The Nest Man Of India Who Built 2.5 Lakh Homes For Birds

Mr. Rakesh Khatri has built over 2.5 lakh homes for birds and trained over 10 lakh students.

The resident of Delhi, spent his childhood in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk where sparrows could easily find enough space for themselves because of the old architectural designs.

 “While I was growing up, sparrows would make their nests on switchboards, window panes, balcony, and we were always asked by elders not to switch on ceiling fans because of fear of getting them hurt”, says Rakesh Khatri

After moving to Mayur Vihar, a developing part of Delhi, he discovered that his childhood winged friends were disappearing because the new architectural designs left no room for them.  Besides, people have also become intolerant towards the supposed ‘nuisance’ birds create.

In 2008, Seeing the declining number of sparrows, Rakesh Khatri decided to quit his profession of photography & Short filmmaking and started building nests for birds.

His attempt with coconut husk and crumpled newspaper brought no fruitful result,  he then started making these nests with bamboo sticks and placed them in various parts of his colony.

To everyone’s surprise, there were four sparrows in each nest he placed within a few days.

Thrilled and delighted, Rakesh continued the process of nest making and to date, he has built 2.5 lakhs nests all over the country. He has also trained more than 10 lakh students to create such nests.

 In order to promote his mission and raise awareness, he founded Eco Roots Foundation in 2012. He contributed his life to environmental preservation and then never looked back.

 “sparrows are my childhood friend, how can I leave them to die”, says Mr. Khatri.

He has been awarded several times for his ambitious environmental mission and dedication towards saving sparrows. He made into the Limca Books of records twice for the highest number of workshops conducted and the largest theatre events on climate change.

He’s also known as ‘The Sparrow Man’ and ‘The Nest Man of India’.

While these nests are home to birds, they also enhance the beauty of nature and surroundings. Do your bit to save these birds.

 

School on wheels bring the classroom to the students

In India's underprivileged and unserved communities, hope sometimes comes on a bus. The project that kicked off seven years ago to bring the classroom to the children with little access to education has seen an enrolment surge since the pandemic hit.

The project ‘Hope Bus’ is a brainchild of Marlo Philip, founder of an NGO Tejas Asia

Tejas Asia has four buses that go to two different locations per day. With that, it is able to cover 8 locations in a day.

Bus mobile school reaches out to communities in Delhi with no basic facilities and no access to education

Children are divided into three groups – Advanced, Intermediate and Beginners. This makes teaching easier. The children are taught English, Hindi, Maths, EVS and GK.

Children with some potential are enrolled in Government schools.

In most cases, both parents leave for work in the morning and the school on wheels tries to fill the gap.

“We, not just give them education, but also love and care they deserve. We even provide them free meals after the class”, says the class coordinator Ebna Edwin.

Children enjoy these classes and look forward to attending the same.

“When I am leaving, they ask me if I will come the next day too. If I am unable to come for some reason, they even phone me. The unconditional love of children keeps pulling me to them. I feel so loved and blessed”, says Anu Singh who has been teaching here for 5 months.

Mim Akhtar joined classes three months ago after she saw more children attending the same. Her younger sister too comes to the classes.

“I used to see the bus coming here daily. Everybody was studying so I too felt like coming and I love coming here.”

Mim doesn’t go to formal school and enjoys learning from the Hope bus.

“I study English, Hindi, and Maths here. They show us videos to help us learn better. I learn music too. Mam also sings very well,” says Mim excitedly.

Her mother Manowara Bibi is a rag picker who hopes that at least her daughter would have a better future.

As the pandemic struck in 2019, Tejas Asia was no exception to staying unstirred. Parents stopped sending children to school and they had to be convinced about the social distancing measures that were being followed. Social distancing meant the requirement of greater space but with extra staff and resources, things could be managed well.

Marlo wishes to have more buses, not just in Delhi but other states too.

“We want to expand the whole program, everything we do under the program Tejas Asia, be it education, food program, water systems, medical program, and whatever that can help these families and these children. Our dream is to see hope in every community and every life”, says the founder of Tejas Asia, Marlo Philip.

This report comes from Bengali Basti in Vasant Kunj, Delhi.

Delhi’s Shyam Rasoi serves full thali for Re 1, feeds over 1000 daily

Could you ever have imagined someone selling a complete thali for just Re 1? Well, you need to visit Nangloi’s Shyam Rasoi between 11 am and 1 pm. See it to believe it. 

You dont have to be poor to have this thali. It is for everyone and people from all walks of life come here for a meal. 

51-year-old Pravin Goyal, who runs the kitchen, says, “around 800-1000 people come here everyday for lunch. Whatever food is left, we serve it in the nearby blind school, leprosy home and old age home. In the morning, we serve tea and bread too at nominal cost.”

   

“Everyone feeds the hungry but here we want their souls to get contented. We serve them healthy and delicious food... one that they can not afford in routine life. We serve them 3-4 curries, dessert, chapati and rice in every meal. Today’s menu has palak paneer, pindi chhole, Punjabi kadi, mixed veg, biryani, paratha and gajar ka halwa. The menu changes everyday. Their happiness and blessings mean a lot to me and motivate me to do a lot more for them. ”

On being asked about how he manages all the expenses, Pravin said, “I am not paying anything from my pocket. I receive vegetables from farmers and others. People donate ration and money too. There is so much love and support coming from people.”

   

Pravin is assisted by some paid workers as well as volunteers. 

He took this initiative two years ago when he priced thali at Rs 10. However, after Covid outbreak, he reduced the price to Re 1 so that no one goes hungry.

The thali is priced at Re 1 but if someone can't pay, they are still served the full meal without discrimination.

Soni, 9, has been eating at Shyam Rasoi for four weeks. The smile on her face reflects how full and happy she is. 

“When I have money, I pay else I don't. Uncle doesn't ask me to pay. He even packs food for my family for free. They serve palak paneer, shahi paneer, aloo paratha, gobi paratha, pakode, etc. I am so glad that they are now serving carrot pudding too. Had this kitchen not been there, we could have died of hunger.”

The tea in my hand is sponsored by Shyam Rasoi

Chandigarh NGO sets up mobile library in minivan to help underprivileged students

In the wake of Covid19 pandemic, an NGO based in Chandigarh has set up a small library in a minivan to distribute books among the unprivileged students.

Sandeep Kumar, founder of the NGO -Open Eye Foundation -collected books from various sources to help the students who can not afford to buy books amid the financial crisis due to Covid19.

“After completing my studies, I got an idea to reuse the books for other students. In December 2016, I started this initiative and organised camps in various schools. People appreciated and came forward to help me with the study materials", said Kumar.

Since then, Kumar has been travelling in his mini van, filled with books and writing materials collected from various houses to make them available to students from slums and colonies.

“Distribution via scooter during lockdown period wasn't feasible so I got a minivan. I give aways masks and sanitary napkins too along with study material,” Kumar further added.Kumar has collected over 40,000 books in the last three years and distributed around 10,000.

Motto of his foundation is ‘Education from Trash’.

'Doctors For You' faces financial crunch

'Doctors for You' - a Trust run by some Delhi-based doctors - has been actively looking after COVID patients since the outbreak of the pandemic in Delhi. The Trust's first 100-bedded COVID care centre at Shehnai Banquet Hall shut down recently as the number of cases stagnated while the recovery rate improved.
Their 500-bedded COVID care centre at CWG Stadium, taking care of patients with mild to moderate symptoms, remains operational till date.

The CWG centre had over 340 beds occupied recently. They discharged patients who had already spent 10 days at the centre so that they could free up some beds.

The source of funds for the Trust is a private company called HCL. But with a sudden jump in COVID cases of late, 'Doctors for You' finds it difficult to run the centre.

“We have the capacity to increase 100 beds at CWG Stadium centre but we lack manpower. We have to pay salaries of the existing workforce. We charge not even a single penny from patients. We provide them free kits which include buckets, slippers, soaps, toiletries, etc. We dont know how long we can run the centre with this financial crunch," says Dr Ravi Kant from 'Doctors for You.'

Indian women demand division of household chores

From restrictions on their movement to being forced to do myriad household chores, women are facing the impact of the lockdown.

Subarna Ghosh, who runs a charity working on reproductive justice, has filed an online petition urging Prime Minister Narender Modi to step in and ask men to divide household chores.

“I filed it because inequity was already there, but the kind of imbalance in housework following the lockdown has come absolutely in our faces”, says Subarna.

Subarna lives in a small apartment in Mumbai with her husband and two children. In the beginning, when the lockdown was announced, she was fine but with several lockdown extensions, she was annoyed as nobody in the family was helping with household chores.

This resulted in more arguments; she scolded her children more as she alone carried the whole house workload.

Then came a time when she totally gave up and stopped doing any household chore. As things piled up, family members realised what Subarna was going through and decided to help in whatever possible way they could.

Lockdown forced people to sit together under the same roof for a long time. In some cases, it was a cause of friction while in others people got time to discuss affairs around them and understand each other better.

As per a report by International Labour Organization, women in urban India in 2018 spent 312 minutes a day on unpaid care work while men spent 29 minutes. In villages, it was 291 minutes for women compared to 32 minutes for men.

So far, over 70,000 people have signed Subarna's petition.

Aditi Prasad, a physiotherapist, lives with her husband and two children in Delhi. Her situation was no different.

“It was like a nightmare. All of a sudden we heard the news that no maids would be allowed to work. There is so much to do from washing clothes to ironing clothes, cooking food to feeding kids, dishwashing, etc, all was on my head. It was a big problem for me” says Aditi.

Aditi also complains about prevalent patriarchy in our society.

“It is male-biased society. Men don't usually work and they are not even expected to work,” says Aditi.

After almost 10 days, Aditi’s husband Gaurav realised how traumatic it had become for his wife to manage the whole house.

“I have just started working from home and I know how painful it gets. Maybe I am helping her with 25-30% of the work but again even that is not too much assistance that I am extending," says Gaurav

On being asked if Subarna got any response from PM Modi, she said, “I haven’t got any direct responses as yet but I am quite sure that they would be following up on it."

An open letter to adult children

Many men think they are doing a great favour to their parents by living together with them. I ask such men, "did you feel the same when you were a kid, when you were dependent on them for cleaning your poop and hand feeding you and serving you continuously till you got married and your wife became much more important to you?"

All your life when you needed support, you grabbed the hands of your parents but when they required emotional support in old age, you either moved away or continued to live with them treating them more like a liability. 

You think depending on them was perfectly obvious because they gave you life and raised you but you consider having them to live with you a favour from your end. 

How often did you feel that it was your parents/parents in law’s duty to look after your kids in your absence, or even presence? If they look after your kids, it is their choice and affection towards them. They are not obligated to do so. 

Today you are troubled not because they demand too much from you but because you feel your privacy is being violated. You have no idea how much your parents have loved you all their life. Above all, they valued your life more than theirs. 

Respect them for what you are today. They spent their youth towards getting this independent man out of a boy who couldn't even live alone at home without parents. 

You depended on them when you were single, today you need them because you need a baby sitter, so that you can attend your office without having to think of your kids’ safety and school assignments. 

More than them, you need them - for your selfish motives. If there are no such motives, then they become non-entities and you choose to live away from them because living with them "kills" your privacy.

Everything you do comes back to you; good or bad; sooner or later. 

Do not ill-treat your parents. Do not be rude to them. This is the least you can do while choosing to prioritise other things over them.

Remember - your parents don’t live with you. You live with them.

No human is God

Did you just think this person is epitome of perfection and no person can replace him/her? Think...Think again…Think till you know no human is God. 

Who, in your life, has been really good to you? A friend or loved one? This kind of goodness is life-affirming. It makes you feel loved. Yet it is human goodness; it has an expiry date. 

Everything happening with us is destined to happen but clinging to bad past and not moving ahead only leads to disaster. 

Every event has a life changing impact. No event happened for no reason. Nothing could be undone, and with every event we learnt something new - to an extent that we decide to never look back and keep growing mentally and spiritually.

Life is moving and so are we. 

“Life's trials will test you, and shape you, but don’t let them change who you are.”

~ Aaron Lauritsen

No matter what you go through, no matter how people treat you, keep your foundation strong, keep your karma right. 

Be polite with every individual because politeness is the flower of humanity that grows more and more beautiful as we nurture it. 

Quit arrogance because you are not God and you are not permanent here. 

See the beauty of life. Thank God for all you have. You are way better than millions around. You are loved beyond your imagination. Feel this love - the love of God.

Love yourself and love God because at the end that is all that matters. 

Gyaan by Sapna Baba

8-year-old climate heroine of India

She is only eight, but for the last two years, Licypriya Kangujam has been actively campaigning for passing a law to tackle climate change in India.

At the age when kids are usually learning addition and subtraction, this girl from Manipur is travelling to different countries of the world to raise her concerns about climate change.

The youngest environmentalist is pressing for new laws to control high carbon emission in India and everywhere else, and to make climate change a compulsory subject in the school curriculum. She also advocates plantation of 10 trees per student per year in order to be able to pass finals exams.

“We have 350 million students, and if they plant this minimum amount of trees every year, we will be planting 3.5 billion trees a year”, says Kangujam.

Activism, including weekly protest outside the Parliament House in national capital New Delhi, consumes most of her time.

"I weep every time I see children lose their parents or become displaced due to the dangers of disasters. My heart feels sore to see people who can’t help themselves when disaster strikes", she adds.

Kangujam dropped out of school in February 2019 as attending classes regularly amid protests wasn’t possible.

While her struggle against climate change continues, she has not given up on her dream to pursue education. So far, Kangujam has travelled 32 countries and has spoken at over 60 places about her movement.

"I travel place to place to raise my concerns about climate change and disaster risks reduction to the people of the world," the young climate activist says.

So far the youngest speaker at the United Nations (UN), Kangujam says she was only four years old when she accompanied her father to raise funds for victims of the deadly 2015 Nepal earthquake.

But it was only after attending a UN disaster management conference in Mongolia with her father in 2018 that she felt the need to be involved in activism.

"I got a lot of motivation and new knowledge from the people giving speeches. It was a life-changing event for me," she says.

Right after her return from Mongolia, Kanjugam with the help of her father set up an organisation called 'The Child Movement' to demand immediate action to save the planet and the future of young children.

Rajasthan and Gujarat have been the first ones to add climate change to the school curriculum.

Licypriya finds it distasteful when people call her Greta Thunberg of India.

To this, she says, "if you call me Greta of India, you are not covering my story. I began the movement to fight climate change much before Greta appeared on the scene."

She added that she is good friends with Greta and they both respect each other.

The little girl has big dreams and an electrifying story.

India Art Fair 12

India Art Fair (IAF), since its launch in 2008, has witnessed a celebration of modern and contemporary art of South Asia. With over 75 exhibitors from 20 South Asian cities, the IAF is the biggest such exhibition in the region showcasing a buffet of material explorations, and a brush with the contemporary and the hidden.

The 12th edition of IAF is being held from January 30 to February 2 at NSIC Exhibition Grounds in Delhi. Aiming to increase art audiences in the country, the exhibition features over 81 Indian and international galleries. 

IAF Director Jagdip Jagpal has successfully created a distinct identity for the exhibition by focusing on the curation of South Asian contemporary art. She ensured that at least 70 per cent of the floor space is dedicated for Indian and South Asian galleries and artists, private foundations, arts charities and national institutions.

Interestingly, the fair also includes art by the differently-abled as also by those who never displayed their work before.

The Young Collector’s Programme and IAF Parallel platform is designed for those interested in viewing, collecting and learning more about the curation of art. It features master classes, studio visits, walkthroughs and tours of Delhi’s famed museums, galleries, and alternative art spaces.

Ever since BMW became a presenting partner of IAF, one Art Car from the BMW exquisite collection of Art Cars has been displayed at the IAF. The BMW Art Car collection features a limited collection of BMW cars that have been used by some of the biggest artists as a canvas.

Have a look at some amazing installations by renowned artists.

   

   

     

Will come up with more updates on IAF next year. Ciao.