Sapna Madan

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.

Widows of Vrindavan

Vrindavan - the land of Lord Krishna - is considered one of the holiest places for Hindus in India. The temples of the city attract people from across the world, but for the widows of Vrindavan, it is home. For they have nowhere else to go.

'Sati,' the abhorrent cultural practice of a recently widowed woman, either voluntarily or by force, immolating herself on her deceased husband's pyre, was long abolished in 1829 but the condition of widows in the country till date remains pitiful.

Considered inauspicious, many widows are abandoned by their children and relatives. In order to prevent them from inheriting their husbands' property, they are thrown out by their families. In many instances, the widows had to leave the house after facing harsh treatment from their sons and daughters-in-law.

But it is still not clear why Vrindavan attracts widows from all over India, particularly West Bengal. Many come here as genuine pilgrims to devote rest of their lives to Lord Krishna, yet others simply want to escape their ruthless families.

Kalidasi came to Vrindavan 12 years ago. After her husband's death, her son and daughter-in-law started thrashing her over flimsy pretexts. One day, her son forced her to consume rat poison. That is when she decided to leave her family and settle in Vrindavan.

Widow Shobha Soni has a sorry story to tell.

"I suffered a lot after my husband's death. My parents-in-law did not treat me well. They asked me to leave the house immediately upon my husband's death. I could not remarry because I had two daughters. A woman has no value and respect in our society after her husband dies. Considered useless, she is prohibited from participating in family functions. In fact, she is completely dissociated from the family", Soni explains.

Another widow Kalyani Paul has this to say.

"I get some money through clothes-stitching for lord Krishna, but that is not enough. I buy vegetables, milk and other things. I don’t have any other source of income. Stitching is all I do to sustain myself," says Paul.

Taking into account the predicament of widows in Vrindavan, the apex Supreme Court asked National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) to contact non governmental organisation (NGO) Sulabh International to work for their cause.

In 2012, Founder of Sulabh International Dr Bindeshwar Pathak visited Vrindavan to personally meet and understand the condition of widows who were, in most cases, reduced to begging on the streets.

Even now, widows can be spotted begging at Nidhi Van and many other locations.

“In the beginning, we helped each widow with Rs 1000 but later, as we realised this was not sufficient, we raised the amount to Rs 2000. We have employed teachers to teach them Hindi, English and Bangla, as most of the widows are natives of West Bengal. We also train them in making incense sticks, garlands and dresses for Lord Krishna and deity Radha. Sulabh helps in marketing these goods," says Dr Pathak.

From organising regular medical check-ups and annual trips to Kolkata during 'Durga Puja' and Taj Mahal in Agra, Dr Pathak and his NGO have tried to ensure a normal and joyful life to the widows of Vrindavan.

These widows start their mornings with two-hour Krishna chanting at 7 am. During the daytime, they take care of their personal work or simply relax. The evenings are again dedicated to Krishna chanting.

The widows in shelterhouses of Vrindavan are slowly beginning to gain social acceptance. Some of them celebrate major festivals such as Holi, Diwali and Rakshabandhan with the local people of Vrindavan.

Besides Sulabh, many other NGOs are working together to help improve the condition of widows in the holy town of Vrindavan. But there is a long way to go before these widows can come to have a dignified status in the society.

For your eyes, and head, only

The Indian tradition of applying 'kajal' on the eyes of small children has been drastically brought down with doctors strictly advising mothers against it. But the practice can still be witnessed in some places where mothers believe that 'kajal' has a cooling effect and helps babies relax. The tradition passes from one generation to the other.

Pandit Avadhesh Tiwari explains, "the babies are adorable and elders love to play with them. Sometimes this can have a negative impact on babies. In order to protect the baby from evil eye or any negative effect, the 'kajal' is applied. It nullifies the effect of the evil eye. That is why we have this practice of applying 'kajal' in Hinduism.”

Another ritual of head shaving, commonly known as 'mundan', is also mandatory among Hindus. Some Muslims and native Americans follow it too. The ideal time to perform 'mundan' is between four months and 1.25 years of age, though it may be performed anytime before the child turns three.

Some communities tonsure boys only and no girls. The time and ritual of tonsuring vary from region to region and religion to religion. Some families prefer to perform the ritual in the presence of a priest while others do it at home in the presence of other family members. The ritual involves a big ceremony where relatives and friends are invited to give blessings to the baby.

According to Hindu scriptures, a soul experiences 84 lakh 'yonis' (births) before coming to the human body, and every 'yoni' leaves some influence on human birth. Head shaving is a gesture that purifies and frees the soul from the past. Some ancient scriptures say that it helps in boosting the growth of nerves and brain.

"When a child is in mother’s womb, he is in an unclean condition with many germs in hair that go into head cells. They are required to be removed with an 'ustra' (razor) for better growth of the brain. Our scriptures say that there are impurities carried from past lives and shaving the head helps one free from the effect of those impurities", adds Pandit Avadhesh Tiwari.

Here we are reporting from Laxmi Narayan temple.

Piplantri goes plant-tree

When it comes to environment protection, women empowerment and employment generation, Rajasthan's Piplantri village has been leading the way in a unique manner.

At a time when stringent legal provisions have failed to check female foeticide and infanticide in the country, a man’s single-handed mission in Rajsamand district's Piplantri village has set an example of incredible change.

The village never welcomed the birth of a girl child. Female foeticide and infanticide were not unusual due to the vicious dowry system rampant in the village.

Then in 2007, the then Sarpanch of Piplantri Shyam Sundar Paliwal lost his 18-year-old daughter Kiran to dehydration and heat stroke.

Paliwal's personal tragedy led him to reflect on how to save the girl child and, consequently, the environment. He then planted a tree in Kiran's memory.

Seeing the support and emotions of other villagers at that time, Paliwal asked each family to plant 111 trees on the birth of a girl child. The birth of a daughter which was once considered misfortune became an occasion for celebration.

Significantly, as many as 350,000 trees have so far been planted.

The village 'panchayat' (local administration) looks after these plants so that no effort of the local people goes waste. Several women and self-help groups look after the maintenance on regular basis.

“The women are making products from Aloe Vera which are then sold in the market. The women are becoming independent. When they become independent, they provide better education to their children. Thousands of girls and women are benefitting from this”, Paliwal emphasised.

Many village panchayats are now following Paliwal's footsteps and replicating the idea in their area.

Every year on the festival of 'Raksha Bandhan', a 'rakhi' (wrist band) is tied to the trees as a symbol of "brotherhood" with nature.

“I treat trees as my brothers because they were planted by my parents when I was born. They help keep the environment pollution free. They give us wood and fruits”, class 10 student Komal Paliwal said.

Besides tree plantation, a fixed bank deposit of Rs 31,000 is created with a contribution of Rs 20,000 by a Trust owned by Shyam Sundar Paliwal. The money, meant for girl’s education and marriage, is withdrawable only when she turns 18.

“I have two daughters. I was happy when my daughter gave birth to a girl child. For me, goddess Laxmi had arrived in my house. A fixed deposit was made at the time of her birth. Our daughters are our pride, not burden”, villager Sosar Devi said.

There is no stopping to Paliwal's unique work and now he wants the whole earth to turn green.

"Today there are 3,50,000 trees in Piplantri giving employment to people. When so many trees can be planted in Piplantri, I am sure it can be done in other parts of the country as well," Paliwal averred.

Even after she is gone, Shyam Sundar Paliwal's daughter Kiran standing tall with 3,50,000 trees in Piplantri

Free ride for women in DTC, cluster buses.

Women in Delhi can now travel for free on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, courtesy the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The scheme allowing free travel to women in DTC and its cluster buses came into effect on October 29, 2019 on the occasion of 'Bhai Dooj' festival.

Women are issued pink tickets with the face value of Rs 10 which are then reimbursed by Delhi state government to DTC. The government has kept aside Rs 140 crore for implementation of this scheme.

Around 30 lakh travellers use DTC buses everyday and around 12 lakh people use cluster buses. Approximately, a third of these passengers are women.

So far a total of 1.5 crore pink tickets have been printed. These tickets also bear social messages on women empowerment.

"The free ride will not only empower women financially and logistically, but also help them reclaim public spaces," claims Raghav Chaddha, AAP government spokesperson.

He added that the scheme encourages and incentivises women to use more and more public transport which, in turn, will make public spaces safer for women.

Women from low income group are super excited as they can now travel in even air conditioned buses which they could not afford earlier. Ridership in AC buses will be very high in summers as Delhi is very hot then.

College student Anuradha Mandal says, “I have to travel a lot. It is not easy to shell out Rs 20 each day on bus travel, so this scheme is very beneficial for me. This scheme is a boon for jobless people.”

Housemaker Sheetal Joshi is happy that she can use the money that she earlier spent on bus tickets for her children’s education.

“Women who drop their kids to tuition classes by bus can now save the money and use the same in other productive manner”, Joshi said.

Data from DTC indicates rise of women in DTC buses from thirty per cent earlier to forty per cent now. The number will go much higher as more and more people become aware of the scheme.

According to DTC bus driver Bharat Lal, the number of women in the bus he drives has risen dramatically. The total number of passengers in his bus has risen from roughly 60 per cent to 90 per cent.

There are around 5,600 DTC and cluster buses in which women can avail free ride. As many as 13000 marshals, along with 6000 civil defence personnel, Home Guards and ex-servicemen have been trained and deployed in buses to ensure safety of women.

Consultant from Urban Catalyst Sonal Shah talks about ensuring safety of women in buses.

"We need major emphasis on gender sensitisation training for transport service provider. In peak hours when buses are badly crowded, a woman may or may not raise alarm even if she feels sexually harassed or groped. Having marshals in bus alone won’t solve the problem. Women should feel comfortable approaching a marshal who is a male. There should be more women in transport sector because women feel safer complaining to women, instead of men,” says Shah.

She suggests a provision where women and men board and alight the bus from two different gates so that there is no or less scope of sexual harassment.

Measures such as ample street lighting at night and effective patrolling along public transport corridor are key to women safety.

Shah extols the benefits of the Delhi government's scheme to allow free travel in DTC buses.

“Women will be immensely benefitted by this scheme. It is the first time that a state government has taken such a bold step. It is indeed commendable”, she adds.

Yours truly travelling in DTC bus.

Man digs pit for dead daughter at cremation site, finds newborn girl buried alive

In Indian society, the girls always play second fiddle to the boys. The male child, when grown, is expected to contribute to family income whereas the girl child is always considered a "property of another" as, when married, she leaves her parental house.

Recently, a live newborn girl was found inside a large earthen pot buried three-feet under a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. She was discovered by a family which had gone there to bury their still born baby.

“Our baby’s head had not fully developed. We were advised to abort it. As we went to dig a grave for the baby, our spade got stuck in a bag. As we took that out, we found a living girl inside who looked very weak and tiny. Her condition revealed that she was dumped there for days. We gave her milk with the help of cotton and got her admitted to a hospital in order to save her life. It was our duty to save this girl”, said Puja Chowdhary, who accompanied her husband Hitesh Sirohi to the cremation ground.

The infant was first admitted to District Hospital, but later, on request of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajesh Mishra, was shifted to Ravi Khanna New Born Critical Care Centre. Dr Ravi Khanna is personally monitoring the condition of the baby.

“She was just 1200 grams when brought here. I believe she was underneath the mother earth for 2-3 days. She was dehydrated, suffered from septicaemia and hypoglycaemia. She had no fat on her face, abdomen and thighs. Her glucose level was 4 which should not be less than 40. Her platelet count was 10,000 only. The infection had spread to every part of her body. But she had to survive and she did”, said Dr Ravi Khanna.

In order for her to be kept cosy, she is being given heat with radiant warmer. Initially, she was given IV fluids for hydration and glucose but now she is receiving IV antibiotics to clear infection from the blood and the brain.

“She is responding well to the treatment. In the last 10 days, she has gained 400 grams. This is an incredible child”, said Dr Khanna.

Significantly, BJP leader Mishra, who is paying for the medical expenses of the baby, has expressed strong keenness to adopt the child.

Meanwhile, Dr Khanna is leaving no stone unturned to educate people about the importance of girls in a society.

"We try to give financial support to every poor family that brings a girl child for checkup and treatment. I tell them about various government schemes such as 'Beti Bachao Beti Padao' (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) initiative of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Girls receive financial support when they are born and they receive support at many stages of life till the time they get married. I tell them girls are assets for a family and society, and not burden as always believed. We have to get rid of primitive belief that God takes care of girl child and so parents dont need to care about her,” Dr Khanna added.

He lamented existence of thousands of villages in various states of India which had extremely poor sex ratio.

“We don’t want Uttar Pradesh to be like Haryana and Rajasthan where men are unable to find women to get married to due to poor sex ratio,” Dr Khanna stated.

A girl completes a family. A girl completes a society. Save the girl child. Save the future of humanity.

The plight of Kashmiris

On October 10, the Jammu and Kashmir government lifted the advisory that had earlier asked tourists to stay out of Kashmir. Kashmir is now thrown open for tourists with local people desperately waiting for the visitors. There are 965 houseboats in Dal Lake which have been vacant since August 5. There are scores of people who are solely dependent on income from tourism. Now they borrow money from friends and relatives for survival.

Normalcy is somewhat back in Kashmir. Roads look busy with people and vehicles but shops in many areas remain shut after 10 am.

Some markets stay open the whole day under police protection. Small-time fruits and vegetable hawkers throng the market. Some tourist spots are not fully open due to poor footfall.

“In the absence of the internet, it is impossible to assure tourists and travel agents that Kashmir is safe for outsiders. We lost touch with travel agents in other states who used to send tourists here”, says houseboat owner Gulam Rasool.

Internet kiosks have been opened at many tourist locations but foreign tourists complain of not being able to access email because the one-time password to open the account comes on the phone and the SMS service is not functional at the moment. They, therefore, are unable to email their loved ones.

Lisa Martin, a tourist from Ireland, says, “we are here to support the tourism and the local people. This place is beautiful that everyone should come and see. Local people are very supportive in every way. The only problem is I am disconnected from my family. I can't tell them I am fine. Some places remain shut even now. I would like to visit again to see the places now shut."

Another tourist Mamuni Pradhan from Kolkata says she was astonished to see the beauty of Kashmir and hospitality of Kashmiris.

On being asked if she supported the government’s decision of abrogation of Article 370, she said, “yes, Kashmir is part of India and it should have same Constitution and rules as other states."

Gulam Rasool, a houseboat owner shares his plight after the government issued advisory on August 2 asking tourists to stay away from the region.

"With almost zero income and unending expenses such as electricity bills, maintenance of houseboats, school fees for children etc., many men are avoiding to even shave to save money," Gulam says, laughing.

The economy came to a standstill in the last two months as it majorly depended upon tourism and horticulture, and that generated zero income.

“The economy of Kashmir valley has always been in bad shape. There have always been untoward incidents happening here, sometimes it is flood, sometimes other disruptions. The valley remained closed for months altogether. Our economy was never bustling. But abrogation of Article 370 was the last straw. Despite Kashmir being so beautiful, it could never earn as much other states did. The tourist volume in 1985-86 was 10-11 lakh and the number in 2017-18 is still the same," says a Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries official on condition of anonymity.

The exact amount of loss to apple farmers and tourism industry will only be known later.

According to Hamid Wangoo, Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association president, the shutdown of the valley resulted in a loss of Rs 200 crores to houseboat owners and Rs 75 crores to 'shikarawalas' (houseboat owners).

Likewise, apples are rotting in the orchids due to zero phone connectivity and consequently no transportation.

Gulam Mohammad collects plucked apples at his orchard

“God knows how we are managing our day-to-day expenses. We finished all the money we had, now we borrow from friends and relatives, but for how long will we depend on them. We have not been able to contact dealers to buy our apples. The politicians have done nothing for us and will do nothing in future. We only have hopes from God”, says Gulam Mohammad who owns an apple orchid.

Speaking of tourism, there are two categories of people in Kashmir: one, those who want more and more tourists to come so that they earn money. That is how they earn their livelihood and feed their families. They are friendly and welcoming to tourists, no matter where they are coming from. Two, big traders and shop owners who can afford to keep their shops shuttered and continue protesting. They do not want to see non-Kashmiris in the valley.

The local people continue to hate media, specifically Indian media. With the belief that we are biased media, we were not allowed to shoot in many places by the local people.

All our attempts to interview government officials on camera failed. One official, instead of refusing, outrightly blocked my phone number. Should that make me laugh or feel embarrassed? Don't know.

India all set to ban single use plastic

India is all set to impose a countrywide ban on use of single-use plastic. The country consumes 14 million tonnes of plastic annually. The ban on these items will clip 5 per cent to 10 per cent from this total annual consumption.

Since people will be allowed to adopt alternatives during this period, there will be no penalty for the first six months.

“First six months are meant for adapting to the new settings. During this period, multiple awareness campaigns will take place. Social workers will visit school and colleges to educate students about harmful effects of single use plastic”, said BJP leader Bijay Sonkar.

The ban will be imposed from October 2, the birth anniversary of Father of Indian Nation Mahatma Gandhi. There will be no fine in first six months.

In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged common people and government agencies to come together and help India free from single use plastic.

This will be a total ban on manufacturing, usage and import of such items.

A few states have already banned polythene bags. Now the government is all set for stricter environmental standards for plastic items and will push for the use of recyclable plastic only. E-commerce companies will also be asked to cut back on plastic packaging which makes up to 40 per cent of India's yearly plastic consumption.

“We have been campaigning for plastic eradication for two years. It is very easy to convince people from lower strata to not use plastic. Those belonging to middle and elite class learn when their own children ask them to abandon use of single use plastic. That is why we are trying to bring change through children. They are the frontrunners of this campaign”, says Benu Malhotra, founder of Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) 'Parvaah’.

The NGO provides free cotton bags to vegetable vendors and urges them to not use plastic. They are also provided with free sheds as incentive.

Seventeen-year-old student Raghvendra Lahoti urges people of Sarvodaya Enclave to take pledge to throw plastic out of the system.

There is rising concern about plastic-caused pollution worldwide, with major focus on the oceans where about 50 per cent of single-use plastic products land, killing marine life and making the entry into the human food chain.

The European Union (EU) aims to ban single-use plastic products such as straws, knives, forks and cotton buds by 2021.

The single-use plastic is any plastic that is used once and can’t be re-used such as plastic bags, straws, cups, glasses, plates, sachets etc.

In landfills, plastic can take up to 1000 years to decompose. Plastic bags take 10-1000 years while plastic bottles can take 450 years or more to decompose. Straws take up to 200 years to biodegrade.