As I write this, we are surrounded by a Global Health Emergency. The Covid-19 virus has not just caused a pandemic but also shaken the way our Planet functions.

Millions are dying, economies shattered, travel is becoming harder by the day, all due to this Pandemic. In this backdrop, it becomes vital that we pay attention to this year's Earth Day theme.

In the year 1970, the Earth Day movement began in the United States, raising concerns about the harm to our environment and seeking solutions for the same. In 2021 its purpose remains as relevant as 51 years ago. As our population increases, so is the grave harm to our Planet.

It is this harm that is resulting in climate change, threatening ecosystems, and destroying wildlife spaces.  Animals to Humans virus transfer thus becomes inevitable, raising possibilities of Pandemics like Covid-19. 

The theme this restore our Earth might be our chance to atone the mistakes of the past. We don't need to plant more trees. We need to talk about this, escalate climate literacy and come with concrete visions for the future. 

Here is a list of five things any of us can do from our homes to restore our Planet.

1) Plantation at home - Raise more plants at your home. Decorate those staircases with Greens. Use that terrace space to grow some food. Plant something fragrant in your front yard.

2) Upcycle- You have a lot of belongings. Reuse, Recycle or Repurpose them. 

3) Be Climate Literate - Learn facts about what's happening to our climate. Find solutions to what needs to be done at an individual level to repair the harm to our seasons.

4) Begin Composting - It's the easiest way to do something good for mother Earth. 

5) Redo your lifestyle - Sustainability does not mean that you have to adopt a new way of living. Just making small changes in your routine can also do wonders for your environment.

Cleaner air and environs, less pollution of soil and Earth, will ultimately benefit you, your loved ones, and their health. Let us work together to restore our Earth.

North India's air is so polluted that many of its large cities regularly feature in Global top 100 lists of bad air. 

Ludhiana District in the state of Punjab is another city with air not fit to breathe in. While there are many reasons for the massive pollution of air, we have  witnessed few solutions from the society.

In fact, like other districts, deforestation is so common, tree cutting looks like a favorite hobby of citizens. Everywhere I hear the same refrain. Now that everyone needs a car bigger and flashier than the neighbor let's get rid of the green belts.  It's the duty of trees to make way for concrete to house those cars, like their cousins were cut to make homes for humans.

Given this situation, I am impressed by a few going beyond the rhetoric and social media posse's and formulating solutions. Some activists approach NGT to keep authorities in check. Some are creating awareness with RTI and all.

Sambhav Foundation (founded circa 1999) has come with a unique idea called the Ludhiana Greentop City. 

On the lines of the famous  "Oota from your Thota" (OFYT), a major terrace gardening movement in Bengaluru, this one envisages terrace gardens in everyone's home.

Suppose everyone plants 15-20 trees on their terrace. As per Sambhav team, we can drastically improve the green cover of the city. Not to mention the benefits like better AQI and better health, especially for an industrial district. 

But is it as simple as it sounds?

Let's say there are 4 lakh households in the District. If our target is 20 plants per household,  we require 80 lakh plants.

Add commercial and other buildings, and we can estimate 1 Crore plants.

The scale seems to be quite ambitious. The NGO has kept a tight deadline of 15th August by when they plan to achieve all this. It looks like a tall order given that you need resources to put it all together.

How to make Ludhiana a Greentop City?

I agree with the concept, being an ardent supporter of terrace gardens. These can be your private spaces of solitude and peace. Plants bring out the best in all of us. That's the love of nature, and its bounties come in various forms.

What we require first of all to achieve this target is to conduct massive training programs and workshops. I have often witnessed that people are unable to take care of their plants due to a lack of knowledge. Plus, this project will bring with it a cultural change. Say someone who never had a garden now has one on his roof. Mass training programs are needed to train and equip people with basic knowledge.

Another focus area would be a liaison with several NGOs, Resident Welfare Associations, institutions, etc. Block and Area level committees would need to be formed for better co-ordination and faster results.

Challenge also lies in marshaling the resources and ensuring that they are put to the best use.

The team of Ludhiana Greentop Project seems to be on the right course. They have set up a roster of volunteers and are enlisting more people to join in. Capability seems to not a problem. Let us hope this project comes up with something positive for Ludhiana residents.

Both the Mental and Physical health of Ludhiana citizens is extremely poor. That's one of the reasons why Covid-19 turned out to be deadly for the city. A project like this could be very well the solution that is needed to address this situation.

The Farmers of Punjab pushed the green revolution, which changed India's landscape of food security forever. 2020 has witnessed another revolution of sorts with Farmers taking a stand against the Farm Acts, which they believe are meant to put them out of business.

What we have seen is nothing short of a revolution—the Youth and Old alike pushing boundaries and digging in to make their voices heard. And equally significant is the rise of Women Farmers leading the way.

Women have traditionally been a background in Indian agriculture. Not out of choice but as a matter of family duty, they have always worked the fields, taken care of animals besides their usual house chores. That's how the traditions have ever been. Although never in the foreground, they have always worked the fields. It's not a career choice for which they get respect, like a bank official, but it's a career, no doubt.

It's heartening to see in 2020 how Punjab women farmers are now coming out of the shadows to etch a name for themselves. Ever since the protests started in June, the women farmers have been marching alongside their male counterparts. Even when the "Delhi Chalo" call was given, many women farmers packed their bags for what they knew would be a challenging and long haul. The rural women are not well-traveled with duties at home, bounding them for years. Still, they picked up the flag for an adventure they weren't aware of.

The Challenges

As of today, December 17, the women have not been able to enter Delhi. Many had set out from their homes on November 25 and are still camping out outside Delhi, living on the roads amidst bad sanitary conditions, chilling cold, and a hostile government. They, too, had to bear the brunt of the police force against the farming community. 

But the biggest enemy of a woman can be a woman only—That's what I always believe. So even though thousands of women are on the protest site, India's women journalists prefer to demean them by just blacking them out.

These women are not here to cook meals and do the heavy work for the male leaders. They have a voice of their own and often speak on the dias. The Bhartiya Kisan Union - Ugrahan, makes it a point that women are always well represented on stage and are given opportunities to speak. 

Their leader, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, has a formidable personality and is an old school leader. They have a Vice President, Harinder Kaur Bindu, who leads the women wing. It's inspirational. Women are not being used as a background prop but given a front seat. I heard one woman tell a small media outlet that the farm laws affect them the worst. When farmers' income dwindles, the most significant burden will fall on the homemaker, who has to run the household on limited means.

But you will not hear all this on National Media. Our well educated middle class prefers to look down upon these women from rural areas depending on their political preferences. No women's commission is questioning how the right to protest is being muzzled for these women. 

The urban types call these people terrorists, Khalistan sympathizers, for hire protestors, and whatnot. Never mind that Harinder Bindu has been farming for 30 years now. Along with her activist experience, indeed, I can look up to her opinions as an expert. She would know things better than me. But in a pure chauvinist manner, we muzzle down her voice. We blackout the women from our national discourse. From our TV screens. Never mind that the same woman we are calling a terrorist lost her father to Khalistanis. Her father, Megh Raj, fought against them and was killed as a result. How more can you demean a woman other than insulting the memory of her father. The entire nation should be ashamed of watching and listening to those who support such an argument.

The silver lining

Things are tough for women in the protest field. We have lost 70-year-old Bibi Gurmel Kaur, who dies on December 8, fighting for the cause. We saw how an elderly lady was termed as a protestor for hire by the powers to be. We can see that even lakhs of females work our fields, with Union Ministers no female leader was present for talks. 

But the good news is that Punjab now recognizes its women's farm leaders. In a Press Conference, a farmer leader said they are making arrangements as facilities are not proper for women to protest. Many women want to participate, and they are working on it. 

At Sewa Stalls by people, several essentials are being distributed by people of Punjab. I was heartened to see Sanitary Napkins for ladies being distributed free. In a country still shy to discuss PMS in Urban or Rural areas, that people are collecting money to distribute free Pads at a protest site is a positive sign.

It will do well for India to recognize and build upon this leadership. This farmer's movement is redefining how women's role is being seen. An appreciation also holds suitable for those handling the farms and the fields as their husbands, fathers, and brothers are fighting the battle on Borders of Delhi.

It's time for the entire nation to recognize, respect, and amplify their voice. This revolution belongs to them in a way.

  Themed ‘Humanity beyond Calamity: Preparing for the new world order’, the third consecutive edition of Social And Business Enterprise Responsible Awards & Summit, GTSABERA 2020 concluded during an exclusive virtual event today. The annual event attracted nationwide participation by diverse organizations and individuals across corporate and development sector. The awards acknowledged the inspiring stories of impact and development aligned with Sustainable Development Goals. There were 74 entries for 13 different categories and 3 research based nominations across thematic areas like environment, education, responsible business, pharma, individual change makers and others.*

“I am thankful to our presenting partner Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, The UN Global Compact Network, Nayara Energy partners, jury members, participants and the entire SABERA family for their relentless support and enabling us to showcase the inspiring stories of ‘good’ from across the country. GTSABERA2020 is special as it aspires to build hope while we motivate each other by recognising the initiatives which have truly made a difference in the lives of individuals and communities and empowering them with lasting change.” said Suparnaa Chadda, Curator, SABERA.

Vishesh C Chandiok, CEO, Grant Thornton Bharat said, “A year ago, who would have thought the 2020 edition of SABERA will be conducted in the middle of a global health crisis that will claim many lives and leave those left behind vulnerable due to its unprecedented nature. This pandemic cannot go waste and I believe the need for a platform like SABERA has grown manifold in the post-COVID world. At Grant Thornton Bharat, we have been helping businesses address common challenges to contribute to a more vibrant economy and we take immense pride in our association with SABERA”

The theme this year ‘Humanity beyond Calamity: Preparing for the new world order’, emphasised on the shifting focus of large corporates from mere profit oriented operations to initiatives creating a larger social impact. The summit preceding the awards discussed critical issues like climate change, Increasing importance of indicators such ESG and SDGs and integrated reporting standards adopted by companies. The summit also deliberated utilizing technology, e commerce and digital solutions to mitigate future crisis.

“Women are an integral part of the initiatives that we’ve taken. It is an honour to be conferred the Responsible Business of the Year Award at SABERA2020. I am privileged to accept this award on behalf of TATA Power and communities we work with.” said Mr. Praveer Sinha CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power while accepting the award.

Priya Nair, ED, Beauty and Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever said, “HUL wants to make sustainable living commonplace. If the communities thrive, our business will thrive. We have built scaled sustainable initiatives over the years. I would like to thank the jury of SABERA awards for this prestigious recognition of Responsible Business of the Year award.”

Exemplifying SABERA’s intent to catalyse ‘good’ and leave no one behind, the awards were anchored by Payal, a 15 year old from a small village in Rajasthan. The daughter of a humble launderer fulfilled her dream of anchoring a live show in fluent English.

Zelma Lazarus of Impact India Foundation said “I am grateful to the jury members of GTSABERA2020 awards for conferring on me the Change Maker of the Year award. This award is dedicated to Impact India Foundation staff of 52 change makers, trustees, donors, doctors and so many others who’ve helped us make 129793 rural beneficiaries healthy.

The award also acknowledged stories of change and transformation anchored by individuals and not-for-profit organisations.

“Swades Foundation is happy to receive the GTSABERA Award for not-for-profit of the Year Category. We work towards bringing lasting change in the lives of rural communities and our commitment only goes higher with such recognition”. said Mangesh Wange, CEO, Swades Foundation.

The event also hosted the launch of Grant Thornton Bharat’s survey based thought leadership publication Integrated Reporting (IR) in India. Key insights from the survey are as follows:

·         66% of respondents felt they did not have adequate levels of awareness about IR

·         The primary drivers for those who have adopted IR is its reference in corporate governance codes, followed by adoption of Integrated Thinking within their organisations

·         56% of respondents agreed that IR improves transparency and governance, while almost 70% believe it will help enhance stakeholder value

·         75% of respondents believe IR will help improve corporate reporting in their organisations

·         Almost 50% of respondents also highlighted the need for additional resources, skills and costs to adopt IR

In line with its commitment of bringing together public, private and third sectors to solve global challenges, Grant Thornton Bharat also launched Faces of Vibrant Bharat. Focused on sociopreneurs, this initiative brings together ‘hybrid’ enterprises and gives them a platform to connect, engage and inspire. 

The occasion was graced by speakers like Dr Bibek Debroy, Chair Economic Advisory to PM; Dr Preetha Reddy, Apollo Hospitals Group; Suhela Khan, UN Women; Sanjay Dube, International Institute for Energy Conservation; Vishesh C Chandiok, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, Amit Kumar Bajaj, Grant Thornton Bharat; Lalit Malik, Dabur India Ltd.; Dr Jeremy Osborn, International Integrated Reporting Council; Mohua Mukherjee, Global Development Economics Professional; Kedar Upadhyay, Cipla Ltd.; Niranjana Maru, MAKAAM; Sue Stepehnson, IMPACT2030 and Ravi Bhatnagar, Reckitt Benkiser.

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