Keeping time to save power

Karnataka is going through acute power crisis during this festival season. The reason ? Not enough supply of coal and maintenance of many power stations. Bangalore and whole Karnataka is experiencing scheduled and unscheduled power cuts. Today morning was no different. Around 6 O’clock, power cut started. However, power was restored within 1 hour. To make sure I use that period for heating water, I started geyser. Generally I keep geyser on for only 10-15 minutes. Today however, I completely forgot that I had switched it on. It took no less than 45 minutes before I realized it. The result ? Unnecessary power wastage and water so hot that I could have used it for 4-5 people. I was really ashamed of myself that during such a power crisis, I wasted so much of it. With this, I also started thinking that many people must have faced similar problem in morning. We all are very busy in morning, running here and there to complete our regular tasks. It is very natural to forget about switching the geyser off. What is the solution ??

Actually the solution is quite simple. At least technically. Add a timer in geyser. One can use timer keypad and set the timer just like we set alarm clock. Once geyser is started, it will run till timer expires and then stops boiling water. One can come any time after that to switch off the geyser. Once timer is set, we don’t need to set it every day. Whenever we want to change the timer, we can use timer keypad to set it. The timer keypad and LED can be placed right on the geyser or at a suitable height such that it is easy to set the timer.

There are few geyser models which stops boiling water automatically once a certain temperature is attained. However, that temperate is set during manufacturing time and can not be changed or reconfigured. Also, one might want to boil water specific to individual need. Giving users the power to save power is really interesting. What do you say ?

Recently, I was going to my home during noon time. And I noticed that street lights were still on !! The person responsible for switching them off might have forgot or might be on leave. Whatever be the reason. And I was wondering. Why can’t we add simple timer or light sensor in existing street lights ? Or altogether replace old lights with new models having solar panel with timer or light sensor. Timer can simply switch off lights at say 6 in morning and switch them on at 6:15 in evening. Similarly, light sensor can check light intensity and accordingly switch on/off the lights. Only one time investment but it can save lot of power and manual inspection (that means that person can do some other work !!). India is over-reliant on manual procedures. In this world of new technologies, we must use them effectively to save our scarce power resources.

 

My Environment day resolutions

Every year “World Environment day” comes (on June 5) and goes. We talk about saving environment for that day and then forget about it for next 364 days and indulge in same activities. This time, I wanted to really change something small in my daily routine. I found some points which I can implement within my scope. Here they are :

I noticed that in our office, we use paper cups to drink water, tea, coffee etc. On an average, each one of us uses at least 5 paper cups per day. That is more than 15,000 cups per day for my company and limitless if you include all such companies all over the world. And what I found about paper cups on net is not at all healthy:

“Styrofoam cups are made from the material polystyrene. Paper cups, on the other hand, are also usually not made from all-natural materials. Many paper cups are coated in polyethylene (a type of plastic resin) to increase their durability and water resistance. According to a study conducted by Starbucks and the Alliance for Environmental Innovation, published April 2000, each paper cup manufactured is responsible for 0.11 kilograms of CO2 emissions. Considering the vast number of cups produced each year, this is a startling figure. Styrofoam cups have their own dangers as Styrofoam cannot be completely recycled.

According to Rodale, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has labeled polystyrene a “probable carcinogen.” According to a study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal, when Styrofoam is heated, the chemicals can leach out of the Styrofoam and into the hot food. Since most paper cups are coated in a petroleum resin, this chemical can also leach into hot beverages.”

Alternative : Use plastic bottles which you already have at home (Don’t buy new one ). Use it to drink water. For tea/coffee, mug is the best option. The only effort you have to put is cleaning it after using.  One has to start doing it to realize it does not require much effort.

I have seen organizations putting strict restrictions for using paper cups. In Samsung Korea, there are no paper cups in office. If you want to drink tea/coffee, you have to bring your own mug from home. Initially, people were uneasy about it. Only initially. After few days, we could see different varieties of mugs at each person’s desk. Now, it is considered very bad to use paper cups there. One culture has developed.

I had recently sent a request to HR in my office to remove paper cups completely. I have got very positive response and now they are in process of implementing it. Why don’t you suggest same to your organization if the same practice isn’t already followed?

Where have all the cloth bags gone? I remember in my childhood, we used cloth bags right from going to tuition classes to any sort of shopping. There was no concept like polythene bags in those days. Nowadays, we just go for shopping and take home lots of polythene bags. Everyone knows dangers of using polythene bags. Remember, it is already banned in most part of world. Still we use it as if we don’t care anything about it.

Again I can’t help but remember the practice in Korea. There, we need to buy polythene bags if haven’t got our own bags. And again, it is considered bad there. Nowadays, I have seen many big stores also charging for polythene bags in India. However, that alone is not enough as it is still very cheap to cause in discomfort in our money filled packet. The best option is to understand the hazards that polythene bags cause and use cloth bags by choice, not because you have to pay for it now. I must congratulate certain local shopkeepers who steadfastly refuse to sell if a customer keeps on asking for polythene bags.  I have seen such shopkeepers in my locality. If they can do it with the danger of losing business, why can’t we?

This year, let’s do something about our environment and make it part of our culture. Let us change for better tomorrow.

 

Attuning to the Cosmic Energy

The human body has self healing mechanism. The Prana – “vital energy” keeps on circulating inside the body to nurture every part of it. However, due to some reasons, it might get contaminated at some place. That is when the disease starts spreading in that organ. If only one knows a ways to direct Prana to that part, it can start healing the organ up to its capacity. Kirlian photography claims to show energy blocks in various parts of body. The Kirlian photographs can be used for early diagnostic of a disease.

Pranayam – Control of the Prana is also an effective way of managing Prana energy through breath.  Through breath in and breath out, we flow Prana in our body such that it nurtures all parts of body. Since mind and breath are very well connected, having long and deep breaths also calms mind instantly.

Yoga works primarily with the energy in the body, through the science of pranayama, or energy-control. Prana means also ‘breath.’ Yoga teaches how, through breath-control, to still the mind and attain higher states of awareness. The higher teachings of yoga take one beyond techniques, and show the yogi, or yoga practitioner, how to direct his concentration in such a way as not only to harmonize human with divine consciousness, but to merge his consciousness in the Infinite.

– Paramahansa Yogananda

Reiki:

Reiki is a healing method which uses cosmic energy. The development of Reiki started around 1800 but it is believed that Shiva was responsible for bringing Reiki to this world.  The modern Reiki was developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. He sought the origin of Jesus’ and Buddha’s method of healing and found them in the ancient remnants of Shiva’s culture, in the ancient esoteric teachings of India.

Reiki is Japanese world meaning Universal Life Force Energy. It is the power that acts and lives in all created matter. “Rei” denotes the universal boundless aspect of this energy while “ki” is the vital life force energy which flows through all living beings. “Ki” is known as “Chi” in Chinese and “Prana” in Sanskrit.

Reiki is one of the most simplest and effective way of transmitting the Universal life force energy. Once a person is attuned to be a channel for Reiki, Life energy flows through that person. The concentrated Life Energy is received through head (Crown Chakra) and flows through hands. The Reiki practitioner does not give energy from himself but only channelizes Life Energy through him. The overall effect of Reiki is to help bring the body into a perfect balance so that it can heal itself. Reiki works on all levels – Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It can heal physical pain, remove mental and emotional blockages and reestablish spiritual equilibrium.

What flows is pure energy, devoid of any form. It can never harm anyone. It follows the simple energy principle. Wherever energy is required, it will reach there. How much energy is required, that much energy will reach there. Reiki can also be given to persons not physically present. It is called “Distant Reiki”. It can also be given to animals, plants, places etc.

Many people have experienced Reiki as Love. When one is in deep state of Love, calmness and peace, Reiki starts to flow by itself.  For those who are self-realized and attuned to their self, this grace flow naturally. That is why we see pictures of many Gods gracing everyone by their hand. When we bow to a realized soul and get their hand on our head, have you noticed some energy sensation? Yes, we draw energy through them.

Let me share some of my experiences of Reiki. More than the technical knowledge of Reiki principles, what requires is belief and faith in Reiki. My friend Jay Yagnik introduced Reiki to me and he gave me few Reiki sessions before I learned it. Though I didn’t feel much sensation in those sessions, I got the belief that it works. After undergoing level 1, I found many changes in myself.

I found that my intuition has manifested with full force. It lasted for 2-3 months and then returned to normal. We don’t learn distant Reiki in Level 1 course. However, I didn’t find any reason why it could not be practiced. So I did one experiment. I started sending distant Reiki to my friends without informing them. After 4-5 days, they called me and told that they are feeling like they are receiving something (energy) from somewhere. Yes, one does not need to learn Level 2 to give distant Reiki. However, with advanced level, the energy flow increases. I also found that whenever I am mentally disturbed, my Reiki flow is less. Since we only act as channel and energy flows through this channel, we have to ensure that the channel is clean and not filled with mental, emotional blocks.

Let me summarize Reiki:

What it is ?

• A simple way of attuning oneself to receive cosmic life energy.
• An alternative healing method.

What it is not ?

• It is not ultimate realization of Truth. It does not impart knowledge and wisdom but helps one on that path.
• No replacement for modern surgery and medicines.
• Some Tantrik yoga or miraculous cult.

Why should I learn it ?

• It brings deep relaxation and dissolves energy blockages.
• It enhances body’s ability to heal itself and strengthens immune system.
• It can be practiced anywhere, anytime. One cannot practice other methods like Pranayama properly while in journey or with running nose and weakness. There is no such issue in Reiki.
• It can also push oneself on the path of spirituality. However, the degree of advancement depends on individual’s spiritual level.

P.S. Pranic Healing is also similar healing method which works on similar principles. Though I have discussed Reiki, most of that applies to Pranic healing also.

Some of the contents and image of this article are taken from book “Healing Through Reiki” by Dr. Beena Rani Goel.

Energy: The Cosmic Dance

“Only when I was able to attune myself with the songs of nature, I was able to receive blessings and energy that this vast existence is constantly gracing upon us.”

What is energy ? It is the dance of particles in a particular way.  Everything vibrates. Right from big mountains to small matchbox, everything is made of fundamental particles Proton, Neutron and Electron. While Proton and Neutron forms nucleus of atom, Electron keeps on circling the nucleus. This motion defines a basic frequency of any object. Popular physicist Dr. Frijtof Capra called this phenomenon “a cosmic dance” in the Tao of Physics.

If one has right receiver to catch, one can receive the signals transmitted on given frequency. All modern telecommunication equipments have both receiver and transmitter to receive and transmit signals on different frequencies. What about the greatest machines of them all, the human body ? Each human has its fundamental frequency which we may call as basic frequency of mind. We all have noticed that we can sense another person or place’s frequency and like or dislike it without any apparent reason. Few holy places have strong spiritual vibrations which calms one instantly. Some places have very disturbing vibrations that you don’t want to stay there anymore. Sometimes we say we have great tuning with someone which means our frequencies are matching. There are some cases when people have transmitted thought vibrations to their nearer ones in time of danger. Yes, we all have that receiver, albeit not properly tuned.

If thought patterns can be transmitted, why can’t energy be transmitted in similar way ? More than 100 years ago, Nikola Tesla claimed to invent a way to wirelessly transmit energy to any device. He used to hold a light bulb in his hand and three, two , one – Alas, the bulb starts illuminating without any wiring. Not going into technical details of that invention, the point to note here is science has always made numerous attempts to transmit and receive energy.

Humans have always done this for centuries. Even before science discovered that sun rays help generation of vitamin D in human body, sun rays were considered source of energy. Even though humans don’t have chlorophyll like plants to use sun rays for generating starch and glucose, they knew a way to use sun energy. Before few years, we heard about a case where one elderly Jain claimed to pass 411 days with only sunlight as energy source. He told that he developed and tuned his body to take sufficient energy from sun rays and he didn’t need any other food to nurture the body. The author has also experienced that with little tuning, one can receive vast amount of energy directly from sun.

This cosmos is full of different expressions of energy. There are constant transformations of one type of energy to another type of energy. With sun rays heating air and hot air moving up, a pressure difference is created which makes winds blowing. Similarly, hot and cold streams inside ocean generate currents and tides.   

Can we receive energy from this vast cosmos ? Can we use it to heal our body, calm our mind, come over our emotions and progress in spirituality ? Can we not only heal ourselves but also others? Can we heal others who are not only nearby but also anywhere in the world?  Not only enlightened persons, can someone as unenlightened as us do all these ?

To be continued with part 2 “Attuning to the Cosmic Dance”

All roads lead to damaged roads

How do you know that you are with Britishers?

Simple ! They always discuss weather  !

How do you know that you are with Bangaloreans ?

Quite simple again ! They almost always discuss traffic !!

Most of you will agree with this. In last 5 years, traffic in Bangalore has worsened at such an extent that driving itself has become a challenge. Leave about issues in office, we get so much worked up even before reaching the office. Though Bangalore is just an example, this traffic problem is more or less found in all major cities.

Apart from obvious causes like more vehicles on road, less traffic discipline and more, one of the main causes is damaged roads themselves. How many times we see traffic congestion because of a pit hole in the sideways of a road or broken road in the middle. Many a times these hurdles are more difficult to pass than mindless speed-breakers. And Maha-nagar palika is doing the work at its own pace.  When we register any complain there, their answer is same: “Ours is a big city. We can’t manage everything in a day. It will take time. Many a times, they even don’t know that there is some problem on such and such roads. So How can we help them in this ?

Well, I have got this idea. The department which handles the repair work of damaged roads should do the work in public partnership. Public’s work – To inform them about location and extent of damage of a road. Department’s work – To verify the requests and repair such roads in priority order.

There can be a simple form on their website with following information:

• Road name
• Complete Address
• Nearby reference
• Damage grade  (High, Medium and Less)
• Road image
• Approx Google maps coordinates : There can be one inbuilt Google maps application in which user can pin-point approximate location. This can help the department to locate the damaged part more easily.

I am sure if they start such project, they will get hundreds of requests per day. However, they can prioritize the work and complete it accordingly. What this system does is, it logs the data of damaged roads of even the remotest area into their database. That itself is a first step of getting them repaired. A more sophisticated system should also show the current status of each request and notify the user when the repair work for his/her request is completed.

This is just the part of solving the big puzzle – that is traffic. Let us examine possible remedies in subsequent posts.

Sun Shine Food

When I wrote about solar powered equipments in last article, I got many enquiries about dealers and shops for solar items. Most of these quarries were for solar cooker. So I thought of sharing few more details and possible work items about solar cooker.

Some facts time:

Feasibility:

• The solar box cooker takes 2-3 hours to cook food.
• What is important for solar cooking is not how hot the sun is but how clear the sunlit sky is. In most places in India one can cook for 70-80% of the days in all seasons in the year.
• It can work in winter also as outside temperature or heat is not important. A clear sky with sunlight is enough to cook.
• However, it can not cook fully if it is cloudy or rainy. This half cooked food can be cooked further with normal LPG stove and cooker.
• On a clear day one can even do two rounds of cooking – say from 9 am to 12 noon and again from 12 noon till 3 pm.

Physical dimensions:

• The cooker resembles a square suitcase with two hinged lids.
• The lower half of the box is insulated on all four sides and the bottom and has four cooking pots.
• All the pots are coated black outside with matt finish paint. The cooker weighs about 6-8 kg.

What to cook:

• It can cook almost everything that we cook in normal gas cooker or vessel.
• The cooker can be loaded rice in one pot (it can take 250 gms of rice), dal in another pot, cut mixed vegetables of two varieties in the two other pots.
• After 2-3 hours, we can take them out and do the “tadka’ to make them into complete dishes.
• We can make a meal at near-zero cost in terms of fuel and in terms of the environment.
• One can cook not only food, but also roast nuts, dry vegetables and fruits, pasteurize water and even bake bread on a clear day at noon.

Health and taste:

• Sun cooked food improves cellular health and longevity of life as it preserves natural ingredients due to slow heating.
• People (including me and my family) who have tasted sun cooked food have found that it tastes better than gas cooked food.

 

Price and Maintenance:

• Solar box cooker are available in India at a cost of Rs.1300 – 1500.
• Handled with care, it can last 15 to 20 years or more.
• The only maintenance required is an occasional coat of black paint on the inside of the cooker and on the outer surfaces of the cooking pots.
• In my home, we have observed that with solar cooker, our gas consumption has been reduced nearly 40%. That is saving around 50-100 Rs. per month. With that rate, we are able to recover cost of solar cooker within first 2 years. Then after, it is working absolutely free for us.

If solar cooker is such a useful thing, why don’t we see it nearby too often? There are many reasons:

• Lack of awareness.
• No adequate sunlight at home.
• Due to fast metro life, one needs to prepare lunch early.
• No interest in exploring alternate energy devices once settled with LPG cylinders and stove.

We can work to overcome all these issues, at least in villages where lack of awareness is the main problem. When one starts using solar cooker, it not only helps one financially, it also helps in saving the environment. It is a WIN-WIN situation for everybody.

Government started giving subsidies in early 90s but then stopped abruptly. the ministry of non-conventional energy (MNES)  operates shops through the ‘State Nodal Agencies’, which sell renewable energy devices through ‘Aditya Shops’. Stats wise shop list can be found here.

Aditya shops sell all solar items. However, Bangalore shop has stopped selling items before 3 years due to some reason. The shop attendant however told me that he will give few addresses of dealers who sell solar items in Bangalore. The list of other certified solar cooker dealers are found here.

 

My town is just a Taluka level town; still I could get one dealer for solar cooker. I am sure you can find such dealer at majority of the places.

What can we do here:

• Gift solar cooker to your parents on their anniversary (or earlier than that if it comes in year end !).
• Gift solar cooker to your relatives who can use it effectively. I have seen the best publicity for solar cooker is mouth by mouth. When someone finds that their neighbor is using it and saving lot of bill on gas, it can naturally lead one to buy one for oneself. I have already gifted 3 solar cookers to my relatives. And I am not finished yet.
• Identify your friends and relatives who you think can use solar cooker and get benefited. All you need to check is proper sunlight in case of flats and lunch timing. Inform them about benefits of solar cooker and encourage them to buy it.
• Share information about dealers and shops selling solar cooker. The biggest reason for our laziness is that we don’t want to take pain to search for such shop. Once they get the number, all one has to do is call them and take delivery at home. Simple!
• We can organize a solar cooker camp in small schools or halls to highlight solar cooker facts and give them a taste of solar cooked food. That can greatly help spreading the word.

Some more information links about solar cooker can be found here:

http://solarcooking.org/ : All that you want to know about solar cooking.

http://solarcooking.wikia.com : Informative pages about solar cooker.

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/India : more information about solar cooker scenario in India

http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/SolarCookersinIndia.asp : Main source of data used in this article.

P.S  Surya has 12 names in Indian mythology. Here they are.

1. Mitra                        Friend of All

2. Ravi                          Praised by all

3. Surya                       The guide of all

4. Bhanu                      The bestower of Beauty

5. Khaga                      Stimulator of Sense

6. Pushna                    Nourisher of Life

7. Hiranya Garbha       The creator

8. Maricha                  Destroyer of Dark

9. Aditya                     The inspirer

10. Savitra                  The purifier

11. Arka                       The radiant

12. Bhaskara              The illuminator

 

 

 

Eternal sources of Life

Our ancestors always worshipped Mother Nature and other natural elements with the understanding that they sustain life form on earth. All the mythological Devas were actually natural elements, for example Surya Deva, Varun Deva, Vayu Deva, Chandra Deva etc. Even our Rigvedic hymns are dedicated to various deities, chief of whom are Indra, Agni, the sacrificial fire; and Soma, the sacred potion or the plant it is made from. Equally prominent gods are the Adityas, Varuna and Ushas (the dawn). Also invoked are Vishnu, Rudra, Pushan, Brihaspati or Brahmanaspati, as well as deified natural phenomena such as Dyaus Pita (the shining sky, Father Heaven), Prithivi, Surya, Vayu, Apas (the waters), Parjanya (the thunder and rain), Vac (the word), and many rivers (notably the Sapta Sindhu, and the Sarasvati River). Well, not only they sustain life form, Sun, water and wind are one of the biggest sources of alternative or renewable energy.

Renewable energy is the energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, water, tides, and geothermal heat. With each passing day, out traditional energy resources like coal are not only polluting the earth, they are also getting extinct very fast. If we don’t find greener natural resources now, there might be a day when we will not have any resources left. The biggest advantage of renewable energy is that they are almost inexhaustible and eternal. Not only that, they are environmental friendly. Renewable energy sources are thus very important now than at any other time.

However, most of these resources require very sophisticated technology with huge funding to tap it. For example, in order to tap wind energy, big wind turbines are required. Only government can do that! Same way, hydroelectric dams tap moving water energy. Clearly not a work of single individual! Not a problem with Solar energy though! It is possibly the only energy source that every individual can tap and use.

Don’t you think it is the solution that remote villages in India desperately need? It can be solar lamp, solar cooker, solar heater and much more. We have used solar cooker at our home for last 8 years and eaten deliciously cooked rice. I have seen many apartments and hostels using solar heaters. Even government is giving subsidies on renewable energy products. But still percentage usage is very less. Partly due to high prices and partly due to less awareness about its benefits. A single household can recover the cost of solar instrument within 4-5 years and then onwards its absolutely free service for them. Not only it is cheaper in longer run, it is also environmental friendly.

 

What government or municipality can do here: 

• Identify remote villages and install solar lamps at public places.
• Distribute free solar cooker to people with specific income range and encourage others to buy them with government subsidy.
• Make it mandatory to use solar heater for big institutions, hostels, hotels where more than certain number of persons stay. There are some countries where such policy is in order. With most of the hostels and hotels covered, it can reduce big amount of electricity usage there.
• Encourage business companies to install big solar panels on the roof to generate solar power. It can reverse supply power to electricity board and get paid for that! Google is doing it quite nicely.
• Encourage educational institutes to do research on solar cells. If cost of solar cells can be reduced, it will make mass production and distribution of solar panels possible.

What individual person like us can do:

• We can generate awareness about this in friends and relatives.
• We can buy solar cooker. It is very cheap and easily available.
• For those with more power and finance, buy solar heater at apartments or hostels.
• If power cut is common at your place, use solar lamp as emergency lamp.

Now idea of the article:

Everyone has seen solar heaters with big Photovoltaic panel. Generally, we need hot water only in morning for bath. However, during full daytime, water is getting heated continuously without any use. Why can’t we utilize this energy to generate electricity and use it for all household usage?

Basically, it should have one switch like functionality to set either for water heating or for household electricity work. That way, these solar panels can be utilized properly.

I sent this suggestion to TATA BP Solar Company. I asked them following:

“If this functionality is not available, I request you to pass on it to engineering team to find our feasibility of this idea. If feasible, it can be implemented which can greatly benefit your organization and our energy starved country India.”  

 Sadly, I didn’t get proper answer. Here is the answer:

Raju, G V (TATA BP Solar)

Pls find the answers

a) Hot water  temp is 60 deg and what is application .

b) Solar PV is different technology. This system is only for hot water. 

Regards,

Dr Raju

From: Prasanna Kumar, H N (TATA BP Solar)
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 2:44 PM
To: Raju, G V (TATA BP Solar)
Subject: FW: Regarding TATA BP Solar system 

Brain Storming enquiry !!!!!

Any takers for this idea??

 P.S.: As I wrote the article, Union Budget is out there. Solar energy has found a special mention in it. The government proposes to establish a national clean energy fund and is targeting the setting up of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. Allocation for renewable energy has been increased to Rs 1,000 crore. A separate sum of Rs 500 crore has been allotted for the setting up of solar and small hydro power units. Excise duty on photo-voltaic and solar panels has been waived.  Cheers!!

Power to Life

 

Any nation is a vast and complex mechanism which derives its growth from growth of its people and vice versa. The notion of developed nation is the one which can provide basic necessities of life to each citizen of country residing at each corner of nation. Along with water, residence, sanitation, health and education, power (electricity) has become new world’s basic necessity. A nation and its residents can’t progress if they don’t have enough power to run almost everything.

Now, let’s check some numbers from Wikipedia.

• India is world’s 6th largest energy consumer, accounting for 3.4% of global energy consumption.
• Due to India’s economic rise, the demand for energy has grown at an average of 3.6% per annum over the past 30 years.
• In 2004-05, electricity demand outstripped supply by 7-11%.
• In March 2009, the installed power generation capacity of India stood at 147,000 MW while demand is expected to cross 950,000 MW by 2030. Thus, the demand supply ratio is bound to take more beatings in future.
• About 75% of the electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants, 21% by hydroelectric power plants and 4% by nuclear power plants.
• Electricity losses in India during transmission and distribution are extremely high and vary between 30 to 45%.
• Due to shortage of electricity, power cuts are common throughout India and this has adversely effected the country’s economic growth.
• Theft of electricity, common in most parts of urban India, amounts to 1.5% of India’s GDP.
• Despite an ambitious rural electrification program, some 400 million Indians lose electricity access during blackouts. While 80 percent of Indian villages have at least an electricity line, just 44 percent of rural households have access to electricity.

 The more people give to the nation, the more nation can give back to people. It is a simple cycle of give and get. However, the less citizens of a nation give it to nation, the less they get back and because of that, citizens give even lesser. It is a vicious cycle which has to be broken before it becomes self-destructive. So how can we, as an individual citizen of our country contribute to this cause? Here is one such idea:

 Most of us live at apartments where lights are always on in corridors during night time. Ditto same for lifts which has manually on-off lights. With this much less usage, we can clearly find some smart solution.

 I will tell you one funny story. When I visited South Korea for the first time, we stayed at one Indian guest house. They allotted one room for two of us. It was a small apartment like building with 4 floors. When we reached there, it was around 7:30 in evening. The staircase was dark. Then I found that the bulb there was coming on and off frequently. And I thought – “it is same everywhere. And people call this a developed nation!”. How wrong I was!! It was actually an infrared sensor light. Whenever someone comes in preconfigured radius arc (or simply in some area) it will switch on automatically. After preconfigured time (around 30-40 seconds) if no one is there in vicinity, it will simply switch off. Very simply yet very effective in saving large amount of energy at nights. And all Korean homes have these smart sensor lights.

 

Why can’t we use same concept here in India? I searched for such lights in Bangalore but could not find it from local distributors. I might need to go to big distributors to check if it is available here cheaply or not. I found so many Chinese companies selling it on net. Do we lack technology for mass production of such smart lights? Certainly not. We lack awareness. So let us make at least our friends and relatives aware about energy scenario in India and how best we can contribute to lessen it.

 Are you planning to use such smart devices in your house and apartments even if they are little costly initially?  Tell your solutions and new ideas about it here.

 Coming up next: idea related to Renewable Energy

What an Idea Sirji… !!

How many of us have felt that sometimes suddenly, out of nowhere, without any logical reason, we get a glimpse of something, a thought vibration, a vision, AN IDEA which has power to change and shape our future ? There are many abstract ideas or visions that we had in our life that has resulted in some individually brilliant creation, some highly satisfactory but at that time highly weird choices. They arrive like  flash and leave a mark visible only to those who have an eye for it.

Once upon a time, I was very much interested in the structure of brain and the mechanism of idea generation. However, I found out very early that I didn’t have adequate basics to understand it fully. However, ideas always fascinated me. I remember right from my childhood, scientists were my heroes.  After all, it is they who play with ideas and take great pains to implement it for the betterment of society. I used to write in my diary that one day I want to become a scientist, not a just a scientist but a good scientist who can solve some of the problems of society. Later on I realized that science is not the only way to help society. For example, I would call Mahatma Gandhi a spiritual scientist who did many experiments with Truth to arrive at spiritually advanced state. He was also a social scientist who tried to reform social strata of India for the improvement of society.

I have had my share of ideas or visions or creative bouts even at the privy room (and I bet many of you also had so!). One such vision told me that Medicine branch would not be suitable for me. And I decided to join computer science after my 12^th.  Another such creative bout gave me best possible expression to my feelings towards my soul-mate. I used to keep one small diary and a pen with me, mostly to catch any fleeting idea or prose. I must admit, during that time, there were mostly poems and prose and very few ideas which were scribbled on it.

During my professional life, I had got chance to visit one another country which in comparison to India, is very less populated and is highly advanced. I found some of the ideas to improve our day-to-day life can be incorporated here also. Even here in India, whenever we face any Government Issue or municipality problem, we tend to criticize them and throw our solutions. However, we hardly ever try to see if it can actually be implemented as effective solution or not. And if it can be implemented, is there any role that we can play to make sure the idea reaches to the right person in authority who can do something about it.

An idea without implementation is just like a sword without edge. Idea is like a sprouting seed.  Like a seed, which comes out of soil defying the laws of gravitation, always has a tree inside itself, an idea also has immense potential inside it to change the world. I have been thinking about compiling few ideas that has knocked my head and try to give some solutions of existing problems. However small or diversified or abstract or weird it might look, it can motivate someone to take it seriously and take it to another level.

Each one of us has gone through diverse situations in life. We have different belief system, thinking pattern and our way of perception. We all basically work at certain base frequency and are good to attune to catch ideas on that frequency. To cut the long story short, we all can contribute here. As with other things, I do believe that good ideas should be shared just like we share our joy.  I therefore invite all of you to share your ideas in this forum and your views about those ideas shared by others.  Let the topic does not bound you. The idea can be as trivial as inventing pen for space or as large as the changes required in education system.

Let the force be with us. Let the flow begin…