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Sagar Watch - September 02, 2020 36


SAGAR WATCH I Sachin Jyotishi # 

It was just a few days ago when an incredible controversy arose on Raksha Bandhan on that tweet of 'PETA India', the festival of Raksha Bandhan; In which those people had given absurd advice to be Leather-Free. Apparently, PETA India had to face provocative opposition from the people for this.

If you ask a so-called animal-loving intellectual why you should not use leather, they will be able to preach to you about this subject for years without a break. When a problem is raised without its remedy, there is more harm than benefit.

                    Read Also: Feminism-Redefined-Boys-&-girls-are-not-equal

But we live in a diverse society where nothing matches our beliefs to thoughts. In such a situation every person has a democratic right to raise any issue without thinking left and right. So going fanatic won’t be plausible. And we need to behave judiciously in these issues.

 Every individual approaches a problem in a different style. Some eyes on the problem or the reason why/how a problem originated (problem-focused thinking). Others stand to think about possible solutions/measures that help them to solve a problem (solution centred thinking)

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The inventive and innovative character of India is an exemplary example of this young practical thinking. Once again we have given an example of this new thinking. We have already astonished the world when, India inserted the world’s fastest, cheapest and perhaps one of the most intricate Mars missions flawlessly into Martian orbit. Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) took three years and Rs 450 crore to complete its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). The US Maven, which went into orbit on Monday, took six years and cost $679 million (Rs 4,100 crore).

This time an interesting one hits, it’s -“FLEATHER”

Floral waste has discovered new purpose, courtesy Phool.co, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur-backed biomaterial startup which has innovated ‘fleather’—bio-degradable vegan leather made from unusable discarded temple flowers.

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“FLEATHER” is an expedient alternative to animal leather,” claimed Ankit Agarwal, the co-founder of Phool.co, who was among the 17 young leaders from across the globe shortlisted by the United Nations for its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiative in 2018.

In India, leather is used in countless industries, from fashion apparels to saddlery. India produces 12.9% of the world's hides, which assumes more than 3 billion sq foot per year.

They convert floral waste into charcoal-free incense products. But last year, they decided to unveil the development of animal-free leather. Intrigued by the formation of a leather-like white layer smeared on unused piles of flowers, their R&D team figured out the growth of a micro-organism which used flower petals as a nutritional source,” they said.

                                             Read Also: Is-really-our-country-Changing..?

“Leather contains collagen which provides it with strength and durability, whereas fleather has chitin, a kind of protein, that enables it the same characteristics. Collagen and chitin are natural analogues, making fleather a perfect substitute for leather,”  Ankit said.

Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay of the biological sciences and bioengineering department in IIT Kanpur claimed, “Fleather is certainly going to be a game-changer. The fashion industry will surely utilize this vegan leather. I am happy that such a technology was developed at Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre, IIT Kanpur. Fleather was recently awarded by PETA.”  “For a young entrepreneur, this is a remarkable commitment towards nation-building.” Said, prof.

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IIT Kanpur has been Phool.co’s backbone for technical research. The R&D team comprises Sandeep Kumar, MTech (biotechnology) from IIT Kanpur and Saumya Srivastava, MTech (biotechnology) from IIT-Guwahati. The team is led by Nachiket Kuntla, BTech (chemical engineering) from IIT Bombay and MTech (chemical engineering) from IIT Kanpur.

 Ankit said “We adapted the micro-organism to increase the thickness and strength of the fleather and amended its texture to a better version. The tensile strength, elasticity and sheer resistance of fleather is almost matched or is rather way superior to that of traditional leather,” he said. Phool.co was founded by Ankit Agarwal and Prateek Kumar in July 2017.

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There is always hope, even amidst the chaos. Talent doesn’t need wings, it only needs a space to fly. Don’t be a supine critic.  Let us all applaud your solution-oriented approach! Let the world know, we not only make good memes but also good moves to solve the most tangled issues of the world.

Victory! To the Youngistan, Victory! To Bharat! 

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Sagar Watch - August 29, 2020 0


SagarWatch I Sachin Jyotishi

Annam Brahman (food is god) -According to Bhagavad Gita, the body and life in it are based on food and sustained by food. For Indians food means “Prasadam”. “Prasadam” is a sanskrit word which deontes “Sacred food” in English. But do we really mean, what we say?

We are a nation which prays before having food. Children are taught of the importance of food and the efforts go into avail it. A country with a history of frequent drought and famines certainly knows that food is to be valued and preserved. And that is why, it is worshipped  But with such a rich history, India still seems to be a country holds a rank of 100th among 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index. 

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India is the country which is the second largest in terms of population in the world. The International Food Security and Nutrition Organisation indicates that 190.7 million people are undernourished or undernutrition in India. This refers to 14.5% of the Indian population, which makes India the ground for the largest undernourished population in the world.

It is researched and speculated by the UN that around 40% of the food produced in India is wasted or lost by different means. This hits India by the blow of one lakh crore rupees every year, which also harms our GDP. India marks a rank 63 among 88 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI, UN data). Whole South Asia wastes around 2.7% of food during processing. 

Food wastage in India is deteriorating at different levels: from harvesting, transporting, processing, packaging and consuming. Most of the food wastage in India comes before it is packaged. This is caused due to the loopholes in the logistics and a dedicated infrastructure system in India. The government has eyed into this and is trying to find measures to develop better technology to reduce wastage.

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 An alarming revelation had been made by a report cited in the CSR journal. It is said that “Indians waste as much food as the United Kingdom consumes”. According to the United Nations Development Programme, up to 40% of the food produced in India is left wasted. About 21 million tons of wheat is wasted uneaten in India and 50% of all food across the world meets the same destiny and never reaches on the plates of the needy.

 This is where the gigantic and unnoticed issue of food wastage and deadly hunger in India is emerging from. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, India needs to at least double up its investment in agricultural research to increase farmers’ incomes by 2022. This is also a great cause of price-hike which is yet another issue Indians are dealing with..

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 Rural Indians have a tradition of starting their day by making the first meal for sacred animals like cows. Cows and dogs are fed for religious/astrological reasons in rural India till date, followed by various rites and rituals. It is a paradox where animals are fed, while in urban India food is being wasted in such an unholy fashion. Urban India is supposed to prioritize their quality of life on top and food is no more an object of privilege for them. 

Governments can enforce a plausible change and make the whole machinery (respective department) operate to a minimum standard. This makes the war against food wastage much easier to win. Here we suggest a detailed list of how governments around the world are coming up with solutions and empowering food waste initiatives.

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Here modern technology is a ray of hope to help reduce wastage such as well-designed rice-storage bags in the Philippines have helped cut losses of the staple grain by 15 per cent. In West Africa, solar dryers are usually used to extend the shelf life of fruits and tubers is showing promise in reducing post-harvest losses. 

Packaging techniques like vacuum packing, nitrogen flushing etc also help protect the freshness of food for longer periods. Pope Francis once rightly said “Throwing away food is like stealing from the tables of the poor and hungry” and we could not agree more with this statement. Let's fix this!

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There are so many solutions If we look around.

Australia: Recently, Australia became the first country to fix a target to reduce the amount of food waste it produces by 50% by 2030. The financial cost of food waste to the Australian economy is currently 20 billion dollars per year.

To help achieve the country’s food waste target, the Australian Government decided to invest 1.2 million dollars over two years to support food rescue organizations. The resolution is part of its Food Rescue Charities Program, which will support Second Bite, FareShare, OzHarvest, and Food Bank Australia.

Norway: Following Australia’s footsteps, in June 2017 the Norwegian government and the country’s food industry signed an agreement to halve food waste. As much as 350,000 tonnes of food end up in the bin every year in Norway. The food supply chain is responsible for food waste around 68 kg per person per year.

 During an interview with a local news website, Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Climate and the Environment, restated the importance of government and industry leaders coming together to drive change: He said food industry should be challenged to be innovative and creative in the coming years. The food industry's actions will be the deciding factor in halving food waste by 2030”.

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France: Food waste is an expensive issue in France. Each year 10 million tons of food is either lost or wasted in the country, claiming the French by the sum of16 billion Euros per year. The harmful impact on the environment is also shocking. In France, Food waste is responsible for the emission of 15.3 million tons of CO2, 3% of the country’s total CO2 emissions.

Although these figures are concerning, the French government is committed to driving change. In the past five years, it has created new laws and regulations to catalyze food waste reduction. 

In 2012, it launched a new law driving the private sector to recycle their organic waste if they produce more than 120 tons of it per year. This regulation has since been developed further. Recycling is now compulsory for all businesses, including those in the hospitality and food-service industry, that produce at least ten tonnes of organic waste per year.

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In 2016, France became the first country to ban supermarkets from dumping away unsold food. Large supermarkets are not permitted to throw away good quality food approaching its “best-before” date. Instead, they are bound to give surplus food to charities and food banks.

Italy: according to an estimate Italy wastes about 5.1m tonnes of food a year. Six months after the French law banning supermarkets from throwing away edible food was passed, the country launched a similar regulation. Unlike the French law, which penalises supermarkets that fail to comply with the rules, the Italian law focused on making it easier for companies to donate unsold food. The initiative should help Italy recover one million tonnes of food a year. 

The law has essentially relaxed regulations that had made it difficult to donate. It has clarified, for example, that food can be donated even if it is past its sell-by date. Costa Cruises – the Italian cruise line that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company - has taken advantage of this law. The cruise line is now working with Winnow to prevent food waste while donating excess meals to those in need.

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Costa has cemented its role as a leading company in the sustainability field. It became the first cruise line to make a public food waste reduction target, committing to halving food waste by 2020 as part of its “4Good Food” program.

Denmark: Denmark is a new achiever in joining the fight against food waste. In 2016, the Danish minister for food, Esben Lunde Larsen, launched a subsidy scheme to combat the issue. This scheme distributed almost USD 750,000 to projects trying to tackle waste throughout the food chain.

This was a significant commitment, but the initiative wasn't the first drive to reduce food waste. The ministry had already conducted campaigns to educate consumers about best-before and use-by labels. In Denmark, it is legal to sell date-expired food so long as it is clearly labelled and shows no sign of health risk. Mr Larsen has also backed the collaboration between food producers and kitchens to make sure that “wonky vegetables”, which would otherwise be thrown, are used.

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Dubai: Food waste hurts Dubai with the cost of the equivalent of $4 billion every year. 2.7 kg of food is being wasted per person every day. To start changing these figures, the Dubai Municipality signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Winnow to encourage the use of technology to reduce food waste across the hospitality sector in the UAE.

Winnow’s technology has been helping large hotels in the UAE save more than $887,000 per year in food costs. This reduction has translated into a saving of an estimated 213 tonnes of food from landfill, the equivalent of more than 1,000 meals saved per day in Dubai.

There are so many solutions If we look around….But, Do the nation (People) really care?   In a nutshell -“Take What You Eat And Eat What You Take!”


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Sagar Watch - August 27, 2020 1

SagarWatch@Sachin Jyotishi     
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”― Leo Tolstoy

 You might have been told those adventure-tales of your parents and grandparents of how they used to commute miles to reach schools to liberate themselves. After a span of seventy years of independence, you may still find these tales buzzing in India.

What happens when a big country like India has over 3 million children living on the streets? Or has more than 150 million children working as bonded labourers? Or one out of every six girl child are not lucky enough to live to see her 15th birthday? What happens when in spite of having a national policy for compulsory primary education, only 50% of children have access to education?

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The assertion "Children are the future of the nation" stops making sense, then! In fact, it sounds like an ominous prophecy. So how can we explain that even after 60 years of independence, half of India's children are illiterate? Despite identifying primary education as a key thrust area and having one of the largest networks of schools in the world?

So, what is the solution? If we look around the solution is right before us. Yes, we don’t claim that it would eradicate the problem to its fullest but it will surely help to an extent. SOW- what is SOW? let’s find out!

Lashkari’s Beginnings with Doorstep School

Lashkari, a graduate in child psychology, was doing her Masters in Social Work at the time. As part of her project, she was looking in on a municipality school in Cuffe Parade where she noticed children dropping out barely after 3rd or 4th standard.

She decided to pay a visit to their families in slums, to convince the kids and their parents about the importance of schooling. However, when she visited their homes, she was in for a shock, learning that kids as young as five or six were working as child labourers. “We need their earnings to feed the family,” most of the parents had told her. Education was the last priority in their penniless households.

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“If the children cannot go to school, why don’t we bring the school at their doorstep?” thought Lashkari. Her idea was instantly admired by fellow social workers and within a while, Cuffe Parade slum saw the first Door Step School. Her teacher Rajani Paranjape supported her utmost in founding the school.

Beyond the syllabus

The school has even opened special study centres for additional guidance to students, who are mostly first-generation learners in their families. These study centres operate in the evening hours, where students can revise and practise their lessons which are often not taught properly at their government schools.

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The First-Step Forward programme confirm that all the children know the basic alphabets and numerical digits by heart by class 1.

Alongside extra classes for reading, vernacular languages and extra-curricular learning, she has also advocated the introduction of a mental health programme for the students, most of whom grow up witnessing domestic violence, alcohol abuse and other traumatic incidents at their homes, which often affect their mental health severely.

On the other side of obstacles

There were indeed several challenges along the way. The concept of doorstep school, though generous, invited a lot of unnecessary attention. During classes in open street corners or footpaths, passers-by would gather around in curiosity, which distracted the students more often than not. The safety of the little children was another concern other than busy roads and areas.

But, Door Step School persisted all hurdles and has now emerged bigger than ever. With 50+ branches spread across Mumbai, the school boasts of alumni who have gone on to pursue commendable careers in engineering, accountancy, medicine, academics and what not! Many have even rejoined Lashkari’s core team and now teaches the present students of Door Step School.

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Reshma, a former student in Door Step School, is now pursuing her Masters in Social Work, inspired by her teacher Bina Lashkari. She also teaches nearly fifty students in the school at present. “I studied at Door Step School almost a decade ago, and Bina Ma’am later helped me get admission at Kolaba Municipal School. That’s how my education happened. I owe everything to Door Step School, so now I want to give back the same to my alma mater,” she shares.

The creativity of the students finds a special prevalence in Bina’s school, where students manage their very own journal – Humara Akhbar. From articles, poems, essays to drawings – every submission is published in this periodical and circulated among the classes.

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Lashkari believes that the family environment plays a crucial role in a child’s growth and learning. Most of these impoverished families fail to provide a peaceful, loving atmosphere to their kids. Their mothers and fathers go to work early in the morning before they even wake up from sleep. Often, parents try to compensate for their absence by giving 10-20 rupees daily to the kids, which they misuse to eat unhygienic food, or worse, get into drug addiction.

Thus, Lashkari makes sure that the teachers from her schools visit the families regularly and counsel them on child upbringing and behaviour. The students are also taught to distinguish the good from the bad so that their prospect at a bright future is not tarnished in any way.

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Just imagine if this model can be applied nation-wide, wherever children don’t have access to schools, schools on wheels reaching there. Children will also be more excited to learn as it’s a new and different form of learning. 

Definitely not in the time of the pandemic. But later, can we turn the old large scraped vehicles into classrooms?

If you like this idea, share it with others too…! Where there is a will,/ (wheel) there is a way, where there is a desire, there is a high-way.!

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Sagar Watch - August 22, 2020 4
                                            
By Sachin Jyotishi
SagarWatch@ The students are prospective heirs of the nation. So they should be well equipped with sound moral, political and economical views. They are the pillars on which beautiful edifices will be built. But today, are we listening to our students? Why are they forced to take exams in this pandemic time? 

It's right time to remind you all that phrase which was introduced with the emergence of the first lockdown in the country  Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted “JAAN HAI TO JAHAAN    HAI ”…….MIND IT!  

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NEET-JEE-MAIN EXAM: Families requesting to postpone the exams

NEET and JEE means a way to become doctors and engineers, which has been a common dream in most of the common Indian families. They are simply requesting to postpone the exams of NEET and JEE. I wonder why the official bodies have turned deaf to their demands which are genuine. Honourable, the Supreme Court is not considering students delicate heart here, since, it is an emotional concern so must not be discussed in courts.  

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NEET-JEE-MAIN EXAM: MP urges PM to conduct exams after Diwali

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct entrance examinations such as the NEET and the JEE after Diwali in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main is scheduled to be held between September 1 and 6 while the JEE (Advanced) on September 27. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be held on September 13.  

On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking postponement of JEE (Mains) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.Underlining that the Supreme Court judgment does not bind the government when to hold the exam, Swamy indicated that holding the exams, in his opinion, "may lead to suicides".

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The Research Scholars of India (RSI) have also written to the Prime Minister, Chairperson of NTA, MHRD and Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare urging the government to postpone NEET.  "In light of the concern of the safety, security and good health of the students and their families, and the general financial situation of the average student of India, we hereby wish to request you to reconsider the decision to conduct the entrance examinations and postpone them till such time that the pandemic is not under reasonable control.

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We do not wish to see young brilliant minds and their families in any kind of risk or distress, and it would be a great service to them if you could kindly accommodate this request," the letter from Nikhil Gupta, National Representative and Coordinator of RSI said.
 
But will postponing the exams make the students lose a year? Sudarshan said that there is nothing the students cannot make up with extra classes and intense lectures. "We are already late but we cannot give up our lives for an exam. Even if it happens in September, the results will be out 15 days later.

What we can rather opt for is going for a two-phase counselling process rather than three stages and then expedite the classes to catch up. Postponing the exam for other one or two months won't make much of a difference," said the aspirant.

The plea, rejected by the Supreme Court, had urged the top court to conduct the exam only when “normalcy is restored”.“Conducting the aforesaid examination across India at such perilous time, is nothing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students (including petitioners herein) at utmost risk and the danger of disease and death.
 

The best recourse at this stage can be to wait for some more time, let Covid-19 crisis subsides and then only conduct these exams, in order to save the lives of the students and their parents,” the plea filed through advocate Alakh Alok Srivastav read. The Supreme Court rejected the plea, saying that “precious years of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on”. "There is widespread desperation amongst the youth since this exam is make or break for them and they have to take it fully prepared.

  The formula for great nation is "Good student--> virtuous society-->great nation". A good student forms a virtuous society means which is graft-less, politically balanced, economically standard and stands on moral grounds. The nation with integrity stands forever.

 We used to say “PADHEGA INDIA TO BADHEGA INDIA” but now I want to ask “AISE KAISE PADHEGA AUR KAISE BADHEGA INDIA? “

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Sagar Watch - August 18, 2020 0

Guest Column:    Sachin Joytishi   

SagarWatch@ There is a lot to be learned even if you call it an era. A true leader leads by example of his excellence. No matter what you do, No matter what you are doing, if you give anything less then a hundred per cent, then you do not have any right to be called a good leader. 

After Birsa Munda people of Jharkhand worship MSD  as a hero of this era. If you are losing your cool, remember him as a match-winner. His deciding saviour sixes will tell you to play your natural game even in odds. Originality is unparalleled, the iconic  “Helicopter shot” hits our mind. 

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni resigned from the captaincy of T20 and One Day Internationals yesterday; He had already resigned from Test captaincy three years ago. Undoubtedly, India’s most successful captain, he led the team to victory in the 2007 World T20 in South Africa, the 2011 World Cup in India, and the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.

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 He was the first to put India at no. 1 in test ranking. Dhoni captained India in 199 ODIs, of which he won 110 and lost 74. He was a captain in 72 T20s, of which India won 41 and lost 28. With 27 wins, 18 defeats and 15 draws, he was truly the most efficacious skipper. 

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His decision heralds the end of an era that saw Indian cricket reaching greater heights. At last, it's your equanimity which counts not what you lost or won. His presence on the turf was enough to keep his opponents shivering in worry. This is something a leader must-have.

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Remember his risk-taking and decision making when in 2007 T20 world cup when at the crucial juncture he kept his trust on Joginder Sharma after a six on the second ball he calmed him down and led India to win the T20 world cup. It was considered a well-thought move by Dhoni but he said ‘ I took a chance’.

Spirit of Dhoni must be alive within all of us in such a panic situation.

we remember him singing at many occasions  the Hindi song….. “ main pal do pal ka shayar hu………..”

Long live! MSD





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