Many regular readers of GoodNewsIndia [GNI] have wondered why this site has not been updated since 2006. The simple answer is this: the one-man team, that is me, D V Sridharan that publishes GNI is busy with a land restoration project christened, pointReturn . It will need my undivided time and attention at least till 2010; that leaves me with little time or energy to travel and do stories for GNI as I have done since 2000. So work on the site is temporarily suspended.
That is the reason. But there is a connecting story behind how I came to undertake pointReturn. In case you are interested, do pull up a chair and listen. It's a long one, and I must caution, somewhat opinionated. ⇒⇒
May 27, 2006
Chennai edition of the New Indian Express’s City Express today has a story on two water bodies near the city, actively being nursed by citizens.
In the first, at Keezhakattalai people have come together to resist a sewage pumping station’s location that might jeopardize their beloved lake. Spread over 80 acres, this lake’s rain water storage remains plenty and sweet.
The other, the Ninnakarai lake at Maraimalai Nagar is being revived by a coalition of citizens, civic authorities and politicians. Covering 125 acres, the lake is now being excavated, the removed soil piled on the periphery to form a 20’ wide bund with a road on it, to be planted later extensively with trees.
There’s a third lake at Pammal closer to the city [not covered in the above story], where too citizens are fierce guardians of the asset.
Random picks:
Vajpayee declared that India was ready to bid for the 2012 Olympics!
Feb 05, 2004:Memory SpeaksKhalid Chacha had decided that only Mummy could get him to study, so Umar would live with us.
Sep 08, 2004:ActivismIf you marshall the Net, it’s not so hard to be a Thakkar.
Apr 19, 2006:AppealTo demonise Medha Patkar is to behead a bearer of unpalatable messages. She is a required force in India today.
Jan 27, 2004:EconomyIndia seems driven by what Keynes called, ‘animal spirits’
Jul 05, 2004:Ideas For IndiaAn ox driven desalination plant is capable of producing 600 to 700 litres of potable water per hour
Jul 21, 2003:Ideas For IndiaThe most appealing feature is the wide variety of waste it can handle: tyres, plastics, paper, sludge, municipal waste and abattoir wastes.
Jan 24, 2003:InitiativeCosts run to Rs.60,000 per month and she needs donations
Nov 24, 2003:InnovationIndia has about 300million each of non-literates and neo-literates. SLS offers a very low cost technique of developing their reading skill
Jul 20, 2004:EnvironmentA most appropriately named village, Powerguda in Adilabad district Andhra Pradesh has pioneered a sale
Dec 14, 2005:ReformsThe process by which Value Added Tax has gained acceptance in India, illustrates the robustness of its democracy.
Jul 15, 2003:ActivismThe Kali Bachao Andolan (Movement to Save the Kali) has been formed by Parisara Samrakshana Kendra of Uttara Kannada
Sep 15, 2002:InitiativePrize for Dr Pushpangadan’s work with the Kani tribe
May 17, 2003:EnthusiastWhether or not you agree with him, you will find yourself asking some new questions.
Sep 30, 2002:InnovationSolar cooking may gain acceptability at the higher-end of the scale
Oct 29, 2003:InnovationLuckily,India has already exhausted that reflex reaction of shallow thinking: ‘ban plastics!’
Apr 03, 2004:EconomyThe rupee’s growing strength against the dollar will lead to ‘equitable growth’ of the economy
Mar 11, 2003:EnergyLow power micro hydel schemes as viable community development tools
Jul 21, 2003:SciencesAssisted by India’s remote sensing satellites, super-computers and complex algorithms weather scientists render an oracular service to the nation
May 12, 2004:EnergyIndia has entered into an agreement with Russia and some exploratory work has begun.
Nov 09, 2004:InnovationIt is unlikely that any other country made such a decision, before it became affluent.
Dec 29, 2002:ReformsBALCO, stagnant for years is now set to grow
Jan 22, 2004:EconomyCairn discovery was made precisely on river Sarasvati’s banks
Dec 07, 2003:Ideas For IndiaThese are ideas that a rapidly changing India needs
Jan 02, 2004:Memory SpeaksThe whole family gathered around it
Jan 04, 2003:TrendThe greatest achievement of the last decade has been the effect of including women in local governance
Nov 08, 2004:ProfileHis life changed the moment his question changed from “why me?” to “why not me?”
Dec 17, 2003:ProfileWe could be looking at some action with teeth to it...what can ‘you’ do?
Jul 04, 2003:InitiativeDr. R Madhavan and Mr. V Subramaniam, have for 15 years now been pushing a tricycle and planting trees
Oct 29, 2005:ActivismDebi Goenka stood up to frustrate the conspiracy of profiteers to grab hundreds of acres earmarked for parks and other public spaces.
Feb 19, 2004:ActivismOf the distortions in world trade indulged in by the West, the most stark are in agricultural subsidies
Aug 03, 2004:InnovationIt can travel 130 km on a full charge takes 7 hours.
May 21, 2003:Ideas For IndiaThe Van Ooetegham discovery seems precisely targeted at India.
Oct 19, 2005:SciencesAn Indian scientist explains why the feared pandemic killing a hundred million will not come about. Is it scare mongering then, by commercial interests pushing drugs?
Dec 02, 2002:InitiativeDatabase of volunteers throughout India, who are willing to donate blood
Jul 28, 2006:AppealOoranis are people friendly, low cost, sustainable solutions for drinking water, based on rain water harvesting.
Jan 15, 2004:Elsewhere“Indian firms are able to provide not just software… but complete business solutions.”
Oct 07, 2003:ActivismIn spite of its much maligned administration and almost compulsively retailed jokes, Bihar still has surprises to deliver
Dec 25, 2002:NewsclipDelhi Metro had taken barely four years to execute
Apr 14, 2006:ActivismGlobalisation that spawns much evil, has also created many tools and resources for grassroots activists