Some images from Pune, rural markets, flowers and ....

A rural vegetable shop near Soriankuppam, Bahour, Pondicherry

Traditional Tiled Roof

Traditional tiled roof of a village house in Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu.

Smoky lives and dangerous lives!

The average rural household kitchen are something like this. Smoky stoves, blackened kitchen, blood-shot eyes of the woman of the house!. Every year, thousands of women are affected due to indoor air pollution and suffer from respiratory diseases like pneumonia, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer with out being aware of the fact that their kitchen are killing them inch by inch.

The World Health Organization mentions that "More than half of the world’s population rely on dung, wood, crop waste or coal to meet their most basic energy needs. Cooking and heating with such solid fuels on open fires or stoves without chimneys leads to indoor air pollution. This indoor smoke contains a range of health-damaging pollutants including small soot or dust particles that are able to penetrate deep into the lungs. In poorly ventilated dwellings, indoor smoke can exceed acceptable levels for small particles in outdoor air 100-fold. Exposure is particularly high among women and children, who spend the most time near the domestic hearth. Every year, indoor air pollution is responsible for the death of 1.6 million people - that's one death every 20 seconds".




The Centre for Ecology & Rural Development (CERD) has been installing highly fuel efficient, smokeless stoves and this was one place in Sivaganga district where we installed a stove.

A little investment on a fuel efficient, smokeless chulah can save the precious lives of our women and children.

Up in the air....

Up in the air, goes the plane
As kids we used to rush out
Whenever the roaring sound was heard
And shout, "there goes the plane"

In the remote village
Where roads are still a dream
Where many still cant get
To see a hospital
Which lies miles and miles away
Where children cross brooks and wooden bridges
To reach a distant school
Which at most times
Have only one teacher
Where the towers of mobiles
Have still not pervaded the skies
Where the only TV channels
Are those of the Doordarshan

The half naked children
Ran out and shout
"There goes the plane"