INDIA REALLY NEEDS TO SAY NO TO PLASTIC BAGS!
Who would have thought talking to a cow would be so informative!
Basically, cows are sacred in India so wherever they want to go they
can. Stop traffic, lie down in the middle of the road, stare you out or
just simply eat everything they see – they can freely do it!
Sad thing is, cows in India, it seems, now prefer plastic bags to
grass. One cow recently (during an autopsy) was found to have 3,000
plastic bags in its very swollen belly! Not very good for producing milk
for food.
EDUCATION IS THE KEY PRIORITY FOR INDIA’S RULING PARTY
There
is hope – traditionally India is a country steeped in sustainability.
Villages have survived for centuries that way and now education for
everyone, starting with every primary school child is a national
government priority. Education it seems is key to developing an
understanding for a better future for the growing economy that is
already supporting a population close to 1 billion people.
RENEWABLE ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES EVERYWHERE
And there are opportunities galore in Bangalore! The IT sector based
in Bangalore is capturing an enormous part of global IT outsourcing. But
my question to India is: “Are you also focusing on developing a massive
renewable energy industry?” It’s all very well for Indian billionaire,
Mr Tata to market the world’s cheapest car (at US$2,500 expect millions
on the road in 12 months!) but they are still going to run out of coal
fired fuel? How will the already dire energy crisis be able to cope with
even one state i.e. Bangalore, if sustainable alternatives are not
quickly implemented.
WHAT YOU GROW IS WHAT YOU EAT
One of the original Slow Food Countries, Indians have an incredible
knack of creating the most wonderful flavours and temptations from very
local and mostly nondescript ingredients. Take for example the daily
food intake of an average, relatively poor, Indian:
Breakfast: Warm tea – Masala (spice tea). Made with goat or cows
milk, this wonderfully aromatic brew contains ginger, cardamom and other
spicy secrets to not only be filling, but medicinal. Mangoes, while in
season, boiled eggs from a local chicken, bread – unleavened flatbread
or some porridge from any grain available, sometimes oats and other
times a combination of beans.
Lunch: Vegetable curry and bread, lentils.
Dinner: Tandori (oven baked) meat if possible, or other varying vegetable curries or stews.
The entire month I spent in India, I only ate one or all
of the above combinations. My body became so used to eating less meat
and attuned to flavour! I looked forward to every meal, and when I
arrived home I found I missed the intense depth of the dishes and was
astounded by the portion sizes of meat served in Australian restaurants.
Eating less is better for the planet and your health! Obesity is now of
epidemic proportions here and not sustainable!
I learnt many things on my Indian expedition (I want to say holiday,
but really it is too confronting to be a holiday – definitely falls in
the adventure category!). Much about food, driving skills, textiles and
traditions, but the most enduring memory is that of tolerance – Hindu
India is enchanting – we should all take life a little more gently and
enjoy it a lot more.
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