Towards a Sustainable State (Dharma Rajya)

In the first week of April 2010, I finally managed to visit the beautiful Nilje Lake near Dombivli. I started off from my in-laws’ place in Dombivli on a morning trip of Nilje Lake with my wife’s uncle Uday Dada. After planning for several weeks we managed to make this trip and despite the rising mercury it was worth it. We started off at 8.30 am, which is late as compared to normal bird-watching standards, but since we expected waders (birds seen in shallow water) we were not bothered about the time, since unlike forest or grassland birds, waders generally remain in the wetlands even as the scorching sun marches up the sky. We drove off on Uday Dada’s Honda Activa and even in the concrete jungle called Dombivli, the beauty of spring was evident from the blossoms of Indian Laburnum (Bahawa), Gulmohar, Copperpod (Soanmohar), White Silk Cotton and an occasional Pride Of India tree (Taman). After cruising briefly on the Kalyan Shil Road amidst upcoming townships altering the earlier rural...

Spring is that time of the year when all trees are sprouting new leaves of myriad colours and flowers of all hues are blossoming all over. Birds are active with their array of melodious calls and whistles and nature dons a new look after the dull winter. This is a time when the forest is as beautiful as it is just after the rains. This spring I chose the Shilonda trail in Borivli National Park in Mumbai, for a Sunday morning walk. I had with me a friend – Ketan – who was taking a nature trail for the first time. My novice nature loving friend did not fail to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere as we entered the forest on my bike from the Borivli gate. A minute ago the road that was full of honking vehicles, exhaust fumes and cement dust even at that early hour (7.30 am is early on a Sunday morning in Mumbai !), suddenly entered the verdant landscape of the Borivli jungle with all its refreshing charm. We took the bike up to the junction of Shilonda trail and from there began ou...

Recently I saw an interesting new Marathi movie titled "Made in China". It is well made and has an interesting story line. Here is a brief review. In line with the string of good Marathi movies that have come out in the last few months, starting from "Saade Maade Teen" and "Valu", here is one more thought provoking and highly realistic movie "Made in China". The title is a bit confusing and does not give an idea of what it is all about, untill you see it. The movie is about the current topic of SEZs and its repurcussions on the surrounding society. Several thousand acres of prime fertile land has been earmarked for a proposed SEZ in Western Maharashtra and the news spreads like wildfire in this rustic setting. There are prosperous farmers like the nephew of the politician (who has mooted the idea of the SEZ) and there are marginal farmers whose daily bread is dependent upon what they sell daily. The nephew who is truely in love with mother earth...

In the wake of the inhuman devilish terrorist attacks on Mumbai, here is a layman’s common sense thoughts on how to tackle this monster that has been bleeding us for long, once and for all. 1. Discontinue all train, bus, air and sea transport and trade with Pakistan and Bangladesh, till such a time that cross-border terrorism stops completely. 2. Put a 20 feet tall steel fence all along our borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, wherever it does not exist yet, with high voltage electric current running through it. Put up watch towers with heavily armed soldiers all along the Indian side of this fence at every 1 kilometre and illuminate the entire border with flood lights at night. Put up warning boards on the outer side of this fence that anybody who attempts to cross this fence will be shot without warning. A strip of land of about 200 metres on either side of this fence should be cleared of all habitation, vegetation and other obstructions. If such a fence is not possible in the high ...

A train crawls into Churchgate station, and frantic commuters are on the run. There's a mad rush to climb and sit, and it’s stuffed with people within a minute. Soon the train moves out again, to get more people in its abdomen. Struggling along it reaches Dadar, and people now fill up every nook and corner. It enters Bandra to get some more, the army inside thunders “No, no more”. Towards Andheri, some seats are vacant, and the standees are relieved in an instant. The torture and heat lessens at Kandivli, and breathing easy, it speeds to Borivli. The train and the people now rest till morning, to recharge themselves for the next evening. - Atul Sathe © (This content is under copyright and the writer can be contacted on atulsathe@yahoo.com )

I am an Indian, who deeply believes in the holistic Vedic culture of India, of which we all are inheritors and who is also proud of his mother tongue – Marathi. Thus, the recent fight between Marathis and north Indians (from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) is really saddening for a patriotic person. So allow me in my attempt to discuss a golden middle path, in which all Indians contribute and avoid further violence. What is applicable to Maharashtra, will also be valid for any other state that may face a similar problem in future. Some time back, just before the most recent beastly acts of terrorism at the Taj, Oberoi, CST and Nariman House by Pakistani terrorists, there had been a different kind of tension in Mumbai, Thane and a couple of other places in Maharashtra. This started with the renewed Marathi versus north Indian argument, following unrest by Raj Thackarey's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. The immediate trigger was the railway recruitment exam that was conducted in Maharashtra for...

Observations related to “Creating A World Without Poverty” by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus: Recently I read this book by Muhammad Yunus and it reminded me of many other sustainable and socially responsible practices and concepts that have been taught in many ancient scriptures of India and even abroad. Below is an indicative list that I recollect off-hand. · “Social Business” where the author talks about marrying interests of corporations with socio-economic development, is based on profound age-old eastern wisdom. This excellent concept of the author reminds us of the Vedic maxim of “Dharma-Arth-Kaam-Moksh” where ethics/universal laws, finance/economics, fulfilment of desires and spiritual liberation are considered to be an integral part of the life of any individual/organization. The Vedic model has an in-built aspect of being socially conscious and environmentally conscious, where all people, all living beings, earth and the entire universe are considered as sacred and manifestatio...