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Rapid Urbanization - Bane or Boon? By Dr Arvind Kumar Currently, the largest population shift in human history is taking place in different parts of globe. Every month, there are 5 million new city dwellers created through migration or birth in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. China alone has an estimated 200 million "floating" citizens with one foot in a village and the other in a city. If current trends continue as expected, between 2000 and 2030, the urban population of Asia and Africa will double, adding as many city dwellers in one generation as these continents have accumulated during their entire histories. Between now and 2050, the world's cities will add another 3.1 billion people. This will be matched by an almost as dramatic decline in rural population. The United Nations Population Division predicts that the population of the world's villages and rural areas will stop growing around eight years from now and that, by 2050; the rural population will

'Give us what you've got' to 'This is what we need' According to a news report Kedarnath shrine was virtually submerged in mud and floods that claimed over 130 lives in Uttarkhand and Himachal Pradesh and left over 70,000 pilgrims for Himalayan shrines stranded. The shrine of Shiva, visited by Hindu pilgrims from across the world, however, was only partly damaged amid the death and destruction flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides caused in various parts of Uttarakhand for the third consecutive day on Tuesday. River water levels are continuing to rise across the state, clogging roads and leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded on their way to visit shrines. The state government was also readying food parcels and drinking water to be dropped by helicopters to remote villages cut-off by the torrential rains. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, spoke to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand earlier this evening and inquired about the flood situation in

Ganga Dussehra By Dr Arvind Kumar Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on Dashmi Tithi of Shukla Paksha Jeyshta Masa. This day, sacred river Ganga had descended on earth from heaven. This year it is being observed on 18 th June. Ganga Dussehra is a festival of faith and devotion. As per the scriptures, bath and donations have great significance on this day. If due to some reason a person is not able to have bath in Ganga, he should perform Ardhaya nearby river and do the Tilodak and Tarpan. All sins of life are removed by performing bath, donations and Tarpan, on this day, therefore, this festival is called Dussehra. Out of all the rivers, Ganga is considered the most sacred and remover of sins (Papamochini). Having a dip in Ganga, gives salvation to a person. After performing rigid meditation for many year, Rishi Bhagirath convinced Ganga to come on the earth. This day, people from distant places come to have a dip in Ganga. Keeping in view the faith, trust and sensitivities of the

Preserve Nature to Survive By Dr Arvind Kumar Humanity is facing dramatic ecological and environmental changes that are threatening its very existence. We are living like the “unsinkable” Titanic, ignoring the icebergs ahead of us. We are entering a new time, “new waters” and unless we regain awareness of who we are as humans and our relationship with the environment, our present course may find us facing “icebergs” from which there is no escape. Being aware of our evolution from hunter-food gatherers to the present, we know the impact of the agricultural and industrial revolutions. However, the hunter-food gathering societies that lived prior to the agricultural societies did not see themselves as separate from nature, but rather a part of nature. Men, women and children gathered food and shared it equally. It was important to their survival that everyone participated and thrived. There was no wealth and no poverty. The new story inspires a new consciousness, a new awarene

World Oceans Day By Dr Arvind Kumar 8th June is observed as World Oceans Day (WOD) every year, since the delegates at Rio Earth Summit in 1992 decided to mark June 8 every year as World Oceans Day (WOD). The Ocean Project, working with the World Ocean Network, is trying to create greater awareness of the significance of the ocean in our lives and the varied ways in which people can effectively engage themselves in the preservation of Neptune's riches. The survival of our species depends on our living in peace and harmony, especially in the bio-system that sustains us. On this auspicious day, people all over the world, dressed in blue to honour the ocean, will take a pledge: Never to distress the sea by taking away its beaches and in turn making ourselves vulnerable to the effects of beach erosion; That any development on the coast is done only after scientific studies determine that the step is not destructive; That we cannot poison our own food by indiscriminatel

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2013 5th June is observed as Environment Day throughout the globe annually. World Environment Day was first celebrated on 5th June in 1972, it is also popularly known as Environment Day and is a means to tackle environmental challenges that include climate change, global warming, disasters and conflicts, harmful substances, environmental governance, ecosystem management and resource efficiency. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had named India, for the first time, as the global host of World Environment Day 2011 on June 5, for "embracing the process of a transition to a Green Economy." Each year, World Environment Day is hosted in a different city with a different theme for one week that kicks off on June 5. A World Environment Day theme is selected along with an Environment Day slogan, which aims to emphasize the importance of protecting our planet and promote an understanding that they each individually can play a significant and ef