10/05/2008
18:46 pm
It's Day 2 at Nameri Tiger Reserve and I have finally been bitten by a leech. Not once or twice, but four times and all on my right leg. It's not particularly painful though and unlike the rest I'm quite okay with being bitten and haven't made too much of a song and dance about it.
On the contrary, I was quite excited about being bitten and part of the elite "Leech Club".
This has been a day of learning and I am still trying to absorb some of it.
And the more I learn about discrimination against the North-east, the more it infuriates me.We heard a lot of stories today and my mind is reeling. For instance, when the Chinese Prime Minister visited Mumbai, north-eastern students who were leaving college were picked up by the police and kept at Lamigton Road police station all because they were 'chinky' and looked Tibetan, which was a gross injustice by any standards. Most of them were just leaving college when they were picked up and they didn't even have any idea that the Chinese PM was visiting Mumbai.
Another student from Nagaland was asked where he was from and when he replied, "Kohima", he was asked whether that was in Singapore. And yet, we wonder why they do not want to be a part of us.
The more I hear about the Army, the more I am appalled, like I've said before, I've always held the Army in high esteem but that image is slipping with everything I hear. The stories I've heard in Ladakh and now in the north-east have shaken me up and I no longer have as much faith in my protectors as I once did.
Global warming scares me now more than ever. And while I'm doing the best I can, I fear it's not enough and as it says in an article from The Economist, "I don't think people are scared enough yet."
There is so much that each of us can do and yet make a huge difference.
- Use a bucket for a bath instead of a shower.
-Buy large jars of shampoos, conditioners, moisturisers etc.
- Carry your own bags to the market
- Carpool
All you have to do at work is not use your A/C when it's - 7 degrees C outside and the only reason you use it is because it's free. Switch off your monitor even if you step away from your computer for a couple of minutes.
Every little bit helps.
Please before it's too late.
18:46 pm
It's Day 2 at Nameri Tiger Reserve and I have finally been bitten by a leech. Not once or twice, but four times and all on my right leg. It's not particularly painful though and unlike the rest I'm quite okay with being bitten and haven't made too much of a song and dance about it.
On the contrary, I was quite excited about being bitten and part of the elite "Leech Club".
This has been a day of learning and I am still trying to absorb some of it.
And the more I learn about discrimination against the North-east, the more it infuriates me.We heard a lot of stories today and my mind is reeling. For instance, when the Chinese Prime Minister visited Mumbai, north-eastern students who were leaving college were picked up by the police and kept at Lamigton Road police station all because they were 'chinky' and looked Tibetan, which was a gross injustice by any standards. Most of them were just leaving college when they were picked up and they didn't even have any idea that the Chinese PM was visiting Mumbai.
Another student from Nagaland was asked where he was from and when he replied, "Kohima", he was asked whether that was in Singapore. And yet, we wonder why they do not want to be a part of us.
The more I hear about the Army, the more I am appalled, like I've said before, I've always held the Army in high esteem but that image is slipping with everything I hear. The stories I've heard in Ladakh and now in the north-east have shaken me up and I no longer have as much faith in my protectors as I once did.
Global warming scares me now more than ever. And while I'm doing the best I can, I fear it's not enough and as it says in an article from The Economist, "I don't think people are scared enough yet."
There is so much that each of us can do and yet make a huge difference.
- Use a bucket for a bath instead of a shower.
-Buy large jars of shampoos, conditioners, moisturisers etc.
- Carry your own bags to the market
- Carpool
All you have to do at work is not use your A/C when it's - 7 degrees C outside and the only reason you use it is because it's free. Switch off your monitor even if you step away from your computer for a couple of minutes.
Every little bit helps.
Please before it's too late.
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