Gomti river is a mess

After reading in the papers, I decided to go and see what it was all about. The Gomti River which passes thru the heart of Lucknow is in a mess. As you stand on the bridge you can see foam, garbage, and other items floating in the water. It seems that people just do not have any civic sense.

To improve the quality of water in the river, the most important thing which can be done is to install Sewage Treatment Plants (STP). Many studies have been carried out indicating its importance in cleaning up the polluted river, but no real action has taken place. The end result is that most of the raw sewage ends up in the river. The water is unfit to drink and bathe.

The concerned authorities know about it, but they keep passing the buck on who is responsible. The usual response given is: lack of funds, the plan has not been approved/sanctioned; the site has not been finalized due to various reasons, etc. This has led to the delay in commissioning of these plants.

This is not to suggest that the state government is not interested at all. Just recently, they had initiated for the first time a concrete plan called "Clean Gomti". But to make this project a success all the concerned departments will have to understand the basic/root cause of the visible and then take corrective action. After setting up of the STPs of the right capacities, all the sewer and waste water lines will have to be routed to it. Since all the waste water is being dumped right into the river itself, this has led not only to river pollution but also sedimentation. This sedimentation beyond a point will result in flooding of area lying close to the river. The river not only requires the removal of the many objects lying on the bed of the river by simple dredging operation, but also sufficient increase in the depth of the river in order to bring it back to its original form. A proper cleanliness drive should be initiated to remove all garbage located through out the city. Sometimes during the rainy season, this filth flows into the river polluting it even more.

What is necessary at the moment is that the government agencies and general public should coordinate their actions to bring the river back to its pristine beauty. With the active participation of the residents and the support/guidance received from government agencies, we will be able to turn back the clock. All we need is public awareness coupled with hard work and proper support from right places. A clean beautiful river will enhance the value of any city. Then the river can be used different sports activities as well as picnic spots.

Net withdrawals

Boy!!!!! What fifteen days it has been for me. My laptop suddenly died on me one day and I hardly had any access to the net and a lot of work simply came to a complete standstill. I really did not want to use the computers at the net cafe, since they are not very safe and secure. There is always the possibility that some spyware or some other malicious program might be installed there and the passwords for my email and banking accounts details might get stolen and then eventually broken into. So eventually, while my computer was still at the service center, I borrowed a family member’s computer to check my stuff every few days. The service center took long enough to replace the motherboard. After one week, I was starting to get really irritated and I called them up almost on a daily basis to check the status of my computer. Until this time, I had not realized how much of my work was connected with the net. I think this is the case with most of us these days since most of our work is in one way or another is connected to the net and we just cannot escape its grip. My life has been made so easy after I discovered how much easier life can be if the net is used properly and wisely. I hardly ever visit my bank to carry out most of the transactions. Most of the transactions are done online. In a few rare cases, I still get checks from some companies.

Indian life

Life in India is never boring. There is something happening somewhere all the time. The activities which are happening in the public places usually overwhelm the senses at times. But one thing which is quiet noticeable in the Indian cities are animals and birds living along with people. People are so used to them that they usually just around them, provided that their is enough space. But these stray animals cause their share of problems on the road. A lot of accidents are caused because of them. The small vendors who usually occupy the strategic spots in the main shopping areas or busy intersections are always seen advertising their wares at the top of their voice. In these places, if you are skilled enough you can strike a great bargain. But the rush hours is simply maddening. It simply drives me so crazy. At one time I really used to enjoy driving. But these days, the number of vehicles on the road have multiplied manifolds, yet not many roads have been widened. this has led to a lot of congestion, especially at the intersections. Therefore, I try to avoid driving as much as possible, unless of course there is manageable amount of traffic on the road.

Listening to radio

I really like listening to radio sometimes. It has such a potential for entertainment. Since it is not a visual media, you can let your imagination run wild when listening to it. Plus, with the radios so compact, I can take it just about anywhere. It is also so inexpensive that just about anyone can purchase it. I find it much more entertaining than television.

Television is a visual dependent and a lot of times the watcher has to rely on visual cues to know what is happening. Their is hardly any mental interaction involved most of the times. But it's quiet different in the case of radio. Since their are no visual cues, the brain has to constantly process the information and at times try to visualising the things which the speaker is talking about. If the radio jockey is extremely talented, you will be able to visualise the things which he/she is talking about.

On hot summer months, I really like to take it out to some cool spot and listening to whatever program catches my fancy at the moment. Their are so many different varieties of shows available that I can choose what I want to hear. Sometimes there are real dull, boring shows running. In this case, I just surf the airwaves till I hear sometime which sounds interesting. During long drives it is necessary to have it turned on. It not only breaks the monotony, but also keeps you awake. It keeps you company on those long roads when you are traveling by your self. So crank up that radio and tune in to your favorite station.

It's gym time once more

The weather is turning warmer and warmer with each passing day. It seems like I had gained a bit of weight lately. So, I decided to visit one of the gyms which has opened up in my locality. What also pushed me into this health fitness mode was that quiet a few Bollywood actors were showing off their six and eight packs and their well toned bodies.

It seems like gyms are opening in every nook and corner of our city. But choosing the right workout place is getting to be a bit of a hassle. So, I went gym hunting and narrowed down my list to just a few. These few from which I will make my final choice from seemed more or less complete than the regular run of the mill variety.

Before I went on my gym hunt, I had a talk with a fitness trainer to inquire about what things I should look for in a proper gym. He told me that one of the main things I should look for is that the fitness center should be divided into different sections. Each section works on a different section and is pretty much unique from the other. The sections which should be present in a complete gym are: Strength section, Cardio, Free weights and Spinning section.

The strength section should have a combo machine which helps to exercise legs, shoulder and chest areas. I wanted proper toned biceps, triceps and give my hamstrings a proper strength workouts. So, a Percher Curl, Prone Leg Curl and Seated Dip are a must for me.

In the Cardio section, I went looking for a treadmill along with the bike combo which I was told is a must. One must devote sometime in this section to burn up those calories and get the heart pumping.

The Free weights section consists of dumbbells, barbells. The Spinning section must have the Swiss Balls. This final part is where the abs comes in where one has to exercise on the Swiss balls, do crunches, leg raises, skipping and stretching.

The final two things which were on my mind as I was finalizing my choice were the price factor and whether they had an in house trainer. The right pricing of the gym package is an important consideration when choosing the gym as well having a trainer helping us out in choosing the right exercises and guiding us novices through the exercises.

I was told that there is no fixed time limit as to when a person will achieve their desired perfect abs, but a consistent and hard work will help you to achieve it within 18 to 24 months. Going to the gym and working out on a regular basis might actually help me to achieve my goal. Plus, there will be many other people like me who are just starting out in the exercise regime and I will not feel like an odd man out

The polluted river

Rivers are the lifeline of any city which is located near it. Unfortunately, humans have this bad habit of polluting their environment without a second thought. Passing thru the heart of our city is a Gomati river. At one time it used to be pristine. With the passage of time, the population of the city has increased many folds and many industries have come up in its vicinity. Huge volumes of effluents and domestic discharge have turned the river into a sewer pit. Their are insufficient number of treatment plants installed in the city. Even these which are being used currently are either underutilised or unutilised. The situation is so bad that the aquatic population of the river has dwindled drastically, and the water is unfit for drinking. The end result is that the fish gasp for breath and usually die. The last four years or so have seen five situations where the depleted oxygen levels and contaminants in the river caused deaths of aquatic life. it seems like a yearly phenomena. When prompted to do something, the reason given usually is the scarcity of funds. But even when the funds are released, there is nothing to show for it. Hopefully, sooner than later, the agencies which are responsible for waste disposal will wake up from their slumber and try to find a remedy this mess that we are in.