Footprints on the Mountainside

I found this page on the greenpeace site, and throught it is important for readers here to notice.

©Bivash Pandav

Consider this… Olive Ridley turtles rely on an inexplicable, in-built
navigation system that guides them, when it’s time for them to
reproduce, back to the precise coast on which they were born.

Now
consider something else… The proposed Tata port at Dhamra threatens a
nesting site that is amongst the last honeymoon suites for the
remaining Olive Ridleys, a highly-endangered species that swims all the
way here from places as far away as Australia and the Philippines.

When
you consider these two facts together, it seems only logical that Tata
would reconsider its decision to build the port at Dhamra, and build it
in an area that’s less ecologically sensitive. It seems especially
logical when it’s Tata we’re talking about.

After all,
Tata has grown from a national giant into an international player,
while constantly stating its commitment to the principles of social
upliftment, environmental justice and sustainable development. The Tata
brand is ubiquitous, present in hundreds of products that have
genuinely improved the lives of generations of Indians; from the Tata
salt that flavours our daily bread, the Tata BP solar geyser that warms
our winter baths, the Tata Telecom that manages our communications, to
the Tata cars that ‘drive a billion dreams.’

©Bivash Pandav

And yet, in Orissa, we’re witnessing a different side to the same Tata.
A Tata that shuts its ears to reason. A Tata that looks the other way
when confronted with evidence. A Tata that cares nothing for the
community, and even less for nature.

The port Tata is proposing to build in Dhamra will directly
affect the Olive Ridley turtles. With 150,000 to 350,000 Olive Ridley
turtles nesting in the vicinity, the average number of hatchlings is
believed to range from 15 million to 35 million.

When confronted by Greenpeace
Tata promised concerned citizens that it would abandon the port ‘if
evidence of turtle presence and the ecological significance of the area
were ever unearthed.’

©Pratyush Mohapatra/Greenpeace

The evidence was submitted , but this promise wasn’t kept. The perfunctory EIA
carried out in this area isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Another
nesting season has passed us by, with turtle mortality from mechanized
fishing agonizingly high. Coming in addition to this annual death toll,
the Tata port could be the final nail in the turtle’s coffin, ensuring
that this area is never safe for turtles again.

Will this willful destruction be the legacy that Tata leaves behind in Orissa?

Not if you can help it. To write directly to Ratan Tata and ask him to change his mind, simply sign the letter on the right.

I am often asked and even criticized for being over friendly with clients. Which service provider explains components of a potential invoice and easy ways of doing parts of it themselves with little effort?

A case in point being corporate programme proposals having potential location contacts and a suggestion that a direct negotiation might work out cheaper.

Or adventure sport clients who are basically enthusiastic youth on the look out for tips getting as many tips as they want, contacts and advice to organize their trips themselves and so on?

The way I see it, my purpose is in my skill in the services I provide. I am doing no miracles, but I do what I do exceedingly well. It does me no harm and gains a lot of good will if my client saves some money on the buffers on hotel charges, or if a group of people manage their own tour.

There are clients who don’t want the hassle and will still pay me to do it, and there are people who go away with information so reliable and unique that the next time they go out, they budget to be able to pay me.

Within a few years of the creation of this site, I have over a thousand people subscribing to a newsletter that goes out maybe 4 times a year and stays shut if there is nothing extraordinary to say.

I see this as a strength which, like the open source softwares, is transparent. I have clients suggesting that I start offering some kind of tour, or recommending me to others. Like the open source softwares, it may be silly to offer this kind of information for free, but it brings me great goodwill and I get to be appreciated and hired for the things only I can do.

Seems unprofessional? I see it as warmth and true commitment to my clients needs.

I found these interesting posts that speak of the effect of Bi-carb soda and improved performance and Magnesium for stress relief which leads me to wonder what will the impact be on people training for sport climbing……..

Precious little research is available to climbers in India, and such information leads me to believe that a more scientific and gym like approach to climbing training could bring major shifts on the climbing scene.

After countless requests by parents for camps they can send their children to, we have finally succumbed and have organized a children’s camp at Kanheri Caves this summer.

The dates are from the 25th to the 27th of April 2008 and the camp is for children from ages 10 years to 15 years.

In terms of activities, the usual suspects are available - rock climbing, rappelling, nature trails, star gazing, etc. I have uploaded an entry form with more information about the camp if you want to send your son/daughter, nephew/niece, kid brother/sister, etc.

The camp fees are Rs.2,250/- per child and there is no cut off date for admission. However, we have very limited seats - not more than 25 for sure, and the cut off in terms of availability is fast approaching. So, if you have a candidate, it would be in your best interests to hurry up with the submission of the entry.

Cheers!

Ugh, this is an extremely wise post from me based on years and years of actual experience. I have learnt that with hugs, what you see, is rarely what you get. I’d like to illustrate some of the salient hug species we see commonly. I say species because after all this time, I have begun suspecting that they have a life of their own.

1. The Affection hug: This is usually initiated by one participant while the other enjoys receiving it. I like this kind of hug and its sub-types: protective, funny and emotional affection hugs.
2. The Space-War hug: This is initiated by the dominant person in a conversation and stated as an affectionate gesture, but one only needs to look at the poor stiff or squirming or uninterested recipient to know how much affection is being conveyed. Such a hug is basically the dominant person’s way of entering the poor victim’s personal space at will. I’d call it an attack.
3. The Obligatory hug: This is the beginning-of-meeting, end-of-meeting, when-we-meet, when-we-part variety of hug - like the Italians saying “ciao” or Spitians saying “Jule” - means everything from “hi” to “Bye”
4. The When-in-doubt hug: This hug is commonly seen after a disagreement or confrontation is mediated by a facilitator, when neither party is comfortable exploring their experience of the conflict. There is a spontaneous need to hug. Such a hug is also called the “Band-Aid” hug.
5. The reflected glory hug: Where you go and hug someone who is very powerful or well-liked, and let the world know that that person is your pal.
6. The sorry hug: Where you hug someone rather than do whatever they want you to do (mostly because hugging takes the lesser effort of the two.
7. The I-can-hug-too hug: The entire world seems to be in love with each other and rather than figure out why, you begin hugging people too.

Ooops! Need to go. Will come back with more info tomorrow.

Feel free to share your own pearls of learning in the comments.