The Mission and the Mangoes is a work of fiction that sets its premise around a dystopic, water-starved Earth where unrestrained mining, drilling and the exhaustion of earth’s resources is rendering the planet unlivable. The young author of the book, 12-year-old Hena Parveen, tries to marry a futuristic setting where technological advancements such as humanoid robots and regular space exploration are a reality, with the Earth’s ecosystem that is hurtling towards an inevitable collapse. Interestingly, all this does not take place in a far-fetched future...

This dream of Gobar Times magazine emphasizes upon spreading awareness for mitigating the climate crisis. ********************************* We are living in a time of panic and distress, yet we continue to be in a state of delusion. Climate change is real. If we do not accept this truth and take control of the situation, we will face extinction. While an overload of information we receive every day on climate change dehumanises the crisis and makes it distant and unreal, a huge chunk of the subject that usually gets left out from the data...  

A vision for rebuilding Mother Earth through ‘Harmony’ and ‘Students Solidarity’.   ******************************* Imagine if I were the editor of Gobar Times! Could there be anything more exciting than working on a magazine that brings topics related to Nature to the notice of young environmentalists across the country? The first thing I would do is...

What kind of world will the younger generations inherit? Piu gets a hint.

The coastal state of Maharashtra has three major rivers and several lakes, making it one of the few states in India having a vast water bank. However, most of its water bodies, including the Godavari, Krishna and Tapti rivers, are so polluted that they look like nullahs or drains. Heard about the Jayanthi and Gomati nullahs of Kolhapur? Well, according to water conservationist Rajendra Singh, they were once a water source but today we call them nullahs.

Froth belongs inside our washing machines. So, what is it doing there on the surface of our water bodies? Water molecules prefer their own company, so they tend to stick together in drops. We call it surface tension. To make water wash better, we have to reduce its surface tension. The surfactants, that is, the surface active agents in detergents do the job.

When the rain gods do not send water for irrigation, farmers look downwards, at groundwater, for help. But, years of groundwater exploitation and lack of recharging, has led to a fall in the water tables. For instance, in north and central Gujarat, water tables have dropped to 20m per decade since 1974, as per a study by the Central Ground Water Board. If this continues, extracting groundwater will get more expensive because we have to dig deeper, or worse, groundwater will be only a myth for future generations.