Friday 1 May 2015

Nepal Disaster..Let's Try To Make Amends



Over the last one week, one of the biggest headlines across the world has been the earthquake in Nepal. Media has been promptly reporting day in and day out. Lives lost, lives saved. Lives changed. Forever. 

For those who have been affected, directly or otherwise, it's a page of their life they will have a hard time turning over. It's difficult even trying to imagine what it would be like to be in such a person's shoes. My hands sweat with the notion.

For those of us who've been fortunate enough to be a distant spectator, it's a passing thought. We think about the victims and their families when we see the visuals, read the reports. And that's that. It ends there. The next moment we get back into our daily grind. And no one is to blame. That is what is expected of every human being who wants to live. 

But this time around, please ponder.
We've been lucky now, that might not be the case always. You may say its a natural catastrophe, and wonder what is it that you can do about it. But there is something you could do in your own small way. There is a section of scientists/geologists who believe that global warming is one of the causes of earthquakes. And then there are some who think there is not enough study to support this. But let's assume the former section of scientists are right indeed, would it do us any harm in trying to do our bit to control global warming? If at all, it would create a better world for our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. Then why not try?

I'm not an expert on global warming. Whatever I know is from whatever I've read. I'm sure you would've read a lot of stuff on this already. But I would like to do my small bit to spread the word. So here it goes, from one layman to another, in as simple words.

1.  Replace regular lights with CFL lights.
2. Try and buy an energy efficient appliance when making your next purchase.
3. Do not leave your appliances on the standby mode. Switch them off.
4. Defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly. Better still, buy one which has the automatic defrost function.
5. Cover your pot when cooking.
6. Ensure that your washing machine and dishwasher are running on full loads.
7. Wherever and whenever possible, avoid very hot water, whether it be for washing or bathing.
8. A clothes hanger would be very effective than a dryer.
9. Reuse. Recycle.
10. Choose a fuel efficient car. Keep your car regularly maintained. Better still, ride a bicycle or one of those scooters we used to ride as kids (its very common in cities like London and Singapore), or simply car pool.
11. Try to buy stuff locally.
12. Plant trees.

These are small everyday things, involving minor changes in the lifestyle. But they would go a long way in creating a safer world for our future generations. If nothing, at least we shall have the satisfaction of having tried.

May God give all those who've suffered due to this tragedy, physically or emotionally, the strength to get through these tough times.



7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice one again dear author...but now let's be a little practical...d options u listed r very sensible and absolutely possible..but not to each and every one especially in a country where daily basic necessity like food clothing shelter prices r touching d sky..do u really think using a cfl against a little cheaper tube lights is manageable to all..not to forget d super expensive automatically defrost refrigerator and d fully loaded washing machine...again dis fully loaded needs a good water supply and v asking someone who hardly sees water to do dis is nothing less den making fun of ourselves...
I absolutely agree wid ur suggestions..and blv its easily possible if d ppl who rule who can make it easily accessible and possible to all think on d same line as u...
(Excuse d punctuations pls.. I m a reader and commenter...not an author or writer ;) ... )

Anonymous said...

My prayers also with d Nepal Disaster affected ppl...may god be by them and help them to overcome dis..
God bless!!!

stuka said...

Very informative ...I think if we make these few changes in our day to day lives....we will leave behind a better world for the next generation...

Unknown said...

Hey Anonymous, I guess I should've explicitly mentioned that the pointers above are meant for those to whom they are applicable in the real sense, maybe PS :)
Don't worry, I'm not insensitive enough to go and give this gyaan to say a man who's slogging his butt out in the sun on a construction site.
Yes unfortunately in India, there is a huge population who cannot think beyond their daily needs and there's a long way to go before these people can think on these lines. But at the same time there is a considerably big well-off population today as well, who need to take corrective steps. I never write anything without giving it a proper thought :-)
Anyway thanks for your feedback. I don't mind the punctuation mistakes and the grammatical errors, but I do mind that you forget to pen in your real name.

Unknown said...

Yes Stuka, let's try.

stuka said...

Very informative ...I think if we make these few changes in our day to day lives....we will leave behind a better world for the next generation...

Sumeet Nayak said...

Addressing to the concerns raised by Anonymous, i would just say that you need the will to change, be it poor or rich. If you decide to educate yourself and make people around you aware of these facts and atleast try to change for the good, that would be like taking a step towards a better world. I agree that the govt has to take the necessary initiatives but that doesn't take away from the fact that its our own responsibility as well. The facts say Kathamandu is so densely populated and so haphazardly built that the kind of destruction we see was something which scientist could see in the near future. Is govt alone too be blamed for that?? After all its nature, you challenge the very existence of it and its bound to give it back to you in a very harsh way. That's Nature Wrath.
Di, nice article again and i truly agree that rather than waiting for change to happen let us all initiate that change.
Now even i am curious who the anonymous person is. Would like to know the name.