I was at 12,000 feet above sea level and I could feel the lack of oxygen. It was a good challenge climbing the steep hills in Himachal - went all the way upto Kufri - and experienced an amazing sunset.
He is a baba from the Aghora sect - He lives in the graveyard, worships the dead. He drinks urine, eats feaces and dead human beings and animals. He thinks he is a Shaman with magical powers to destroy. (Seriously)
He thinks he has power to destroy by his sheer spell of Magic !
Destruction somehow seems to fascinate any practioner of the occult acts . It would be interesting to know what they think about creation of something with their powers. Some fab photos.
2008-07-22 05:52:44
Symbol of Love
Tajmahal - a monument created by the emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaj.
I saw PINK written in a Dhaba in a remote jungle. I couldn't believe it - There was a man who said he loved pink (yeah yeah - i mean the band pink) he couldn't speak a word of english but he still loved pink !
Harpal Singh, a correspondent from the Hindu who was interviewing me - he was an interesting guy with interesting perspectives. He was being a devil's advocate and I enjoyed conversing with him.
I have been getting a lot of mails asking me what Tree Cycle is, Why it is happening, where it is happening. So I decided to give a WHAT, WHY, WHEN, WHERE, HOW of TreeCycle.
WHAT IS TREECYCLE?
TreeCycle is an environmental initiative which aims to encourage people from all over the world to pledge to plant trees. It is an attempt which combines a sport (cycling) with environmental activism. This is a Dolsun Media Initiative in support of the United Nations Environment Programme's Billion Tree Campaign. NDTV is an official Media partner in this initiative.
What is the Concept? How will cycling and trees go together?
The Idea of TreeCycle is simple. I will cycle along the length of India for 4,500 Kms from India's southernmost tip - Kanyakumari to the northern most state - Kashmir. For the energy I burn during the cycle ride, people from all over the world, from all walks of life can pledge to plant trees. So, it combines sport, energy and environment to encourage people to participatory in planting for the planet and making the world a greener, cleaner place.
When does TreeCycle Happen? How many days does the journey take place?
I started on the 5th June, which is the World Environment day and I finish on the 15th of August (which is India's Independence day. So, the entire journey takes place in about 72 days.
How has been the response so far?
The response has been fantastic. People from all walks of life, from all continents of the world (India, UK, El-Salvador, Iran to , Nigeria, Turkey, China, Canada etc) have pledged to plant trees. The current pledge for planting trees is around 2.7 million trees. Students from the Indian School of Business, which was ranked by the FT as one of the Top 20 business schools in the world, have cycled with me as a sign of support and planted trees. Several individuals have come forward to pledge to plant trees. Please pledge to plant more number of trees and actually plant them.
Where does one pledge to plant trees?
On the UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign website. make sure to say for Shrenik in the Organization box, when you make a pledge.
How did you come up with this Idea?
Well... I just thought about it when I was cycling in the Scottish Pentlands.
How long did you train and organize for this?
About six months. The last four months have been serious training and loads of organizing work.
How is the experience so far?
Extraordinary. It is a great way to see and learn from meeting and talking to people from all walks of life - their perspectives on environment, on life and so on. The journey has been fantastic so far.
If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to write to me. Please plant for the planet as I pedal for the planet.
The Bigger Challenge
As I see it, more than the sheer physical challenge of cycling along the length of India, the bigger challenge is to make people plant trees and adopt environmentally friendly lifestyles. And that is the main focus of TreeCycle. I am hoping to do my bit for the environment in the hope that we can make the planet greener. Dont you think the world will be a lot better if it is greener and cleaner?
Think !
Shrenik.
I pedaled along from kanyakumari. The morning was pleasant. But as the day progressed the temperature started to soar. By around 10:00 am, it was really hot and I could feel the heat cut through my skin. I felt like I was in an oven, roasting. Occasionally trees along the road provided some respite from the heat. As I pedaled along, I saw the western Ghats on one side and green coconut trees on the other. At around the 40th Kilometer, I saw a big, beautiful tree. It had a unique feel to it. A big trunk and a massive crown with an embracing shadow. I fell in love with the view and I decided to take a break under the tree. As I got closer to the tree, I realized there was also some one else who was standing under the tree.
When I parked my cycle under the tree, I got to see the man clearly. He was standing near his cycle, dressed in a chequered shirt, and a white Lungi. He had a white turban tied around his head, which complemented his grey hair and tanned complexion. His big moustche and bulbous eyes added a hint of mischief to him. His hero cycle was parked in front of him and a basket full of palm fruits and palm leaf plates was placed on his cycle. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me. I introduced myself and tried to start a conversation.
He told me that his name was Ponnu Saami and that he made a living by selling palm fruits (Nhongu in Tamil and Munjulu in Telugu) and fermented palm juice called toddy to passers by on the NH (National Highway)47. He seemed like he meant business. So, after the initial interaction, Ponnusaami had a reticent look. He did not smile much but wanted to know if I wanted to have palm fruits.
I loved eating palms ever since I was a small kid. During my summer visits to my grandfather's village, I used to dig into loads of palm fruits. They were fresh - straight from the palm tree, were very juicy and have a unique flavour. Besides, eating palm fruit was a great experience. I used to love eating them the authentic way - using your right thumb to squeeze the fruit out of the shell and gulping them straight into your mouth - a bit like how the french eat their snails !
So, i prompltly ordered my share of palms and Ponnusaami skilfully started using his long machate to chop open the shell of the palm fruits to let the three eyes of the palm fruits to let me scoop them out. He cut the palm fruits open, put them in a boat shaped palm leaf and handed it across to me.
I relished that completely natural brunch, paid ponnusamy twenty rupees for this sumptuous meal and pedaled along.
As I pedaled along, I realized that what I had was not only sumptuous and nutritious, it was also environmentally friendly and served in bio-degradable cutlery - No plastics, no wasted food miles, just fruit picked straight from the tree, served in environmentally friendly, bio-degradable, natural cutlery.
There are so many environmentally friendly things in India that should set an example to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the opposite is happening. Global fast food chains serve unhealthy, horrendously greasy food in packaged plastic ware. Is there an opportunity for us to take these conventional practices global and set an example to the rest of the world?
This family makes iron tools for as little as 15 rupees. The conditions are horrendous. There are no safety measures in place. But they are forced to do it because of economic necessity
I saw a child labouring in these horrendous conditions. The boss (in the white shirt) walked in and asked the boy to move away so that I could not click photographs. I was helpless. Is there anyway we could ensure that children are not used as labourers? It is very distressing.
He who planteth a tree is a servant of God -I wonder how effective this is. i wonder if anyone atleast takes note of this. Plant for the planet ! Save the earth.
Outside gods owm home - a woman begs for her and her baby's survival - she begging with a child near the penukonda Darga and has not had a meal for the past four days. My blood boils. Does the almighty listen?
A journey to the final destination. I saw this man being carried to his final destination. His relatives and friends were bidding good bye to him with a flowers, drums and grief.
A beautiful sunset. When I saw this, i was reminded of what Mahatma gandhi said - "when I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands and worships the creator". Food for the soul - Indeed
Kathakali Biking in Cochin. The video can seem frivolous but I thought this would be an effective way to say - Mind it, we are destroying our planet ! Plant for the planet.
