And here we go again..

I can't believe it, But I am running in circles again. Blinded by the flash , I took my precautions and well.. I willingly got blinded.

These days I sleep fitfully, Always dreaming, these bloody dreams.. I get up in the morning all disoriented always eating up my morning dividing the real and the unreal. And there seems to be simply no boundaries on what I dream, they all come together just to frustrate the shit out of me and throw me into pathos of depression.

I have been reading Kenneth Anderson's Jungles Long Ago where somewhere he talks about the fake morning that precedes the real by 30 min. He talks about the various animals you can meet that call it a day. And well, what should I dream but an uncanny resembling jungle torn between day and night and I am trying desperately to hide from all the animals that surround the bush I am hiding in and mad with rage. Lord the scariest so far.

And then the other day I am haunted by all those previous 'ppl' I was with and relive all those worst times I had with them, exaggerated million times over.

I am going to take an unusually long time this time to recover from something that should not have bothered me so much. Then again it has to happen to me only.

Second breathe of life - Bandipur

My one week at Bandipur was decisive in so many ways. I was looking forward for the new experiences and adventures that were to come my way and most importantly to test whether I was fit to walk this path I had come to choose.

What surprised me most was my total lack of discomfort in the company of strangers and spending long evenings apparently doing nothing but birding and sharing the tit-bits of the worlds and its inhabitants we have explored and come across. I was in a state of peace, of total solitude. I had no mad urges to scream, to run, to do mad stuff which I am always up to here in the city. I knew I was home.

The waking up at 5.30am bore no grudges from a body that was accustomed to waking up at 7.30 for the 8am cab! A walk of 6-7 km per day through not always a simple terrain, did not strain the legs that hardly walked half a km per day. 

I have never before felt this calm I am experiencing now. The decision for me has been taken. No more I need wait at the station and bear the anxiety of identifying the train I am to alight. I am already on the journey! So many people before have told me the necessity of having a goal in their lives , of seeing that vision of where one ought to be, I have scoffed all along, always seeing myself in multiple roles in multiple destinations. Of being a painter at Paris, a rockstar at LA, writer in Dun, researcher at Amazon.. But now knowing what my role is , I can pursue one passion with full vigor, gather all my time and energy in one focused direction. A Jack no more!

Avatar

I have no idea the psychic behind the man James Cameron, when he made the movie Avatar. What was he thinking? Making a techno flick, Blast the public with 3D effects or to give a wake up call?

I went to the movie with a one minded idea of getting entertained and came out dazed. Most of my friends had a disgruntled expressions. They called it an average movie that hasn't stood for being a 3D movie, nothing made a dash for them and sent them squealing in their chairs after all. A small group of my "other" friends shared with me their thoughts that seemed to echo mine.

Here was a great movie that tried its level best to infuse into people the importance of nature, Of the invisible delicate threads that hold us all in one embracing gesture. You break one to make more space for yourself, the balance is lost, letting free all the threads and the entire structure goes for a toss.

Cameron has definately tried his best to keep the matter light and also entertain the public. If nothing, the Oscars speak loud the general public opinion. Somehow between all the debates, the issue that the movie seemed to address was lost.

Ofcourse a lot in the movie is a exaggeration our world in a more tangible form. Like mother nature's form centralized in Eywa, The idea that nature bears memories in the form the network. A lot of tribal people have a similar bearings like the people of Pandora. They worship mother Earth and regularly thank her. Fight for her and die for her.

This article has been due for long. Its just that I could not place the feeling that the movie evoked in me. Sadness, yes. Sadness for mother Earth, Sadness coz Earthlings have lost that love for her, that mystic connection with her, appreciation of the wonder that she is, thankful for all the wants and needs that she has given us. I wish I were in Pandora a blue creature, Na'vi and stand in shoulder with my brothers and sisters who loved her in a like manner rather than be an Earthling and fight against my people to protect her.

Flight

Like the sand that trickles away,
From between my fingers
Time has flown by
In cycles of repetition,
I have stood numb,
Gazing at the horizon
My white robes billowing in the air.

In a rush of wind you passed me by
Splashing colours of rainbow in your wake
For a moment caught off guard,
I lost my footing

Now you are far away
And I am so confused,
At the colours,
That keep weaving patterns over my dress
I wait for you to let them in,
Spread into my soul.

Green Commandos Campaign at M K Ahmed, HSR layout

The first campaign 'Say no to plastics' by Green Commandos at BDA complex, HSR layout, Bangalore drew a healthy number of volunteers from the Green Commando community in Bangalore. I was not a part of  the first  and was only too eager to be a part of the second upcoming campaign.

After the cancellation of the second week campaign due to insufficient volunteers for Total Mall, Sarjapur, left our boss, Ravi Agnihotri no choice but to pick  up smaller retail outlets. After much consideration we picked  M. K. Ahmed Super Market in HSR layout, close to the first campaign's venue, HSR BDA complex.

Me, Mukesh, Amar and Aditya assembled at M K Ahmed at around 11.15am. After waiting for few more minutes we realized no more volunteers are to come and  decided to jump into the campaigning. Obtaining permission from the owner of the Super Market, we set up our banners such that it was visible to the  incoming crowd to the Super Market. After much haggling, the Super Market people lent us a small table and several empty Carton boxes so that we could place  our display items to the public.

We had around 100 cloth bags which we purchased from Sahaas org., with Green Commandos logo on it. These bags were out for sale for Rs 35/- each. We also placed 2 Jute bags and several paper bags for purely display reasons.

Our initial interaction with the customers immediately made us realise that nobody was willing to pay 35 bucks for the bag, we quickly reduced the costs to  Rs 20/- per bag, at a loss which we decided to break up between the 4 of us and supplement. After all the motive of the campaign was not to make a bussiness  of selling bags, but to wake up people to the hazards of using plastic bags.

Owning to time constraints and a very hot afternoon we decided to pack up in an hour. At first we interacted with people whom we caught staring at us and  reading the banner to people who were leaving the Market with plastic bags loaded with merchandice to people who were entering the super market. We decided  that its better we stop them from getting plastic bags before they enter in. That way we would have (atleast for that day) reduced so many plastic bags  usage and sold our bags too!

One couple who bought the bag from us, promptly used them at the Super market and happily posed for a snap! We sold as many as 10-12 bags that bag and got a  lot more to listen to our plea and gave us their e-mail ids to send them promotional mails.

We had many a cold shoulder response, but we, the warriors of our dear Mother Earth were undaunted and unruffled. We continued picking unwary customers and  questioned their conscience about plastic usage.

Many of us are aware of the mal effects plastics have on our environment.We know plastics disintegrate and enter our food chain  poisoning our system, We  know that the poor innocent birds and animals unaware of plastics, mistake them for food or atleast something that will pass their disgestive system fall  victims to a slow and agonizing death. We see our backyards and roads littered with the plastic waste and know how it has come there. We, the new generation of Science are well educated and keep ourselves updated with all the information that comes by. And yet sadly all that information grasped  is used as much as the daily chit-chats on the newspaper. Knowing is not enough. What the present demands of you is to 'ACT'.

People when confronted, told us almost at all times that they do have cloth bags. And everytime I smiled at them, glanced at the heaving plastic bags cradled in their arms and asked them, 'Is that so?', 'Why is at home when you are out shopping?'. I din't want to be rude to anyone, but we need to make people  understand the need to wake up and make one small change in their lifestyles. Carrying a small easy to fit cloth bag is not much of burden, It hardly weighs 50gms. One elderly lady was telling us that we can't expect her, a ripe old woman to carry such burden. Well, I leave it to you people to decide how  heavy and what sort of burden a 50gm bag is!!

I had one eventful encounter with a young man who almost stood his ground, up in arms against us. His very often repeated line was 'We are not stupid, We  know all this!!'. Yes sir,  you are very smart indeed! That exactly is the difference that Aamir keeps repeating in '3 idiots' right? Don just read and say you  know, show us what you know!! Imbibe that knowledge in your lives. We almost came to blows when he said that he chooses not to show-off like us! My blood  boiled over and yet I kept my cool. He insisted that we are not tackling the basic problem which according to him is that, the Retailers ought not to tempt  the public with buying plastic bags. Its like they are holding a tasty carrot at our faces and we poor innocent weaklings succumb to this deadly  tempatation. I felt so very sorry for him and asked him, 'Don't you think the problem lies with the attitude of the people?' After all man is priced above all the wonderful creatures of nature for his intelligence. One moment he says that we are smart and other moment he has completely contradicted himself and declared the majority i.e., the consumers as dumb!!

The point of narrating the above incidences was not to add comic releif or to fuel personal prejudices, but to address a few of the thought process of people when it comes to plastic. Lets  not blame each other, we all are responsible toward our Earth, we have only one planet. Lets respect and appreciate her. Lets not pollute her but enrich her.  Together we can! Stop using avoidable plastics! Carry a cloth bag where ever you go! 'SAY NO TO PLASTICS!' Join us in our endeavour to reduce plastic usage across Bangalore. Log in to http://www.greencommandos.com become a member, join a project near home.