Bringing Sustainable Development Home | Gaurav Shorey | TEDxBandra

Summary

The presentation explores the interconnection between humans, environment, and sustainability, highlighting India's unique cultural and climatic diversity. It critiques modern development practices, advocating for a return to traditional, nature-aligned living. Key points include the importance of local diets, dialects, dress, dwellings, and dances in achieving sustainability. The speaker emphasizes the need to cherish and learn from indigenous practices, fostering pride in India's heritage. The ultimate message is to inspire individuals to live harmoniously with nature, recognizing their role in shaping a sustainable future.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The purpose of human beings is to propagate seed, which involves defecating in nature to disperse undigested seeds.
• 🏛️ The built-up area in Indian cities will expand significantly in the coming decades, with new construction surpassing current levels.
• 📈 India's FMCG industry is projected to grow from $30 billion in 2011 to $74 billion in 2018.
• 🌍 Understanding climate zones is crucial; India has 17 out of 29 global climate zones, influencing its biodiversity and human adaptations.
• 💡 Sustainability is questioned; traditional practices and local knowledge may hold solutions rather than modern manufacturing.
• 🏡 Regional architecture in India has evolved to use local materials and climate-responsive designs, such as rainwater harvesting and natural ventilation.
• 🎵 Cultural practices, including dances, songs, and clothing, are adapted to local climates, reflecting a deep connection with the environment.
• 🗣️ Language diversity in India, with over 1,635 mother tongues, allows for a rich interaction with nature and cognitive flexibility.
• 👨‍🌾 Emphasis on learning from local communities and preserving traditional knowledge for sustainable development.
• 🇮🇳 Encouraging pride in India's heritage, local languages, and practices, rather than blindly adopting Western methods.

Q & A

What is the God's given purpose of poop according to the speaker?

The speaker humorously suggests that the purpose of poop is to propagate seeds, as the human body does not digest seeds when consuming non-genetically modified vegetables.

How does the speaker define 'swaraj' at the highest level?

At the highest level, 'swaraj' means self-resplendence, being at peace and at home with oneself, leading to a natural glow from within.

What is the expected growth of India's FMCG industry from 2011 to 2018?

India's FMCG industry is expected to grow from $30 billion in 2011 to $74 billion in 2018.

What environmental issue is highlighted with reference to Delhi's air quality?

The speaker highlights the severe air quality problem in Delhi, showing that its air quality in 2011 was far above both WHO standards and India's national ambient air quality standards.

What does the speaker imply about sustainability and current solutions like LEDs and photovoltaics?

The speaker implies that current solutions like LEDs and photovoltaics might not be the ultimate answer to sustainability and suggests that the real answer lies within and not in manufacturing.

How does the speaker use the 'tandoori chicken' analogy to explain climate zones?

The speaker uses the 'tandoori chicken' analogy to describe how the Earth, like a chicken roasting over a fire, receives varying amounts of solar energy at different latitudes, leading to different climate zones.

Why does the speaker emphasize the diversity of India's climate zones?

The speaker emphasizes India's diversity of climate zones to highlight the country's unique environmental and cultural adaptations, which include 17 out of the world's 29 broad climate zones.

What is the significance of the '5Ds' mentioned in the presentation?

The '5Ds'—Diets, Dialects, Dresses, Dwellings, and Dances—represent cultural elements that have evolved in harmony with nature and are crucial for achieving sustainability.

How do traditional Indian dwellings reflect sustainable practices?

Traditional Indian dwellings reflect sustainable practices by using local materials, being biodegradable, and responding to the local climate, such as using mud mixed with waste materials and wood in Himachal Pradesh.

What role do dialects play in sustainability according to the speaker?

Dialects allow people to interface with nature and are consistent with local physiology. Preserving local languages is essential for maintaining a deep connection with the environment and accessing different cognitive abilities.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 The Role of Human Waste in Nature and Urban Growth in India

The speaker discusses the natural purpose of human waste in propagating seeds and the role of humans in nature. The focus then shifts to the rapid urban expansion in Indian cities and the projected growth of India's FMCG industry. The speaker emphasizes the vocabulary used, particularly the word 'will,' and illustrates the severe air quality issues in Delhi. The presentation questions the feasibility of sustainability through current means and suggests looking within for answers.

05:00

🌍 Climate Zones and Human Adaptation

The speaker explains how the Earth's rotation and solar energy distribution create diverse climate zones. India uniquely encompasses 17 out of 29 global climate zones, leading to significant biodiversity. The discussion highlights how human physical traits, such as skin tone and body size, vary with climate. The concept of sustainability is questioned, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to development that respects natural and cultural contexts.

10:00

🏡 Traditional Practices and Sustainability

This section highlights the importance of traditional practices in achieving sustainability. The speaker explores how diets, clothing, and dwellings are adapted to different climates in India. Emphasizing regional architecture, the use of local materials, and climate-responsive designs, the speaker argues that modernism has disrupted these sustainable practices. The talk advocates for a return to traditional ways to preserve the environment and cultural heritage.

15:03

🎵 Cultural Expressions and Environmental Harmony

The speaker examines how dances, songs, and languages vary with climate and geography. These cultural expressions are deeply connected to the environment and reflect the adaptation of communities to their surroundings. The importance of preserving local dialects and traditions is stressed, as they hold keys to sustainable living. The section concludes with a critique of modern consumerism and a call to revive and respect traditional knowledge.

20:05

🌀 The Impact of Modernization on Local Cultures

The final part of the presentation criticizes the imposition of modern, often Western, standards on local cultures. The speaker highlights the negative impacts of urbanization and industrialization on traditional ways of life. A plea is made to cherish and revive local traditions, emphasizing the role of individuals in making sustainable choices. The presentation closes with a call for peace and harmony, both within oneself and with the environment.

Keywords

💡Swaraj

Swaraj is often misinterpreted as self-rule, but at its highest level, it means self-resplendence. This concept emphasizes being at peace and at home with who you are, leading to a natural inner glow. It is used in the script to suggest that true sustainability and fulfillment come from within and being true to oneself.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the video is depicted as living in harmony with nature and respecting traditional practices that have evolved over thousands of years. The speaker criticizes modern approaches to sustainability, arguing that true sustainability comes from reviving and cherishing local practices and wisdom.

💡Built-up area

The built-up area refers to the land covered by buildings and infrastructure. The script mentions that the built-up area in Indian cities will expand phenomenally in the coming decades, highlighting the rapid urbanization and its impact on the environment and sustainability.

💡Climate zones

Climate zones are regions of the world classified according to their climatic conditions. The video discusses how India, with its diverse climate zones, has developed unique cultural practices, including diet, dress, and architecture, which are adapted to these varied climates.

💡Traditional knowledge

Traditional knowledge refers to the long-established customs and practices developed by indigenous and local communities. The speaker emphasizes that this knowledge, passed down through generations, holds the key to sustainable living and should be preserved and respected.

💡Ornamentation

Ornamentation in architecture and culture is highlighted as functional and deeply rooted in traditional knowledge. The speaker contrasts traditional Indian architecture, which uses intricate ornamentation for practical purposes like shading, with modern minimalist designs that lack such utility.

💡Acupuncture points

Acupuncture points are specific areas on the body used in traditional Chinese medicine to promote health. The video mentions the acupuncture point on the ear lobe associated with healthy eyes, illustrating how traditional practices often have a scientific basis and health benefits.

💡Local diets

Local diets are those based on locally available food sources, which are suited to the regional climate and soil. The speaker advocates for reviving and embracing local diets as a means of sustainable living and maintaining cultural heritage.

💡Migration

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. The video critiques the idea that migrating to cities or adopting Western lifestyles is inherently better, arguing that this undermines local cultures and sustainability.

💡Linguistic diversity

Linguistic diversity refers to the variety of languages spoken within a region. The speaker connects linguistic diversity to biodiversity, suggesting that preserving a wide range of languages is essential for maintaining cultural and ecological balance.

Highlights

The speaker discusses the human role in propagating seeds through natural digestion processes.

Swaraj is redefined as self-resplendence, emphasizing inner peace and self-acceptance.

The built-up area in Indian cities will expand significantly in the coming decades.

India's FMCG industry is projected to grow from $30 billion in 2011 to $74 billion in 2018.

Delhi's air quality in 2011 was significantly worse than WHO and national ambient air quality standards.

India's diverse climate zones make it uniquely rich in biodiversity and cultural practices.

Sustainability is challenged by current development practices, which often ignore traditional ecological knowledge.

Traditional Indian architecture and cultural practices are closely tied to local climates and environments.

The impact of colonialism on Indian architecture, highlighting the loss of climate-responsive design elements.

Local dances, songs, and dialects in India evolve in response to the climate and environment.

The importance of preserving and learning from local traditions, rather than imposing external solutions.

A call to action to support local diets, festivals, and sustainable practices.

Encouragement to cherish and revive indigenous knowledge and systems for sustainable development.

The presentation emphasizes the interconnectedness of human activities and environmental health.

A closing message promoting peace and harmony in all aspects of life, reflecting on the importance of cultural and ecological balance.

Transcripts

[Applause]

swage before I react what is the what is

god-given what is God's given purpose of

poop let me address this up front what

is your role as human beings serves

the only purpose of propagating

seed the only thing that the human body

does not digest when you eat your

vegetables if they are not genetically

modified is seed your job as human

beings with the healthy that you

churn out is to propagate seed the only

way to do that is to go and take a dump

in the

open eventually we'll come around to

understanding what I'm trying to share

with you today

swaraj nothing in this presentation is

true it's merely a point of view to

accept it or not is your chice

choice swaraj is often misinterpreted as

self-rule but at the highest level

swaraj means self resplendence you being

so at peace and at home with who you are

that the natural outcome is for you to

glow from within and

Lead would you in principle agree with

these statements the builtup area in

Indian cities will expand phenomenally

in the coming decades and uh the new

construction will be several folds more

than the current current built up

area yes great would you in principle

agree with this statement India's fmcg

industry is positioned to grow from us

$30 billion in 2011 to $74 billion in

2018 great please notice the vocabulary

what is the meaning of the word

will the ability of translating a

human's wish through action into reality

right so let me show you a little bit uh

a little snippet the tallest bar that

you see on this graph was delhi's air

quality in

2011 The Who standard is this one and

the national ambient air quality

standard is this one this is a typical

Road in Delhi or in Mumbai today this is

a typical scene in a local train station

today this is Delhi from satellite today

this is Bangalore from satellite today

this is Hyderabad from satellite

today so reiterating the builtup area in

Indian cities will expand phenomenon in

the coming decades and the built and the

more and the new construction will be

several folds more than the current

builtup area my question is who

will this presentation attempts to

impact your

will so what if you were told that

sustainability was not possible why by

everything that you've learned so far

including sanitation including photo

voltak including LEDs that the answer

lay elsewhere that the answer lay within

and that you and I were not designed to

get the

answer have you ever wondered how the

world works the background context of

our life it's quite

simple the Earth is like a tanduri

chicken it's very simple tanduri chicken

rolls over the fire right now the part

that's closest to the Sun is the part

that gets cook the most and that gives

rise to everything on the planet so we

have

1,361 watts per square meter of energy

given to us by the Sun but that's at the

equator and as the latitudes increase it

starts tapering off now what does that

mean that means you can divide the world

into 29 broad climate zones as per the

copon classification there is only one

country in the whole world that has 17

out of

those 29 climate zones

you recognize the

country I hope you do also I don't know

if you've noticed where India finishes

at 38° north latitude my father was in

the Army so I remember looking at this

map when he was posted to Doda during

the cargil war and I realized where

India finishes at 38° north latitude is

where most developed countries

start what does that mean that basically

means that if you take the impact of of

climate and temperature the coldest

temperature that India experiences minus

the impact of altitude is the warmest

temperature that most developed

countries

experience so that's what the equator

looks like and that's what the

equatorial people look like that's what

the mid latitudes look like and that's

what the mid latitude people look like

that's what the northern latitude looks

like and that's what the northern

latitude people look like ladies and

gentlemen my question to you is what is

India's highest selling

cream I didn't see

anything so this is the officially

researched skin tone map of the

world and there's a wonderful Ted Talk

by Nina jablonski on how skin tones vary

As you move away from the equator did

you know that people's size also changes

as you go away from the equator there

are smaller people close to the equator

and larger Scandinavian people are much

larger Russian people are much larger

and here I am driving on a road in Delhi

and there's an autoa in front of me

which

says now these are scientific rules

man's rule alen's rule hess's rule gla's

rule rules ladies and gentlemen not

hypothesis so when do we stop being

sustainable let me give it to you we

flouted one fundamental tenet that cuts

across all religion m is what it said in

the is the Holy Bible says Thou shalt

not covet Thy Neighbor wealth and then

the Holy Quran says do not wish for that

by which Allah has made some of you

exceed others for men it is a share of

what they have earned and for women it

is a share of what they have have earned

reflect ladies and gentlemen what is

migration that city is better than this

one what is getting a formal education

you're talking about catching kids who

are experts and reading the soil at

reading the skies and predicting the

weather and educating

them what is getting an internationally

recognized education what is buying the

best car what is fashion or the most

beautiful woman competition in that one

instant where you declare one woman the

most beautiful you've declared three and

a half billion of the others not that

beautiful that's the foundation of the

Cosmetic

industry swage Reviving faith in

you the five in swaraj Basha bjan B bhan

bhan diets dialects dresses dwellings

dances and songs this ladies and

gentlemen is one system you take any one

element out of the picture you cannot

achieve sustainability and all these

five elements respond respond to the

climate let's see how the 5 days have

taken thousands of years to evolve our

ancestors have ancestors have worked

painstakingly to bring it to a level

where our lives are in sync with nature

and I as an architect can help you

design a building where you are

completely isolated from your natural

environment so we say bringing

sustainable development home and giving

local a chance I don't know if you

realize most people in the room might be

very comfortable being uncomfortable

being called local let's start with

diets India has 21 agroclimatic zones

which is why we have this this is

India's food map now remember I told you

India has 17 climate zones but I also

told you in the beginning that nothing

in this presentation is

true right so we have 21 AG agroclimatic

zones and we have 155 soil

types and soil varies with climate let's

look at dresses across the world

wherever you go you will be able to

guess from the clothes of the people

which climate zone they belong to these

people on the screen are not poor you

might think they are they belong to a

hot humid climate zone where it is not

practical to wear

clothes they'll never

dry cold climate hot humid climate

Rajasthan where they wear chuda to

prevent their arms from getting tanned

while doing daily chores around the

house or a Sam you'll also notice that

colors change as you cross climates so

when you're in green places for example

like Maharashtra you'll find people

wearing very subdued colors but as soon

as you go to a place like Rajasthan

you'll find people wearing vibrant

colors bright pinks and purples and um

neon greens let's look at b or dwellings

from 4 million years back through to

9,000 years back through to today we

build buildings regionally that use

waste Mater material like mixed

with mud and we make buildings that are

100% biodegradable they respond to the

climate so waterand do in Maharashtra

and you'll have Himachal Pradesh which

uses wood which has wood and you've got

padmanabhapuram in Palace in Kerala

where that shiny floor that you see is

made out of good or

jaggery and then you've got the

backwaters of Kerala where the people

built with the environment if you ask an

architect today to build a building in

the backboard of Kerala he's going to

talk about reclamation

filling up the water with soil piling

foundations 300 deep and then building a

skyscraper and then living putting

thousands of people there a TOA tribal

Hut from the nilgiris and the temples of

South India havam mahel adiabatic

cooling you know when you took the air

out of your teacher's car when you were

in school and the air felt cool that's

the principle of a jali it just works

that's fatur sikri and that's the Sidi

Sayad mosque in Ahmedabad that jali is

finer than a 50 PESA coin and it's made

by

hand those are the haves of shika and

this is the patoki hav in Jessel so what

did you do you took the flat face of a

building you broke it up with lots of

ornamentation and made sure that that

building's entire face is shaded by

small small small small small small

elements so the ornament played a

role when a woman gets her ears pierced

and I want you to Google this when you

go home the acupuncture points on the

ear the lobe has only one acupuncture

Point despite 150 other acupuncture

points on the A on on the entire human

ear that lobe corresponds to healthy

eyes this is rainwater harvesting at a

community level when water was not a

commodity on a tap this is the ranik V

this is also rainwater harvesting at a

community level this is what the

britishers built now the British did not

understand why we wore so much ornament

or why we put so much ornament on the

buildings they didn't understand the

science behind it but they still didn't

mess around with the climate thick walls

High ceilings big windows for natural

ventilation and to keep the building

cool a dome on top that Shades most of

the uh the roof throughout the

year and then we had modernism and Adolf

loose in 1908 said all ornament is

Criminal and we said

a so we started building jalis like this

can you compare this jali to the jali of

the sidad mosque can you compare these

small windows to the windows of the hes

of

shika but we just carried on the trend

let's look at dances and songs travel

through India ladies and gentlemen

dances and songs change with the climate

this is nagaland this is ladak they

dance so slowly you'll go to sleep but

it's high altitude oxygen is rare and

it's very cold you can't do a disco

dance over there gumar PUK

Chong G bangra Batum odsi kiuri katak As

you move up from the equator it gets

colder and your dance forms become more

and more upright as you go to the south

of the country it gets hotter the body

is flexible so the movements are very

extreme so you've got kariu and bum

in South India and you've got vajti and

dangal in North

India instruments are sourced from

nature and the key is

dialects the world lies in language

ladies and gentlemen the language that

you speak allows you to interface with

nature language develops consistent to

your physiology so I used to make fun of

all my South Indian friends this is not

a language until one of my South Indian

friends Fahim barami from Kerala walked

up to me one day and said shy come here

and I was like yes you're 6'2 repeat

after Mei I was

like and I suddenly realized in that

instant that as a as a North Indian

person I cannot say the of Maharashtra I

can't pronounce most of the syllables of

Malayalam or of Karnataka or of Tamil

and I make fun of them I'm sorry ladies

and gentlemen when you can speak more

syllables you can access parts of the

brain that are different that are new

that I can't that gives you as South

Indian people an edge and I respect that

today but I didn't understand that

earlier these are the consonant

inventories of the world and these are

the vowel inventories of the world same

tanduri chicken phenomena at the equator

are the most biodiverse countries at the

equator are countries that have the most

linguistic diversity

from the VES and the puran

sh let two legged and four-legged

creatures prosper from the Holy Bible

Book of Job 12: 7 to10 ask the animals

and the birds and the plants and of the

earth and the fish of the sea and they

will tell you that the hand of the Lord

has done this and from the Holy Quran

and the had Hadith whoever brings Dead

Land to life that is cultivates

Wasteland for him is a reward therein

today we have people declaring

cultivable land

uncultivable in North India so that they

can install solar panels on it

Alamar Kashmir till forests remain

intact adequate food will be produced

does it say till GDP will remain intact

does it say till HDI will remain intact

it says till forests remain intact

adequate food will be produced we've

traveled through India and we have

collected verses from the local people

that talk about their profound worship

for nature and for the mother the Sens

of in India enumerates

1,635 rationalized mother tongues and we

boiled it down to 22 national languages

because we have 155 salt types ladies

and

gentlemen and everything that a

companies dialects follow suit all our

festivals respond to Nature all our

festivals remind us about climate change

colors respond to climates and now we

stand United and

developed so if you buy a Audi a Bentley

a Bugatti a cat a scoda or a pors it's

all owned by Volkswagen if you buy a

alpar Romeo a Ferrari a Maserati a

Chrysler or a Dodge it's all owned by

Fiat have you seen this so we're telling

the world that The Squatty Potty is a

better product to use than to sit in the

kakas and to take a dump but now because

CrossFit is telling the world that it is

very good to sit in the third world

squat it's known as the third world

Squad I'm from the third world it's

legitimate to do it because it increases

your health

same

language zucchini broccoli red and

yellow bell peppers I didn't grow up

with all this stuff I'm getting to eat

vegetables and fruits that used to grow

in cold climates

why do we act the way we do our

vocabulary doesn't allow us any other

way we tell people buy LEDs or buy photo

voltage you'll be sustainable wait a

minute so you're trying to tell me that

manufacturing led to this problem and

Manufacturing will miraculously solve

climate change how does that make any

difference developed countries point to

developing countries you've got a

sanitation problem you need to do what

we should we do you'll become developed

if you start consuming the same products

that we manufacture let's see if that

will work even if that was true India

has a third of the land mass of the

United States of America and we have

three times the population why do I use

the United States of America because my

country when it grows up it wants to be

the United States of

America if I compare the five most

populated cities of India with the five

most populated cities of the US this is

what I get in terms of population and

this is what I get in terms of land so I

have that many people in Mumbai living

on that much land that many people on

that much land that many people on that

much land I am dealing with these kind

of population densities in my country

ladies and gentlemen I don't know if we

belong to the same

country and we protect which environment

City dwellers are brought up with that

environment peoples buildings roads cars

malls and multiplexes villagers have a

different environment and tribal people

have a different environment our sole

aim in life has become to take the city

environment and spread it everywhere

else incidentally that's exactly what

the British and the Dutch and the French

did when they conquered

us so what's missing in our opinion

three key ingredients are missing

familiarity with the 5Ds ownership of

the local environment and the 5Ds and

taking a stand for the local environment

in the 5 days ladies and gentlemen I'm

sure before you saw before this

presentation you you weren't even

familiar with half the things that we

just showed

you taking a stand comes later first you

have to be familiar being proud of who

we are as a country that has worshipped

its natural environment for thousands of

years and done so alongside all

religious

worldviews what's happened to us

suddenly

if all of us were proud of who we

already are what would be possible

remember this country is ours we are

part of the problem and also the root of

the solution we are the only ones who

can make a difference we need not do

anything new we don't need someone else

to tell us what's cool our ancestors

were not fools to develop systems in

harmony with nature after so many years

we have a local alternative to every

product off the shelf but we are

linguistically challenged to preserve

nature one can only learn from our

villagers and tribal people not educate

them learn from them not speak to them

listen to

them stop feeling guilty after learning

what you just did evangelizing what you

know stop it stop blind blindly aping

the West stop changing local languages

and local systems for what you think is

best stop teaching local communities

that they are not good enough and then

they will be good enough if they learn

English or computers or solar power stop

looking down upon what is local start

cherishing the mother in all its forms

mother tongue Mother Earth Mother Land

mother rain mother rivers and mother

nature let your children know that they

are the result of a legacy that has

stood strong and relevant for thousands

of years looking at local people and

local cultures 5DS as the sole potential

teacher for sustainable development

discovering means of livelihood that

have sustained in harmony with nature

for thousands of years by patronizing

them in cities start demanding local

diets start Reviving faith in our

festivals our folk songs and our

mythology start steering ing School

curricula towards learning from parents

and

Elders start empowering villagers and

tribal communities to be proud of their

Origins so they don't keep giving up

their Origins and coming to the city

because and in closing you are

swage every decision you make impacts

the status quo every time you choose to

speak eat live sing dance dress a

certain way you seal the future whether

you like it or not accept it or not or

care or not you are the change what do

you

will om

shant

shant

shant

shant

sh

shant

shant shant shant

shant let there be peace in outer space

let there be peace in Inner Space anter

does not mean outer space By the way it

means Inner Space

Let There Be Peace On Earth let there be

peace in the waters let there be peace

in the healing plants and herbs let

there be peace in the forests let there

be peace amongst all the gods of the

world let there be peace at the source

the one God that everybody worships in

different forms let there be peace let

there be peace let there be peace

[Applause]