Yes, it is an amazing world we live in. Despite how much I curse energy heavy processes, flying although not exactly easy on the environment, is definitely one that I do a lot! The modern marvel of "mass aviation" enabled me to reach Mumbai in a little over 15 hours in a plane!
Trust me the change is drastic! But before I contrast, I must write a word of appreciation for the Continental CO-48 crew. Great service, friendly and one of the best and smoothest landings ever!
So I take off- from Newark after some delay due to technical reasons and already in the plane it is clear that things are different-how? well there is a mix of second gen , Indian origin Americana's, immigrants, and business flyer's. The highlight is the number of families traveling and the number of children on this flight, and may I add the number of pregnant couples! Though I did not see more than two children per family, I have to see I was happy to see that the professional and educated Indian population is still procreating . Why do I say that? Just take a Europe bound flight and you will know that it is very different and the educated population choose more and more not to procreate.
While it is true that we are expanding faster than the planet can accommodate, a healthy rate of procreation of educated families will, in my opinion be the key to take on the burning issue. What we need is that these people take on the challenges of the world- especially those of the poor- and educate them so they as well procreate at the manageable rate of only 1 or 2 per couple. The uncontrolled rate of growth of population in some of the worlds most dangerous and poorest places is compounding the problem of poverty, malnutrition and in general anarchy. So my mantra - " all have an equal right to procreate, as long as we are talking about 2 children!" Also if we stabilize the population rate at it's current level, we might have a better chance to win the energy and ecological battle !
Now we land in Mumbai , and something strikes immediately- the number of air-conditioning units that have been installed over the past year to make the travellers more comfortable! Yes the energy use just on this airport has probably quadrupled over the last year or so! But this is just a sample of what is happening in the developing world - Progress means more use of ENERGY!
The encouraging part- progress, the disturbing part- chaos and thus more need of Energy than required!
Take the pickup area for the passengers- utter and poor management and design - in turn chaos! It takes more time and thus more fuel per pick up due to a system- that on paper may look slick- cars come- park at a temporary location, pick up the passengers and leave. The problems- not enough parking , no place for trolleys , not enough lanes- the result, it takes an hour for a car from the parking to reach the pick up point! Imagine the amount of fuel used!
Now lets take the positive- lots of progress all around, lots of new buildings, lots of new establishments, new cars and new constructions.
Lets take the contrast to the western world- in Mumbai, the rich and the poor, the new and the old, the immaculate and the depricate ! Sitting in a 125 USD a night , I look across from 9th floor panoramic window at an urban slum frm my window, where the average family wage ranges probably 25-50 dollars a month.
India is thriving on variety! where as the west chooses and tries to achieve uniformity- be it the straight cut steets of suburbia in the US or the uniform street street signs of Germany! The contrast is very stark and almost threatenining to a first timer! Pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds, rikshaws, busses, trucks and my crossover and 7 series BMW all lined up at the same crossroad!
In this contrast- the hot, flat and crowded that Thomas Friedman talks about has a whole new meaning- and the solutions to the Energy problems as I search for answers, takes a new turn too- The energy management here needs a different approach- we need ro design right so we do not ape the energy heavy west! we need to go about thinking of efficiency right from the star- and if that means the hotels, houses, factories and facilities will look different to what the west has come to build and operate , then so be it! Diversity and not uniformity may be the basis of the answers for our future-
Watch this space as I traverse India...
On the news when something wacky happens in a neighborhood (man stockpiling weapons, nice family of five with a meth lab in the basement, serial killers, etc.) the reporter will interview the suspects's neighbors and the neighbors generally say something like, "Oh he was nice, quiet. Kept to himself a lot." I was thinking about this on my way into work since I am really the only quiet person on my block, the only one who keeps to myself. My neighbors are loud and sadly never keep to themselves. Sunday night it was the party people next door, and this morning it was the neighbors whose car alarm goes off each morning because they still forget to disarm it before opening the car door. On the weekends it's impossible to have a quiet moment in my 'hood because the family across the street conducts every conversation outdoors using their highest volume setting. They have become friends with another family several houses away and instead of using this newfangled "telamaphone" gadget, they just holler down the street to each other and all their collective kids. It's delightful.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't think they know how loud they are. For a while I thought maybe all their kids were hard of hearing since the mom has to yell at each one thirty times a night to come in, shut the door, bring your bike in, etc. Finally it dawned on me that poor mother had children with a rare strain of selective deafness. They seem to hear nothing their mother says between the hours of four and eight p.m. Fascinating! I was going to call my dad and ask if any of his children (though surely not me) had ever suffered from rapid-onset selective deafness but I didn't want to hear his answer so I didn't bother calling.
( compare and contrast my 24 hrs )
Anyway, I don't have a human head in my fridge or a drug lab in the garage but I am really the quiet one who keeps to himself in the neighborhood. If any of my neighbors ever get arrested I plan to tell the TV news reporter that they were loud, bothered everyone, and couldn't work a car alarm. And also I will complain about my evil arch nemesis, the ice cream man. Just 'cause.....
compare and contrast my 24 hrs ...
ReplyDeleteOn the news when something wacky happens in a neighborhood (man stockpiling weapons, nice family of five with a meth lab in the basement, serial killers, etc.) the reporter will interview the suspects's neighbors and the neighbors generally say something like, "Oh he was nice, quiet. Kept to himself a lot." I was thinking about this on my way into work since I am really the only quiet person on my block, the only one who keeps to myself. My neighbors are loud and sadly never keep to themselves. Sunday night it was the party people next door, and this morning it was the neighbors whose car alarm goes off each morning because they still forget to disarm it before opening the car door. On the weekends it's impossible to have a quiet moment in my 'hood because the family across the street conducts every conversation outdoors using their highest volume setting. They have become friends with another family several houses away and instead of using this newfangled "telamaphone" gadget, they just holler down the street to each other and all their collective kids. It's delightful.
Actually, I don't think they know how loud they are. For a while I thought maybe all their kids were hard of hearing since the mom has to yell at each one thirty times a night to come in, shut the door, bring your bike in, etc. Finally it dawned on me that poor mother had children with a rare strain of selective deafness. They seem to hear nothing their mother says between the hours of four and eight p.m. Fascinating! I was going to call my dad and ask if any of his children (though surely not me) had ever suffered from rapid-onset selective deafness but I didn't want to hear his answer so I didn't bother calling.
Anyway, I don't have a human head in my fridge or a drug lab in the garage but I am really the quiet one who keeps to himself in the neighborhood. If any of my neighbors ever get arrested I plan to tell the TV news reporter that they were loud, bothered everyone, and couldn't work a car alarm. And also I will complain about my evil arch nemesis, the ice cream man. Just 'cause.....
On the news when something wacky happens in a neighborhood (man stockpiling weapons, nice family of five with a meth lab in the basement, serial killers, etc.) the reporter will interview the suspects's neighbors and the neighbors generally say something like, "Oh he was nice, quiet. Kept to himself a lot." I was thinking about this on my way into work since I am really the only quiet person on my block, the only one who keeps to myself. My neighbors are loud and sadly never keep to themselves. Sunday night it was the party people next door, and this morning it was the neighbors whose car alarm goes off each morning because they still forget to disarm it before opening the car door. On the weekends it's impossible to have a quiet moment in my 'hood because the family across the street conducts every conversation outdoors using their highest volume setting. They have become friends with another family several houses away and instead of using this newfangled "telamaphone" gadget, they just holler down the street to each other and all their collective kids. It's delightful.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't think they know how loud they are. For a while I thought maybe all their kids were hard of hearing since the mom has to yell at each one thirty times a night to come in, shut the door, bring your bike in, etc. Finally it dawned on me that poor mother had children with a rare strain of selective deafness. They seem to hear nothing their mother says between the hours of four and eight p.m. Fascinating! I was going to call my dad and ask if any of his children (though surely not me) had ever suffered from rapid-onset selective deafness but I didn't want to hear his answer so I didn't bother calling.
Anyway, I don't have a human head in my fridge or a drug lab in the garage but I am really the quiet one who keeps to himself in the neighborhood. If any of my neighbors ever get arrested I plan to tell the TV news reporter that they were loud, bothered everyone, and couldn't work a car alarm. And also I will complain about my evil arch nemesis, the ice cream man. Just 'cause.....
On the news when something wacky happens in a neighborhood (man stockpiling weapons, nice family of five with a meth lab in the basement, serial killers, etc.) the reporter will interview the suspects's neighbors and the neighbors generally say something like, "Oh he was nice, quiet. Kept to himself a lot." I was thinking about this on my way into work since I am really the only quiet person on my block, the only one who keeps to myself. My neighbors are loud and sadly never keep to themselves. Sunday night it was the party people next door, and this morning it was the neighbors whose car alarm goes off each morning because they still forget to disarm it before opening the car door. On the weekends it's impossible to have a quiet moment in my 'hood because the family across the street conducts every conversation outdoors using their highest volume setting. They have become friends with another family several houses away and instead of using this newfangled "telamaphone" gadget, they just holler down the street to each other and all their collective kids. It's delightful.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't think they know how loud they are. For a while I thought maybe all their kids were hard of hearing since the mom has to yell at each one thirty times a night to come in, shut the door, bring your bike in, etc. Finally it dawned on me that poor mother had children with a rare strain of selective deafness. They seem to hear nothing their mother says between the hours of four and eight p.m. Fascinating! I was going to call my dad and ask if any of his children (though surely not me) had ever suffered from rapid-onset selective deafness but I didn't want to hear his answer so I didn't bother calling.
Anyway, I don't have a human head in my fridge or a drug lab in the garage but I am really the quiet one who keeps to himself in the neighborhood. If any of my neighbors ever get arrested I plan to tell the TV news reporter that they were loud, bothered everyone, and couldn't work a car alarm. And also I will complain about my evil arch nemesis, the ice cream man. Just 'cause.....