Between Us and Sustainable Energy

 A friend of mine, way back in sixth grade, asked me, “Why don’t we just use solar power for

everything? It’s available everywhere if you think about it.” And that really did get me thinking,

why do we not use clean energy for everything. So, like any good future humanities student, to

answer my question I started reading about clean energy, this led me to find out that the

solution is not that simple. Today, almost six years after my friend's ingenious yet impractical

suggestion, the use of clean energy is something I am passionate about.

To implement any solution, first, we have to recognise the hurdles that stand in its way, and

these are some, I believe, that stand in the way of clean energy being used on a global

scale.

I believe that the problem of not using sustainable fuels continues because of its expensive

nature and the convenience of fossil fuels. To counteract this, governments ought to increase

their spending on research for clean energy.

Another reason is that we simply haven't found a perfect clean fuel. Many sectors, like the

transport sector, need fossil fuels because of their high energy density. Petrol contains about 40

times more energy than the most advanced battery (when both are of equal weight).

Certain industrial processes, like the manufacturing of glass, steel, cement, etc., need extremely

high temperatures, which are extremely difficult and impractical to achieve without the use of

fossil fuels.

The top 100 companies produce about 71% of global emissions, so the profit-driven nature of

companies that use fossil fuels to cut costs is also a factor. Most stakeholders in oil and fossil

fuel companies are extremely influential, and this affects the policy decisions of governments

that are swayed by these tycoons.

Finally, there is the fact that for many people, on a personal level, clean energy is not a burning

priority (pun intended). About 771 million people live in extreme poverty. For them, putting food

on the table is much more important than assessing what fuel they use.

The lack of technological advancement in using clean energy in developing countries, combined

with the tendency of companies to set up fossil fuel-consuming industries in said countries,

forms a huge hurdle for making clean energy mainstream.

Does this mean that the dream of clean energy is hopeless? I, being the ever-optimistic person, say no. It is definitely not completely impossible for us to make the green change. I will follow up on this in a new blog!

Democracy Is The Best Form Of Government [For] - Debate Topic for Students

 

Why Democracy Is The Best Form Of Government

"Democracy is the destiny of humanity; freedom its indestructible arm."

-Benito Juarez

I am of the firm belief that democracy is the best form of government available to us right now. Why? Let's start with the basics.

Firstly, democracy allows us to exercise various freedoms, such as freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom to criticise one's own government. Democracy is the government of the people, this is perhaps its biggest and most widely known virtue. Allowing everyone to participate in the decision-making process, at least in theory.

Democracies tend to produce stronger systems of checks and balances, independent media, and rule of law than other governance systems. And these institutions yield the consistently positive results seen in democracies.

Mulligan, Gil, and Sala-i-Martin (2004) find that countries that are more democratic are less likely to execute, regulate religion, or censor the press.

Gallego (2010) presents evidence that democracy has indeed had a causal effect on primary-school enrollment.

 Baum and Lake (2001) find that democratization increased secondary-school enrollment. Also, Acemoglu, Naidu, Restrepo, and Robinson (2015) find that democracy is associated with an increase in secondary schooling.

Few autocratic countries enjoy child mortality rates under 10 per 1,000. In contrast, democracies often enjoy child mortality rates below 10 or even 5 per 1,000.

Here we have considered only child mortality, but a broader analysis of countries’ health outcomes would also show that more generally, good health is linked with political freedom. My source is the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

A review of the economic growth performances of all developing countries since 1960 finds democracies have, on average, attained rates of per capita GDP growth equivalent to their autocratic counterparts. This holds for each decade as well as in aggregate. There is no empirical evidence of an authoritarian growth advantage.

On nearly every social welfare measure available, democracies exhibit development outcomes that are 15-40% superior to that of autocracies, controlling for income.

Democratic countries tend to be wealthier and have a better distribution of wealth throughout the population.

Everything considered what truly helps democracy be the best form of government is the satisfaction of the people with it.

Over the twenty-eight countries examined happiness levels in democracies stayed robust, even when variables like religion, language, and of course, income, were controlled (Dorn, Fischer, et. al 2007). Incidentally, these particular findings are also supported by (Frey and Stutzer 2000), that household income to have a minimal effect on happiness, in contrast to the effect of direct democracy. 

Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." And I have to agree, democracy has many flaws and problems but it is still the best form of government compared to all others that have been tried over and over again.

Our First Webinar - The Red Lotus

 Our First Webinar

With the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, doing groundwork became difficult. Reaching out and visiting the sanitation plant is a danger to both their healths as well as ours. We originally focused more on tangible, hands-on projects than reaching out via social media. For some time we considered taking a break altogether, but we realised that difficult times call for new experiences. The Red Lotus conducted its very first webinar on 21st April 2021, in collaboration with The Rotaract Club of Ruia College, Mumbai.

Keeping our cause in mind, the topic of our webinar was Sustainable Menstruation. Like any first, the task was exciting and daunting at the same time. We researched more in-depth than we ever had and discovered some facts that even we were shocked to learn. For example, an average sanitary napkin is used for 5 hours at most, but the exact same napkin takes up to 43,80,000 hours to decompose. This is because by far the largest component of a DSN (disposable sanitary napkin) is plastic.

After compiling and condensing all our data into short digestible points, it was time to let our creative juices flow. Setting a theme, finding the most appealing format, and making an engrossing presentation in general, was quite the challenge. But after a lot of trial and error, and even more constructive criticism from our supporters, we finally made our best presentation. 

Now, came the most time-consuming part of this whole ordeal — the narration. While all three of us are fairly good at public speaking, none of us had any experience with doing it online. And let me tell you, speaking to an audience online is a whole other ball game than speaking to them in real life. Perhaps the internet connection can go haywire at any second, maybe you've been sharing the wrong tab this entire time, maybe you've been muted this entire time, or what if your background has that super embarrassing toy from when you were two? To cut it short, we were anxious. After practice after practice, we finally settled on a flow we were comfortable with.

And now, the day of reckoning, the day of our webinar. The three of us had a 30-minute motivation meeting and we were enthralled to get the show on the road. To say the webinar went well would be an understatement, the presentation went smoothly and the audience was ebullient. Ah, the fruit worked hardest for is always the sweetest. 

The webinar was a wonderful learning experience! Our second webinar, with Vanita Vibhag, was a success too. 

We, at The Red Lotus, are definitely looking forward to holding another webinar very soon. Hope we see you then!

Ishita Desai,

Co-founder

The Red Lotus

The Red Lotus Project Instagram

The Red Lotus Project Website made by me.

The Red Lotus Project Facebook

The Red Lotus Project Blog run by me.

The Red Lotus Project

Introduction to the project

My school had assigned us a project about plastic disposal, this was before the pandemic broke out, so I and my project partners decided to visit the local sanitation plant.

This picture was taken by my friends and me at the waste disposal facility in our locality.  There we talked to the workers and found out that while people do segregate wet and dry waste, they don't properly dispose of their used menstrual product...

 

Living in a progressive and well-educated society, although we certainly weren't unaware of the societal stigma surrounding menstruation, we were still shocked to discover another side of this problem. Improper disposal of menstrual waste was a facet of the taboo surrounding menstruation we had never thought of. It was after this visit that we realized how deep-rooted the disposal of menstrual products truly is. 

The sanitation workers had pitiful accounts about how, while being given the necessary equipment to carry out the segregation process in a healthy way, they are simply not able to do so due to the callousness of the residents. We were informed about how they have a proper machine to dispose of sanitary pads, but due to the unwillingness of menstruators to properly wrap their pads/tampons in a newspaper, they are not able to make use of it. Thus, it is all collectively incinerated, the consequences of which are environmental pollution. 

The experience was eye-opening. I can only imagine that if this prevails in a literate, educated society, what the situation must be in parts of rural India. I and my friends wanted to change the situation of the workers for the better. 

So, we started The Red Lotus Project, a project aimed at spreading awareness about the proper disposal of menstrual waste and destigmatizing menstruation. I, Ishita Desai, am a co-founder of it.

 The project mainly focuses on encouraging women to wrap their sanitary napkins properly, and ensuring that the sanitation workers are equipped with all necessary implements to carry out the segregation.

This is the first step in many to come.
Be sure to follow us on our socials to join us on our journey to make change one woman at a time!

The Red Lotus Project Instagram

The Red Lotus Project Website run by me.

The Red Lotus Project Facebook

The Red Lotus Project Blog run by me.

Sanitary Waste Disposal

What is it and why we need to act now

-Ishita Desai

While there is no question of the importance of raising awareness about menstrual health and hygiene, there is always a rebuttal to raise the issue of waste produced as a result of unhygienic sanitary napkin disposal. Both of these issues are part of our list of concerns and one cannot be ignored for the sake of the other.

It calls for an all-encompassing solution, because the current practise of disposing of menstrual hygiene products existing in India is only going to worsen the garbage situation in the future.

Approximately 200 tonnes of sanitary napkin waste is generated daily for a population of 350 million menstruating women in India, assuming that 35 percent of women regularly use sanitary napkins at an average of 8 pads per month.

Even when sanitary napkin disposal constitutes only less than 1% of the total amount of plastic waste produced, it does not amount to less than 25000 tonnes per day, which, due to its enormous size, is in no case inconsequential. It is therefore no mystery that we are in dire need of sustainable alternatives for disposing of sanitary pads in India.

Thanks to sustained effort at many tiers, the feminine hygiene industry is growing rapidly, but this is creating a detrimental effect on the waste management industry, where 85 per cent of the waste is not managed due to inadequate efforts by the public health department.

This advocates for a comprehensive examination of the sanitary napkin disposal methods. A trend is observed in the methodologies according to the area inhabited by the woman. Most women residing in metropolitan areas dispose of sanitary napkins in a dustbin that ultimately ends up in landfills, while rural women prefer to wash their napkins and dump them in a pit.

Methods of disposal are also heavily reliant as to whether the napkin was disposed of at home or at work/school. In public washrooms, often due to poor infrastructure, sanitary napkins are flushed or left in corners or in other open areas. Few other women actually burn discarded sanitary napkins. This scene certainly indicates making progress to educate the masses on how to dispose of sanitary pads at home is necessary.

The Indian Government's CPCB has set standards for the dumping of sanitary waste and has clarified the responsibility of all relevant parties in the disposal of the product. Strongly advised methods for disposing of sanitary napkins vary depending on the area. For example, in rural areas low-cost incinerators are used and sanitary napkins are produced preferably without SAP. Electric incinerators are used in rural or urban setups. Some other methods are:

1. High temperature incinerator for bio-waste – Urban setup with central collection and disposal with other bio waste.

2. Deep burial – Rural setup – Compostable materials only

3. Composting – Compost site – Compostable materials only

4. Pit burning – Rural area


Per the regulations, waste can be disposed of by incineration or by disposal in landfills. Both of which are entirely feasible, and have to be applied consistently throughout all stages. In particular on rural fronts, the necessary facilities and infrastructure should really be made accessible. While these techniques sound perfect, they also have their very own challenges.

In general, incineration may not be the recommended approach, since carbon contained in fossil fuels is released to the atmosphere among other pollutants, whereas ground filling is a significant cause of waste and plastics have not been degraded for many years. We therefore ought to find alternative ways to manage our sanitary napkin waste either by storing it or using environmentally friendly items.

Though solutions such as recycling and composting exist, the handling of used sanitary napkins continues to be an issue across India since these processes have still not been widely accepted. There are, however, a few actions that a person may take to support the cause.

When one lives in an urban area, the best way of disposing of any kind of sanitary napkins will be to incinerate in a central incineration plant which are used by hospitals to dispose of sanitary and bio-waste. One must explore and locate the nearest central incineration device in their town. In order for this system to be successful, the separation of sanitary waste at person level, the processing at community scale and incineration at central incineration facilities will be necessary.

When one of them disposes of another waste in a garbage bin, the least they can do is cover the used sanitary napkin in a plastic wrapper supplied by most of the pad companies. This is vital to the hygiene and welfare of waste collectors.

In rural communities in which there is a shortage of segregation, incineration, as indicated by CPCB, will be the safest choice. Low-cost manual incinerators or electrical incinerators should be used for this function. This, as we can all bear in mind, will not solve the problem, it can only manage it better. There is space for a lot of progress in the future.

As customers are more mindful of the environmental effects and continue to make responsible buying choices, some companies have taken advantage of that fact either by falsely stating that their goods are environmentally conscious or by misleading consumers with words that they do not fully comprehend. Therefore, the few that pretend to be organic sanitary pad producers must be cross-checked.


The need for an hour is knowledge, understanding and availability of environmentally sustainable practises when it comes to treating menstrual waste effectively. When that's taken care of, it'll be easy for us to make a green change.

Is The New Education Policy A Game Changer : A Student's Perspective

 NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020

A Student's Perspective

On July 29 2020, the government announced a new National Education Policy (NEP) proposing drastic changes in school and higher education. 

The policy is worded quite complicatedly for the average student to fully understand. So , I would like to talk about the New Education Policy (2020) from a student’s perspective.

Let's start with the definition of NEP.     

An NEP is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country. NEP is not a compulsory law which all states have to follow , it is more  of a guideline . New education policies are implemented every few decades. So far India has seen a total of three NEPs, that is not counting the revisions made to the pre existing policies. 

The first one being in 1968 , under then PM Indira Gandhi. The 1968 policy called for fulfilling compulsory education for all children up to the age of fourteen and focus on learning of regional languages, outlining the three language formula to be implemented in secondary education - the instruction of the English language, the official language of the state where the school was based, and Hindi.

The second NEP was implemented in 1986 , under then PM Rajiv Gandhi. This national policy for education focused on the removal of disparities and to equalise educational opportunity, especially for women, Schedule Tribe (ST) and the Schedule Caste (SC) communities. The policy expanded the open university (university with an open door academic policy, with minimal or no entry requirements) system with the Indira Gandhi National Open University. The 1986 policy was revised in 1992 by then PM P.V. Narsimha Rao.

Now coming back to the latest national education policy of 2020, announced by PM Narendra Modi. This policy brought forward some sweeping changes ,  one being the change in structure of school education , which until now was 10+2 (ages 6-16 and ages 16-18, with pre-school not being recognised as “formal education”) , has been changed to a 5+3+3+4 design . In this ages 3-8 is foundational stage , 8-11 is preparatory , 11-14 is middle and 14-18 is secondary. Now pre school too will be recognised as formal education .

The NEP also puts emphasis on importance of regional languages, it says students until class 5 should be taught in their mother tongue or regional language.

In school education, the policy talks about mending the curriculum, easier Board exams, a decrease in the syllabus to retain “core essentials” and focus on experiential learning, critical thinking and overall holistic development of the student as a person.

 The New Education Policy includes extension of Right to Education Act 2009 to cover children of ages 3 to 18.

 Vocational education will be integrated into all schools and higher education institutions (HEI) in a phased manner over the next decade. 

Let's talk about the timeline of implementation of National Education Policy 2020 (for classes 9 , 10 ,11 and 12).

The implementation of new assessment pattern for class IX will roll out from 2021-22 session and class XI from the session 2023-24.

 Implementation of new curriculum, assessment pattern and new Board exam patterns for class X rolls out from 2022-23 while for class XII from 2024-25

By 2040 , the policy expected to be fully operational .

Education being on the concurrent list , requires the cooperation of both state and centre , this implies that there a chance that the projected timeline may be delayed.

This new educational policy seems like a game changer. It can bring India’s education to the standard to that of a developed nation and catapult India into the big league. However , the devil lies in the details . We can't make a conclusive analysis until a more details of this bill have been provided. Strict and effective execution too plays a major role in the success of this bill , in the past similar seemingly radical acts have fizzled out due to the lack of proper implementation.

Hinduism And Modern Issues , Part II

Hinduism On The Role Of Women

Conflicted Views And Progress

Women have fought for equality and freedom for a long time. Many religions and cultures see women as inferior to men, which we know, is a false notion. But the question I will be trying to answer today is, "Is Hinduism an inherently misogynistic religion?"

Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, with approximately 1.1 billion Hindus worldwide, and constitutes 15% of the world population. Hinduism is a prominent religion in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding islands. Roughly 95% of the world’s Hindus live in India.

To gain a proper understanding of the views of Hinduism on the role of women it is important that there is a distinction between the religion and the religious society. I will be discussing specifically about the perception of women in Hinduism, the religion itself not the religious society. To draw a clear distinction between religious society and religion I will talk about the writings in holy texts, holy books and the general philosophy of Hinduism. Note that Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many philosophies and traditions. So it is inevitable that there will be contradictions even if I only talk about the philosophies and views which have been recorded in literature.

The first thing that comes to mind when I say sexism in Hinduism is the Manusmriti. Though it is more of a code of conduct for the religious society I will still express my opinion about it. Multiple manuscripts of Manusmriti have been found, all of which conflict and contradict at a certain point. Such is the case when it comes to the treatment of women. The text mentions that women should be autonomous (9.11 and 9.12), but at the same time asks women to be subservient and never seek to live independently (5.147-5.148). But it is important to keep in mind that Manusmriti is composed based on various teachings of the Vedas themselves, and the vedas aren't misogynistic, so it is very much possible that certain parts of the Manusmriti, which are considered sexist, were added in later.

The Vedas are much more progressive than any other holy books of their times. The Rig Veda grants women the right to property (Rig 3.31.1) and asks to grant your daughter knowledge (Rig 10.85.7), Atharva Veda asks for women to be kept happy and never to make them weep (Atharva 12.2.31). There is no restriction in Hinduism which prevents a woman from becoming a priestess. Brahmavadini is a woman who studied the Vedas after the Yajnopaveetam, and either married or stayed a spinster in further pursuit of Vedic knowledge. The prominent among them were Vak Ambhrini, Lopamudra, Vishwawara, Sikta, Ghosha, Gargi and Maitreyi. Women have also been portrayed as fearless and ferocious warriors. Satyabhama, the wife of Lord Krishna, killed the demon Narakasura, after her husband fell unconscious to the demon's attack. In The Hindu epic Mahabharata, Uloopi was a warrior princess married to Arjuna, Shikhandini too was a fierce warrior who was born female but later transitioned to a male. There are also many women scholars Gargi, Vadava Pratitheyi and Sulabha Maitreyi.

The general Hindu belief is that all creatures living or dead are a part of the Brahman, the ultimate cosmic reality. Brahman, not to be confused with Brahmin (part of the Varna system), transcends all empirically discernible categories, limitations and dualities. This Brahman is genderless, and all beings' souls or Atman are a product and part of this ultimate cosmic being. This means that the soul of every person is genderless and equal to every other person's, suggesting that when we look at the world from a different angle, one that shows us picture much grander the male and female binary, we all are spiritually equal. Hinduism, though it does view the souls of men and women equal, it has contradicting statements when it comes to the role of women, ranging from subservient wives who worship their husbands to knowledgeable scholars and fierce warriors, in each of the holy books and holy texts, making it susceptible to be labelled as misogynistic. Sometimes the misinterpretation or incorrect translation of a single word or prose can change the entire theme. There have been theories that some specific verses and extracts have been added in many holy books much later in the course of time. This could explain the blatant contradictions within the texts.

There are obvious differences between men and women, but these differences do not mean one is superior to the other. The Vedas loudly proclaim that intelligence is God himself (prajnanam brahma). Intelligence should be the rightful guru in this world of conflicting interests and approaches. We should put intelligence or discerning wisdom on the high pedestal in our public and private lives and discard superstition, blind belief and obscurantism. Meaning that there is nothing wrong about rejecting certain  parts of Hinduism which we do not agree with or condone. Hindu holy texts can be simply used as advice and suggestions, or rules and codes to live by. It is a religion which let's the devotees depend on  their own moral and intellectual capabilities when it comes to living life. A composite religion such as Hinduism is flexible and gives you freedom to take responsibility for your life and actions. So to conclude, Hinduism does not view women as inferior , but it does not believe in women being the same as men either. The Purusha (male archetype) and the Shakti (female archetype) are both important but have different roles in the universe.

Hinduism being more of a philosophy rather than religion gives it the distinct quality which not many other faiths can claim, it is ever evolving. Hinduism is not inherently sexist or misogynistic even though it has been , wrongfully, interpreted so. As the perception of the world has progressed , so has Hinduism.

Hinduism And Modern Issues , Part I

Hinduism on LGBTQ  Community 

More Progressive Than You Assume

Most of the world views Eastern religions and ideologies as narrow-minded, orthodox, unprogressive and conservative. But a certain Eastern religion is much more accepting and progressive than we realise. 

Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion, with approximately 1.1 billion Hindus worldwide, and it constitutes 15% of the world population. Hinduism is a prominent religion in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding islands. Roughly 95 % of the world’s Hindus live in India. Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and philosophies. Because the religion has no specific founder, it’s difficult to trace its origins and history. But most Hindus argue that the religion is a 'Sanatana Dharma', which means eternal faith, others say that Hinduism is not a religion at all, it is a culture. The English word 'religion' cannot entirely encompass what Dharma is, but it is the closest to the true meaning of the word. Note that the religion itself and the religious society have varying , and sometimes contradicting views. Thus, for the sake of convenience, in this piece of writing Hinduism will be looked at through the Western lens of religion, and the views of the core religion, not the modern religious society following it, will be discussed.

In India , the conservative Hindu right, when justifying their stand against homosexuality and LGBTQ rights, often use religion as a shield against criticism. However, contrary to popular belief, no aspect of Hindu sacred texts propagate homophobia. In fact, Hinduism is one of the few religions which showcases its deities and heroic figures cross-dressing, transitioning in terms of sex and same-sex relationships. Take the parentage of Lord Ayyappa, in some versions of this story the deity was born to Shiva (the destroyer) and Vishnu (the preserver), when the latter had taken the form of a woman, Mohini. Several of the deities in Hinduism are seen as androgynous rather than the binary male and female, this may be due to the Hindu belief that all creatures living or dead are a part of the Brahman, the ultimate cosmic reality. Brahman, not to be confused with Brahmin (part of the varna system), is gender-neutral, it transcends all empirically discernible categories, limitations and dualities. In the 4th century holy text, Kama Sutra, there exists a separate section for men attracted to men. In the Mahabharata, a classic Hindu epic, one of the prominent warriors, Sikhandin, was transgender, and before transitioning was bound in a same-sex marriage. Even in the modern world such representation is often not seen. Thus, we can conclude that Hinduism itself does not invalidate or take an opposing stance towards the LGBTQ community.

A large part of the misleading views on Hinduism being intolerant and orthodox can be chalked up to mistranslations and incorrect interpretations (though it can be argued that Hinduism is a religion that doesn't label any interpretation as right or wrong.), but British colonialism to plays a part in this constricted view of Hinduism. In fact, India was very accepting of the LGBTQ+ community until section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was introduced by the British regime, which stated that, “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” would be penalised harshly. 

The modern Indian society still sees Hinduism as a conservative and discriminatory religion, causing the newer generation to denounce themselves as Hindus, thinking that the beliefs are far too restricting. It is necessary that we educate ourselves about our cultural and religious roots instead of maintaining a western-centric view. Hinduism is one of the less talked about religions, which makes it an easy victim of false information. The more liberal strata of the population disregard and criticise it for being too conservative, while some on the conservative side use it as a defence for bigoted views.

In a noble effort to showcase the values and preachings of Hinduism, many organisations have been started. These institutions educate westerners and Hindus alike about the misconceptions surrounding Hinduism. One of these organisations is the World Hindu Federation. It is vital that the religion,as well as the religious society, evolve with time. In this case, religion has progressed but society has not.

It is still an uphill battle, but acceptance, at the moment, seems to be on the upswing.

In conclusion, Hinduism is one of the, if not the most, accepting religions when it comes to the LGBTQ community.