Hunting animals used to be central to the survival of most human communities over most of human history, whether it be for food or medicines or to use their fur and skin as clothes and rugs. Communities had developed ways to hunt animals without overexploiting them, such that the animals and humans could survive together. While we try to inculcate the values of sustainability in people today through classes and lectures, such values used to be a matter of common sense. If you kill all the animals this year, what are you going to hunt next year?...
Commemorating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav with a brief tale of our peoples and environment from c. 1872–2022, spanning about 75 years before and after our tryst with destiny.
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'Why was India lost?’ asked Mahatma Gandhi in his famous little book of philosophies, the Hind Swaraj, in 1909. Without any pun intended, he answered some lines later: ‘The English have not taken India; we have given it to them.’...
Knock-knock, who’s there? The holy Brown Rock Chat. A holy who???... That’s how a timid bird perplexed me at 3:30am in the dark of dawn. It was February 2019 and I was calming the anxieties of my daughter, who was fearing her imminent exams. Persistently knocking my door—I hesitated to investigate any such visitor at an ungodly hour. So, I peeped out from an adjacent window to survey my doorway and was delightfully surprised to find a beautiful, winged creature.
“Mama, look who’s come to wish me luck!" My doll whispered in ecstasy...
Does food grow only in pristine farmlands of rural areas or is it available around us in cities as well? Let us try and forage for some food right here, in our neighbourhood parks.
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It was a Sunday, therefore, a holiday and for that reason a day for some fun and exciting activity. Hence, Babbi was quickly getting ready to receive her friend Neenu and go play in the nearby park. Neenu’s mom would also come along as she was close friends with Babbi’s mom and the two of them often planned many engagements for their kids…
What are Micro-Plastics?
Micro-plastics have not been defined in particular. They are just tiny particles that result from the disintegration of bigger plastic materials. However, most researchers say that any plastic smaller than 5 millimetres in size is a micro-plastic. Hence, these are really, really teeny-tiny!
Plastics are made up of polymers, which are derived from fossil fuels. A whole lot of chemicals are added to the polymers—close to 10,000—to ensure that a given plastic has the desired properties...
In today’s time of COVID when venturing outside to exercise is not advised, yoga is something which you can do while remaining indoors. All you need is a simple, comfortable mat. I have always liked doing yoga and have also participated in and won many national and international competitions for the same. Speaking to Reema Saikia, a renowned yogacharya residing in Rishikesh, a master trainer of trainers and a disciple of the Bihar School of Yoga, I received some gyan on why it is indispensable to pursue yoga in the current times...
A vow from an environmentalist to pledge his duty to preserve Mother Earth.
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If I was the editor of Gobar Times, I would appreciate and highlight all those people in my magazine who try to keep our environment clean. This would include people who save and plant trees and conduct public programmes to spread awareness about environmental issues...
Recently, the mercury in many parts of northern India touched 48°C. Many records were broken by the rising temperature—March this year was marked as the hottest in the past 122 years! Public places, as a result, wore a deserted look as residents were forced to stay indoors.
A snippet of the vibrant activities conducted from the kindergarten tiny-tots to the high-school teenagers under the Green Schools Programme
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Online education became the talk-of-the-town in 2020 when the entire globe succumbed to an unknown lockdown for more than 300 days. Students became weary and so the entire education community sprung up to the challenge. Country-wide they took to their screens like wildfire, proving their resilience in a jiffy.
At the Pawar Public School, Chandivali, we went a step beyond with the Green Schools Programme (GSP). Organised by the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, the GSP sensitised our youth about environment conservation...
What’s the best time to eat a fruit or a veggie? Which season and for what reason?
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Babbi had barely woken up and was rubbing her eyes, when she heard her mom faintly. She was calling out the names of pulses, fruits, and vegetables in the kitchen. Her dad was sitting in the next room making a list of fresh food to buy from the market.
Babbi chipped in drowsily, “Papa, please get some mangoes. It's been ages since we had those,” she requested. Her dad paused and smiled...
The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganga. It travels barely a distance of 22 km through Delhi. However, this region contributes to about 80 per cent of its total pollution load. Currently, this stretch discharges waste water from almost 22 drains into the river. Untreated effluents, containing toxins and chemicals, released from houses and industries creates froth (white foam) on the river’s surface. Algae, in addition, prevents sunlight from venturing into the depths of this river. Plus, low water level in the river causes concentration of these pollutants…
