KITCHEN GARDENING WORKSHOP

Through Swacch Parle Abhiyan we invited Purvi, Bhavana and Nilima to conduct a 'Organic Kitchen Gardening Workshop' In Parle. We had it yesterday.

It was 4 hours of pure learning of the best sort- The team took us from the basics to the complexities and the philosophy to the benefits of Kitchen Gardening. Why did SPA and I get involved?

Many folks have been resisting composting by giving excuse that 'what to do with the compost?'. So organic gardening is the answer. And some people are motivated for composting through organic gardening. As an environmentalist and doctor- I know that sustainable organic gardening is really good for health and surroundings. So I got personally involved.

It is to the credit of Purvi and her team that they did not charge anything. We took nominal entry fee for meeting expenses. The left over money will be used for other SPA work.

The main points covered were

One must manage waste scientifically to show respect for nature as well as safe guard environment. If we compost at home and use same soil for gardening we get assured results and fresh produce rather than spending for 'organic' labeled material. The garden should be planned based on our needs and how much resources we have.
The team covered the making of amritjal, soil, medicinal plants, pruning, transplanting, sowing, pest control. We will soon make a wa group of all participants so that team can mentor them as practical work gets underway.

We had 87 participants and all were listening with rapt attention till the very end. They have all given very positive feedback. So that now I have calls asking when is the next workshop. But I will refer them to the team headquarters at Kandivli. Here the workshops are held regularly. Better to attend there as it causes minimal disturbance to the trainers' lives plus we get to see many more samples of their work.

Cheers to our team of experts

GROW FRESH AIR

I have always maintained a small garden in my house. Not only that gardening is among my favourite hobbies, but also I felt I could get fresh air. My garden also helps to keep the dust out, noise pollution is minimised and has a cooling effect on my home. The garden also uses up 30- 40% of my kitchen waste directly as mulch (the rest of it is converted into manure and then used in the garden).

In 2014, I became interested to find out which particular species of plants could help to maximise the air improving effects with minimum resources, mainly water. Someone told me that the ficus species (peepul, banyan) are very good for this purpose. As these are not ‘garden plants’ per se, I adapted the idea to my scale by growing them at bonsai level. But their growth is very very slow and I was thinking how much of a logic there is, in taking this further. Good part is- they are strong plants and need watering only once a week.

Last week I got forwarded this ted talk video and I am really happy to discover this piece of research. See it first:

This seems an elegant solution. But in a city like Mumbai, maintaining 10 plants per person indoors is not going to be possible. Space can be minimised with hydroponics, but this has to be proved by trying it out first. The three plants are small in size and can be kept outdoors also in shaded areas. So my idea is to see if they can be kept in building premises, on stair landings, parking areas and such other spots as much as possible. At least two plants can be kept in each room, which can provide some degree of air purification. The plants also do not require frequent watering or other fussing over, so it is a good idea to have them around. Only I need to check if the palms sold in nurseries are areca palms. The other two plants are quite easily available.

This idea is worth taking up.

पर्लेकारांसाठी चांगली बातमी

HINDUSTAN TIMES

Environment pollution; Gandhi and the environment

I ordered these two TERI  Publications and finished reading them both in about a weeks' time. But this was probably among the longer weeks of my life- the books did not make a good reading.

My intention in buying the books was to get some new information- after all these books are published by TERI.

'Environment pollution' is a high school level book. It is the kind of book that lazy students read for their exams. It is written is typical , unimaginative text book style and has barely enough information.

'Gandhi and the environment' is a totally unnecessary as a book, for the amount of stuff that is presented in it now. All the information could have been condensed into a 600 word essay and displayed on the the TERI website. The last few chapters completely lack any substance- it appears that the authors were given to fill a certain number of pages and they blindly followed the brief. My feeling is that this is a good idea and title- someone with energy, enthusiasm and respect for readers needs to be engaged to extensively rework the book. I am sure there is enough material. Gandhi's thoughts are important- they can inform, inspire and make us feel proud.

TERI needs to really get its books reviewed and try to sell good quality material.

I have some more books to read- will post the reviews when done

आदर्श घरबाग

Book Cover

Title- 'Adarsha Gharbaug'- Marathi publication
Author- Dr Madhav Nagre
Publication- Continental Publication
Pages 260         Chapter 44
Available at- I bought it from a stall at the annual show of the garden dept of MCGM held at Rani Baug, Byculla. I think it could be available on order from bookshops dealing in Marathi language publications.

Gardening is not just a matter of planting, sowing or watering- I realised this when I started my small window sill garden. But all gardening books seemed to be about foreign plants and foreign methods- citing foreign tools and fertilisers. I had read a book called 'Parasbaug' in Marathi, but not found it sufficiently informative.


'Adarsh Gharbaag' is a Marathi book written by Gardening and Horticulture expert Dr Madhav Nangre. is THE perfect book for me. For nerdy gardeners like me, who want to know everything about gardening- in Indian conditions- this book has it all. From definition of gardening to expert topics like bonsai- Dr Nangre has covered it all. Written in a conversational language, reading it feels as if someone is taking us around the garden and explaining patiently. He is also not shy of addressing controversies and myths- eg- about bonsai being a form of abuse of plants.

There are a few mistakes in printing and label of pictures- eg kardai plant is shown as palak plant. The publisher needs to look into proof reading by another expert in gardening rather than just a language expert. This book will find a very wide readership if translated into Hindi and English. Dr Nangre has provided an excellent list of references at the end, thus encouraging further journey into learning about gardening.

A simple, readable book with excellent editing to retain only relevant facts but elaborate enough to cover all necessary topics in sufficient detail. Highly recommended for all gardeners. Since most of India has an extreme climate like Pune, where the author lives (and probably has written this book based on his experiences there), the book will be helpful for gardeners across India.

For benefit of Parlekars- Dr Nangre has described the correct way to do balcony gardening, terrariums, hanging pots, orchids, dish gardening,bonsai- all completely do-able here!

A good SUNDAY morning- 8th March 2015

I went for tree plantation drive in Parle East. I did not do anything, but take photos- everything was already organised. I just showed up to check it out and feel happy.

Councilor Jyoti Alvani Planting a Bakul tree

Member of Parliament Parag Alvani taking a photo-op

A Parlekar planting one tree

The real workers- Parlekars and MCGM staff- gave full support inspite of it being a Sunday

PRABHODHANKAR THAKERAY UDYAN

Prabhodhankar Thakeray Udyan (PTU) is a prominent landmark in Vile Parle East. It is an open space belonging to the MCGM but given over to Shivaji Smarak Samiti for management under the adoption scheme.

Location- The huge open space is located at the North- Western side of Vile Parle East. It is bound on 2 sides by 'Tejpal Scheme' and one side by Shahaji Raje Road going between Shaan Theatre and Koldongri. The third side is bound by a line of Residential colonies forming the Northern boundary of Vile Parle East.

Surroundings- The two footpaths leading to this park are completely encroached upon by slums and box-shop hawkers- therefore these walkaways are practically not usable. You may, in fact, run into somebody having a bath or relaxing on their sofa- if you try to walk on these footpaths. Rest of the boundary is abutted by Residential societies. Luckily- these people seem quite cultured, as there is no evidence of garbage being discharged into the garden from here.

encroached upon footpath

Access- The open area is divided into two- one is a 'public access' landscaped garden while the rest (more than half) is a multi-utility sports complex. Both entrances are visible and easily accessible. There are guards and gates and access is free of dirt or garbage, though traffic is an issue. At the entrance of the sports complex one is welcomed by a huge mural of Shivaji Maharaj and stench of underground drain. I wish they could shift its opening elsewhere. The sports- complex is 'restricted access', manned by mean- looking guards demanding to see identity card- only members are allowed.

SPORTS COMPLEX ENTRANCE

GARDEN ENTRANCE

Size- Overall it is a huge garden. but sports complex has taken lot of space. In this also a huge parking area is provided, which is practically useless from point of view of 'recreational/ exercise activities' for which the open area is meant. I dont know the exact dimensions.

Waterbody- It has an olympic size swimming pool. The garden area has two defunct fountains which look like waterfalls.

Play material- In the beginning, good play ground material seems to have been installed. But now much of it is broken, some even dangerous to children. The toddlers play area perpetually stinks of urine- cant say who should be blamed- the users or the maintainers. Children are not allowed on the lawn or walking track- which is really mean and unfair. But Parle is anyway not child- friendly, so cant expect much. The reason given is- young children may harm or disturb the senior citizens walking there?!. There is a Ganapati temple where some senior ladies gather to sing bhajans very loudly (never mind the disturbance caused to youngsters).

Seating- Sufficient seats in good condition are available in the garden.  A seating area is provided in the sports complex.

Facilities- A majority of Parlekars owe their good health to this open space. It provides a very wide range of facilities ranging from gymnastics, skating, shooting, swimming- and has produced several sate and national athletes.   But membership and coaching fee is considerably expensive.Several people walk regularly here and walking groups are plenty, this is the free facilitiy. And inspite of taking such fees, the sports complex management frequently lets out space for private functions, political activities- which is disruptive and unfair. There is no remedy or redress for this- as Parlekars have no other option.

TODDLERS AREA

VERDANT GARDEN

GANPATI TEMPLE

General maintainance and security- This is the only well maintained open space in Vile Parle East. The landscaped garden is lovely- but I wish it had more large trees. It is very safe- both from anti- social elements as well as from accidents. It also has much fewer mosquitoes all year round, but still a general precaution of applying repellant is advisible.

Before visiting- Parking is not available. Sporting facilities are only for members and those enrolled in coaching; guest passes are almost never available. Please carry own water, but do not eat in the park. And go with empty bladder as toilet facilities are poor. Insect repellent is essential for garden visit. Children should not take any of their toys- there is no space to play. Strollers are not recommended. Wheel chair bound persons may use the walking track- it is wide enough. A sincere request to gossipers is- please walk on one side of the walking track so that serious walkers may not be obstructed in their endeavours.

Limitations- Even a cursory view of the open space will reveal that highest priority is being given to maintainence of sports complex, intermediate to landscaped garden and minimal to the toddlers facilities. The original promise was to use the funds generated for all- round maintainence, but it appears that funds are being used only to expand sports complex facilities. As landscaped garden is used by seniors, they are able to raise a voice- and this is getting some attention. Children are voiceless- and as usual have become the last priority here. It is also disheartening to see so many children forced to use the limited facilities of this park- as this is almost the only place available to them. The overcrowding invariably leads to severe rationing (and dis-satisfaction), fights and injuries to children and condition is very bad on weekends.

Recommendations- Management should urgently improve toddlers area and toilet- pay and use toilet facility should be provided. A small patch of lawn or flat open space to be provided- for toddlers to practice running. Dust-bins to be provided and cleanliness enforced as people are littering nowadays. I wish more space provided for the garden- but I know this is just wishful thinking.

 The coaching facilities also need to become more child- friendly and up-to-date- throwing a fearful screaming child into the swimming pool is not 'best practice' in swimming training. This open space has potential to support more trees- management should plant large fruit trees on boundaries which will give shade, provide hydrological service as well as attract birds- the ecological potential is still under developed.

Distance Education Course in Environment Management at IISc, Bengaluru.

Link
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in

Introduction
For last 2-3 years I had been looking for a short term course to learn about 'environment related concepts'. I looked at local organisations- BNHS, IIT-B, NMIMS, Mumbai University, Pune University and a few NGOs in Mumbai and Pune- none offered anything. (Bachelors, Masters and Phd are available). I wanted a course that was short, not too demanding (because I already have a packed schedule) yet thorough and intellectually engaging. I also needed someone credible to teach/ be in- charge of this course. 'Environment Management'- Distance Education Programme by Dr T V Ramachandra of Indian Institute of Science, fit the bill.

Costs
The course is headquartered in Bangalore- so I had to travel for the contact programme and could not expect to avail freely of reference material from library/ regular interpersonal contact with faculty.  Thus even if the course fee was an extremely cheap Rs 15000/- , eventually the expenses came to 3 times of that. But still, it was worth every paisa and more.

Faculty
Dr TV Ramachandra (DRTVR) is the course coordinator and in charge. Dr T V R is an accomplished environmentalist. Other than having excellent academic credentials, he has several publications in prestigious journals and is a successful environment activist, too. Dr Harish Bhat's lectures are very engaging and informative. Dr TVR invites guest faculty and student lectures, which are also veryhigh quality.

Course Format
Sir is a very good teacher- a visionary one- the way he has thought out and implemented this course is quite amazing- there is  good reference material, reading list, interesting lectures- plus a wonderful mix of students from different backgrounds. Every student even gets a chance to polish skills of reading, writing, asking questions, summarising, giving opinion, presenting, chairing sessions, group discussion, leading and following. All in all- very ideal for all- round development of every individual student- in addition to giving knowledge about environment.

The assesments are thus all- round. There is constant evaluation by watchful faculty, plus assignments, projects and 2 exams.

Facilities
The IISc campus and fieled- trip sites are also very appropriate. The calm, cool atmosphere is conducive to relaxed learning. Sir also proved to be a very good host- as all arrangement for accommodation and food very excellent, overall. I never got a chance to visit library. But my course mates did and were happy- they also got good inputs from Sir's Department and colleagues.

Classmates
Every batch is bound to be different. Our batch of 2014- I think was among the best. As a Psychiatrist I know that it is quite unusual for 40 people, from competitive backgrounds to get along well. But we bonded very well. I found my course- mates to be very intelligent, decent and I learnt a lot of things from them. We also had a wonderful time, otherwise. The class mainly consisted of engineers and architects and IT professionals.

Course Level
Actually, I felt I was delving much too deep into certain technical concepts- more than I cared for. This was because I was looking for an 'introductory course' and was getting more like a 'professional one'. Nevertheless with persistent, gentle but firm encouragement from Sir I was able to take the subject in the right spirit and eventually complete the course.

Relevance

I have no doubt that my course mates from engineering and architecture backgrounds have found the course very relevant and achieved value-addition to their professions. I feel very lucky that I was able to do this course. But I admit that it was tough to concentrate on a subject that did not directly deal with humans. Very few people from the medical/ social science background may choose to do this course because of its very ‘engineering’ and ‘non human’ feel.This  is the only drawback of the course.

 A significant number of medical, social science and managerial professionals need to be given concepts of environment management. As they deal directly with people they can influence policies or formulate plans. And many are eager to know. So till such a time as an introductory- level course becomes available, I would recommend this course to them.

I sincerely wish that the Maharashtra Government and MCGM deputes at least 3-4 people from their Departments every year to this course.  It is really good and will benefit Maharashtra enormously.

WHAT HAS NATURE EVER DONE FOR US?

Title- WHAT HAS NATURE EVER DONE FOR US?

            Does Money Really Grow on Trees

Author- TONY JUNIPER

Type- Non fiction

Pages- 336

“Why should we preserve nature?” is a question every person needs to be clear about. Some people are much concerned about the financial output from everything. They cannot somehow see the sense in keeping forests (or rivers or streams and such other natural ecosystems) as they are- they would rather cut them and sell the land, wood and species for hard cash. This book provides an argument for not doing so. Good part is: the book is a recent publication and we do not have to suffer outdated statistics.

Through discussion of several examples, the author has explained ‘ecological services’ provided and their economic value. So it will make sound sense for someone to own a forest, but keep it as it is. This is not just for the flora and fauna on that land, it can deliver real financial benefit to the owner. So this is a very simple book on environmental economics.

It is a very good book for everyone interested in the subject. It is written in simple language and has provided examples from all over the world. So everybody can relate to the discussion. The book is of optimum length to be able to deliver understanding of the topic without stretching the discussion to boredom.

I am looking forward to a book explaining the benefit of maintaining urban ecology. If there is already such a book, I want to know about it. 

SWaCCH Coop Visit

This morning I was with Surekha Tai and her colleagues in University of Pune. Surekha Tai is an active member of Pune-based SWaCCH Cooperative which describes itself as 'a cooperative of self employed women'. And the job they do is to manage the waste in several areas of Pune. First the ladies assembled and registered their attendance- after a small breakfast and keeping their handbags safely in office they set out for the 'shed'. The shed is a grilled structure within University where their brooms, buckets, baskets, sacks, etc are stored and where they separate wet and dry waste after collection. Surekha tai suggested that if such a place is not available then solution is to collect  segregated waste separately.  So we set out with the waste collection cart. This work occurs from 8.30 am to almost 12 noon.

Waste collection Cart

The waste is then segregated all afternoon into- wet and dry waste. Wet waste is given to the vermicomposting unit. Dry waste is stored in the shed till sufficient quantity is accumulated and then sold off to 'raddiwala' for recycling.

I visisted the vermicompost facility near the storage shed. On one side was a series of sloping terrace-like structures. Wet waste is first spread on it in a layer about 4-5 inches thick and sprayed with mixtures which help to deodorise and also start the decomposition process. Vermiculture is also added to give it earthworms. Everyday the wet waste is turned to aerate it thoroughly. The layer is prone to stink if aeration is not done for a day- may happen on Monday mornings if Sunday is a holiday. But as this facility was in an open area with plenty of breeze, not much foul smell was evident. As the waste matures, it becomes uniformly dark coloured, odourless and reduces to almost half its original volume. Then this 'prepared' waste is transferred to large metal vats. These vats have holes on their sides and do not have lids. The terraces and vats are placed in shade.

Earthworm vats

Earthworms are added. This mixture is turned regularly for aeration and in dry weather sprayed with water for moisture. Earthworms need cool, moisture and dark homes. Earthworms chomp through the waste, which is excreted as 'vermicompost'. After about 15 days, the ready compost is seived to provide uniform textured output. The larger bits are put back into the vats- to provide culture for a new batch of wet waste.

Sieving the vermicompost

The ready vermicompost is supplied to gardens in University campus. The beauty of these gardens is legendary. It provides happiness to thousands of employees of University, morning and evening 'walkers' as well as the large number of visitors who just come to see the gardens. I remember my father waking me up on winter mornings and taking me to see the flowers in full bloom.

This system is absolutely marvellous!

WATERMELONS- DELINGPOLE

Description- Non fiction book by James Delingpole
                     Biteback publishing
                     2012
                     300 pages including index, Eleven chapters


It was quite an experience reading this book immediately after 'studying' the thick Earth in balance by Al Gore. In a nutshell- my head was spinning for two days from the severe thought churning I got.

Delingpole has set out an argument for the 'Anthropogenic (human caused) Global Warming' being a huge scam. But his writing is not 'soft'- it is relentlessly critical, scathing and occasionally frankly abusive. So much for 'editing' and at one place he calls himself 'nice person'.

But he has a point- in favour of critical thinking and his arguments sound plausible. At least it has put me on the guard about a few things- not assuming things and not advising others. Yes, I have been waiting for refugees from Maldives (India is the closest country)- since I was in school and it has not yet happened. But I was not completely convinced of his arguments- because I have personally experienced the change in climate in Pune- Mumbai, India where I have lived (almost) my whole life. Warming may be good for England- but in India we rather not have more heat!

It is all okay to oppose the concept and movement against global warming but being in the rare minority with a contrary view,  Delingpole now has the responsibility to write an appendix- about what part of the pro-environment movement he is not against.  There is no denying that we are in-charge of this planet, there MUST be SOMETHING we must in the form of 'maintainence'. At least something about landfills, effluents, etc? Otherwise his will be a piece in favour of continuing the poor civic and environment  habits prevailing in many countries (India-very bad).

GREEN WARS- BY BAHAR DUTT

I picked up this book in a local bookstore- the only book on 'environment' available that day. It is a recent publication. And quite well written. It covers reports that Bahar Dutt compiled during her stint as 'eco- journalist'. It is heartening to see that someone can have a regular job covering environmental aspects in India. The case studies are engaging. We always read about foreign stories; this was a refreshing change.

The stories are well- written in a simple language. They make for an engaging and interesting reading.

I will definitely recommend this book.