A warm welcome

It was not even 7 AM. Huffing and puffing I kept walking. It was almost as if people were laughing at how profusely I was sweating. I did not mind that because, well .. that is true anyways. I was like sweating to my core anyway!

Oh no! I am not on any weight reduction program. On the contrary, it is more like a weight gaining program (i.e.) my walk to catch office bus :))

At 7 AM, it is so hot daily that all the energy just gets sapped out of me. I realize this is the hottest I have ever felt Chennai to be and am beginning to wonder about all the people who work in this sweltering heat. The sales executives, the small-scale shop vendors and even the beggars draw pity just thinking about this heat.

Unfortunately we do not have authentic Indian agencies making such news. So, I take the quote from NASA this has been the hottest quarter of an year recorded so far

http://climateprogress.org/2010/05/16/nasa-easily-the-hottest-january-and-hottest-jan-april-in-temperature-record/

Despite many cries from so many visionaries regarding the global warming and impending disasters of it, our governments are choosing to simply ignore the cries of common people and the scientific community. It feels bitter to say this, but after all, it is not the children of those in power that are suffering due to these heat waves. It is only the common public - the you and me.

Too much hype and hoopla over the recent oil spill, but not enough to the cancer that is the warming eating away our apple of a planet from inside.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/10/opinion/la-ed-oil-20100511

I am ashamed to even say this - I really wish to do something about this. Why being ashamed for this? It is because I feel am also responsible in a way for this disaster directly or indirectly as part of the society. If anyone could help me figure out what could be done at grass roots level, I would be glad to extend my help.

Green (err...) life

Why should life be all gloomy? This article provoked such thoughts in me immediately:

http://www.livescience.com/environment/earth-temp-may-exceed-livable-limits-100504.html

Why not we humans learn to see opportunity in the midst of calamity and look for alternatives?

Just a single alternative that I could think of - Is it not possible to plant a few million trees by then that could bring down the overall warming levels to a normal stage? If each of us can think of such ways by which this calamity could be avoided, we certainly can avoid it. After all, what is a society or civilization if not individuals!

Take a look at the Project Green Hands effort by Isha Foundation (http://www.projectgreenhands.org/). As Sadhguru says, to plant and nurture a tree to grow is one of the noblest things to do (amidst all other nonsense) towards the future generations. If of the 6 billion people, only 10% decide to plant just 1 tree and see it grow in their life time, we would still end up with 600 million trees making the earth greener by a big percentage!! And this is just assuming 1 person cares for only 1 tree in their entire life time.

If we teach our children in schools to plant / nurture trees, I am sure that will be one of the best things to happen to them too. The joy in seeing something grow, especially if it is out of your efforts, is to be experienced by everyone.

Let us make it happen ... Let us strive for a positive thinking happy world.

Damn the ride ...

It was a grueling 2 and half hours sitting session today. No, I am not talking about any training session am attending, although that would be grueling as well :)) This is about my travel from office to home.

I take the office bus daily. Morning trips are usually ok even considering the sweltering Chennai heat that makes me sweat all over at 7 am itself. At least I get to reach my office in an hour's time.

It is the evening trip that starts at 6:20 or so and seemingly goes on forever till I reach my destination. It is usually bad enough filling your ears with the incessant honks of all anxious drivers starting home & your nostrils with all the smoke. Most Chennaiites can immediately identify with what am talking about. Today was an exceptionally bad day as I reached 30 more minutes later than the usual 2 hour return journey.

If you think "What? only 30 minutes and this idiot is going cranky about it", I would love to invite you to sit with me through the silence for entire period and then you will realize it ... the pain.

I tried listening to music, reading a book, chatting with my friends, playing games on my mobile and finally even resigning to silence. None of it worked to my satisfaction, at least not today. But endure I did and when I stepped out, ufff ... what a relief it was. It was such a relief that having to stand for 5 minutes to cross the road as pedestrian really did not matter that much nor did bargaining with the fruits vendor. I guess I was more grateful than anything to have finished the damn ride.

Those moments of gratefulness during the walk back home had me realize that when I look at life events from a grateful perspective, even the seemingly trivial & irritating stuff is not really so. You just need to have gone through a more drilling experience prior to it :))

Signing off now with the hope that such grueling trips don't become frequent and are more an exception. Wish me luck :)