Reflective Surfaces to Reduce Fuel Consumption

Observation:

Almost all vehicles manufactured these days come with a built in Air Conditioner and a Heater. This is quite essential, given the excessive heat/cold outside, especially during certain times of the year.

However, as soon as the Air conditioner is switched on, the load on fuel consumption increases drastically. The main reason being: the car shell itself becomes quite hot when it absorbs the radiations from the sun. The AC goes into an overdrive, not only trying to cool the air inside, but also the metallic shell. Also, since darker colours absorb more heat, the fuel consumption for them is much higher as well. Hence, a Black BMW, though may look sleeker than a White BMW, consumes much more fuel than its white counterpart.

Suggestion:

By law, all the vehicles should be made to have their rooftops as a "Reflective Surface" that would reflect the Sun's radiations instead of absorbing them. Also, the colours permitted for the external shell of these vehicles should only be light colours. People might argue that few cars are hardly going to make much of a difference in the level of fuel consumption. However, we are not talking of few cars, but of millions. A simple reflective paint on these vehicles can do wonders!!

Extrapolating this very idea, even office buildings, institutions for education, health care etc, where Air conditioning is extensively used, should go for Reflective Rooftops, so that the load on the AC can be brought down. Roofs should include high reflective surfaces which reduce the cooling load on the buildings and therefore reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

This would esspecially be of great economic importance in countries that are generally warm throughout the year and require lot of Air conditioning due to the weather conditions there. Also some form of economic incentives can be provided to people such as lower taxation, import duties etc. to get them to follow such energy saving methods.

After all, fuel such as Petrol/Diesel is a Non-Renewable form of energy. We have limited resources, and it is the duty of each one of us to use it judiciously. However, to expect each individual in the world to be concerned about the environment, is probably being too optimistic. Thus, in my opinion, it is imperative that laws must be passed that ensure use of such reflective surfaces.

Essence of Smile

Observation:

How many of us like to be praised? I think, ALL. It is human tendency to want to listen to few good words about themselves. The simplest of praises, like, a good dress, nice pair of shoes, a lovely smile, a beautiful hairstyle, good work etc. all boost our confidence levels, and makes our day beautiful. But then why are people so frugal in praising others? Each individual on the face of this earth has certain qualities, and no one is perfect in this world. Then what makes us hold back in the act of praising and appreciating people?

People over a period of time tend to take others for granted. In short, they become ungracious, without realising. How many of us thank the waiters for getting us food? Or the cab driver ferrying us around. Not many, I would say....Agreed, it is their job. But a bit of appreciation makes it much more enjoyable.

Suggestion:

A cheerful person would spread cheer and happiness to others in turn, and people would be happier and better mannered, not to mention more productive. I am not talking about incessant praise, but few words of genuine appreciation that one might feel meeting someone during the course of the day.

I came across a cheeky video that demonstrates how few words of praise changes the life of so many people. The 'change' here may not be drastic, but the person in question is definitely a happier human being. To be able to make someone smile, not by a comic act or some joke, but by making them feel GOOD about themselves is not so difficult, and is , in my opinion, definitely a very simple and cost free method to make the world a much happier place to be in.

I haven't uploaded the video due to size constainst. However, the link to the video is:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Uses of Tyres

An interesting use of old tyre that my sister came across while touring Switzerland.

Observation:
Punctured, eroded tyres are of little use on the road. The material that they are generally made of is difficult to re-cycle and re-mould, and burning then produces a horrible smell. The best way to use them is either cut it and make some contraptions, or to use it as it is, for different purposes.

Suggestion:
The old tyres can be filled with concrete, with an upright signpost in the center. This type of contraption can be really useful where mobility of signpost is required. The signposts can be picked up and put in different locations in no time. These can be quite useful in fairs and exhibitions as well.

I did a casual search on the net, and came across quite a lot of other useful suggestions on the uses of old tyres. The links are as follows :

• http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf284146.tip.html
• http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/usedtyresleaflet.pdf
• http://www.tirecrafting.com/

There was also an article that mentioned the Government of Spain thinking of passing a law to use old tyres while building roads. If other governments could also pass such laws, it would really help in preserving the environment by re-cycling products that have once served its purpose.

A Light Source With Insect Repellent

Observation:

The light source in modern world is synonymous with a "Tubelight" or a "Bulb". However, one might have noticed how insects and moths tend to agglomerate near any light source, and that too during specific time of the year, such as fall and spring.

When the light source is inside a house, it can get very difficult to ward off small moths during specific seasons. Also, one never know if each species of these insects is harmless.

Suggestion:

The idea is to combine a tubelight with an insect repellent. This can be done as 2 devices in a combination pack, operated separately, so that the insect repellent can be switched on only when necessary. Moreover, if the insect repellent has a refill option, it provides even more flexibility.

There is already a device with a purpose as the above, wherein the light source is generally inside a cage that has electical curents passing through it. Insects such as flies that come close are electrocuted. However, this device is large and bulky, and is generally kept at entrances / lobbies. Moreover, the electrolution produces loud crackling noises. These are definitely not appropriate for the comforts of a bedroom or study area.

Thus, a light source with an insect repellent would be quite useful in areas that have high vegetation, and insect population especially during certain seasons of the year!

Don't Worry, Be Blissful

A beautiful story that was published in the Economic Times. The link for the same is: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Cosmic_Uplink/Dont_worry_be_blissful/articleshow/3734367.cms#write (Please paste this URL to open the article in Economic Times)

Definitely worth reading it!

"There was a wise and compassionate king. All his subjects came to him for advice. Once a woman came and complained to him that her husband was ill-treating her because she could not bear a child. Another man came to him and grumbled that his chlidren were greedy. They were after his wealth and ill-treating him. A poor man petitioned him for money and lamented saying how wretched he was to be poor. A rich man came to the king and complained that he had no real friends. Every one he knew was nice to him only because of his wealth.

The king, after talking to many people, found that the same things, children, money, and health, repeatedly induced people to worry and be sad. Money was needed by one, but was causing sorrow to another. The king hit upon a novel idea, he called his ministers and said: what if we open a Worry Exchange (WE), can’t people come and exchange their worries? A person who was unhappy without children could exchange his or her worry with another who was unhappy because he or she had children? A rich man who was unhappy could trade his worry with a poor man who needs money.

His ministers thought it was a brilliant idea. So the WE was inaugurated. On the appointed day all the king’s subjects arrived at the WE, long before it was to open. They stood around and talked, talked and talked. WE stayed open until dusk. Not asingle trade materialised. Not one person came forward to barter or swap his own worry with another’s worry. The king was disappointed. However, instead of being angry, he enquired from his subjects why no one came forward to trade worries, though they had all said the WE was a brilliant idea.

The subjects replied in one voice: we prefer to live with the worries we know, rather than exchange them for something that we do not know! Worries become, over time, our crutches, ourcompanions. We feel lost without them. We need them to justify our behaviour and depend on them to lead our daily life. Our worries have no meaning or purpose. I tell people to write down their worries in our Life Bliss Courses. I tell them to look at this list after three or six months. They then tell me that 90% of the worries never materialised. The 10% that did were good for them!

If we allow ourselves to release our grip from worries and relax in the present, then we can begin an intimate, spiritual journey. The purpose of our life is to journey inwards and experience bliss, not to indulge in wasteful worries."

Using Expired Explosives to Increase Afforestation

This is solely my father's brainchild...

He came up with a fascinating idea wherein the expired explosives of the military can be put to CONSTRUCTIVE AND GOOD use.

Observation:

There are huge masses of rocky lands in the country, wherein there is dearth of green cover. The main reason for the lack of growth of plants in these areas is that the surface is ROCKY, and hence not suitable for germination, and the roots of the plants to penetrate the hard surface.

Suggestion:

The idea is to drill holes in these rocky areas and use the expired explosives to blast the rocks. This would lead to appearance of CREVICES which would be sufficient for the seeds to germinate and the roots of the plants to seep in. The rains during monsoon would provide the adequate water required, which would now seep down these crevices instead of getting washed away.

Purpose served: Expired ammunition has been put to good use to increase afforestation, and the water table too would increase at almost no additional cost.

The results may take some time to show as it would require the plants at least a couple of cycles to grow and survive. But an increase in vegetation by even 10% in an otherwise rocky and barren area completely devoid of vegetation is worth the wait !!!

The Postitive Print Media

The print media is on a roll!! The world over, a number of dailies/magazines are being published, in a wide range of languages, that bring the happenings of the world to our doorstep.

Observation:

How many of the newspapers/magazines are positive? Most of them have related to political happenings, financial crisis, sports / entertainment industry and what the who's who did during the week, murders, or opinions of the columnists. All these make good reading material, and are definitely good for sales, but what has not been reported is the positive development that is happening around the world.

It is my strong belief that there are more good people than bad. If a murder happens at some place, there is definitely a family adopting a young one at some other part of the world. If a bridge collapsed somewhere, there is surely another one that is coming up.

Suggestion:

Why is there no newspaper that is committed to publishing news about the positive developments happening around the world? As a citizen of this country (India), I am very keen to know how the Metro work is progressing, including a map to show all routes that are functional now, and what processes go into building a metro rail. As a citizen of this country, I would love to know about India's Moon mission, all the launch vehicles till date. I would love to know about the architectural wonders around the world, and how people have accomplished this feat. As a music lover, I would like to know about different instruments, and how to go about learning them. As a citizen of the world, I am really keen on knowing how people are helping the needy and poor. As an entrepreneur, I would love to know about people who have made it big on their own mettle and have succeeded in life. The list is endless...

What I would like to emphasise upon is that we can use the media as a place to just report the sensational happenings around us, and we can use it to inspire people around us by making them aware of the 'Positive' things that are happening around us. The choice is solely ours....

Comeback!

Whew!! After a long sabbatical, I am back! Fully charged and rejuvenated, in a new city (Delhi), and with a new set of ideas.

A post to emphasise, that irrespective of all the changes that are happening around you, of all the uncertainties, one must continue doing what they like the best, as that is what makes the life so very beautiful and enjoyable.

Commercializing Indian Snacks

Observation:
How many of us love to eat at McDonald's? Or at KFC's? These 2 names are currently considered synonymous with Fast Food, with a "Happy Price Menu". But is the menu truly Indian? I wouldn't say so. Burgers / Wraps are not of Indian origin. I am not doubting their taste, or their nutritional value, but these dishes are not traditionally Indian. Not everyone would relish a burger. It is a possibility that its only their "Reduced Price" that titillates many and not the burger itself!

Traditional Indian snacks on the other hand gel with the peoples taste-buds. With adequate masalas and a tinge of spice, they are especially well suited for the people of this sub-continent. The Indian snacks menu is amazingly long! Be it our very own Samosas, Bhel Puri / Chaat Puri, or an assortment of Pakodas, the list is endlessly delicious, mothwatering, and to top it all, quite filling.

Sugestion:
What we are missing though, is a Brand value attached to it. What we need is somebody to start a chain of multiple, small outlets, with a "BRAND", that caters to quick service with delicious and hygenically prepared food. It could be intially started as a take-aways, and later expanded. What we require is giving a "Name" to our desi snacks and promoting , commercializing and making them available to all at extremely affordable rates.

A recent successful example for this would be our very own Jumbo-King, which have taken our very desi "Vada Pav" under its wings and given it a different value all together, all at the cost of Rs 5 per Vada pav.

Hopefully India too can sell its own set of Samosa / Bhel brands and prepare the wonderful delicacies for the world to Eat and Enjoy!!!

Spitting and Defecating in Pulic

Spitting or expectoration is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth. It is normally considered rude and a social taboo in many part of the world, though spitting can still be occasionally observed in some places. It is possible to transmit infectious diseases in this way.

Observation:

It is difficult to comprehend how people like to spit. Be it cough, paan, chewing-gum or plain saliva, some people just love to think that the roads are their own property, or rather, not their property and hence are free to spit wherever they please. The same goes for defecating, specially urinating. Boundary walls and tree trunks are a special favourite with most.

This not only spoils the envirmonment, making it highly unhygenic and dirty, but also spoils the beauty of a place and is taboo for any city wherein its residents are not concerned about the impression they give others. The trade-mark red spit of "paan" is omnipresent. Be it platforms, subways, boundary walls, inside local trains, bus stops, it can be seen almost everywhere.

Suggestion:

What can we do to put an end to this? Education is one major area that everyone can look into. But it definitely is a long process. Fining those who spit/urinate in public is another, but deploying more personnel to keep tabs is a costly propostion.

One way that I can think of is to arrange for 'SPIT PANS', especially in public places such as railway platforms, subways and bus stops. This would at least encourage a few people to spit there. However,am sure most would not!! And there is no stopping these kind of people, who don't seem to have any conscience. Thus, the best way to improve the looks of the public buildings would be to 'colour about 2 feet of the walls from the base to match that of the paan-spit'. In that case, even if these people were to spit, it at least wont be visible, making the environment look much cleaner and better. If we can't put an end to spitting, at least we can MASK so that the city looks much cleaner from an aesthetic perspective.

Sweeping Machines

Observation:

I'm sure all of you have at some point of time noticed the waste strewn all over the roads, platforms etc, and wondered why this is not being cleaned. In this age of technological advancement, ever thought about the "Sweeping Machines" instead of the "Sweeping Humans"?

Suggestion:

The self propelled, ride-on type machine models are designed and adapted to work on Indian road conditions / dust load.Traditionally, manual labour is deployed for sweeping the roads, station premises. During manual sweeping, more than 50% of the dust gets air-borne and the same settles down again on the roads.this impairs the cleaning efficiencey substancially and continues to be a nuisance due to vehicular and wind movement. In effect, the cleaning job remains incomplete. Further, the air-borne dust poses health haards not only to the cleaners, but also the the common passerby.There is also a tendency on the part of the sweepers to push the litter / dust on the railtracks, drains or leave them in one heap on the roadsides. While the roads and the platforms in the process appear clean, the drains become choked, and the railway tracks, a breeding place for most rodents.

The use of sweeping machine has lots of benefits:

• It is a faster means of cleaning.
• The collection of dust and litter is easier, operators of machine are not tempted to push the waste and dusts on the tracks / drains.
• The dust that is air-borne is much less leading to fewer health hazards to cleaners and passerbys.
• The collected material can be dumped or re-cycled at specific places.
• The sweeping speeds of the machines are much faster as compared to manual sweeping ranging from 4-12 Kms per hour.
• The same number of people employed to sweep the roads can cover a larger area ensuring better cleanliness throughout the city.
• The container capacity ensures that the machine is not required to be emptied at the dumping point frequently.

If the state governments and the Municipal corporation purchase these kind of sweeping machines , it would result in a much cleaner and healthier city!

Kudos to Radio!

Did anyone get stuck in a gargantuan traffic jam in Dadar / Andheri / Vashi ? Or are you simply fed up of the constant bickering of your companion on phone or the endless honking of the Buses, cars and Auto-wallas? Radio ,iPods amd MP3s are the answer to most of your problems!

For the daily middle-class commuter, who makes use of the Public transport for commuting, the journey can be really harassing and energy sapping. Constant exposre to lound noise can take away a person's peace of mind, rendering him blank!! It disturbs a person emotionally and mentally making him more irritable.

Thanks to the technological revolution, we have a few devices in which we can store songs of our own choice and listen to them whenever we want to. Radio specially is an amazing thing that happened to this world, since radio stations play not only songs, but also have a steady flow of conversation related to a chosen topic. This leads every individual to at least "think" about that topic, even if they don't call up the radio station to express their views publically.

Not only this, it provides emplyoment opportunity to many, and can often be used as means to unite people for a common cause. With a wide spectrum of Radio stations coming up, targetting different age groups / causes, everyone can find at least something to their liking. I, as an individual, feel that the city's RJs are doing a great job, and are instrumental in bringing a smile on thousands of people's faces everyday. Kudos to them!!

Some facts :
There are twelve radio stations in Mumbai, with eight broadcasting on the FM band of which two are by AIR, three stations broadcasting on the AM mediumwave band (all AIR) and one on the AM shortwave band (also AIR).Navi Mumbai is also covered by these stations. The list is as follows:

1. Vividh Bharati Online Radio Radio City 91.1 FM
2. BIG 92.7 FM Red FM (India) 93.5 FM
3. Radio One 94.3 FM
4. Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM
5. AIR FM Gold 100.7 FM
6. Fever 104 FM
7. Meow 104.8 FM
8. AIR FM Rainbow 107.1 FM
9. Radio MUST 107.8 FM (Mumbai University's fun-filled edutainment radio, 7-9 am,1-3 pm & 7-9 pm, transmitter at santacruz)

Re-location of Railway Workshops of Mumbai

Observations:
There are 6 major workshops catering to overhauling of coaches and wagons, both for Central and Western Railway in Mumbai. These workshops are almost 100 year old. They employ around 25,000 people which in turn support almost 1 lakh people directly (assuming a family size of 4)

They occupy huge prime space in Central Mumbai. Run-down coaches (after every 12 months) and locomotives (after every 6 years) are brought in for over-hauling. These coaches and locomotives are stripped and generate large amount of scrap. New material is then brought for replacement, mostly from outside Mumbai. Thus, there is a huge amount of cross movement of material, consuming large amount of fuel and leading to congestion on the roads.

As these workshops are very old, their lay-outs are primitive, and productivity, extremely low. Railways are planning to spend almost 600 Crores to renovate these. This will only lead to spending "good money" after "bad money".

Suggestions:
What is required is: construction of modern workshops in areas that need industrialization and use this prime space for re-development from which Railways can easily generate 5,000 - 6,000 Crore rupees.

The new workshops can be developed along with township so that the staff / workers can be re-located. In case those who do not want to move out, they can be given VRS / option for employment of their children. This will be a WIN -WIN situation.

Almost 1 Lakh people would get re-located to a better quality of life. No more old dilapidated caches / locomotives will have to be stabled in the yards occupying huge spaces. It will increase line capacity and release space for maintenance and running of commuter trains.

This will help both Indian Railways to increase the productivity of their workshops and also help Mumbai in becoming a better place.

Violence in Daily Life

Obervations:

Normally violence is associated with physical violence. This is just one aspect of the total violence that all of us suffer in our daily life specially so while living in a Metropolitan city. If we look around, the type of violence that we are subjected to can be many : due to noise - audio violence, ugly sights - visual violence, bad odor - olfactory violence, dirt - pollution violence, rush - crowd violence and many more to go apart from the physical and mental violence.

A common man suffers the consequences of all the above, and it reflects in their stressed lives and response to fellow humans. All of us have a role to play in reducing the "Violence Quotient" (VQ) of a city.

Suggestions:

Since local trains are considered the "lifeline" of Mumbai, it has a pre-dominant role to play in reducing this VQ. By improving these locals alone, a lot can be done to reduce this "Violence" and making train travel an enjoyable experience for the daily commuters.

Some of the suggestions for reducing the violence that a commuter is subjected to in Mumbai are:

• Frequent painting of the interior / exterior of the coaches to present a pleasing appearance.
• the noise level of the fans, power car, track noise etc.
• Improved public address system to make the announcements more comprehend able.
• Improved signages inside the trains as well as on the station premises.
• Providing garbage bins inside the coaches to prevent people from littering on the tracks.
• White-wash the boundary walls of the corridor of tracks.
• Painting the over-bridges.
• Provide additional cross-over bridges.
• Involve private sector /industries in maintenance of the platforms.
• Give awards for 3 "Best Stations" to recognize the contribution of the sponsors.

I would request the viewers to give their suggestions and contribute in any way that would make this world a better place.