Ganesha Festival Pandal for Green Initiative

Creative in Concept and Context

 Greenery is meant to live with, not merely for visual pleasure.

Image-1

Entrance to Ganesha Festival Pandal in Mumbai

A neighbourhood, in Dadar, Mumbai, promoted ‘Green Initiative’ as their theme for the Ganesh Festival. This indeed is unique timely move.

The youths took lead to organize the festival with Collective Participation, albeit with leadership.

They have imaginatively used the narrow lane that leads to the deity.

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Bridge over Water Pool: Ganesha for Green

The pathway to the deity has red carpet lined with potted plants. On the pathway there are a couple of water pools. One of them is under a bridge. From here you have a panoramic view of wider vista in front of Ganesha in view across another pool of water.

On the way there were statues nearly in Greek style, while the pandal is in Indian Style.
It's COOL! Looks specious!! Creative in Concept and Context!!!

This initiative indeed keeps with the concept of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who started the Public Ganesh Festival during the Independence Movement.

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Passage leading to the deity

It is important to take the Green Initiative to Action, beyond a slogan.

And there is scope also to practice the Green Initiative close by within the locality few steps away. The place is the 'Vasant Prabhu Garden'.

It is but important to decide, what corrective action is to be taken at ground level at any place.

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The Sanctuary

Temple architecture goes with Water reservoir, Coconut tree, Banana plant...

The garden indeed needs some corrective action in my opinion. But I don't claim to be an authority. I use common sense as a user of the place.

The Municipal Corporation is the recognize authority. The garden is within the jurisdiction of the corporation (BMC). People seem to be indifferent or resigned as usual.

However, a lot could be done to improve the place, if people, particularly the youth, take initiative and also take further their green initiative from the last Ganesha Festival.

Greenery is meant to live with, not merely to look at for visual pleasure.
Working with greenery rejuvenates our mental and physical health and energies. 

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The lane to Ganesha pandal and VP Garden

The lane with red carpet as in Image-2 and 3

For more on Vasant Prabhu Garden see forthcoming post.

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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

Resting on Winter Morning in Mumbai

Life and Survival in Mumbai

Resting on Winter Morning in Mumbai

No tension! No insurance!

 More than 60% people in Mumbai are slum dwellers and squatters. Many of them are daily wagers. Whenever there "Bandh" — "close-down" in Mumbai, they may not get even water, not only food. 

He, perhaps, is compensating his sleepless night in the morning sun during this winter.

The Planners, Policy makers, perhaps can't help them because there is no provision in the prevailing acts and laws, or perhaps  they are not aware of both.

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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

OLD CITY SEWER VENT PIPES, MUMBAI

 Relics of British Raj in Bombay

1. Old City Sewer Vent pipe, Mumbai

Very few of these cast iron vent pipes fixed to the sewer drains are left in Mumbai's island city. These vent pipes; about five of them are on Dada Saheb Phalke Marg.

Their height indicates Bombay's city scale then. Now Mumbai is aiming for sky, with glass-clad skyscrapers.

2. Old City Sewer Vent pipe, Mumbai

It is heartening to see people paddling bicycles even today. Banyan trees also add to the city's past. Now the defunct Gold Mohor Mill is on the breaking point. It will be taken over perhaps by new commercial buildings, sooner or later.

The cast iron vent pipes were imported from Britain about two hundred years ago. Of course, from pin to power-loom, most machine-made items ware once imported.

Every piece assembled in this pipe has the maker's name, “CEO. GAHAGAN & CO. LTD.”, placed (See Fig.5). In those days there was no need of mentioning 'Made in Britain'.

3. Old City Sewer Vent pipe, Mumbai

Britain had once invaded 90% countries of the world. Now we may change the names of places, remove statues, repeal acts, but the list is endless. How can we remove deep impressions on our psyche — particularly the elite groomed by British-made education?

City services, such as water supply, drainage etc. should generally last for 200 to 300 years, while those for houses last for 30 to 40 years. This calls for repairs and replacements.

However, the Urban Explosion has been taking place at unprecedented rate, which is worldwide phenomenon, not only in India. It is a gift of Industrialization.

 

4. Detail-1,  Old city sewer vent pipe, Mumbai

The drainage, water supply systems have been under pressure, and are replaced. Obviously these sewer vents have been long defunct.

The citizens should generally be aware of such issues, irrespective of politics of power and patriotism in polarization.

It is not only water supply and drainage but there are many other vital public services: health, education, post and telegraph, gas, electricity, transport...open spaces and, of course, spaces for the cultural needs of the people, especially in the Pluralistic Indian Society.

4. Detail-2, Old city sewer vent pipe, Mumbai

In the democratic society, the duty to bring this awareness among the people falls on the shoulders of media — radio, TV, newspapers... or multimedia, as non-formal education; besides all the levels and streams of the mass education — public or private. Entertainment is trivial aspect of living, not vital issue, but unduly exaggerated by the entertainment industry.
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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

Knife-grinder at Mumbai’s Bazaar

 Third World India Technology

Knife-grinder in Mumbai

This is an advancement from hand operated emery wheel carried on shoulder to one fixed to bicycle paddle. Knives made of iron are still popular here than made of stainless steel.

India once excelled in iron industry (!) around 200 BC that produced rust-proof iron.

Read a story: Parable of 20th Century Blacksmith of Bhal

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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

Toy seller of rainbow colours in Mumbai

Home made toys for all

Toy seller in Mumbai- 1

 This toy is most popular. It is universal and timeless. The young man has learnt this craft by .himself; no schools or books referred to. The question of survival is utmost priority for the displaced, in the hostile city to migrants from villages. He found this option in a most creative way.

It is very economical to build, with bamboo stick, paper and bit of a wire. It runs on wind energy. There are several variations available.

The elders may encourage children to make it, and watch how they could use available materials. They may begin to do it first, to set an example!  

The toy seller arranges his stock with imagination. Whenever there is breeze the toys throw rainbows in 180 degrees.

Toy seller in Mumbai- 2

The toy seller was often chased away by the shopkeepers, if he stood in front of their shops. . Hence he was standing almost in the middle of the street. The two photographs were taken within half an hour, as he moved from one place another.

The Agencies are hardly aware of the Dynamic Energy of the People – Ryot.

© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

'Honey-Bee-Hive' experience

'Honey-Bee-Hive' — Universal Icon of Environment-Ecology-Energy

Natural Apiary

'Honey-Bee-Hive' experience has a point that we must not ignore or forget.

Bees collect honey by travelling several kilometres daily. Besides they help pollination, which increases yield of fruits and farm produce.

In the 'trade' of 'Honey' the Bees don't receive even a least of the cost, price, value or worth of their labour and skill. Forget profit.

The profit on honey is earned by the third party — agents, transporters, toll-tax collector and traders; it's a long chain from the depleting forest to city.

Honeybees, if at all survive; they lose their home and natural habitat.

It is the same story of the peasants and the aborigines in our agrarian country.

Paddy farming in Konkan | Image by Pooja Rani

One may not comprehend the extent of this work, which spans entire year, from photographs or papers.However one may get a glimpse from "Cow dung, Rice and Amartya Sen (a critique): Challenges of 21st Century" and farmers' needs in contemporary context.

Community Participation is a major common feature of the bees and peasants-aborigines, besides may other species and communities. It is an ancient tradition amongst the peasants of India, also may elsewhere.

They are 'out of sight, hence, out of mind' of the ruling class of elite minority.
 

Honey-Bee-Hive Icon of 
Environment-Ecology-Energy

"Honey-Bee-Hive" relates to Environment, Ecology and Energy, simultaneously and comprehensively. Examples are better than scholarly definitions.

NOTE: The beehive in the photo is a “natural apiary” developed by social workers of Anand Niketan, a NGO in the hills near Lonavala. It is different than that developed by the industrial Society for mass production: a colony for bees made of wooden boxes.

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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

Circus

Dombari - a caste of traditional acrobats in Mumbai- 1

Dombari - a caste of traditional acrobats in Mumbai-2

 

Circus

From South Pole
To North Pole
Life —
A tightrope walk

(Translation of the original in Marathi, dated April 1984, by the author)

This girl-child doing her circus act! What education shall our benevolent government shall give her?
How long will she take to learn Letters and Numbers?
Her motor ability is so advanced that might bring any young person to a shame.
She is already educated in life supporting skills.
But the government does not recognize her education, and likewise that of millions of royt – Janata!
Isn't it misfortune of the rulers!

Dombari are a caste of acrobats in Indian Society. In the democratic India’s changing economy, they are now vanishing: No rehabilitation, No education. Who cares?

They are mentioned in Siddhartha Jataka (3rd Century B.C). Would they ever reach the Olympics, or vanish, in the Democratic India?
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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

Learning to Learn - Iconic Lesson

Learning from the Squatter Children in Mumbai

Children among Mumbai's Squatters 

'The distinction of "educated" from the "uneducated" is merely technical. It is no longer of degrees of consciousness but more or less of information.' — Anand Coomaraswamy

IN THIS ICONIC PHOTOGRAPH, the children are learning to learn from the elder school-going sister. They are initiated to learn reading and writing language... thus their learning is easier and effective. This is a natural phenomenon among other animals too.

LEARNING, as we know, indeed begins when the child is in the womb. S/he cannot see, but can listen to the sounds in the surrounding environment: mixer-grinder, washing machine, radio-TV...traffic; singing... sound of running water. She can feel mother’s emotions, and the touch and warmth of the oceanic womb.

WORK, REST, HEALTH, LEARNING and PROPAGATION are the intrinsic functions of all the species, which are given by NATURE. Hence, in these functions all the living beings have autonomy bestowed upon them by NATURE.

The living beings include all animals and plants: from bacteria to human animal, from algae to giant banyan /oak trees; there are no exceptions.

This is the Fundamental Law by Nature (call God, if you may wish). Perhaps some call it "Sahaja Dharma" – intrinsic Dharma – in Indian languages. I suppose it refers to humans, but if extended it could apply to all biotic and abiotic entities.

Since this intrinsic functional autonomy is given to the lives by NATURE, there is no other authority or power over it of any person or any man-made institution.

May they be incarnations / prophets, or religions, governments, courts of law (justice?), military, education, economics, trade and commerce etc. All these are somewhere, somehow, directly or by proxy, obliged to the powers by a few among humans. And where there is "power" there comes corruption, ownership, superiority, slavery, terror, extremity, exploitation, destruction, annihilation… brainwashing, may it be physical or mental.

These children offer an iconic lesson in learning to the experts, educationists and Agencies.

Read more: LCM-6: LEARNING TO LEARN

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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.

Narali – Coconut – Punam festival day

Narali – Coconut – Punam festival day

Koli – fisher folks – worship their boats on Coconut Day, which falls on 1st and 2nd of August this year. Koli send their boats to sea, and start fishing on this day.

During the monsoon, the Koli are busy mending their nets, making new ones,
Repair and paint their country crafts. They moor their boats on sandy shores, covered with leaves of coconut palms, and cultivate vegetables on monsoon rains.

 

They are one of the original residents of the islands of Mumbai.

The British, and the following governments, bulldozed the pristine creeks, hills and the sea, with increasing pressures of development economics.

These pressures pushed the Koli communities of Mumbai to the brink, to “THE LAND’S END”.

Whenever I recall this map, an emotional tsunami erupts, my blood boils. I'm still a Konkani village brat.

What extraordinary place this land must have been then, with creeks, hills, tropical greenery and the nesting villages with sweet water wells and lakes, before the Portuguese landed here!

They attacked Mahim Fort, won the battle, and their soldiers walks on the streets of Mahim village, killed innocent villagers just to intimidated them. On their heels came Missionaries to spread the Good News, Gospel of Love !!

All the splendor Mumbai's nature was later bulldozed by the British bunya, forever!

King is dead. Long live the king!

NOTE: While editing this post, I receive email from Nat Geo about World's Best Surf Towns with photos. A notable city is Venice with canals; it is said Venice is literally floating on sea water and is in danger of sinking. We may compare Mumbai before 1670 had it continued with same land mass for its organic growth with Venice.

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© Remigius de Souza. All rights reserved.