Bubble Wrapped February 2011

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CONTENTSBubblewrapped February 2011

THE TIPPING POINT08 THE ORGANIC INCLINATIONIs there a market for organic products in India and

does it really help the farmers?

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THE GREEN TONE18 REHASHED TRASH

22 EVERGREEN

Recycling waste and optimising our disposal systems

for cleaner and greener tomorrow.

10 years of Greenpeace in India.

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THE WILD TRUTH28 SWIMMING TO SAFETY

36 ENDANGERED SPECIES

40 VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS

Giving the Ganges back to their rightful owners, the dolphins.

The top 5 endangered species.

India does have laws that protect animals,

but how many of us know that?

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B+46 CLEANING UP CITIES

55

57 FIELDING FOR CHILD RIGHTS

Citizens clean up after themselves.

Aham Bhumika is hosting a photo exhibition to fund the Grain School.

Project Crayons plays Gully Cricket for Children.

A PICTURE OF INDIA

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THE CORPORATE PITCH62 PAYBACK WITH INTERESTStandard Chartered's CSR programme has more to it than just the marathon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDITOR

DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTORS

Chetna

Guru Munishwar

Akhil Sood

Anushree Chatterjee

Chitra Kalyani

Deepa Bhasthi

Elle Reynolds

Giresh Nair

Karanjeet Kaur

Kirthana Udayan

Pooja Bhula

Rahul Fonseca

Ridhnika Nepaul

10

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graffiti publishing houseProduced and Published by

DISCLAIMERViews and opinions mentioned in this eMagazine do not necessarily reflect those of Bubble Wrapped or Graffiti Publishing House.Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Bubble Wrapped and Graffiti Publishing House cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in eMagazine. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission from Graffiti Publishing House is strictly prohibited.

5


THE TIPPING POINT6


7


AN ORGANICINCLINATIONAuthor: Akhil Sood

Walk into a supermarket and ask for

organic coffee, and you will be lead to an

aisle stacked with organic coffee, tea,

rice, pulses and more. For many

customers these are just overpriced

products in earthy-looking packaging.

For some others it's about a healthier

lifestyle. So then is it just a trend that's

captivating the upper-middle class

consciousness? Or is there more meat

to the whole 'organic' issue?

Organic food products are slowly

becoming fashionable in an age where

health concerns for the upwardly-

mobile professionals are a reality thanks

to erratic lifestyles and bad eating

habits. Awareness about the plight of

farmers is also gaining momentum, as is

the realisation of chemical materials

posing a v iable threat to the

environment. It's no surprise then that

the consumption of organic produce

seems to be increasing. But is this just a

fad? Or is there a sustainable model in

place that can change the lives of

farmers and consumers for

the better?

8


ELIGIBILITY

“The very first criterion for organic

production is the eradication of all

p e s t i c i d e s , w e e d - i c i d e s a n d

insecticides. Instead of chemical

fertilisers, the farmers need to use

organic manure or compost,” says

Nakul Kiran, Manager – Agribusiness,

Mysore Amalgamated Coffee Estate.

Compost is decomposed and recycled

plant matter which is subsequently

used as fertiliser serving as an

alternative to synthetic pesticides and

mineral fertilisers. Once the farmer

converts to organic production, he is

required to practice these methods for a

minimum of three years before

accreditation is given according to

Indian standards. Nakul also informs us

that it can take up to 10 years for the

cultivated land to be completely

'organic' and for all chemical additives to

be erased from the system.

The National Programme for Organic

Production, which is a segment within

the Ministry of Commerce, provides

benefits as well as support to farmers

using organic methods. Various

organisations have also been set up to

help provide farmers with the proper

certification which allows their goods to

be classified as 'organic'. Biocert India

Pvt. Ltd. is one such organisation which

actively assists farmers to convert to

organic methods as well as providing

them with the due certification. “We

help a lot of small-scale and individual

farmers who want to convert to organic

production. The current percentage of

land used for organic production in India

is very low. I would say around 1 to 2%,

but the trend seems to be picking up as

both producers and consumers are

learning about its benefits. A lot of the

states in the North-East have adopted

organic farming in a big way. In fact, the

demand is steadily increasing, and

several retail chains catering to such

produce are also coming up in India,”

says Dilip Dhaker, MD – Biocert India

Pvt. Ltd.,

BENEFITS

“The land, or the zameen, is of prime

concern to the farmer,” says Dilip. “Most

farmers today have inherited the lands

that they use, and organic farming

methods serve as a beneficial tool in

expanding the life as well as the quality

of this sacred land,” he adds. The

requirement for water is significantly

less, and within three to four years, the

quality of the land begins to improve,

which also benefits the environment.

Kavita Mukhi organises the Farmers'

Market every weekend in Bandra

providing organic farmers with a

channel for selling their products while

eliminating the profits procured by the

Environmental Concerns

middle man. She throws further light on

the subject when she says, “Indian

farming methods were largely organic

around the time of the Partition.

However, the chemicals that have been

subsequently dumped onto us severely

depleted the condition of the land.”

Kavita, who is affiliated with various

organisations and groups of farmers

who approach her for assistance in

conversion to organic practices, says

that the trend seems to be changing and

that organic methods are the way

forward.

There are several health benefits which

organic foods provide. “Various surveys

have been done to prove that

consumption of organic products could

increase the life span of the individual. It

helps build up a good immune system,

and has good digestive properties for

the human body. Eventually, a consumer

would purchase organic products for

the sake of his own health,” says Dilip.

Organic foods are priced at a

significantly higher rate, “The margin

varies from 10 to 40%, according to the

product. Organic soya beans are priced

a t a r o u n d 1 0 % h i g h e r t h a n

conventionally produced soya beans,

while pulses range from 25 to 30%. The

price depends on the yield that the crop

provides for the farmer, as well as the

demand, hence the difference,” says

Consumer Benefits

9


Dilip. However, the health benefits

provide a sense of balance in

comparison with the increased prices.

“What people do,” adds Kavita, “is that

they purchase cheap goods adulterated

with harmful chemicals, which results in

illnesses and poor health. Thus, people

tend to have their priorities mixed up,

choosing to spend a fortune on a pair of

shoes instead of paying slightly higher

for food.” In fact, Kavita informs us how

the prices at the Farmers' Market that

she organises are actually lower than

the market rates for conventional food

products due to the recent inflation in

food items, spurring people to

switch to organic.

Ecorico, another innovative new

initiative undertaken by Megha and Arjit

Rawal provides the consumer with an

option for healthy and organic snacking.

It gives an organic and chemical free

alternative to snacking with various dry

fruits, such as figs, apricots and nuts

available under the brand name. The

almond and pistachio nuts are prepared

in organic sea salts, which help to

preserve their nutrient value, and lower

cholesterol levels. “People end up

consuming a lot of toxins in our daily

rituals of snacking,” says Ecorico

founder Megha Rawal, “so we wanted

to provide a healthier alternative to that.

The concept behind Ecorico is 'organic'

and 'rich'.” (Ecorico products are

available at Kavita Mukhi's

Farmers' Market.)

On the split side, inorganic foods can be

extremely harmful to the body.

“Chemical sprays are water soluble.

Thus, you end up consuming some

amount of residue in foods which are

produced using chemical fertilisers.

Fruits and vegetables are sprayed

heavily with pesticides and insecticides,

which is why the risks are higher. They

need to be thoroughly washed, and

even then, small traces of the residue

are often accumulated in the system

over a period of time, which can result in

lead poisoning and various other health

disorders,” says Nakul. In contrast, all

materials used in organic farming are

harmless and completely natural.

Dilip sums it up, comparing the organic

vs. inorganic debate to that of ayurvedic

medicine as opposed to allopathic

practices, “Organic foods provide long-

term rewards to the consumers, which

is what people are slowly realising.”

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Advantages for the Farmer

The risk for a small-scale farmer, with

one or two acres of land, converting to

organic production is significantly less

as the farmer becomes completely self-

sufficient in the production of compost

and natural fertilisers. He is not forced to

procure heavy loans from banks for

purchase of raw materials, and thus

prevents himself from falling into the

trap of a debt cycle in case the yield is

reduced one year. This helps to

minimise the perils that outside

elements may pose, as the farmer is

able to cultivate his crop entirely on his

own. Then there is the obvious

advantage of the 10 to 40% increase in

revenue that the farmer will benefit from

if he goes organic.

Nakul tells us that with the increased

margin in sales, the proposition is a

relatively safe one, as the cost of

cultivation is significantly lower in

o r g a n i c f a r m i n g . T h e w a t e r

consumption is also reduced. “One of

the biggest advantages of organic

cultivation,” he says, “is the reduced

dependence on weather conditions. A

conventional farmer invests hefty

amounts in fertilisers, pesticides and

insecticides, and is thus dependent on

conducive weather conditions for a

good yield. A poor yield would naturally

then result in large debts and profits

would take a massive hit.” Dilip adds to

that when he states that along with the

increased lifespan and better quality of

soil farmers too enjoy health benefits.

Another trend which seems to be

developing, according to Dilip, is the

constitution of farming groups. “In

group farming, individual organic

farmers form groups of 100, 200 or 500

people, and they all cultivate the same

crop. They focus on products which

have a high demand in the market, like

cotton or soya bean.” This further

reduces the element of risk attached to

conversion. He also tells us that farmers

whose land is situated near forests are

largely cooperative and convert easily.

“This is due to the easy access to natural

resources for compost and fertilisers.”

Organic products have a high demand in

the export market, he adds, with

increase in revenue margins touching

20 to 25% depending on the product,

thus providing them with a further

incentive to convert to organic farming.

11


DRAWBACKS AND

DISADVANTAGES

Due to the high difference in prices and

lack of awareness in a developing nation

like India, consumption of organic foods

is restricted primarily to the well-

educated, upper-middle class segment.

The phenomenon is yet to penetrate the

masses since the current price range is

not affordable, which is why a large

number of large-scale farmers resist

converting to organic methods. “The

yield is significantly lower in the first

three to four years of shifting to these

practices. Hence, big farmers are not

keen on taking on the added loss in

revenue that the shift would result in,”

says Dilip. There is also the added

difficulty in maximising the yield as the

methods are still being tested and

experimented, “The quality fluctuates,

and it will take some time for the quality

and the quantity of the yield to stabilise.

Seeds and raw materials are not readily

available in the market as yet as

compared to chemical materials. Also,

there is no fixed pattern of practice yet,

as opposed to the scientific methods

that are already in place for the use of

chemical raw materials.” He adds that

due to the miniscule percentage of land

in India which is under organic

cultivation, the production is limited and

inadequate as of now. He states though,

that the scale on which it is practiced

will increase with the growth in demand

for organic products, and that the prices

are bound to decrease once the

production is higher.

Nakul, however, maintains that a large

scale conversion to organic cultivation

is not financially viable due to the limited

produce that the crop yields using these

methods. “It is feasible only for the

smaller farmers as their risk is reduced.

Smaller yield is countered by high

prices. It is not logistically possible to

increase production or expand the

consumer reach in India at this

moment.” Chemicals required per acre

are much less. One “super pill” which is

chemically manufactured would

probably be the same as 10,000 of such

organically produced ferti l isers.

Production of such large amounts of

compost and manure becomes

impossible for the farmer, hence the

reduced yield. In such a scenario, he

also believes that it would be extremely

difficult to switch to completely organic

practices. “Many areas are already

facing severe food shortages and the

12


crisis will only escalate if the scale of

chemicals-aided farming is drastically

reduced. Wi th the inc reas ing

population, the only way of tackling food

shortage is increase of production of

goods which is not possible with

organic farming.”

Considering the low yield the cost of

food is bound to go up, and the role of

the middleman comes into play as well.

Nakul tells us that the farmers would, on

an average, get around 30 to 50% of the

revenue, with the rest going into

transportation costs and pocketed by

the middlemen. He adds that as

awareness increases, the role of the

middleman will be reduced, or

eliminated altogether. “Large chains like

Reliance and others would probably

procure the goods directly from the

farmer, thus bringing down prices as the

farmers will earn a larger sum. At the

moment, the chains procure from

wholesalers, who in turn purchase their

produce from other wholesalers and so

on. Once these middlemen are

removed, it would also result in better

quality of foods since the product would

be fresher than it is now.”

He asserts that the increasing demand

for organic goods as of now is deceptive

and there is still a long way to go, “The

base for measuring demand for organic

produce is extremely low as of now. So,

the smallest increase in demand will

drastically alter the figures and the

percentage will shoot up while the

numbers will remain low. For example, if

the demand is restricted to 10 people,

even one added individual demanding

organic foods will constitute a 10%

increase. Thus, as of now, the only

Farmers' Market in Bandra

The market is located at Wind Chimes Play School, Bhalla House, 97 Hill Road, next to Kobe and opposite

St Andrew's Church, Bandra (W) and is open from 10am to 4pm every Sunday.

Provides a forum for organic farmers to sell their products to the public free of cost.

· Brings exposure to the farmers.

· Helps raise awareness about the benefits of organic farming to the public.

· Fresher products due to the reduced transportation and storage of the goods.

· Eliminates the prospect of the middleman, thus increasing revenue for the farmer.

· Brings down the price of the products due to the elimination of transportation costs

which constitute a large bulk of the revenue earned on organic products.

option is to maintain a balance since it

does not seem logistically possible to

do away with conventional methods for

the sake of organic production.”

13


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THE GREEN TONE16


17


REHASHEDTRASHAuthor: Rahul Fonseca

Most of us have noticed the little

chasing arrows in a triangle on various

products or heard of the familiar three

R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle being

chanted by school going children,

educators and a number of environment

conscious organisations around the city.

But if anyone stops to think about what

it exactly is, the answer is very simple.

Recycling is simply collecting products

that have reached the end of their useful

lives and then transforming them into

valuable secondary raw materials that

can be fed back into the manufacturing

process.

GOING BACK

Recycling has been around in India for

many years with most blissfully

oblivious to it. Almost every household

separates newspapers in order to sell

them in bulk to recyclers or Kabariwalas,

a common name for dry waste dealers.

Until the recent emergence of cheap

plastic containers, glass bottles were

reused in Indian houses for a variety of

purposes ranging from water storage to

preserving spices and grain.

While most recycling in India is

18


undertaken via the informal sector, it has

a l w a y s i n c l u d e d r a g - p i c ke r s ,

middlemen, transporters, larger

middlemen and finally, re-processors.

The rag pickers form the backbone of

this recycling industry. The material

picked up and recycled include plastics,

paper, glass, and metals. Studies

indicate that rag-pickers are the base of

a large recycling pyramid, handling

between 9 to 15% of the solid waste

generated in Indian cities. The fast

growth of the Indian economy comes

with a formidable increase in both

recyclable and non recyclable waste.

According to a report by the Ministry of

Environment and Forests, the plastics

industry is growing at 10% per annum,

and almost 52% of this is expected to be

used in the packaging sector. A

relatively new problem is one that

involves e-waste. This includes DVDs,

CDs, floppies, tapes and electronic

c o m p o n e n t s i n c l u d i n g c h i p s ,

processors, mother boards and printed

circuit boards. All of these may contain

heavy metals and other materials which

are hazardous to the environment if not

disposed correctly. There are plans to

set up e-waste recycling facilities in

Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai as yet,

none exist in the country. However, the

spurt in the IT sector is causing this toxic

waste to pile up.

SO WHY RECYCLE

There are opposing schools of thought

regarding recycling. Some believe that

recycling is a waste of time and human

resources as it just postpones at best

the problems that global warming and

waste generation are associated with.

Others believe that through recycling

conservation of energy and maximum

utilisation of resources is not an

impossible dream. Studies have proved

that using certain recycled metals can

save up to 95% of energy as compared

to using virgin ore. Recycling of

aluminium scrap can lead to a reduction

of 92% of carbon dioxide emissions

versus production of the metal from ore.

But does it really work? If waste is

effectively collected and sent in for

recycling, savings can be achieved both

in terms of energy and in emissions into

the environment.

If that's not eye opening enough, you

might want to consider a few other

factors. Recycling of paper and paper

products reduces felling of trees. In

practice, more than 80% of the paper

used in India is being collected by

recyclers, of which only 20% makes it

back to the paper industry. The

remaining 60% is usually diverted

towards other areas like packaging and

wrapping. The recycling industry is still

developing and the support from

corporate companies is increasing with

time. Delhi based company Pragati

Papers Industries Ltd, has set up a `5

billion (US$ 124 million) recycled waste-

paper plant in Gujarat. The plant is set to

produce 400 tonnes of newsprint from

waste-paper, saving close to 6,800 trees

every day. Economists have found that

producing recycled paper uses less

energy and water than harvesting,

pulping, processing, and transporting

virgin trees. When less recycled paper is

used, additional energy is needed to

create and maintain farmed forests until

these forests can self-sustain as virgin

forests.

On the flipside though, in order to

achieve a significant slowdown of the

resource depletion recycling rates

above 80% are required. When

foresting companies cut down trees,

more are planted in their place.

Environmentalists say that these

Material

Aluminium

Cardboard

Glass

Paper

Plastics

Steel

Energy Savings

95%

24%

5-30%

40%

70%

60%

Air PollutionSavings

95%

-

20%

73%

-

-

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“farmed" forests are significantly

inferior to virgin forests in several ways,

because the new forests cannot

effectively stop soil erosion, require

fertilisers to grow and are not even close

to the size of the original virgin trees

they replace.

THE ROLE OF CORPORATE

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Much of the difficulty inherent in

recycling comes from the fact that most

products are not designed with

recycling in mind. As part of social

responsibility programmes corporates

are trying to maximise the utility of the

materials in their products. The

Environment Initiative and Corporate

Social Responsibility, showed soft drink

major Coca Cola India promoting PET

recycling, an effort which has been

appreciated by several state pollution

control boards. The objective was to

develop a self sustaining system of

recycling post-consumer PET bottles. A

sustainable value chain has been

established to ensure viability of the

pricing structure at each level starting

from rag pickers to scrap dealers to

collection cum grinding/bailing centres

to recyclers. Others such as Philips have

tied up with recyclers for collecting,

transporting and recycling used

consumer products. They offer

consumers a convenient way of

recycling their unwanted, obsolete and

20


goals with a “chalta hai” attitude.

Overcoming this is easy if as a

collective, we enforce laws, use social

pressure to compel participation in

recycl ing programmes and try

inculcating good ideas at the school

level. American social psychologist

Shawn Burn substantiates this with his

study that shows, once recycling

becomes a part of people’s daily

routine, it will be easy to pass on to

future generations.

damaged products by dropping them

off at convenient locations. There are

companies looking in to new uses for

old materials. Plastics for example are

now being melted down and infused

into asphalt to strengthen roadways by

enhancing asphalt's bonding ability, and

making the roads longer lasting by

rendering them more impervious to

water. Biodegradable plastic is the

packaging material of the future. Many

companies have taken to using

biodegradable packing “peanuts” made

from corn starch to protect delicate

shipments. Construction major HCC

Hindustan Construction Company Ltd.

is trying to address the issue by funding

a new project called Solid Waste

Management (SWM) Kihim which has

been initiated in the Kihim village in

Maharashtra. The structure houses a

small-scale programme employing

village women to make handbags,

mobile phone pouches, mats as well as

small and large accessories and

furnishings from polythene bags.

PATH TO RENEWD WORLD

Being eco-conscious also involves a

much overlooked segment of dumping

and incineration of garbage, a process

carried unchecked for decades in India.

Some cities in India have adopted the

garbage segregation at source policy

wherein every household has to

separate their daily waste into wet,

biodegradable garbage and dry

recyclables. Fines are imposed for non

segregation. Although there are laws

pertaining to waste disposal the Indian

government needs to take further steps

to bring about trash and recycling

legislation. A simple step in this

direction would be the implementation

of container deposit legislation offering

a refund for the return of certain

containers, typically glass, plastic, and

metal . This process has been

successfully implemented in various

countries around the world. When a

product in such a container is

purchased, a small surcharge is added

to the price. This surcharge can be

reclaimed by the consumer if the

container is returned to a collection

point. Banning the improper disposal of

certain toxic materials such as used oil,

and batteries as waste and creating a

proper disposal facility for these will

increase the availability of recyclable

materials. Ineffective monitoring of

such laws could lead to a failure of the

recycling project and to illegal dumping.

In-spite of legislature and a good

recycling model the masses have to be

made aware of the benefits of recycling

for it to be successful. Studies abroad

have found that people tend to not

recycle when they lack the knowledge

of what can be recycled. Most Indians

are only sensitive to short term survival

21


EVERGREENAuthor: Anushree Chatterjee

“To ensure the ability of the Earth to

nurture life in all its diversity.” Thus

remains the goal of Greenpeace, an

organisation founded 40 years ago to

protect the earth and all its precious

natural resources. Evolving from anti-

nuclear protests in the 1970s,

Greenpeace has been tirelessly working

towards causes like preservation of

forests, oceanic concerns and global

warming, with a presence in 42

countries. With its global headquarters

in Amsterdam it has five million

supporters worldwide. Today, it is one of

t h e m o s t l a r g e l y r e c o g n i s e d

environmental organisations in the

world, with offices across Asia, Europe,

the Americas and the Pacific.

Greenpeace India, interestingly, has

completed 10 very successful years of

lobbying for the environmental

grievances faced by the people, flora

and fauna here. With its global

e n d e a v o u r o f i n d e p e n d e n t l y

campaigning to change attitudes and

behaviour towards the environment,

Greenpeace India started out in 2001

with a focus on four broad campaign

22


strategies. These include the prevention

of another nuclear catastrophe,

stopping the radical climate change,

promotion of sustainable

agriculture and preserving the

oceanic surroundings of the

Indian subcontinent.

As an organisation, Greenpeace is

known for its strong, committed

campaigns to attack problems at hand,

with substantial solutions that see the

entire process of change through. The

mission in every nation that the

organisation has been set up is to

identify key issues and challenges,

particular to that region. That said, its

campaigns seek to become catalysts

for change and revolution, engaging the

local public to realise the problem, want

a change and work towards achieving it.

Several campaigns organised by

Greenpeace all across India come to

mind. About three years ago, in its fight

against global warming and climate

change in India, it launched a campaign

called Ban the Bulb, a demonstration

right in front of the famous Mysore

Palace. To phase out the situation of

inefficient lighting here, the Greenpeace

authorities zeroed in on one of the most

prominently lit up destinations in India.

The point was very well made, since this

palace uses over 96,000 incandescent

light bulbs for its weekly illumination.

Avoiding this light overdose could not

only save almost 50 lakhs but also a

significant proportion of electric power

and carbon dioxide – just by switching

to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). A

similar activity was carried out in

Mumbai, a city threatened with

submergence if the global temperature

rise is not kept below two degrees

centigrade. A 66-feet 'life ring' with

inflatable life savers was made in front

of the Gateway of India, attracting

enough attention and creating

more thinkers.

One of the biggest and longest running

environmental disasters, born out of a

criminal negligence of human concern

is the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, at the Union

Carbide plant. Initiating an online

petition series, Stop Another Bhopal,

Greenpeace's anti-nuclear campaigners

sent emails to their supporters and

patrons, clearly highlighting the

injustice being meted out over the

decades to the victims of this tragedy. It

called for a collective action not just for

these helpless people but also for the

nation at large. The petition stated,

"India must hold a public consultation

before changing the liability rules for any

nuclear accidents caused by U.S.

corporations." The power, clearly, was

being sought in the hands of the

c o m m o n p e o p l e , a g a i n s t t h e

oppression of foreign arbitration. More

than 1.8 lakh people signed the petition,

which was to be forwarded to Prime

Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh as an

opposition to the civil nuclear liability

bill. What backs such bold campaigns is

the fact that Greenpeace has

maintained a stand to not accept

donations and support from any

corporations, government or political

parties. This fiercely independent

stance lends it considerable credibility

and headway.

Another threat came around September

last year, when the biotech seed

industry attempted to 'revolutionise'

agr icul ture by introducing the

genetically modified (GM) brinjal into

the markets. While the common

consumer remained confused about

this newcomer that might soon be on

his plate, Greenpeace India's committee

for Sustainable Agriculture saw it as a

clear hazard to the country's agriculture,

food safety and environment. A

delegation led by Rajesh Krishnan,

manager of this committee, met the

Parliamentary Standing Committee on

Agriculture and demanded a ban on GM

crops. It made a presentation using

credible evidence and research,

outlining the threats of such crops. This

presentation was a key cog in the

machinery of large-scale public protest

23


surrounding the introduction of GM

vegetables. In the face of such

opposition, the government suspended

the plan indefinitely.

Before one assumes that Greenpeace's

actions are all about petitions,

presentations and pleas, it's important

to consider some more recent activities.

Case in point here is the 'Turtle-versus-

Tata' game. The Tata Group's upcoming

Dhamra port in Orissa is being made

despite violating of the Forest

Conservation Act. On account of its

proximity to the Bhitarkanika National

Park and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary,

the Dhamra port endangers the habitats

and lives of rare species like the

saltwater crocodiles and Oliver Ridley

sea turtles. Documents obtained by

Greenpeace under the Right to

Information Act have revealed that

Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh

had agreed that the port was in probable

violation of the Forest Conservation Act,

but decided to overlook the issue.

Following this, Greenpeace launched

the 'Turtle-versus-Tata' game – a Pacman

style game, launched to spread

awareness of the Oliver Ridley's plight.

Rather embarrassed, the Tata Group

had filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace,

claiming defamation and monetary

damages. On January 28, 2011, the

Delhi High Court denied the Tata's plea

for an interim injunction, postponing the

hearing to a later date. The Greenpeace

website states, “This case has set a

legal precedent in India, as it is the first

time that a giant corporation has sought

to use trademark infringement laws to

muzzle criticism of its environmental

p e r f o r m a n c e ” . S o m e t i m e s ,

Greenpeace's game plans do get rather

tongue-in-cheek, this proves.

Sometimes a message, Greenpeace

proves, needs to essentially be

transmitted through several mediums.

This is a lesson to be learnt from

studying its ten-year-long sojourn in

India. In an attempt to rope in more

youth support, it has begun 'talking coal'

with social network icon, Facebook.

While Facebook announced plans to

power a massive data centre using

energy efficient computers, powered by

huge amounts of coal, it probably didn't

realise that coal is the biggest

contributor to global warming. Egging it

on to a greener infrastructure and

ident i ty, Greenpeace 's 750,000

members internationally (out of which

over 28,000 are from India) are

beginning to 'Unfriend Coal' on their FB

pages. With a decade of sustained

actions for the preservation of the

planet, it seems probable that Mr.

Zuckerberg shall sit up and take keen

notice of this development.

24


On its official website, Greenpeace defines its mission as the following:

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and

behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace by:

Catalysing an energy revolution to address the number one threat facing our planet: climate change.

Defending our oceans by challenging wasteful and destructive fishing, and creating a global

network of marine reserves.

Protecting the world's remaining ancient forests which are depended on by many animals,

plants and people.

Working for disarmament and peace by reducing dependence on finite resources and calling

for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Creating a toxic free future with safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in today's products

and manufacturing.

Campaigning for sustainable agriculture by encouraging socially and ecologically

responsible farming practices.

·

·

·

·

·

·

25


THE WILD TRUTH26


27


SWIMMINGTO SAFETYAuthor: Pooja Bhulla

Imagine you are a victim of ship wreck

and are adrift in the middle of the ocean.

Praying to God for a miracle is a given;

probably even screaming out loud for

help is an option in the hope that the

wind and the waves will carry your voice

to the nearest vessel. But after ingesting

sizeable amounts of salt water, there are

chances you might also hallucinate

being rescued by very loving creatures,

dolphins. Unfortunately today it's these

gentle mammals that need to be

rescued from the death traps thrown

by fishermen in the Ganges

as well as human infiltration into their

natural habitat.

The journey, for Indian scientists and

conservationists trying to protect

Ganges River Dolphins, has been a long

and challenging one after the species

made it to the 'Endangered list of IUCN

(International Union for Conservation of

Nature)' in 1996, owing to the

continuous decline in their number.

Years of relentless efforts finally paid off

on 5th October 2009, when the Central

Government of India declared the

Ganges River Dolphin, the National

28


Aquatic Animal (NAA). Though on one

hand, this move means great support in

the form of funds, on the other, a whole

range of issues directly impacting the

situation of the dolphins, need to be

addressed in order to make any real

difference.

GANGES RIVER DOLPHINS

The scientific name for Ganges River

Dolphins is Platanista Gangetica and

they are found in Ganga, Bramhaputra

and their tributaries. The locals have

named them 'Susu' because of the

'Soos' sound dolphins make when they

breathe on the water's surface. Unlike

most dolphins of the world that have

sharp eye sight, Ganges River Dolphins

are blind. They have a long snout which

enables them to browse food through

mud (a commendable adaptation

because they live in muddy waters) and

have a very small dorsal fin. The

shortcoming of their vision is mitigated

by their ability to use echo to locate,

range and identify objects. Females give

birth only to one calf in two to three

years.

BEGINNING OF DOLPHIN

CONSERVATION IN INDIA

R. K. Sinha, Prof. of Zoology at Patna

University and Chairman of NGRBA

(National Gamga River Basin Authority)

recalls the first time he saw dolphins in

the Ganges, at the age of 10, frolicking

about in the river. What had started off

as childhood curiosity and fascination,

became an integral part of his work in

the years to come. During his research

on the Hydrobiology of Ganga for his

PHD in 1980, he noticed that the

number of dolphins had decreased

drastically. He says “Fishermen were my

first teachers and told me that dolphins

often get entangled in gill nets and die

as they can't breathe in water”. After

John Anderson's paper was published in

1879, no Indian had published anything

about Ganges dolphins for a century.

Prof. Sinha was the first one to get basic

estimates of the dolphin population in

1991 under GAP (Ganga Action Plan).

His research also revealed that

fishermen used dolphin oil as bait. Prof.

Sinha tested various alternatives for

three years and found a solution in fish

oil which proved to be equally effective.

In 1996 he was appointed Chairman of

the Asian River Dolphins Committee,

the same year in which the Ganges river

dolphins were declared endangered by

IUCN. Prof. Sinha has continued

working on conservation of dolphins

and along with Dr. Sandeep Behera has

been a driving force for getting it the

status of NAA.

29


OTHER ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED, REGION CENTRIC PROBLEMS, AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

World Wildlife Fund – India (WWF)

WWF undertook Dolphin Conservation in 1996, after Dr. Sandeep Behera joined it. WWF formed a Dolphin Conservation Programme in 1997,

which united organisations and individuals working in this field, with the aim of avoiding duplication and sharing findings, to catalyse the

conservation process.

In 2002 WWF funded all agencies in the committee: Patna University, Bhagalpur University, Vikramshila Sanctuary, Wildlife Institute of India and

a few individuals to conduct a survey over the 6000-km stretch through which the Ganges flows. It covered seven states, Assam, Bihar,

Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and regions were divided among the agencies, and surveyed. A total

population count of 1800-2000 was reported in the year 2005.

Problems:

WWF focuses on the state of Uttar Pradesh, mainly the upper Ganga region. During the survey, they were able to identify ideal habitats for

dolphins, reasons for their decline in the region, and attitude of the fishermen towards them. Pollution and creation of dams and barrages have

been the main culprits of habitat degradation, reducing the flow of the river and dividing dolphins into isolated pockets.

Work and Achievements

· The upper Ganga stretch, from Bijnor to Narora (165kms), was identified as an ideal habitat for Ganges dolphins and WWF was successful in

getting it converted to a Ramsar Site (reserved site where commercial activities are prohibited.)

· Awareness programmes were conducted in order to educate and sensitise fishermen and villagers towards the condition of the river and role of

dolphins in maintaining the biodiversity. Local youth were trained to spread the message through films, slide shows and lectures.

· Involving religious leaders in the process was very effective, stories about the dolphin's role in hailing the holy Ganga to Earth had a religious and

spiritual appeal to the locals.

· Most farmers here now use cow dung instead of chemical pesticides.

· An awareness campaign was organised specially for children, the future stakeholders, to educate them about Ganga's ecosystem and

importance of the dolphins in it.

The cooperation of fishermen and conservation efforts of WWF over the past 20 years, have led to an increase in the number (20 to 56) of

dolphins in the upper Ganga stretch.

WWF has currently collaborated with Tokyo University and IIT Delhi for creation of equipment for Acoustic Research. The equipment picks up

sound frequencies produced by dolphins and enables observers on land to view it in real time. This not only facilitates day and night observation

and quicker census survey, but helps in understanding the underwater behaviour of Ganges dolphins. Dr. Sandeep Behera says “The

hydrophones we use won't disturb the dolphins in anyway because they only receives signals”.

30


31


Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

Though Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary located in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar, India, was established in 1991, till the year 2000 very

few people knew about it. The sanctuary, a 50 km stretch of the Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon, is the only protected area for the

Ganges River Dolphins in Asia.

Problems:

The complexities of this region are cyclic in nature. The impoverished state of fishermen tempts them to exploit the river's resources, leading to

further decline in the fish population and ultimately greater impoverishment of fishermen. The fish population of this region drastically reduced

after the Farakka Barrage was built in 1972. Today, despite having three fertile floodplains Bihar has to import more than 60% of its fish from pond

culture farms in Andhra Pradesh.

Not long ago fishermen in Bihar not only fished for their own livelihood but also paid water lords Rs.700 – Rs.2000 p.a. under the Panidari system.

But decline in fish population made it impossible for fishermen to continue to do so. In 1982, they started the Ganga Mukti Andolan for

abolishment of this unjust system. Their victory after 10 years of struggle was short lived, because soon the mafia took over. Earlier fishermen

only competed amongst themselves for large fish (a rare sight today), but as they continue to shift to smaller and smaller fish, dolphins have to

compete with them for prey. This overlap also leads to accidentals death of dolphins that get entangled in fishing nets.

Work and Achievements:

·The sanctuary partnered with Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) for technical support and to create a campaign for conservation

of dolphins.

·Ganga Yatra on foot was organised to familiarise the locals with the friendliness of dolphins and to motivate them to refrain from killing the

mammal.

·Dolphins were projected as part of Ganga's heritage in an attempt to gain respect among fishermen.

·The sanctuary has created a network with fishermen who report poachers and offenders to them. Intentional killing in this region is almost

negligible, in fact now many fishermen cut off their fishing nets when they realise that dolphins are entangled.

Efforts of Dr. Sunil Choudhary and his team at the sanctuary have paid off and the number of dolphins has increased from 95 to 175 in the past 15

years. But the good work done by the sanctuary is being washed over by misbehaviour of cops in the name of protecting the sanctuary. When

boats are ceased or fishermen are unnecessarily charged, fishermen lose their livelihood, creating anti-sanctuary sentiments. The current aim of

the Sanctuary is to promote the co-existence and growth for both, fishermen and aquatic life.

32


Aranayak

The Brahmaputra river system in north east India, particularly in Assam is one of the major habitats of the species. In fact due to fewer

anthropogenic activities there is more hope for conservation. Dr. Abdul Wakid of Aaranyak has been systematically working towards

conservation of Ganges dolphins in this region.

Problems:

In the NE entanglement of Dolphins is not accidental but intentional. During the high flood season, dolphins migrate to tributaries and return to

the main river when the water recedes. Fishermen take advantage of this pattern by blocking the mouth of tributaries with gill nets entangling

dolphins. These creatures are of high market value because of the use as bait and medicinal value of dolphin oil. The remoteness of killing areas

makes it difficult to take legal action against offenders. A large number of dolphins also died during the great earthquake in 1950 and building of

dams has led to further habitat degradation.

Work and Achievements:

· Aaranyak's Gangetic Dolphin Research & Conservation Programme (GDRCP) conducted its main population status survey in the Brahmaputra

Valley (Kulsi River, Subansiri River and Brahmaputra mainstream), in 2005, recording 250 dolphins.

· In 2006-07, the GDRCP conducted intensive study on the habitat ecology of the dolphins in Kulsi and Subansiri River and also organised

conservation training camps in Nimatighat (Jorhat district) and Jogighopa (Bongaigaon district). 70 youngsters from 10 different districts of

Eastern, Central and Western Assam were trained on basic ecology, biology, behaviour, threats to Ganges dolphins and techniques for

minimising the threat in the nearest dolphin habitats.

· A National level Dolphin Conservation Workshop in collaboration with the Department of Environment & Forest, Govt. of Assam was also

conducted in Guwahati in 2006. Participants included managers, biologists, conservationists and journalist from 15 different organisations.

· Another survey was conducted in 2008 by Dr. Abdul Wakid and Gill Braulik for IUCN, which recorded 264 dolphins. The credit goes to the

extensive, community-based conservation initiatives of GDRCP.

· The surveys also helped in identifying eight dolphin hot spots, ideal habitats for the species that should be conserved.

Halting Oil India Limited's seismic survey planned for Brahmaputra with the intent to drill for oil is one of Aaranyak's greatest achievements. A

multi-disciplinary advisory committee has been formed and the project can't commence till there is better clarity and proof that the methods and

equipments used will not be harmful.

33


GOVERNMENT EFFORTS

AND IMPLICATION OF A

SPECIES BECOMING

AN EMBLEM

· The government has included

Gangetic River Dolphins in Schedule I

of Wild Life Act of 1972.

· It has declared Ganges River Dolphin

the National Aquatic Animal and

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh

during his recent trip to Patna

confirmed that besides conservation

of Ganges dolphins, Rs. 3000 crores

will be allotted to Mission Clean Ganga.

This wi l l be implemented by

developing areas on the riverbanks and

setting up sewage treatment plants.

Though conservationists are hoping for

the better, their opinions of the

government's efforts differ. Prof R.K

Sinha considers the NAA declaration

and Mission Clean Ganga a positive

move in the right direction. “There are

problems, more changes are required

but we have to do something.”Dr.

Sandeep Behera of WWF also

welcomes these initiatives. He says

“We do not have the kind of capacity

and funds that the government can

provide and organisations like WWF will

be helping the State Forest Department

at every point, which is also mentioned

in the action plan, this will balance out

their inexperience.” Dr. Sunil Choudhary

is disappointed that fishermen's

interests have not been paid attention to

and says, “No provisions have been

made for the fishermen in any of the

action plans, they are not even

benefitting from tourism yet as they

haven't been made an integral part of it.

This falsifies the very concept of eco

tourism. Moreover, there is no clarity on

rights of the fishermen. On one hand the

Wild Life Act prohibits the use of motor

boats in the sanctuary area and on the

other the Bihar court has passed a

judgement in favour of those who want

to use it for tourism. This is harmful for

the species and confusing for the

people. Better regulation is required.”

Nachiket Kelkar, a marine biologist who

has worked at the sanctuary believes

that there will be a lot of pressure on the

species now that it has been declared

NAA. He says “They are expected to

respond in a certain way but we are not

sure if they will. I have more faith in the

adaptability of dolphins, which will play

a major role in their revival.”

The Dolphin Conservation Action Plan

does not mention a single solid

recommendation that can guarantee its

success. But it has been historically

proven that in a conflict between

conservation of nature and livelihood of

people, the success rate is higher when

people have alternatives to fall back on.

Any step to modernise should be taken

after thorough research of its impact on

nature and conservationists should be

consulted so that there is sustainable

development.

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35


ENDANGEREDSPECIES

Super Stripey!

These regal predators once ruled the planet. But today of the nine sub-

species, three have already gone extinct and the remaining six are either

endangered or critically endangered. The main reason for their decline is the

hunting and poaching activities carried out by the so called 'Brave' humans!

Today they are restricted to certain pockets of South and East Asia with India

being home to the world's largest population of tigers in the wild. One of the

most exotic sub-species is the white tiger. These are actually colour morphs

of any sub-species caused by a recessive gene. Unfortunately, these

gorgeous creatures have been wiped out from the wild and can only be

found in captivity across the world.

Brother Bear!

Say hello to the world's most beautiful non-vegetarian. Polar bears are the

largest carnivores living on land. They are also the largest of the bear species

and the most endangered one as well. There is rising fear that the Polar Bear

is going the Mammoth way. Sea ice provides these white-furred bears with a

home and their main food source, seals. But climatic changes are stealing

their habitat. The rising heat especially in summer when they are most active

causes the sea ice to melt faster making them have to swim farther to find a

suitable place and much longer to find food. In our daily lives these

boisterous creatures may be out of sight but that does not justify putting

their plight out of mind.

Author: Ridhnika Nepaul

Illustrations: Ahmed Sikander

36


The Pacific Flippers!

The Pacific Walrus are facing the same fate as its predator, the Polar Bear.

These gentle giants of the Pacific Ocean will eventually have no place to rest,

procreate or nurse their young, all thanks to global warming. September 2010

witnessed the death of 200 of these flippered friends on the Shore of

Chukchi Sea on the northwest coast of Alaska. So it's not just the great white

bear that these creatures have to fear.

Happy Feet!

Happy Feet and his mates succeeded in getting humans on their side in the

fictional realm. But their counterparts in the real world haven't been that

lucky. The Magellanic Penguins are of South American origin and are native

to Strait of Magellan in the cool climate of southern Chile. Once upon a time,

these penguins were severely threatened by oil spills. But that's not what's

ailing them now. Let's just say they are having little trouble fishing. The

displacement of fish due to the warming of ocean currents has caused them

to swim an extra 25 miles for food. This means they must swim an extra 50

miles before they can feed their mates that are sitting on a nest and starving.

We have all heard tales about the sea washing up pearls on to its shore, but

how many stories include the washing up of penguins on to its shore?

37


Leatherback!

The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the fourth largest modern reptile. But that may

not be the case for long. Only 2300 adult females dot the oceans with their

'teardrop' shaped, bony shells. This makes the Pacific Leatherback the world's

most endangered marine turtle population. It is these turtles that control the

Jellyfish population as they subsist almost entirely on jellyfish. Imagine if the

leatherbacks weren't there then what would happen to the jellyfish

population. But theirs is a case of complete carelessness on the part of us,

human beings. Many of us have heard or read about not disposing plastic

bags in rivers, seas or oceans. Well the fact is these plastic bags have

resulted in the endangerment of these leatherback turtles as they mistake

the floating bags for jellyfish. Global warming is obviously another cause. In

the case of turtles the temperature decides whether the turtle is a boy or a

girl and the rising temperatures are warming the nests leading to a decrease

in the number of male turtles. Here is a case of male foeticide!

38


FOR HIRETo advertise here please contact

Chetna at [email protected]

39


VOICE FORTHE VOICELESSAuthor: Giresh Nair

Photography: SPCA, Thanehttp://www.thanespca.org

Office: +91 93 2227 1966 Hospital: +91 22 3261 2344)

In the last couple of months, while we

were going about our daily lives, a

couple of elephants lost their lives in TN

and Kerala, supposedly due to ill

treatment or lack of any treatment at all;

a few puppies were drowned by

security guards of a residential colony in

Chennai; dogs were beheaded and sold

as meat in Kerala. While you are reading

this, thousands of chickens, goats,

bulls, pigs are being mercilessly

slaughtered for our consumption, dogs

are run over by speeding cars, elephants

are beaten and abused by mahouts and

elephant calves are beaten to death in

Assam, newborn kittens and puppies

are being abandoned at places that are

miles away from where they rightfully

belong and numerous other animals and

birds are undergoing torture and pain at

the hands of mankind, without any

provocation whatsoever, from their end.

Thanks to social networking sites, we

are aware of such atrocities and are able

to participate in forums and interact with

like minded animal lovers / rights

Mutilated Cat - She was burned by someone whose kitchen she had entered. Neighbors got her

to the hospital. Released sucessfully.

From an animal testing lab - these rabbits spend their whole lives in these single hutches lonely

and with no space to move

40


activists. Barely an hour ago, I stumbled

upon a rant by a friend on Facebook. She

was apparently upset after having

noticed the sorry state of affairs at a

meat-stall. A young goat, she says, was

found innocently staring at the hanging

carcass of an older goat that was

slaughtered just some time back, barely

aware that its fate is going to be no

different from that.

As much as we get agitated, it would

only be prudent that we become more

aware of the legal aspects of animal

rights and animal welfare in India.

Although killing of animals for food is

(unfortunately) legally allowed in our

country, there are several specifications

that need to be followed when it comes

to their treatment and accommodation

till the moment they are 'relieved' from

man-made torture in the name of

food consumption.

Here are some of the many punishable offences as per the “Prevention of Cruelty to Animas Act,

1960” that I have borrowed from literature provided by a few animal welfare

organisations / activists:

Offences under Section 11:

1.Beating, kicking, overriding, torturing or causing any animal pain or suffering by the owner or any

other person (tangawallas and cart-owners). Using any animal for work when it is wounded or

unfit.

2.Overloading (there are specifications of numbers and weight that vary according to the animal

and the vehicle).

3.Carrying or transporting animals in such a manner that it causes suffering. Carrying of chickens

upside down on cycles, carrying of goats, pigs, cattle with their legs tied in small vehicles.

4.Failing to provide pet animals with sufficient food, water or shelter. Abandoning an animal when

old or diseased, keeping it on a short leash and insufficient exercise. Pet owners are covered

under this Act.

5.Mutilating an animal.

6.Organising or offering an area for animal fights or baiting of animals (Cock or ram fighting, snake

and mongoose fights).

Penalty: All these offences are punishable with a fine or with imprisonment for a term, which may

extend to three months or with both.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 Under Section 38 (J):

Offence: Teasing, injuring or causing disturbance in the zoo.

Penalty: The offender shall be punishable with imprisonment for six months or with fine, which

may extend to Two Thousand Rupees or with both.

The Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 is a powerful tool that can be used to protect animal rights.

Under Section 428, 429:

Offence: Mischief of killing or maiming of an animal of any value above ten rupees this includes

bulls, oxen, horses, mules, camels etc.

Penalty: The offender shall be punishable with imprisonment, which may extend to two / five years

or with a fine or with both.Lion in a circus inside this ridiculously small cage. He

could not even stand up. All animals were later

rescued by us and sent to the sanctuary

41


Well this is only a tip of the iceberg. The

more we read through the more aware

we become. Being aware of these legal

aspects will empower the animal lovers

and animal welfare activists. While

many of us empathise with our animal

friends, most of us tend to turn a blind

eye instead of stopping by and lending a

helping hand or standing up for their

rights. As I see it, the reason why most

of us shy away from taking the initiative

is 'consequence'.

We are worried about the consequence:

“What if the cops ridicule me!”, “Will

this require me to visit the courts or the

police station frequently?”

Well, if you truly care for them, I ask,

'Why not face ridicule with pride and

why not take time out for such a noble

cause?' If not us, then who do you think

will stand up for the animals?

More than a reluctant police force that

doesn't seem to take animal cases

seriously, what defeats our very concern

for animals is our reluctance to take time

out and speak up. Animals are voiceless

and there's no way they deserve such

pain and suffering just because they are

unable to speak for themselves.

The most common grievance amongst

animal lovers is that the police fail to

take their cases seriously. Here's what

you can do if your FIR (First Information

Report) is not registered:

· You can meet the Superintendent of

Police or other higher officers like

Deputy Inspector General of Police or

Inspector General of Police and bring

your complaint to their notice.

Hit and run case

Battered by some drug addicts

Horse abandoned after being hit by truck. Died in hospital with broken spine

Attacked in fight between shopkeepersParakeets seized from Bombay Central station. 135 of them were stuffed in these cages, only 23 of them were alive

42


· You can send your complaint in writing

and by post to the Superintendent of

P o l i c e c o n c e r n e d . I f t h e

Superintendent of Police is satisfied

with your complaint, he/she shall

e i t h e r i n v e s t i g a t e t h e c a s e

h i m s e l f / h e r s e l f o r o r d e r a n

investigation to be made.

· You can file a private complaint before

the court having jurisdiction.

Having said that, at the initial stage,

while filing an FIR at the local police

station, it is advisable to file it in writing,

retaining a copy, duly stamped

(acknowledgement of receipt) by the

police authorities.

Immaterial of how powerful the law of

the land may be, the success or failure

of any such campaign for the protection

of animal rights will largely depend on

the conviction of the people driving

such causes. While there are several

lacunae in the implementation of the

law, being cautious and strategic will

help us go a long way in protecting the

rights of our voiceless friends.

As I conclude, I wish to share with you two most recent success stories.

1. Maker of Lipton and Brooke Bond Tea Brands Ends Cruel Animal Tests:

PETA announced: “… after more than 40,000 supporters of PETA and its affiliates around

the world sent e-mails to the world's largest tea maker, Unilever (and its Indian subsidiary

Hindustan Unilever Ltd), urging the company to stop testing tea on animals, Unilever

agreed to halt all such tests. Unilever sells Lipton and Brooke Bond brand teas through

Hindustan Unilever in India. In a message just posted on its website, the company states,

'Unilever is committing to no animal testing for our tea and tea-based beverages,

with immediate effect'.”

2. ‘We will not kill strays' - More than 600 citizens force the animal husbandry department to

clarify its suggestion of culling stray dogs:

On 12th January 2011, it was reported that an 18 month-old baby was found dead in

Bagalur near Bengaluru. As most fingers pointed to the stray dogs in the neighbourhood,

the BBMP officials came out with several options to control the situation and that included

'culling of 50% of the stray dogs in the area. However, upon receiving over 600 online

petitions in protest from animal lovers, the BBMP has clarified that the dogs will

not be killed’.

Speak up, Stand up for our voiceless friends. Spread the love.

Above and Beyond the Call of Dogs (ABCD) is a group that is managed by Giresh with the

help of a few like-minded friends. ABCD has more of an online presence in order to provide

information to on dogs (Indian dogs in particular) that are available for adoption and assists

animal lovers in the process of fostering and adopting dogs (cats too) that are orphaned,

abandoned or hurt. ABCD is striving at educating and sensitizing society at large on the

need to care for our stray dogs and is campaigning for the adoption of the Indian dog as

against supporting the insensitive pet-trade.

Follow ABCD on Facebook:

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CLEANING UPCITIESIndia's big cities are trying to expand

their borders by developing areas on

their outskirts. But they only seem to be

shrinking with the number of people

migrating to them every day. One major

concern for most residents is

cleanliness. However, these are the

same people who walk past heaps of

garbage or overflowing drains with a

'what can we do?' look on their faces.

We can complain, we can express

disgust, we can crib. But we can't get

our hands dirty and clean up our own

surroundings; we can't change our

habits to ensure a cleaner environment.

While a majority of us continue to ignore

this problem, a few individuals and

organisations have taken up the cause

with determination and enthusiasm for

a cleaner future. Four of our writers do

the rounds of their respective cities to

see the change and we at Bubble

Wrapped would like to congratulate and

salute them for their efforts.


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WILL TO CHANGE MUMBAIAuthor: Chitra Kalyani

Social change begins when a single

person commits to a shared need. At

least, such has been the case with

Hansel D'Souza, who is one of the

founders of the Juhu Citizen's Welfare

Group in 2000, starting with the desire

to rid Juhu, a popular suburb of Mumbai

of garbage. “I was sick of living in a dirty

city,” says Hansel adding that he was

“miserable” to see the city of his birth

not living up to its potential. Mumbai has

sufficient funds, he said, to line its

pavements with gold. It also does not

take an expert to improve one's

environment, as exemplified by him, a

professor of management, and a brand

consultant by profession. All it takes is

“people with the will to change.”

Cleaning Juhu was a shared need. “Tens

of thousands of people congregate at

Juhu for fresh air every day,” says

Hansel. Unsanitary conditions and

garbage as well as hawkers, stalls, and

slums made for both an eyesore and a

health hazard at the beach. Allowed to

continue, Hansel foresaw that Juhu too

would replicate the conditions of

Versova beach, another one of

Mumbai's suburban beaches which has

been ruined by residents and squatters

over time.

First, Hansel and others approached the

Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC)

with a model to eradicate garbage

dumps in Juhu. The group requested

the BMC to provide pick-up trucks

instead of allowing garbage to

aggregate. When the BMC agreed to

arrange for vans on the condition that

the garbage would be separated, the

group went back to citizens informing

and educating them on garbage

separation. “Now, Juhu Chowpatty is

one of the cleanest stretches of sand,”

says Hansel, “and the Juhu garbage-

collection model is supported and

adopted by BMC in other parts

of Mumbai.”

The group is not only concerned with

the proper disposal of garbage, it also

implements projects ensuring the

garbage is composted and recycled.

Besides organising “clean ups” and

“green ups” in the area, the group also

documented areas designated as public

spaces. If an area is reserved to be built

as a park or a playground, then the

group also collects private funds to try

and ensure that it is used for the

intended purpose. Besides activism,

the Juhu group also engages people

through cultural festivals, such as the

annual Juhu Hamara Fest where

classical music is served alongside

community-oriented seminars.

Following the success in dealing with

the garbage problem, the citizens felt

empowered to take on other regional

issues. Cleaning 2.5 lakh sq. ft of beach

land, six parks have also been built on

the greener parts. Another park is due to

be inaugurated in February. The Juhu

airport project, which would have

concretised part of the beach, was

stalled and scrapped through the

group's petitions.

In order to bypass bureaucratic

procedures, and almost organically out

of a process of self-government, the

Juhu group elected a member Adolf


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D'Souza as citizen corporator. Thus,

starting with a model for garbage

removal, the organisation has now

produced a model for governance

based on Urban Panchayati Raj. Local

bimonthly meetings are held to solve

area problems, providing effective

governance. Three factors are needed

to bring about change says Hansel,

“ Pa r t i c i p a t i o n o f t h e p e o p l e ,

accountab i l i t y o f leaders and

transparency of procedure. There is no

dearth of intelligent leaders, but few are

willing to rock the boat.”

Although successful in many of its

campaigns, Hansel notes that the

“victories have come at a huge cost.”

On a more personal note, and despite

the aforementioned successes, he

admits to feeling like a Don Quixote

deluded into chasing shadows. The

failure of some projects disheartens

him. A recent case involved protesting

against cutting a city forest. Of the 1,300

tress, around 1,000 have been hacked

down to build a private club “in active

collaboration with the BMC.” Many

battles need to be fought in court, and

despite pro-bono aid from lawyers,

costs run as high as 10 lakhs per case.

“Members are also not protected from

harassment,” says Hansel who has had

an FIR report filed against him.

“It has been a long haul, and a steep

climb, and sometimes it seems

impossible,” he admits. Next up on the

list of projects where the Juhu group

wants to intervene is the extension of

Bandra-Worli sea link to Khar. The

project would mean running a coastal

road through Juhu beach. Yet while

facing its challenges and by the time

this issue of Bubble Wrapped goes live,

Juhu Citizen's Welfare Group will

celebrate its successes, inaugurating a

park on 12th February and also

celebrate Juhu Hamara Fest on 12th,

13th, 19th and 20th February.


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during the run up to the Commonwealth

Games, Let's Do It Delhi (LDID)

organised a massive clean-up drive, but

Anita clarifies that the association did

not take birth because of the CWG, as so

many others did, in a bid to

grab headlines.

Anita moved from California seven years

ago, where she was heading PayPal's

data warehousing division. She says

she was struck by the fact people here

complained all the time about the dirt

and ugliness, but refused to do anything

constructive about it. “LDID has no

formal structure. But our motto is

'Blame no one, inspire everyone',” says

Anita. Their first drive was undertaken at

the Rose Garden near IIT, with 100

people – a site Anita used to frequent for

running. The volunteers gathered close

to three tonnes of garbage in just two

hours, from a seemingly clean park. “I

initially wondered whether people

would turn up or enjoy their duty. But

everyone had fun,” she says sanguinely.

All of LDID's drives, including the rather

famous one for Bhikaji Cama Place,

have been organised with corporate

support – help comes in the form of

manpower as well as logistical

assistance such as waste collection

bags and gloves for volunteers. The

Bhikaiji Cama Place clean-up, for

instance, was divided into different

areas and each area was shared by two

corporates. “We are always happy to let

them use their own banners and never

insist that they use ours – the purpose is

to just clean,” explains Anita. One of the

companies involved was the Radisson

group of hotels, who brought their own

power cleaners. Meanwhile, KPMG

gave the organisation one person to

work with them full time.

Now, Bhargava keeps busy adopting

areas with low-income residents and

working with the RWAs or other

associations, such as Mahila Mandal

and the local youth club, at keeping the

areas clean. She also encourages

schools to take up cleanliness drives

close to their locations. Her prime

motivation however, is to ensure that

people do not get desensitised to the

filth around them. “When I first moved

back from California, I could feel the

The Capital of the world's largest

economy with the fabled 8% growth

rate is like one of those nightmarish

video game monsters intent upon

consuming everything within its line of

vision. In these cultures (and video

games) the by-products of that

consumption often remain ignored –

and the dearth of cleanliness is only one

of them. That problem plagues almost

every strategic city in the world, but the

scale and magnitude that it hits in Delhi

and Mumbai is mind-boggling. Yet, it

acts as a clarion call for a few

responsible citizens and organisations

that decide to go out of their way and

rectify these problems, instead of

simply turning up their noses in disgust

at the sight of a garbage heap, much like

the rest of us.

One such person is Anita Bhargava, who

founded and runs the collective Let's Do

It Delhi (www.letsdoitdelhi.org). The

organisation, only a little more than a

year old, has organised 125 clean-up

drives all over the city, where the

number of volunteers could be anything

between 200 and 2,000. Last year,

CHALODELHI!Author: Karanjeet Kaur


49

grime on my fingertips whenever I used

the computer – now I no longer feel it. It

is so easy to shut yourself to

something,” she says. But thanks to

initiatives like LDID, that won't be

happening anytime soon.

If Anita's winning formula includes

working with corporates, Dr Iqbal

Malik's method involves staying away

from them. The founder and director of

Vatavaran (www.vatavaran.org), an

NGO that sets up cleaning brigades in

several areas of the Capital (among

other initiatives) recalls that the one

time the organisation tried associating

with a company, they realised that the

company was only interested in getting

their photographs clicked.

Even so, Vatavaran, one of the oldest

and most consistent volunteer-driven

organisations in a city that sprouts a

new NGO every other day, has done

fairly well without any outside support.

It has been the recipient of the 'Best

Practices Award' by the United Nations

Cell on Human Settlements (UNCHS)

twice – in 2000 as well as 2006. Their

website describes their model of a 'Zero

Garbage Area' as a “decentralised,

e m p l o y m e n t g e n e r a t i n g , l o w

investment, resident friendly, labour

intensive” initiative “without any heavy

equipments or land fill sites”. The

organisation attempts to involve the

community to create garbage-free

zones. RWAs or individuals can contact

the NGO, and they send a research team

to study the area. Rag pickers and other

under-privi leged youngsters are

enlisted to collect and segregate the

g a r b a g e f o r a n o m i n a l f e e .

Biodegradable waste is composted in a

patch of land within the colony, while

recyclable materials are discharged of

appropriately.

So far, Vatavaran has “converted

Jawaharlal Nehru University into zero

garbage area” and has supervised

waste management schemes at the

Asian Games Village, Vasant Kunj,

Mahipalpur Complex and Sector 15A

Noida, among others. Apart from that,

Vatavaran also follows a pay-it-forward

mode l by t ra in ing NGOs and

educational institutions in managing

their waste.


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ON BEHALF OF BENGALURU’S STREETAuthor: Deepa Bhasthi

You almost can never walk a certain

distance on a street in Bangalore (or any

other Indian city for that matter) without

skirting around trash, wrinkling your

nose at the stench of drying urine or

being disgusted at the sheer magnitude

of filth on the sides of the streets. What

do most of us do? “We are like this only.”

That one statement that almost defines

Ind ian a t t i t ude towards c i v i c

responsibilities was what The Ugly

Indian started with.

The Ugly Indian is anonymous and takes

pains to remain so. He or she is one of

us, or all of us. We are ugly for using the

cute excuse of “we are like this only”

and trying to shrink away from it. A

group of young people decided one fine

day to not give that excuse anymore and

thus started The Ugly Indian movement.

The group is not available for comment.

But in one mail they insist that they are

not an NGO and are keen not to be

perceived as one. They claim that their

approach is different from the 'archaic

division of society and civic initiatives

into government and non-government

organisations' and say that they are all

about anonymity and secrecy. Take a

peek into their interactive website

(www.theuglyindian.com) and they tell

you that they are a group of ugly Indians

who feel strongly about the state of filth

in the cities.

Cynics are not welcome, they warn you.

The group, spread across professions,

age groups and other demographics,

identify a problem spot and descend on

the area one fine morning to clean it up,

paint the walls, remove the trash and

beautify it. If the problem persists, as it

sometimes does, they come back again

and do the whole thing. Again. That is

what happened on Church Street in

Bangalore, one of their first projects.

Considering it is parallel to the famous

M G Road, you would expect it to be

clean, if not spic-and-span clean. But

what The Ugly Indian found was a street

with pan-stained walls, trash left to spill

out into the streets and open drains.

They write the Church Street story on

their website, about how a few of them

started cleaning up and soon, curious

onlookers joined in to give them a hand.

Now Church Street has some fine

restaurants, fashionable people

strutting up and down its length and is

generally considering a rather up-

market area. Go see the website for the

before and after pictures. It was ''a

combination of espionage, persuasion,

emotional blackmail and leading by

example. And of course, dogged

persistence.'' That was all it took to

change habits and instill a sense of civic

responsibility in businesses and

individuals on Church Street.

The Group of people who start work on a

problem area do not sit around asking

each other's names or professions.

There are no tall speeches, no

pamphlets, and no advocacy of any

sorts. They arrive at a place, stop talking

and do the work. That is the essence of

The Ugly Indian. There are cheap pots

that are installed to lend a plain street an

aesthetic appeal. A section of the

footpath that was popular for public

urination was transformed and large

blue footprints were painted on. For the

smokers, they designed a simple

cigarette bin and installed it in cafes and

other youth hang outs.


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The Ugly Indian does not believe in

talking or wasting time finding people to

blame for the state of Indian streets.

They get down on their haunches and

get their hands dirty to change habits.

There are skeptics who stop by to say

that what they are doing will not work.

But The Ugly Indian has proved them all

wrong. It does work. When you persist,

as they like to say, 'The Ugly Indian is not

that ugly after all.'


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PICKING UPAFTER CHENNAIAuthor: Kirthana Udayan

I remember when Chennai was the

black and white city called Madras, the

pollution and dirt that infested this city

was larger than what it is today.

Traditional old dusty buildings are still a

part of Chennai but that's where we

came from. Today Chennai is ranked the

second cleanest city (with 118 points) in

over 18 state capitals and this has taken

a lot of hard work not by the government

alone but also by the motivation and

determination of its people who have

learned to love their city and make it a

cleaner and greener place to live in.

Our government has taken measures to

reduce pollution and has placed the

heavy industries in places outside the

city limits. It has improved forestation, in

2010 the city experienced a proud

moment when many colleges and their

students started a movement called

'Vanamohotsava ' a process of

forestation and planted trees in their

campus and around the city in selected

areas. June 5th is World Environment

Day and every year over 350 students

participate in the rallies held in Chennai

to promote a clean and green Chennai,

they wanted to create this city as the

first place to use eco friendly products

and introduced eco friendly pens and

pencils.

A buzz among people and three small

ways that helped this city transform into

a cleaner place were:

1.Stop throwing garbage at streets;

2.Pick whatever garbage and find a bin

to throw it in; and

3.If you find someone dirtying the place,

go up to them and tell them otherwise.

Exnora International (NGO) stands for

'Excellent, Novel, Radical' and is a

voluntary, non-governmental, non-

political, non-profit, 'global head

environmental service organisation' that

has played a very important role in

making this city a cleaner place. Some

of the events at Exnora are – voluntary

sacrifice to save the planet from being

sacrificed, 106 families were gifted with

light as a part of Exnora's mission to light

one million homes with solar lamps,

Women Exnora is of the women for the

women, 7th Sense Society is a teaching

program that educates people on how

to use their creativity to innovate and

invent various ways to work for the

nation and nature. H2O Exnora focuses

on creating awareness among the

public about water consumption, its

quality and protection. Exnora's

objectives are to:

a) Generate ideas for building a better

living environment;

b) Create civic and environmental

awareness among its citizens; and

c) Help provide a service to public to

turn the 'excellent Novel Radical'

ideas into practice.

Exnora began to develop a strategy and

action plan in 1989 for Chennai to

ensure garbage was not dumped all

over the streets and 'Yes' they

successfully made the change. Marina

beach, the world's second longest

beach had a beautification project. Five

reverse osmosis plants capable of

providing 30,000 litres of drinking water

an hour, free of cost for its visitors. The

project was proposed in 2007 and is still

on-going. The future holds waterways

cleaning and restoration projects that


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have already begun. The Cooum,

Chennai's most polluted river is being

cleaned as well. It's great news for the

city's people that the government has

finally decided to flush the river clean

using seawater.

Another noteworthy project is the

'Semmozhi Poonga' a botanical garden

spread over 20 acres in the heart of the

city. The garden holds more than 500

species of plants and 80 trees that are

over a 100 years old. Small gardens and

parks are also being built to help in and

around the city to help restore the lost

trees. This is our city and if every person

who walks through this place holds in

their mind that 'it's mine' then there

would only be growth towards

achieving a cleaner and greener

surrounding.


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A PICTUREOF INDIAAuthor: Karanjeet Kaur

Aham Bhumika's vision statement

consists of three simple lines – “No one

should die due to lack of proper

clothing. No one should sleep on an

empty stomach. The importance of

education should be spread far and

wide.” Anyone who keeps their eyes

and ears open, however, will realise just

how complex and challenging achieving

these objectives really is. Yet, the two-

year old, Bhopal-based NGO soldiers on

and their latest init iat ive is a

photography exhibition that draws two-

pronged attention to rural women.

Founded in 2007 by Subrat Goswami

and a few friends, Aham Bhumika

(www.ahambhumika.org) operates in a

few villages on the outskirts of Bhopal.

The NGO provides clothes and toys to

the needy in the village. One of their

main programmes is named Grain

School, aimed at making women,

mostly employed as stone crushers and

daily wage labourers in brick kilns,

literate. The women are taught basic

Hindi, but with the acknowledgement

that there has to be an incentive for

them to a t tend c l asses . The

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organisation then, provides them with a

little bit of grain at the end of the day.

According to Subrat, whose day job is

with the Archaeological Survey of India,

the women no longer put down their

thumb impressions at the ration shop,

instead they use their signature.

The photography exhibition has three

themes – the first attempts to showcase

rural areas as 'India Shining' with

examples of child nutrition, education

and empowerment for women as well

as employment, health and sanitation.

The other one will be diametrically

opposite, with instances of malnutrition

and Illiteracy, child labour and lack of

infrastructure among others. The last

one is the beauty of the countryside.

Photographers can send in their entries

with the dimensions 1800 x 2700 pixel,

either through CD or by emailing the file.

All the details are available on the

website.

The photographs will initially be

displayed on the website, in an e-gallery.

Dependent on whether the organisation

can find a sponsor, they will consider a

physical exhibition as well. The

proceeds from the exhibition will be

utilised to fund the Grain School. “We

need at least `12,000 per month to

smoothly run the Grain School. In fact,

the objective of the exhibition is to

create awareness of the programme

among the people of Bhopal, and elicit

further support from them,” says

Subrat. He says he chose a photography

exhibition to meet this objective

because “it is one of the strongest

mediums to influence and impress”.

The exhibition is being put together with

the help of Rahul Nayak, an electrical

e n g i n e e r w o r k i n g f o r I B M

Microelectronics, with a passion for

photography. Rahul believes that the

exhibition will not only benefit the

organisation, it will also provide an

appropriate platform to amateur

photographers to showcase their talent.

So far, the exhibition has received 30

entries from amateur as well as semi-

professional photographers, and are

expecting more in the coming few days.

The exhibition goes underway on

February 18.

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FIELDING FOR CHILD RIGHTSAuthor: Chetna

The recently organised Gully Cricket

tournament is a testament to their

motto and efforts with all resources that

were raised, being directed towards

building the Devikaben Charitable

Hospital Research Centre for Homeless

and the Young Women's Welfare

Centre, which would be set up at

“We try to create platforms which are sustainable as

well as fun to participate in and using sports as a

social development tool,” says Pavan SK, CEO,

Project Crayons.

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Malwani, Malad. Project Crayons is a 12

year old NGO working to empower

marginalised communities through

Health, Education and Rights. The event

saw teams comprising of less privileged

children from the Ambujwadi, Malwani

and Mankhurd communities, and

corporate executives making a run or

shall we say few runs for the charitable

cause over a period of three weeks.

The grand finale was witnessed by an

enthusiastic crowd of 55,000 people at

the D.Y. Patil stadium on January 29th

making it a roaring success. The final

match was played between the Junior

Friends Cricket Club (JFCC) from the

Ambujwadi Community and a team

made up of corporate of RMP Infotec

Pvt. Ltd. Aftab Shivdasani played for the

JFCC, who won the match by 4 wickets.

Bollywood actors, local community-

based schoo ls and corpora te

executives cheered at every six and four

hit while screaming at every catch, to

create an atmosphere electric enough

for people to confuse it for a one-day

international match. As for the Project

Crayons team, their belief that long-term

improvements and change can only be

sustained if children and youth are

'development actors' – they participate,

voice their opinions, are heard and are

taken seriously – motivates them to

create innovative models through which

they can advocate and sensitise people

to child rights and human rights.

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THE CORPORATE PITCH60


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THE CORPORATE PITCH1212

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PAY BACKWITH INTERESTAuthor: Elle Reynolds

This is not the first time an international

athlete like Cathy Freeman, Olympic

champion for 400m in the 2000 Sydney

games, travelled across the world to run

through the streets of Mumbai. Hard to

believe? Well hardly. Various members

of the media present can easily verify

this fact by dipping into their

photographs of the recently conducted

8th edition of the Standard Chartered

Mumbai Marathon 2011 at which

Freeman along with Bollywood actor

John Abraham was an

event ambassador.

The concept of giving back to society is

not novel to the 21st century. What is

refreshing though, is that now, it isn’t

the sole responsibility of a small

segment of society who is willing to

stand up for a cause. Gucci clad

businessmen and track suit attired

celebrities have replaced the idealised

khadi clad notion of the community

service workforce. Large corporate

houses are now taking as much

responsibility for their role in society as

social workers and human

rights activists.

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Among these is international financial

institution Standard Chartered Bank.

Over the past year alone, the bank has

won a number of accolades such as the

ET Great Place to Work CSR Excellence

Award and the Financial Times Arcellor

Mittal Boldness in Business Award 2010

to name a few. “The marathon was a

great platform to generate funds and

increase awareness. In fact, the

Mumbai marathon is India’s single

largest fund raising platform with Rs 43

crores raised for charity in the first seven

editions alone,” said Sreeram Iyer,

Regional Chief Operating Officer - India

& South Asia, Standard

Chartered Bank.

The scale, reach and infrastructure

would raise a few eyebrows in days

gone by. Now, it would hardly surprise

you to learn that participation for the

marathon included over 1,00,000

registrations with close to 38,500

people actually running in the various

categories, 1,800 senior citizens and

even 300 wheelchair participants. With

prize money of $325,000 and the added

attraction of possibly running alongside

your favourite celebrity, few could resist

the lure. Training for the event began

months in advance and many

enthusiasts were often spotted

stretching and jogging at popular parks

and gyms around the city.

Those who didn’t train or participate in

the event like Tina Ambani and Deepika

Padukone showed up to cheer

participants on and draw some

attention to some of their own causes.

The attitude of people who participate

and the companies that initiate these

events have seen a dramatic overhaul

over the past few decades. People now

think of it as their contribution to a

worthy cause and if you gain a little

publicity in the process, that’s always an

added perk. Maharashtra State Public

Works Department Minister, Chhagan

Bhujbal flagged off this year’s Dream

Run wh ich inc luded ce lebr i t y

participation from the likes of Indian film

actresses Neha Dhupia and Mini

Mathur, members of the media like

Shobha De and business heads like Anil

Ambani and Anand Mahindra. Close to

179 NGO’s and over 100 corporate

houses participated in the event to raise

funds for various causes.

A big question that looms over such a

large event is what next? How is the

next one going to be bigger and better?

S t a n d a r d C h a r t e r e d s p o n s o r s

marathons in key cities across the

globe. Said Sreeram, “For us, the

Mumbai Marathon is just a small start in

our larger efforts to engage the broader

community in active social service.”

This engagement goes well beyond the

borders of metropolitan Mumbai. Aside

from the marathon, the company

initiates and supports a number of other

programmes like Seeing is Believing

(SiB), Living with HIV (LwH), Goal and

Access to Financial Services.

It also encourages eco-friendly

programmes and provides all staff with

two days of paid leave apart from annual

leave to volunteer for causes that are

important to them. This has proved to

be a positive step with staff totals for

volunteering totalling close to 8,000

days last year. Local teams have

conducted clinics for the visually

challenged, built schools in rural areas,

set up water taps in areas facing water

shortages, recorded audio books for the

blind and educated underprivileged girls

about financial matters to name a few.

“We have a unique opportunity to reach

out to people, in spite of a busy work

day. We use the extra days of leave to

volunteer the Premdan School in

Colaba,” said Nileema Sequeira, Asst.

M a n a g e r – Pa y m e n t s , C a s h

Management Services, India. The

school works towards nutrition and

education of underprivileged children. A

group of close to 200 employees come

together to draw up a schedule to

ensure at least one member goes to the

school for a few hours every day to work

with underprivileged children.

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Facilitating employee volunteering is

the intranet helper ‘iVolunteer’, which

allows all staff to post interesting

volunteering opportunities and invite

participation from other colleagues. It

helps them share experiences and ideas

across countries, and open up many

more ideas. The bank also tries to

provide skill based volunteering

opportunities where staff can share

their knowledge and expertise with

others. This allows NGOs to add value to

their programs without dipping into

funds which may be utilised elsewhere.

Two of the bank’s key staff projects

include, the Financial Markets Burjwadi

Literacy Initiative and the Group

Technology and Operations’ Eye

Sight Camps.

BURJEWADI LITERACY

INITIATIVE

A day’s wage and the willingness to

reach out is all it took for the Financial

Markets (FM) team to start change in

Karjat, 90kms or an hour and a half

from Mumbai. Almost 100 employees

willingly offered a day’s wage to raise

the Rs 10 lakh necessary to kick start

the project. Led by a five member

team, the project was undertaken

because they heard about the area

through another NGO that set up

water supply facilities in the area. “This

was an opportune moment, now that

women and children weren’t walking

miles to collect water. They now had

time to spare and could send their

children to school,” said Saurabh

Kumar, Associate, Financial Markets,

Standard Chartered Bank, India who is

part of the team spearheading the

programme. The bank has tied up with

the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Trust from the

area to re-build a dilapidated primary

school and start a tutorial centre in

the area.

Phase one involved, supplementing and

improving the infrastructure with inputs

from the Government appointed

teachers. The curriculum was modified

to include subjects like Computer

Science, English, Mathematics and

Science and additional teaching staff. A

typical school day will begin with up to

an hour of the specialised subjects

followed by the rest of the school’s

curriculum. The bank has donated two

computers to the school and through an

internal collection has also provided

sporting equipment for the children to

use in their free time.

“But getting the community involved

proved to be the biggest challenge of all,

as people did not feel like they had a

personal stake in the project,” added

Saurabh. The team conducted a mini

census in the area, visited every home,

and spoke to parents about the benefits

of sending their children to school. They

even reached out to one of the existing

schools in the area. What they found

was that attendance in schools was

dismal as children needed to walk over

three kilometres through hilly terrain to

get to school. A school bus was recently

organised at the cost of Rs 25,000 per

month and while attendance is still not

100%, it has doubled since the

service started.

“As an individual, it gives you an

immense sense of satisfaction to solve

problems and enable an entire

community. Educating children is a long

term plan, but it is also one that is most

likely to be successful,” said Saurabh. “If

a model is successful, it can be

replicated in other areas and nothing is a

better motivator for me than the hope of

improving the face of rural India.” The

team that visits the area almost every

week has seen tangible change in a

relatively short period. Enrolment at the

school is at an all time high and daily

attendance has improved. The

programme puts together kits with

necessary school supplies, which are

given to each student at the beginning

of the academic year. But there is more

to a community than its children.

There is a large population of youth who

are illiterate and mostly farm for some

part of the year and are employed as

daily wage labourers for the remaining

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months. In the course of the team’s

interaction with the youth, they

expressed the need for vocational

training. The FC team approached one

of the driving schools in the area,

explained the situation. 3 of the 10

young men who wanted to learn to drive

now have licences and are employed as

drivers. Few have even applied to the

BEST to be employed as drivers. “I am

inspired by the fact that the bank’s

brand values are in sync with the kind of

projects we undertake. It makes me

proud to be part of something that I can

see continuing my efforts even in the

future,” adds Saurabh.

SIB

1.99% of Maharashtra’s population is

sightless. Partial or complete visual

impairment in adults is caused by

cataract (63%), refractive error (20%)

and glaucoma (6%). While the state

government provides some eye care

services in remote areas, the

infrastructure and human resources

necessary is sorely inadequate. As there

is currently no private service available

in the area, Standard Chartered’s SiB

campaign came to

the rescue.

Since its launch in 2003, the SiB

programme has helped restore the

eyesight of close to two million people

in India. The programme is also working

towards providing affordable eye care

services for millions more in multiple

cities across the country. The bank

l a u n c h e d t h e K o l k a t a U r b a n

Comprehensive Eye care Project in

October 2010 under SiB and hopes to

raise close to USD one million for the

project by 2015.

The Group Technology & Operations’

(GTO) team is one of the bank’s largest,

youngest and most energetic teams

w h o h a v e c o n d u c t e d s e v e r a l

volunteering sessions for SiB. After

these sessions at Bank-sponsored

vision centres in Mumbai, the team

worked to start several similar projects

across the country. The Revdanda

Project involved the purchase a

refractometer at the Revdanda Vision

Centre being run by KB Bachooali

Hospital and Sightsavers International.

This was followed up with the adoption

of a vision centre in Jawhar, 123 km from

Mumbai. While the area is not very far

from the city, the community is largely

tribal. “Money is a big constraint and

while there are eye hospitals they are

located almost 80 kilometres away from

the area and are too expensive for

people in the area to afford,”

said Nileema.

The project is a work in progress and the

team is constantly monitoring its

viability. The centre has been set up at a

convenient location close to a State

Transpo r t (ST ) bus s tand . I n

collaboration with a hospital nearby, the

centre provides the necessary eye care

facilities. Since its inception, almost 400

people have visited the clinic. The

centre will provide eye care services in

the area and will be funded largely by

employee contributions for three years

from May 2010 to April 2013.

Goal is a community investment

i n i t i a t i ve tha t works towards

empowering young women. The

programme works to build confidence

by giving underprivileged women basic

skills. Education includes modules to

help them attain financial literacy,

improve communication skills, and

explain the importance of health and

hygiene. The programme has reached

close to 1600 women across Mumbai,

Delhi and Chennai with plans to reach an

additional 100,000 young women

worldwide.

The sluggish state of the country’s

economy recovering from the pressures

of recession didn’t stop 2010 from being

a year of many achievements. Through

the Access to Finance initiative,

Standard Chartered has committed to

USD 500 million to microfinance

institutions in Asia, Africa and the

Middle East. Being proactive isn’t

always easy and the benefits are often

not easily visible. Even so, the bank is

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one of India’s leading organisations in

terms of its CSR programmes. The

organisation leads by example and has

adopted a number o f energy

conservation methods which include

installing LED based solar lights and

signboards, a sewage treatment plant in

Mumbai and a paper recycling initiative

that reuses almost 100 tons of paper

every year. The Bank’s commitment to

these processes has helped it earn the

LEED Gold certification for SCOPE

Chennai and the ISO14001 Certification

(Environment Management System) for

Standard Chartered Towers,

Goregaon, Mumbai.

While CSR might have its roots in the

West, the concept is being reinvented

routinely in India in some of the most

unlikely ways. A wonderful side-effect

of many of these programmes is an

increase in investors for the projects the

bank undertakes. With the company’s

reputation gaining favour in the public

domain, people want to be associated

with the brand and recruitment,

retention and brand loyalty becomes

easier. So the next time you see a bunch

of people planting saplings, reading for

the blind, or running for a cause, spare a

moment and pitch in, if only to

stop and cheer.

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THE BEGINNINGrecycling we have also tried to highlight the

case of our river dolphins and their polluted

habitat which needs urgent efforts from our end.

Kudos to Greenpeace for 10 years of

successful campaigns and we wish them all the

luck for their future endeavours. Last but not the

least I would personally like to salute all those

individuals and organisations that are working

to make our cities cleaner and are ensuring

residents change their ways for the better.

On that note I'd like to sign off for this issue. Do

let me know what you think of this month's

Bubble Wrapped and I look forward to

receiving updates on upcoming events so that

we can extend our support and be a catalyst

to change.

Chetna

[email protected]

The response has been overwhelming. "Thank

you" to everyone who read the first issue, sent

me their valuable feedback and helped

spread the word. The February issue gave me

the opportunity to meet some wonderful

people and share my vision for Bubble

Wrapped with many like-minded individuals.

The photo-feature on Project Crayons' Gully

Cricket initiative and the piece on Bhopal-

based NGO, Aham Bhumika's photography

exhibition are our first few steps in making this

eMagazine a platform for communication and

information exchange for the social sector. We

hope with every new issue individuals and

organisations will use the magazine to create

awareness, garner support and elicit response

for their events and causes. We also hope to

share more event previews than reviews giving

our readers a chance to participate and be

more involved in the process of change.

While we have touched upon topics like

organic foods in India and our outlook towards

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