There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love,
And they will lean that way forever."
- Leonard Cohen
Riding back home from a small photo ops on my favourite, the Xtreme was a sad experience today. You know why? Small children, like this one, were nowhere to be seen. I mean, not this side of them atleast. Little hands held little weapons! Pocket bombs were being hurled at each other's feet, cracker pistols were being brandished. We really catch them young don't we? Violence and the power of arms is ingrained into our systems that early.
As the sun faded away, huge crackers leapt up into the sky! Their amazing colours somehow justifying their insane levels of pollution and astronomic levels of cost. A poor woman sleeps by the roadside, abandoned by the stock exchange and it's believers. Nobody has anything to give her, while a school going child steps out and buys a few thousand bucks worth of paper and chemicals, which will burn off in a matter of few hours and leave the world a more toxic place.
We all live for the moment. Individuals and corporations. We plan only as far as we can see. As long as this lifetime goes by in peace and prosperity. Like Ostriches, we are blinding ourselves instead of tackling the problems that can end our very existence. Love? I am still trying to figure out what it means. Love is probably what you feel when you see the picture of a large drop of dew on a lotus leaf, or a V- Max cornering gracefully. All the rest has a reason, which can be argued as being selfish in one way or another.
It was a disturbing ride. I got home and slept off for a while. Will be meeting a friend at night who is coming back to town after a year. I guess it will feel good, great even. And ill use a little time when I am with her, to convince her not to spend any money on firecrackers this time!
- Rahul
Hello,
This Dewali, while you give the local firecracker seller a visit, think of this image! We do not need any more of this gunk being dumped into the air. Our bikes are already doing our share of polluting which is adding to our carbon footprints, so refrain from adding any more.
Buy yourself something nice, or your partner something. Save up the money and buy a helmet that you have been looking at for some time or just watch a movie.
Every cracker that explodes takes our earth a step closer to destruction. The polar ice caps are melting, the glaciers and moving faster than ever. The climate is changing globally! Can't we see it all coming? If you can, then make a difference.
Even if the whole world does not stop this Dewali, you can make your share of difference by being a non polluting Indian!
We, at Monoshock are celebrating a non fire Dewali. We are going to make our little share of difference.
- Hope the earth makes it!
Hi,
I really like your green initiative and I am all for it. In fact some days I even take the bus to work rather than my beloved bike. This was clicked on a recent trip to Wayanad while passing through the Bandipur National Park. I hope you like it.
Cheers
Sidharth Ramachandran
Hey Sid,
Great to hear from you. Its sobering to be zapped by bikers like yourself and your commitment to the green stuff. It makes us think whether we are really doing our bit. We assure you that we will try harder, to ensure that we can make our coming generations happier. After all, we just have one earth! You could help us with more pics, articles and by telling your friends about Green Monoshock!
- The Monoshock Team
Considerable damage has been done but more can be averted. Even by turning off the tap as you shave and saving almost 6 litres of precious water everyday.
You can view and send in your images here.
- The Monoshock Team
We are glad to introduce all of you to our eco weenie, tree hugging alter egos. Say hello to Green Monoshock.
We will from now on, take a lot of effort to bring to you tips, tricks and techniques to convert you into an environment friendly human being. Years and years of usurping our limited resources are starting to tell slowly on the climate, the natural environment and life cycles on this planet. It is time for us to do our bit for. It is time for us to stand up.
We, at Monoshock will try to make the simple chores fun and easy to do. And as always, this free section can make a world of difference!
- Lets Go Green!
Reading the newspapers daily fills your mind up with stuff on crime, the games sensexes play, the lingerie celebrities (don't) wear and some more. Sometimes, there is also an off beat article on how we are mutilating the natural resources of our planet. How the weather is changing and that some of this has also reached a critical irreversible phase!
Open any great bike magazine and see the shots. Nine out of ten pictures will have a great green background that is all natural and lush. The great twisty roads that have gone down as legends of motorcycling tarmac are covered on either side with green, which no human being can create in a lab or a production line. Twenty years from now, the weather will get worse, there will be long periods of rains and dry spells that will annihilate crops. Cities and towns will drown out under unprecedented rainfall levels and flash floods. Its all there, written in black and white. There are always ample warnings, there are always subtle signs. Yet, we seem to ignore these. The human emotions of lust, greed, libido and power far over rule ones like charity, sensitivity and love for the environment! We, as a race will probably not last very long. And certainly not if we are going to carry on this way. There is not much one can do at a personal level but here are a few things I thought up!
1) Turn off your bike's engine at red lights. It can save the world more pollution than you can imagine
2) Keep your engine services at specified intervals so that you are not spewing more hydrocarbons in the air than you should
3) Buy your college going kid that new electric scooter
4) Recycle batteries and other parts responsibly
5) While in office, use the forward mail button more that the print button, and
6) When going out to buy that loaf of bread, just take a walk!
In the course of time, we will come up with more such tips and thoughts. Hey! Its time to go green!
