The most significant thing that happened to me in 2009 was the birth of Ekagra. I am happy to report that just like his father, he's very fond of The Economist. You can see him here with one of the year-end editions.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Have a great New Year!
Best wishes to the entire PROTON family for the New Year 2010! Thank you for your friendship, respect, forbearance and patience in 2009 (and earlier).
The most significant thing that happened to me in 2009 was the birth of Ekagra. I am happy to report that just like his father, he's very fond of The Economist. You can see him here with one of the year-end editions.
The most significant thing that happened to me in 2009 was the birth of Ekagra. I am happy to report that just like his father, he's very fond of The Economist. You can see him here with one of the year-end editions.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
"Play suspended due to unfit playing conditions"
Just a few days ago, I wrote about how process-oriented the US was, and the contrast with India. In a separate post, I also wrote about how polluted our cities were.
As though to underscore both these points, along came today's one-day cricket match at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in Delhi.
First, the pollution and haze. You can see it in these photos. It was in fact a lot worse on TV and in real life. A friend, Dr. Vijay Kumar of Amazon, was watching the match from Seattle and sent a mail saying that what he was seeing "is essentially a black screen". And he added, much as I had indicated in my previous post, "Sad thing is, everyone you meet in India will tell you that according to their newspaper, Delhi's air is cleaner 'per capita' than world cities."
Second, the pitch. It was a scandal. One would have thought that there would be a process to ensure that the pitch conforms with international norms. One could use bowling machines, play a Ranji game, have a third party expert certify it - whatever. As things turned out, the top DDCA and BCCI honchos were sitting in the stadium as bystanders as the match referee declared the pitch unsafe. And the thousands of money-paying cricket fans were deprived of a good game of cricket and their Sunday was ruined.
"Bahut shade hai" was a phrase we used to use at IIT. It describes today's non-match aptly.
As though to underscore both these points, along came today's one-day cricket match at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in Delhi.
First, the pollution and haze. You can see it in these photos. It was in fact a lot worse on TV and in real life. A friend, Dr. Vijay Kumar of Amazon, was watching the match from Seattle and sent a mail saying that what he was seeing "is essentially a black screen". And he added, much as I had indicated in my previous post, "Sad thing is, everyone you meet in India will tell you that according to their newspaper, Delhi's air is cleaner 'per capita' than world cities."
Second, the pitch. It was a scandal. One would have thought that there would be a process to ensure that the pitch conforms with international norms. One could use bowling machines, play a Ranji game, have a third party expert certify it - whatever. As things turned out, the top DDCA and BCCI honchos were sitting in the stadium as bystanders as the match referee declared the pitch unsafe. And the thousands of money-paying cricket fans were deprived of a good game of cricket and their Sunday was ruined.
"Bahut shade hai" was a phrase we used to use at IIT. It describes today's non-match aptly.
Global warming, local choking
There is nothing wrong with getting hot under the collar about global warming. But if you live in one of India's cities, you only have to look out of the window to see that local choking will get to you well before global warming does.
The biggest killer is the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM). It is the stuff that you see billowing out of trucks and diesel taxis. In Delhi, the RSPM levels are THREE TIMES higher than what is considered safe. And it's actually getting worse - the gains obtained from switching Delhi buses to CNG are being wiped out. The eight hour carbon monoxide levels are approximately 6,000 microgram per cubic meter – again THREE TIMES above the safe level of 2,000 microgram per cubic metre.
High levels of RSPM trigger runny nose, sore throat, burning eyes, wheezing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, serious complications in people with heart disease, and cancer. Carbon monoxide poisoning leads to nausea, headaches, shortness of breath, unconsciousness and brain damage.
So debate the Copenhagen outcome as much as you will. Stand up for our rights as a developing country if you must. But first please make sure our children will not be poisoned every day on their way to school and back.
[Source: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)]
The biggest killer is the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM). It is the stuff that you see billowing out of trucks and diesel taxis. In Delhi, the RSPM levels are THREE TIMES higher than what is considered safe. And it's actually getting worse - the gains obtained from switching Delhi buses to CNG are being wiped out. The eight hour carbon monoxide levels are approximately 6,000 microgram per cubic meter – again THREE TIMES above the safe level of 2,000 microgram per cubic metre.
High levels of RSPM trigger runny nose, sore throat, burning eyes, wheezing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, serious complications in people with heart disease, and cancer. Carbon monoxide poisoning leads to nausea, headaches, shortness of breath, unconsciousness and brain damage.
So debate the Copenhagen outcome as much as you will. Stand up for our rights as a developing country if you must. But first please make sure our children will not be poisoned every day on their way to school and back.
[Source: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)]
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