There are many NGO s in IndiaBeing the real human in the real world is difficult. Thats why I try to find people who are doing their part. That’s what being a real Human is all about. Incidentally, that’s the name of their NGO Being the Real human. Being the real human is a foundation which believes in making their own corner of the world better. They do it with whatever resources they have.In conversation with Mr.Utpal of this NGO.
Q: Tell me about Being Real Human?
A: Being the Real Human Foundation is a registered NGO working towards improving the environment and Animal rights and focusing to bring some smiles on the faces of the aged.
Being The Real Human:NGO in Mumbai with a soul
Q: Who all are there in this with you?
I have small teams working all over Navi Mumbai who specialize in Animal welfare and Environmental issues. We have Doctors, Advocates and chartered accountants associated with us in our cause. As soon as people realize that we are doing this work, not for any awards or limelight, they tend to join us. There is a decent amount of people in the society who want to genuinely give back something to the society as a whole and these people are our strength.
NGO in India spreading the message of humanity:They know plants keep us alive
Q: How did you think about this project?
A: It all started with a cremation process of someone known to me. He was a young chap and his suicide came as a shock to all of us. While we were doing his last rites, this thought came to my mind…”We know the cycle of birth to death (clinically as well as medically), but do we know what happens after death? So is death the end? Or is it the beginning? Is it the beginning of a new journey which none of us are aware of, except the person who goes on it! This journey may be beautiful of very painful. The person going on this new journey will definitely not have us with him/her. So why not make the last days of the person leaving this journey beautiful. Why not send him/her happily for their new journey? Likewise with animals, why not see them off across the rainbow bridge with whatever love we can give them?”
Being The Real Human:Utpal taking care of hos four legged friend
Q: Who helped you do this?
A: No project happens with one person. There are always people who act as support pillars to make a shelter. My wife Prita who is the Vice president of the NGO, my friends Raju Naidu who is the Secretary, always accompanying Arun Revane, the helping sisters Laxmi Jha and Pinky Jha who are founder members along with Smita D Naidu who is our Treasurer.
Q: What work do you focus on through this NGO?
A: We Focus on Animal welfare, Environment conservation, and Old age homes.
Being The Real Human: A caring hand and smiling face is all the elderly need
Q: How do you manage it all?
A: By Gods grace, I should say. Since it’s a newly formed NGO, we are not yet entitled to any grant from the Government. It is the members, patrons, and well-wishers who contribute whenever possible and this keeps the show running.
Q: How can people help?
A: People can donate/contribute directly to the NGO’s account at :
People who want to do selfless service can request an application form to join the organization with a nominal- membership fee along with relevant documents and photographs.
Q)Tell me about Utpal Krishna who manages so much good work?
I am born and brought up in Mumbai, graduated from the Mumbai University and worked in the corporate world for about 20 years. I quit the corporate world in 2012 and started Full-time consultancy in Content management and Food. As a certified nutritionist, I have helped many stay fit and also work with corporates from time to time for their Food related content requirements. I run a blog at fashionablefoodz.com which is well known by now. After doing voluntary social service for over 10 years, I decided to start a NGO and in April 2017, Being The Real Human came into existence.
Disclaimer: All information about NGOs and charitable work is according to the information given by a member. Before making any monetary contribution, kindly do so at your own discretion.
India ranks among the top 10.Excited?In what you ask? India’s cities and towns have the highest level of indoor air pollution amongst the world’s top cities.Sad shocking and totally disturbing.This WHO REPORT shares national disease load due to indoor Air pollution.India has more than 1.5 million deaths per year due to indoor air pollution.
3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves.They burn biomass (wood, animal dung, and crop waste) and coal.
4 million people die prematurely from illness due to household air pollution, from cooking with solid fuels.
50% of premature deaths due to pneumonia among children under 5 are caused by the particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution..
Causes of Premature deaths are:
These include noncommunicable diseases like stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer, which are partly attributed to exposure to household air pollution.
Premature deaths and poor indoor air quality
Premature deaths due to indoor air pollution :
12% are due to Pneumonia
34% from Stroke
26% from Ischaemic heart disease
22% from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
Western countries have indoor air quality guidelines.It’s 20 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter. In India, it averages 375 micrograms per cubic meter.
The burning of solid fuel is a big culprit,the section of society using biomass as fuel needs help.For this, we need Government help, subsidies.Thankfully it’s happening slowly but definitely happening.
But what about urban indoor air pollution?
Do you have any idea about what your home, office, shopping malls air contain?Unfortunately, there are no well-defined emission norms for Air conditioners, refrigerators, toasters in India.So the data is not easily available. Quality of indoor air affects children more often. Asthma ,allergic rhinitis , has reached shocking levels in children.
Be careful about emission standards of household products.
Have indoor plants and your own indoor garden.Have balcony gardens.Have window gardens, have plants everywhere.Plants are great indoor decor option.
[bctt tweet=”“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” ― Robert F. Kennedy” username=”misra_amrita”]
Balcony garden with Chikoo plant
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee in a 2010 report recommended that allergists consider indoor air filtration to be part of a comprehensive strategy to improve respiratory health.
Indoor air filters and air purifiers with HEPA filters can help. But that’s just sweeping the dust under the carpet. It doesn’t address the greater problem of a more comprehensive plan to remove air pollutants.But HEPA filters are expensive and not a solution to the Indian problem.Indoor Plants are cheap, easy, pretty, low maintenance solution to this serious problem.
How plants improve air quality?
They can absorb ambient VOCs , improve the quality of air and produce oxygen.They purify ambient air and produce fresh oxygen for you to breathe!
Photosynthesis is the method by which plants produce oxygen.It depends on the presence of Carbon dioxide, light and water molecules. Indoor air plant can produce oxygen even in low light conditions . They also remove air pollutants like formaldehyde, benzene, toluene(VOCs).Some of these VOCs are suspected carcinogens.
VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products used in homes including:
Paints, paint strippers, and other solvents
Wood preservatives
Aerosol sprays
Cleansers and disinfectants
Moth repellents and air fresheners
Stored fuels and automotive products
Hobby supplies
Dry-cleaned clothing
Pesticide
VOCs, evaporate into the air when these products are used or sometimes even when they are stored.
What effect do Volatile organic compounds have on your body?
Irritate the eyes, nose, and throat
Causes headaches
Nausea,
Damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.
Some of them can even cause cancer.
These harmful chemicals are removed from the indoor air by absorption through the stoma on leaves.
They are then broken down into simple chemical components which are harmless.For example, take formaldehyde.It’s strongly suspected to be potentially causing cancer in humans.Plants can break it down to Carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms and make it harmless.
Sources of formaldehyde at home:
Pressed woods
Some types of foam insulation
Paper products
Some paints and varnishes
How many plants per person is adequate to provide fresh air?
1 to 3 per 100 square feet is said to be adequate.
So What kind of plants are best?
NASA report compiled an interesting list of plants.
English Ivy(Hedera Helix)
Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum, also known as devil’s ivy: reduces air levels of benzene and trichloroethylene.
Boston fern(Nephrolepis Exalta Bostoniensis)
Ferns had the highest formaldehyde-removal efficiency of all the plants tested, especially Osmunda japonica, commonly known as Japanese royal fern, or zenma
Bamboo palm: removes benzene and trichloroethylene(Chamaedorea Elegans)
That’s the biggest problem that stumps indoor gardeners. Another problem with container gardening is providing optimal nutrition.
The good news I found a solution.
The Fairytale story…..
While watching Egiye Bangla an interesting program on ZEE BANGLA promoting entrepreneurship, I heard the most wonderful idea.It was an Urban gardeners dream.The winner Jayabrata Bhaduri was one of the 4 entrepreneurs behind Capacloud a startup company.
They had a solution to increase green friendly biophilic designs.I was so excited I tracked down , this Bengali entrepreneur Jayabrata Bhaduri on Facebook.Sent him a message and requested a meeting, to see how in the world did they do it.Very kindly he arranged a meeting with their mentor and guide.I turned up at the designated meeting place with my hubby, who was by now quite shocked that he had agreed to meet a stranger in their home/laboratory about gardening. Nothing to do with medicine.But everything to do with health.Yes, that was my winning argument.
The time spent in the laboratory/workshop and terrace garden was pure magic.The extent and scope of their innovation was mind boggling!
Their winning idea:
Lego-style tiles(Ecotop) made of some special material(Top secret)
This tile is incorporated with special nutrients.
This tile can be placed on almost any surface, to make growing green anywhere a distinct reality.
Experiments suggest they can provide a well-balanced plant nutrition, through their special technology for up to 5 years.Yes, that’s true 5 years!
Indoor Vertical Garden:Image courtesy Capacloud
Vertical Gardening +Hydroponics+Something special=Capaclouds new innovation.
Managing corporate orders is the top priority of the company right now.But they are planning to bring it to the indoor gardeners in the very near future.
Their upcoming project involves the United States Embassy in Kolkata.A young company already going places!
So how exactly Capacloud’s innovation, can revolutionize Urban gardening?
1) You can have improved air quality in
Schools
Hospitals
Hotels
Home
Offices
Public places
External walls
Vertical Garden :Biophilic design
Image courtesy Capacloud
2) Garden anywhere!
3) It’s supremely aimed as a biophilic interior design option. 4)It’s inspirational, restorative, and healthy. 5)Its design can adapt to the functionality of the place Seamlessly integrates to interiors. 6)It provides nutrition to the plants for 5 years with an easy method of replenishing it.
7)Its innovative tile design makes it suitable for all surfaces.
8)The nutrition mix is just right for bountiful growth.
No problem of plant sitters when you go for trips.Have your own urban jungle if you want.Eastern India leads in the incidence of nonsmokers with lung cancer.How many of you plant trees?How many of you have your own window boxes of greenery/balcony garden/terrace garden?
The plants remove all the poisons from the air and make your air breathable.
So how exactly does increased oxygen improve your health?
Improved cardiovascular health Decreases diastolic Pressure and calms out sympathetic system which is responsible for psychological and physiological stress .
Plants enhance job satisfaction in office workers
Improve mood states =increased feeling of wellbeing.Helps stabilize mood.
Enhance cognitive health
Improves clarity of thought= more productivity
Increased creativity=you have brilliant ideas
Improve immunity and healing.
Why Indoor air plants?
Plants are a useful way of improving air quality.
Easily available.
Maintenance is easy.
Suitable for all environment.
Plants provide an actionable option in situations where other more expensive technology may be grossly inadequate.
My take:
I think it’s time you took back your lungs.Do something for yourself. For the air you breathe.
For your children.It’s not about the future.It’s about the present.The world you live in is slowly being turned into a wasteland.Air, water, soil, sound pollution.The critical balance between the different elements of our ecosystem is terribly distorted.The possibility of this restored in the ecosystem is gradually decreased.Honestly, nobody is stopping, to think that only plants produce life-saving oxygen.
You can live without the internet, but how long can you live without breathing?No life will be possible on earth without plants.Artificial sources of oxygen are just that artificial and are only temporary solutions.If you made your home green soon your city, country and eventually mother earth would be green again.Let’s go green!
Updated:September 2017
I decided to update this post because I am getting work done in my new home usindg some of these ideas.You will know the truth behind all the claims .Also Capacloud is now doing home spaces too!.Must check out their website for more details.
I am an ENT surgeon by profession, previously working at a Medical college. I believe the Internet is God’s way of providing health and wealth information for all. The important thing is to find the right information.
My home is three-quarters done. Now I need a good lead-free eco-friendly paint option in India. That’s why I am aggressively researching paints and services. I have already written about Lead poisoning a few years back. That needed an update. Since that time our government has decided to pass laws to restrict lead paint in household paints. But is that enough? A few questions need answering.
How is Lead used in paints?
It’s used as pigments. Lead carbonate or white lead makes the paint a white /cream color. Lead tetroxide is used to create bright red paint.
Why is lead used in paints?
Lead helps in drying quickly.
It makes the paint durable.
Makes the paint moisture resistant.
Its cheap
This made lead paints popular for use in homes, on metal exposed to the elements, and even children’s toys. Shocked?I was too when I researched for this article. Only lead paint at home is not a problem. Children can get exposed to industrial paints from various sources.
Both children and adults are at risk when exposed to lead paint. Paint applied to roads, highways, steel structures, industrial buildings, vehicles, and farm equipment all need to be free. When these paints grow old, it degrade, flake off and chips fall. This is the culprit behind long-term slow air pollution (by lead dust ) and soil contamination. This is a bigger problem when the paint is removed. The workers at these places are exposed to lead and take home this poison in their clothes, hair, skin.
The problem is industrial paints are applied to homes, schools, and consumer products. Where are the laws to stop schools and public places from using lead in paint?
Brands which have embraced lead-free and low VOC paint options include
Kansai Nerolac
Asian paints: Many products. They started their green assure product range 7 years back. They have also launched a new product Royale Atmos which absorbs VOC
Berger paints Breathe Easy Emulsion
(Any other? Let me know. I will update)
The Indian Government has fixed the content of lead in house paints to less than 90 ppm. That’s a great initiative But more decisions need to be taken, quickly. Lead is a poison. It’s difficult to remove. It poisons the air, water, soil, and your food.
With Delhi pollution still a shocking reality, are we going to let our government dilly – dally with a known poison?
Both children and adults are at risk. The Government may do too little too late. Since you know this. What are you going to do now?
