

Air lde
wa born n to
to rmin e po ad
the g
ll
200
spe prob ution
8
cie abl an
s' d y c d g
Bai
em ont lob
j
ise ribu al
Exti i do
ted
l
n
p
c
tra
t du hin
ffi
and c, h e to
poa abita over
chi t lo fish
Liv
ng
ss,
pol ing, b
Exti erpo
luti oat
nct ol p
on
due ige
to o on
ver
hun
ting

1662

overhunting

We

Extinct due to
for ivory

stern
Extinct d black rhino
ue to po
aching

Sy

100 BCE
(approx)

2011

2000 BCE
(approx)

84 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 85

ON THE WALL

World Environment Day Special

The occupied planet

Woolly mammoth

Extinction due to climate

change and hunting

Life on the Earth began some billion of years ago from the primordial soup which
eventually led to origin of a countless species of plants, animals, birds fishes, etc. This
planet was supposed to be the home for every individual, but something happened on the
Earth less than a million of years ago with the evolution of an animal species, otherwise
known as modern Humans. Soon after his origin, he started manipulating with the nature,
its forces and with his co-inhabitants. In the process of controlling the nature, the humans
started destroying his inhabitants. Some time it was for fulfilling his needs but most of
the time it was out of pure greed which resulted in mass killing of animals and plants. It's
the poetic justice of nature that now the all-powerful human
beings are fighting a tough battle for their own existence on
the planet because of their own greed, which resulted in
unending wars, pollution of air, water, etc. GT presents a
brief list of animals whom we the "humans" killed

t
rian elephan

do
us do to overti
i
r
u
Ma
n due

n
geo
i
p
ive
ue

s bl excess
u
ti
i
ur due to
Ma
nct
Exti ting
hun

n
nti

u
fh

o
ink cause
m
ea t be

S tinc r
Ex its fu
r

O und se o
ab cau
be

ol
w

in
ta on
n
u ti

Declared extinct

Bermuda saw-whet owl

2014

leopard

hunting

Formosan clouded

2010

Extinct due to over

Go
04
20
Text: Diksha /Sorit
Design: Raj Kumar

2013

40

19

Japanese riv
e

Hu

to

a to
sc ted
a
C n

Declared exti r otter

nct by the co
u
Environmen
t Ministry, aft ntry's
er not being
spotted for m
ore than 30
years

o c
m xtin
e
d e

Pinta island

19

ss n i rh
Pa nce o ant b f ove

rtoise
Extinction d
ue to destru
ction of
habitat by fi
sherfolk

14

.
e
c
r
ge of th s, be nting
n
e e rd u

fo

Vietna

186

t
os ct

m n
on rld's e exti
e
g
o
pi w m

The las ese rhino

t
its horn Vietnamese r
h
poache removed, it w ino was foun
d
rs.
as prob
ably kil with
led by

6
182

2012

ctio
Extin g
n
hunti

Air lde
wa born n to
to rmin e po ad
the g
ll
200
spe prob ution
8
cie abl an
s' d y c d g
Bai
em ont lob
j
ise ribu al
Exti i do
ted
l
n
p
c
tra
t du hin
ffi
and c, h e to
poa abita over
chi t lo fish
Liv
ng
ss,
pol ing, b
Exti erpo
luti oat
nct ol p
on
due ige
to o on
ver
hun
ting

1662

overhunting

We

Extinct due to
for ivory

stern
Extinct d black rhino
ue to po
aching

Sy

100 BCE
(approx)

2011

2000 BCE
(approx)

86 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

SHORT STORY

My wriggly friends
Vidya Dengle

writes childrens
stories and has
published two books
in Marathi, both of
which won literary
awards.

h my God! Mummy, there is a

snake in the house.
"I am dead and yuck! I
heard the desperate cries of my two
daughters, Badki and Chutki.
Alarmed, I ran towards the room
from where I could hear their voices,
to check whether it was actually a
snake in the house or something else.
As soon as I crossed the threshold of
the room I spotted three earthworms
wriggling in through the space
between the main door and its frame,
into the house. My younger daughter
Chutki was calling it a snake and the
older one Badki was so scared to see
them that the glass fell from her hand
and broke!
EW-Earthworm "I was really
hurt by the girls behaviour even
though, very often, we are treated
like this by human beings."
Why do you have to scream so
much and you even broke the glass
in your hand? Havent you ever seen
earthworms before? I asked the
girls. Truly, I dont think these girls
have ever seen our species before.
Badki added, Yuck, they are
wriggling away!
EW "Well, girls this wriggly
movement of ours is called
Locomotion and this is how we
plough the soil in your garden. That
prevents the soil in your garden from
drying up even if you forget to water
your plants".
How on earth did these enter

our house? asked Badki and I replied

that I had bought them to put in the
garden that I plan to make outside
the house.
Oh, please dont put in such
disgusting things into our garden,
I cannot even look at them, Badki
retorted.
EW "Oh, we dont want to see
your faces either. Anyways, we are
poor animals without eyes, ears,
noses, hands or legs."
Mom, whats this? Oh, it looks
like as if you have already made a
house for these creatures next to our
kitchen. You have asked us to throw

Well, girls this wriggly

movement of ours is called
Locomotion and this is
how we plough the soil in
your garden.
all the wet garbage of the house into
this pit? Impossible and yuck, after a
few days they will all start rotting and
the house will stink of all this garbage.
I dont like this idea of having these
earthworms in our garden, I will
not tolerate this. Either I stay in this
house or these earthworms, Badki
stated her mind clearly.
EW "Oh, please go away from
your own house these children are
not aware of the fact that we do not
like to move about anywhere during
the day. We love the darkness of the
night and that is when we venture
out of our burrows of the soil that we
keep digging throughout the day."
The next morning, the lady
from the neighbours house saw a
pile of dry leaves and cowdung and
commented, Who has kept all this
here? The dung will start smelling
and will be full of flies."
EW The cowdung may smell but

not ours. In sometime you will only

smell the moist soil that we will create
in your garden. Our wormcast will
add to the fertility of the soil. It will
make the soil rich with nutrients and
your garden will flourish.
My younger one, Chutki, picked
up one earthworm on a stick and
was trying to inspect it closely. She
observed, Mom, have you seen the
colour of these earthworms? They
are dark reddish in colour and under
their belly they are pale. I heaved a
sigh of relief that at least Chutki is not
as displeased with them as Badki.
Very soon my house was
being filled with dry leaves and wet
garbage from the neighbourhood.
As my garden was new it did not
have enough dry leaves. I could not
control myself when I saw them lying
around near my house or around the
colony. I would pick them up to
add to my pile before they got burnt
down by the ignorant neighbours.
They were unaware of how all this
could be turned into lovely fertilizers
by my earthworms!
EW "Oh well, we cant just
survive on dry leaves, you know.
Please give us some of your lovely
kitchen waste. mutton and fish
bones, stalks of your vegetables,
peanut peels, wet tea leaves, etc.
However, please do not forget to add
some cowdung for taste!"
Very soon I started eyeing the
piles of cowdung lying on
the side of roads.

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 87

WORM WISE

I knew how important it was to

include that in my garbage pit. While
going for my walks in the morning I
always carried with me a plastic bag
and two pieces of stone to collect all
the dung from the road sides. I started
building my garbage pit outside my
kitchen. I placed dry leaves at the
bottom and the cowdung on top of it.
The wet waste from the kitchen went on
the top layer.
Gradually, the heap of garbage
started rising on top of the earthworms.
Two months were over and the garbage
turned into moist soil. The earthworms
had vanished. I got scared! I thought
my earthworms had died. I turned
the moist soil upside down and there
they were, all coiled up together! The
new soil smelt of damp earth
with the first drops of rain
Such a welcome sight and
smell! You could pick up
this soil and throw it
in your garden and
your hands remain
absolutely clean.
What a wondrous
job and a miracle
my earthworms had
done! I thought.
EW "Now call
your Badki. Did she
see us around
anymore?
We
were busy doing
our job all this
while to give you
this wonderful soil
for your garden."

That year the mango tree was full

of mangoes. The bananas were more
than we could consume so we had to
distribute it in the neighbourhood.
Apples were so plenty that we made ice
cream with it and fed people.
My earthworms became famous, I
became an expert in vermicomposting.
My friends took advice on how to make
compost pit and started collecting
garbage from everywhere.
Finally, all my family members
and friends realized the importance of
garbage. All the mango seeds, peels,
orange peels, vegetable peels and stalks
were all being collected.
EW "Watch out, you people
Dont throw too much on us. We are
not too fond of orange peels, you know.

TA R IQ U

E A Z IZ

The rose stems prick us too." Spring

had arrived and my garden was in full
bloom. It was Sunday and we were
expecting guests to come to admire
our garden. We started cleaning up
the house and garden.
The guests arrived and could not
stop praising our hose and garden
full of beautiful flowers and different
fruits in large numbers. Uncle meet
Tommy, our cat," Badki came out
into the garden with her favourite
pet in her arms. And, these are our
earthworms, she suddenly said with
a smile.
Oh! Today, for a change, I noticed
the happy and proud expression on
her face.
I was happy too.

88 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

TOON STRIP

Who is
knocking at
this hour?

The famous hunter, Kim Jorbet was sleeping, when...

The hunter gets hunted

Illustration: Tarique Aziz

Story: Sorit Gupto

Have you animals

gone mad or what!
What do you think you
animals are doing? Do
you know who I am?

When he opened his eyes, he was startled.

We know
you are the
famous hunter
Kim Jorbet and
thats why you
are here.

You know we are

not smart like
humans to use a
net to catch you.

Let me
explain
Kim.

Neither are
we cruel like a
human to plant
a booby trap.

We realized that we
still confine ourselves
with hunting or
gathering food... For
real progress we need
to learn something from
humans, like...

We animals
want to be
civilized like
humans.

Thats really
a good sign,
but how is
it related
with my
abduction?

We need to develop
an economy. We need
to start business.
Business with your
body parts.
What! Are
you gone
mad?

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 89

Dont get us wrong Kim.

We hunt animals to
feed ourselves but now
self-consumption is not
enough. We need to sell
something, to generate
profit and to give birth to
animal economy.

You humans created a

fortune by selling furs,
horns, tusks, our skins
We were wondering
how much money we
can fetch from your skin
and bones.

You cant do
that! How
can you kill a
human?

But we are doing this

for business. A business
is something of high
virtue. Its evolved by
most smart animal
of the universe, the
humans. We are just
following you.

Let's start
with his skin.

Lets go for a deal

friends. I will
donate my skin
for your cause and
in return you will
make me free.

Dont act smart

Kim! I know that
it is your dress
and not your skin.

Dear friend, please peel off

his skin. But remember dont
do any damage. We can fetch
a fortune out of his skin.

I will collect his blood to

make life-saving medicines.

I need his brain to

become intelligent.
No! You can't
do this to me!

Stop this. I dont

want to die. Please
leave me.
Sir our team is
ready for the
jungle. We are
waiting for you.
I am not going to
jungle anymore.

What!

Thanks heavens,
I was dreaming!
Kim did not reply. He calmly put the phone down.

90 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

ECOWARRIOR

Moving on tyrelessly
In India, about 100 million tyres require recycling annually,
which is about 275,000 tyres (675 shipping containers or
2,399 tonnes) every day! And here is someone who is doing
something about it
Diksha Chopra

company on January 15, 2016 and is

already making a positive impact.
Anubhav passionately explains
that through his website (tyrelessly.
com), anyone can request for old
tyres to be picked up. Anubhav
explained further, Once the tyre
is picked up, it is sent to a recycling
plant where it undergoes pyrolysis.
This is an extraction process
which can convert tyres into usable
by-products like fuel oils, steel and
so on.
The organisation operates
from Delhi/NCR. However, soon,
the services may expand to other
major cities as well. The services
offered are completely free of
cost. Anubhav hopes to generate

le
yre

adequate revenue through

advertisements on the website,
as well as from sale of recycled
by-products.
Anubhav is a firm believer in
involving students to play a pivotal
role in increasing awareness and
educating people about risks of
burning tyres.
This wonder kid is also the
founder and CEO of two other
venturesa software firm called
TechAPTO, and Trends on Internet,
an analytical company.
To know more:
Website: anubhavwadhwa.com

ssly's frst pic

up

yrelessly, a website, came

into existence when 16-yearold Anubhav, a student of
Pathways World School, Aravali
Retreat, off Gurgaon Sohna Road,
Gurgaon, Haryana, saw someone
setting fire to a couple of tyres. This
incident got him thinking about
the huge amount of used tyres
that have served their purpose
and are rendered useless. After
doing a Google search, Anubhav
learned that burning tyres released
a cocktail of toxic gases, and is a big
environmental hazard.
Anubhav founded Tyrelessly,
with the determination to stop
this practice and to propagate safe
disposal of tyres. He started the

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 91

GOOD GRUB

On such hot summer days,

people in India like to slow down,
relax and stay cool by enjoying a
variety of traditional refreshing
drinks.
These homemade drinks are
way better than the artificially
flavoured sodas and juices that
are prevalent in the market as
they are hazardous to the health
as well as the climate because of
the chemicals involved in their
production.

We should say no to
everything that is not fresh and
natural. Here are a few of our very
delicious Indian drinks for you to
try out and enjoy killing the heat!
These refreshing beverages
have been a part of Indian cuisine
since time immemorial and some
of them have evolved further
with the changing times but basic
ingredients remain the same.
Why not start of trying your hand
out with everyones favourite!

Diksha Chopra

THANDAI

This drink has a strong

connection with my
grandmother because whenever we
stayed with her in summer vacations
she had this drink (among many
more!) ready for us and you wont
believe how delicious it tasted!
Here is her original recipe with an
additional ingredient from me, just
for you.

Method of preparation:

To make 6 glasses of thandai, grind

30 almonds blanched, 6 tsps. whole
pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
(unsalted), 1-1/2 tsp. cardamom
powder and 3 tsps. rose water into a
fine paste in a food processor.
Now add 1 litre milk, 1 can
condensed milk and crushed ice to
the paste and blend well. Stain the
drink through a fine sieve and pour
into glasses. Garnish with some rose
petals. Yum!!!! This is super cool and
super healthy.

SATTU
DRINK

Sattu drink is one of

the most popular,
traditional and healthy
summer drinks and is consumed
all over Bihar and UP especially by
the farming community and those
who labour in the hot sun. It is
an energising drink that not only
quenches our thirst but also protects

us from heat stroke due to intense

summer heat. Sattu is mixture of
varieties of pulses and roasted gram
flour. This healthy mix is available in
major supermarkets all over India.
There are two versions of sattu
drinksweet and savoury. Here we
will make a savoury drink.

Method of Preparation:

Take 3 tbsps. of sattu flour in a vessel

and add 1 litre of chilled water and
mix well. Add juice of 1 lemon, 8
crushed mint leaves, 3/4 tsp. black
salt, roasted cumin powder, a pinch
black pepper powder and tsp. salt
and mix well. Pour into glasses, add
ice cubes and drink it.

BEL
SHERBET

Bel fruit or wood

apple fruit is packed
with nutrients. It
has a very soothing and cooling effect
on stomach. It is a very popular drink
in Rajasthan and can be prepared
very easily at home.

Method of preparation:

Break open 1 Bel fruit. Remove the

hard crust and scoop out the pulp.
Add a little water to and mash the
pulp so that it dissolves in the water.
Then strain the pulp through a sieve.
Add 2 to 3 tbsps. of sugar and 4 to 5
glasses of chilled water and mix well.
The sherbet is ready.

Sherbet is a
SAUNF Saunf
popular summer
SHERBET beverage of Gujarat.

Saunf is a common name for fennel

seeds. Fennel seeds are good for
digestion and have cooling effect on
the body according to Ayurveda.

Method of preparation:

Add cup powdered fennel seeds

and 1 crushed clove in 2 cups of water
overnight or leave it for at least 2
hours. Next day, strain the liquid and
add 2 -1/2 cups powdered rock sugar
(mishri) or sugar or honey and mix
well. Pour into tall glasses add few ice
cubes and enjoy.

PANAKAM

Panakam is a thirst
quenching, palatepleasing, traditional and Ayurvedic
energy drink from the south of India.
It is a naturally sweetened summer
cooler laced with a subtle hint
of spice.

Method of preparation:

Add 1 cup grated jaggery to 4 cups

of water and allow it to dissolve.
Strain the liquid to a serving bowl.
Add 2 crushed green cardamom
powder, 5 dry roasted and crushed
black peppercorns and 1/2tsp.
dry ginger powder and mix.
Pour into glasses and
drink up.

92 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

VERSE-NAMAH

ECOLOGY
Bharath abounds in natural wealth,
Eroded unscrupulously by stealth
Nature in turn has dealt
Disasters of scales neer felt.
Bharath had its floods
Bharath had its landslides
Bharath had its forest fires
Bharath, an ecological catastrophe.
A healthy ecosystem reflects
A spurt in plant species
Colourful butterflies swarm the arena,
Hovering oer a variety of flora and fauna.
The mere rustle of the notes
Makes many sell their souls
Joining hands to destroy nature
Unmindful of the future.
Nature has its message clear
Its unbridled fury we fear
But neer for a moment, we pause,
Its phenomenal beauty, to rejoice.
By S Sundar Rajan

Director, SRS Management Services Pvt. Ltd

So That I Can Live

At Least
I was the King of those woods of yore,
Where theres now a leaf no more,
Where all lived in peace and harmony
And there was no way one could harm any.
Call it my fate or change of time,
The King of Jungle was captured in his prime.
I growled and cried but all in vain,
How could those men hear the voices of pain!
I was tied and brought to the city,
Crying all the way with a feeling of self-pity.
There was no way to be out
And their hearts wouldnt melt, there was no doubt.
For the first time I saw
Tall poles giving out smoke.
For the first time, a smell
Forced my breath to choke.
My ears couldnt bear
That noise another time
And I realized that a dumb
Is punished without a crime.
However, I stepped in my new home
Hoping to be saved one day by some gnome.
Years passed but no one came,
And with time, I learnt to be tame.
This home is rather a showcase
Where those heartless watch my deadpan face.
Through bars, the food is thrown to me;
Oh! It badly hurts my dignity.
The voice has so much lost its vigour
That it cant even rise against the rigour.
Today I have nothing
But a sky to stare at
And pray to the Almighty that
In my next birth,
Please let me down on this earth,
But, as a Man, not a beast
So that I can live at least.
By Vandana Patel, Gujarat

Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016 I 93

Whoever thought...

COVER FEATURE
Cowpats

Eat that!

o counter climate change, Denmark has decided to introduce

a tax on red meat. Initially, beef would come under the tax
slab, but eventually all the other red meats would follow suit.
Cattle alone are responsible for some 10 per cent of global
greenhouse gas emissions, while the production of food as a
whole makes up between 19 and 29 per cent.

Pollen pains

unk lovers, welcome a new addition to the group

the bees. Pollen is the only natural source of protein
for bees, but every day it is becoming starchierthanks
to the increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
which is sapping the nutritional quality of pollen.
Bees need adequate proteins to feed their larvae and
maintain their immune systems; some bees store
pollen to tide through winters. This low-quality food
source is now shortening bees life spans and thus
causing a global decline in their numbers in the
recent years.

The scent
that wasn't

f you are walking in a forest in

Southeast Asia and suddenly
smell the scent of popcorn, dont
be surprised. You have just passed
by a trail left by a bearcat. It has
been found that the chemical that
gives off the popcorn smell2acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP), is also
found in bearcat pee. Bearcats, like
other animals, leave their chemicals
wherever they go to mark their
territory.

Spoof Space
94 I Down To Earth Supplement I gobar times I June 1-15, 2016

Bakwaas Bread
First Class Poison.
Ingredients
1.

White Flour

2.

Salt

3.

Sugar

4.

Yeast

5.

Potassium bromate

6.

Potassium iodate

(as a recent study by Centre for Science and

Environment shows.)