The Problem with Packaging

God knows why I haven't written about it till now as I have been practicing this for over a decade now. A debate on facebook triggered me to write about it now. Someone was doing a campaign against unnecessary packaging around Diwali...gift wraps etc.

Though I have been terming such initiatives as pseudo-environmentalism but I think its a lack of critical thinking and sense of enquiry amongst people, which make people relate to environmental issues superficially. So, I am not a Holy Cow. But just let me vent it out guys. Also, do read this piece on illogical environmentalism around Holi - http://educationandenvironment.blogspot.in/2013/03/save-water-on-holi-illogical.html

Anyways, let me get to packaging.

Packaging became essential in history when products produced enmasse needed to be preserved and transported. Leaves, Wood and rope were primary packaging materials used at some time. Then came paper and it was paper packets we had to deal with along with Glass to pack liquids. As these packaging materials were not durable, the thirst of humans took them to plastic and pet.

Thats when the problem started. biscuits, chips etc started getting packed in plastic packets and so did liquids in plastic and pet bottles. Packets became sachets and we littered everywhere. Initially it was less but then even the basic groceries started coming in packets - pulses, paneer, spices and even dahi.
Today you cant even think of buying groceries without packets.

While we thought we were getting cleaner, nicely packed items. we started throwing things here and there. You would find a chips packet even on a trek in the mountains and in fresh water streams. And this would lay in the jungle for ages, never to be degraded. And I dont think even 5% of these packets are recycled. Mixed with wet waste, they lie in the landfills of cities and dumping sites near towns and villages.

There have been movements to ban plastic bags. But thats just perhaps 20% of the entire plastic waste. The real culprits are the packed big companies products that you consume.Nobody dare ban them. Himachal Pradesh High Court was going to take a decision to ban them but I think the case has gone in cold box now. After all its the economy of so many companies involved.

We can deal with this at a personal and policy level.

I have been dealing with this at a personal level for quite some time. I avoid packed products as far as possible. So, very rarely would you find me consuming packed biscuits and chips. I would rather eat biscuits from a local bakery or naan khatai in a paper packet. I know I miss out on life and Kurkure, but I am ready to give that much for environment. I remember at a party I hosted in my house, what a pain it was to get fresh juice from a local shop to serve fresh and get open or khulla paneer. I was a radical then. Now I know there is as much  I can do. But I try and do the best.

Many people laugh at me, open a packed chips packet and offer me saying...now its not packed. But I am clear I want to do it.

Its the same with liquids. You buy coke mobile and then throw the pet bottle away, which is unlikely to be recycled and even if it gets recycled it will create nuisance in terms of gases emitted during recycling. I say...where have the glass coke bottles disappeared. Why cant we consume in glass bottles and get a refill. No damage to environment. Milk used to be sold in bottles in Delhi at sometime. Why cant it happen now? World Conferences on environment happen and pet bottles of drinking water adorn the panelists tables. What the hell is such environmentalism for?

I carry a water bottle and there are some interesting initiatives of refill going on. Read http://publicsolutions.blogspot.in/2013/02/refill-your-water-bottlecola.html

I think Modi's campaign of cleaning up India is well intended but we cant live by cleaning up and hiding our litter. What happens to the litter in the dustbin is the key question if you are talking of real environmental sustainability.

I invite everybody to take responsibility for the waste they generate on a daily basis. Quit packaged products. Lets talk to companies and promote sustainable packaging.

Parle G biscuits were once packed in paper packets. Why cant Coke and Pepsi promote glass bottles. I know its difficult and perhaps may even cost more to the company. But tell me, is it ok to do a karma which will be there in this world for centuries.

Lets clean up and do the karma, which liberates us and the world. Lets avoid and perhaps quit packed products.

BLACK HOLE INFORMATION SYNDROME

I watched Alia Bhatt's Genius of the Year video yesterday and found it to be hilarious...a number of laughable moments...but at the same time as an educationist, I found it disturbing underneath. It takes so much for a girl to prove that she's not dumb.

It speaks a lot about our society's obsession to know trivia of general knowledge...and also the impact it has on people who dont know this trivia called general knowledge. It has a huge cost especially if you see from an educational angle. Thousands of teachers despise their students when they dont know whats obvious...and not all students reach the Dumb Belle Mental Gym.

Knowing or not knowing something doesnt make a zilch of a difference as far as education is concerned. And the biggest mistake an educationist can do to make somebody learn is to mock that person about not knowing something.

Now I know she said Prithvi Raj Chauhan was India's President or something and I dont know why she said what she said. And you could consider it as an information important enough. But frankly speaking how does it matter if she doesnt.

Though it was a spoof kind of thing, but when Alia cried in the end. It was all the pain of the person, who has to prove herself...prove herself for what. Thousands of people make this effort to attain trivial general knowledge to prove that they are cool. They dont even know the pain they are in...of having to know everything...because its endless. Thats what I call Black Hole Information Syndrome. Are you suffering from it.

I was just sharing with a friend how annoying it is to sit with people who know everything...music, politics, films, international affairs, food, science, history etc. And then my friend remarked...actually all these people must perhaps be very lonely in life and have nothing else to do but to gather information. Dont know if thats true...but I am sure they are out there to prove...they are not dumb.

Guys you are not dumb...stop gathering this information...stop proving yourself.

Its all right to know something and not to know something.

On a different note and I have written a lot about it earlier...Quiz is the most dumb thing educationists created. Testing people on information they memorised. When I was in school people memorised country capitals and currencies. Why would any sane person do it? What use is this information? But somehow Quizzing has reached our DNA...Imagine KBC. We enjoy us being challenged around the information we have? Its a sport or a game to get more marks or less? Hardly do we realise that in this game of information gathering we kill the real learning? No wonder then the information gatherers are in IITs and in IAS, while the real learners do some odd jobs. Ha ha.

P.S- The movie also has a pedagogical discourse on teaching methods...teaching through dance etc. Enjoy the film...even if you are not an educationist. Its meant to entertain not to educate.

Learning from Conflict

The entire country and especially Bangalore is protesting the rape of a 6 year old in a school. Parents are out protesting on the road demanding action. CM’s remarks are making the news. All parents with school going children know about the issue and are talking about it at home, office and public places…everywhere.

But what about the children? Somehow we tend to leave children out of all conversations with regards to the ugly side of the society. For most parents and even educationists, children must live in a cocoon, not only unharmed but even uninformed about what’s happening in the society.

But do you think a child doesn’t get to know when the parents fight? Of course they do because they have been watching you closely. However, the same may not happen when it’s a social issue. Children often get misinformed or illinformed, making their own meanings of a situation.

Having said that, what most of us parents and even educationists miss out is the opportunity available to us to talk about these issues with children at such points and consequently impact their learning. This is the time for parents to talk to their children about the menace of rape.

I checked with a fellow educator friend. Thankfully, she told me that she spoke to her daughter about it but not the son. She now plans to have a conversation with her son as well.

Krishna Kumar, former director NCERT had taken this matter up beautifully in the book ‘Learning from Conflict’. He shares that every time there is a riot or bomb blast in the city, while everybody talks about it, the schools remain silent. The teachers don’t talk to the children about it. I am told that’s what’s happening in Bangalore.

While the entire media is talking about the issue, all that the schools around India are doing is gossip about it in staff rooms and corridors. It’s a time for schools to ‘learn from this conflict’ and engage students in a discussion around the issue, appropriately. There is a lot of learning which will happen in the process. They will be surprised of what comes out of it. At least get the teachers in a room and have a discussion on the issue.

There is a lot of discussion around the issue of sex education in this country and its still a big taboo in the top schools of this country.  People see the Bangalore incident as related and desist from the topic. It’s the same mentality of women not talking of abuse. But what would explain the schools not discussing the Muzaffarnagar riots or the Gaza invasion and killings?

Its high time we realise that we could utilise conflicts as great learning opportunities for us as well as our children. Are we really educating children merely to become great professionals (read Maths/Science) or are we educating them to become citizens of this world? who know how to deal with issues like hatred and conflict. Its time to reorient education. Its time for education for peace and sustainable development. 

India's new HRD minister Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani is India's new HRD minister and she is not a graduate. Thats the news and everybody is talking about it. Now I am not a BJP guy but an aam aadmi. Still I guess that shouldnt stop me from being on her side.

Now, let me tell you that I am one who thinks that India's sports bodies should be run by sportspeople and not politicians but I wonder why when it comes to education I am ok with a rather less educated HRD minister.

Perhaps because I am a pedagogue by heart and I put learning above knowledge. I think education is everybody's business. Everybody learns...even an illiterate. Perhaps the learning of an illiterate is more experiential than the lettered. And mind it experiential learning is what everybody wants.

I am thinking of giving some absurd examples of Shatrughan Sinha being a succcessful Health Minister and Lalu being  a successful Railway minister...but let me refrain from that logic and follow the pedagogic line.

What India requires is not a Hoxbridge educated person as the Education Minister but a person who understands learning. We talk about 3 idiots and about how the education is not delivering what is wanted because we put something else in the forefront rather than learning. We are more interested in having the correct definition of a machine and less interested in the simplicity of what it is ( 3 idiots style). Similarly, we are more interested in a educationally defined HRD Minister rather than a learning oriented HRD Minister.

I think academic qualification is no merit for being a HRD minister as long as a minister understands the learning needs of the people of India. That ways Raju Hirani or the script writer of 3 idiots would be a better HRD minister. And why not...what we want in India is someone sensible to be at the helm of affairs at HRD...and who knows it is Smriti.

Also, let me make it clear that I am not against a highly educated HRD minister but for me the first criteria is the person being open to learning. As I say many a times, a gold medalist in Physics may not be the best physics teacher. A second class in Physics person may be a better teacher.

I am not a great fan of Modi but I happened to listen to one of his speeches long time back (one of the numerous he made in the run up to the elections)..I think at a college in Delhi. And he reiterated that he would like to create the best teachers so that they can impact this country. Now if Smriti got that then I think a lot could be done in the HRD ministry because I am in for a strong teacher education oriented HRD ministry.

All the best Smriti.