Bringing Sustainable Development Home | Gaurav Shorey | TEDxBandra

TEDx Talks
25 Apr 201720:56

Summary

TLDRThe 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.

Mindmap

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

play00:04

[Applause]

play00:09

swage before I react what is the what is

play00:13

god-given what is God's given purpose of

play00:17

poop let me address this up front what

play00:20

is your role as human beings serves

play00:24

the only purpose of propagating

play00:27

seed the only thing that the human body

play00:29

does not digest when you eat your

play00:31

vegetables if they are not genetically

play00:33

modified is seed your job as human

play00:37

beings with the healthy that you

play00:39

churn out is to propagate seed the only

play00:43

way to do that is to go and take a dump

play00:45

in the

play00:46

open eventually we'll come around to

play00:50

understanding what I'm trying to share

play00:51

with you today

play00:53

swaraj nothing in this presentation is

play00:56

true it's merely a point of view to

play00:58

accept it or not is your chice

play01:00

choice swaraj is often misinterpreted as

play01:03

self-rule but at the highest level

play01:05

swaraj means self resplendence you being

play01:09

so at peace and at home with who you are

play01:12

that the natural outcome is for you to

play01:15

glow from within and

play01:19

Lead would you in principle agree with

play01:21

these statements the builtup area in

play01:23

Indian cities will expand phenomenally

play01:24

in the coming decades and uh the new

play01:27

construction will be several folds more

play01:29

than the current current built up

play01:32

area yes great would you in principle

play01:35

agree with this statement India's fmcg

play01:37

industry is positioned to grow from us

play01:39

$30 billion in 2011 to $74 billion in

play01:45

2018 great please notice the vocabulary

play01:48

what is the meaning of the word

play01:53

will the ability of translating a

play01:56

human's wish through action into reality

play02:00

right so let me show you a little bit uh

play02:02

a little snippet the tallest bar that

play02:05

you see on this graph was delhi's air

play02:07

quality in

play02:09

2011 The Who standard is this one and

play02:13

the national ambient air quality

play02:14

standard is this one this is a typical

play02:17

Road in Delhi or in Mumbai today this is

play02:20

a typical scene in a local train station

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today this is Delhi from satellite today

play02:27

this is Bangalore from satellite today

play02:31

this is Hyderabad from satellite

play02:34

today so reiterating the builtup area in

play02:37

Indian cities will expand phenomenon in

play02:39

the coming decades and the built and the

play02:41

more and the new construction will be

play02:43

several folds more than the current

play02:45

builtup area my question is who

play02:52

will this presentation attempts to

play02:54

impact your

play02:56

will so what if you were told that

play02:58

sustainability was not possible why by

play03:00

everything that you've learned so far

play03:01

including sanitation including photo

play03:04

voltak including LEDs that the answer

play03:06

lay elsewhere that the answer lay within

play03:09

and that you and I were not designed to

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get the

play03:13

answer have you ever wondered how the

play03:14

world works the background context of

play03:16

our life it's quite

play03:18

simple the Earth is like a tanduri

play03:21

chicken it's very simple tanduri chicken

play03:24

rolls over the fire right now the part

play03:27

that's closest to the Sun is the part

play03:29

that gets cook the most and that gives

play03:31

rise to everything on the planet so we

play03:34

have

play03:35

1,361 watts per square meter of energy

play03:38

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

play03:40

equator and as the latitudes increase it

play03:43

starts tapering off now what does that

play03:45

mean that means you can divide the world

play03:48

into 29 broad climate zones as per the

play03:50

copon classification there is only one

play03:52

country in the whole world that has 17

play03:55

out of

play03:56

those 29 climate zones

play04:00

you recognize the

play04:02

country I hope you do also I don't know

play04:06

if you've noticed where India finishes

play04:09

at 38° north latitude my father was in

play04:11

the Army so I remember looking at this

play04:13

map when he was posted to Doda during

play04:14

the cargil war and I realized where

play04:17

India finishes at 38° north latitude is

play04:19

where most developed countries

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start what does that mean that basically

play04:24

means that if you take the impact of of

play04:28

climate and temperature the coldest

play04:30

temperature that India experiences minus

play04:32

the impact of altitude is the warmest

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temperature that most developed

play04:35

countries

play04:37

experience so that's what the equator

play04:39

looks like and that's what the

play04:41

equatorial people look like that's what

play04:42

the mid latitudes look like and that's

play04:44

what the mid latitude people look like

play04:46

that's what the northern latitude looks

play04:47

like and that's what the northern

play04:48

latitude people look like ladies and

play04:50

gentlemen my question to you is what is

play04:51

India's highest selling

play04:55

cream I didn't see

play04:57

anything so this is the officially

play05:00

researched skin tone map of the

play05:03

world and there's a wonderful Ted Talk

play05:06

by Nina jablonski on how skin tones vary

play05:09

As you move away from the equator did

play05:10

you know that people's size also changes

play05:12

as you go away from the equator there

play05:13

are smaller people close to the equator

play05:15

and larger Scandinavian people are much

play05:17

larger Russian people are much larger

play05:19

and here I am driving on a road in Delhi

play05:21

and there's an autoa in front of me

play05:22

which

play05:26

says now these are scientific rules

play05:29

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

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rule rules ladies and gentlemen not

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hypothesis so when do we stop being

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sustainable let me give it to you we

play05:41

flouted one fundamental tenet that cuts

play05:43

across all religion m is what it said in

play05:47

the is the Holy Bible says Thou shalt

play05:50

not covet Thy Neighbor wealth and then

play05:52

the Holy Quran says do not wish for that

play05:54

by which Allah has made some of you

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exceed others for men it is a share of

play05:57

what they have earned and for women it

play05:58

is a share of what they have have earned

play06:00

reflect ladies and gentlemen what is

play06:04

migration that city is better than this

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one what is getting a formal education

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you're talking about catching kids who

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are experts and reading the soil at

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reading the skies and predicting the

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weather and educating

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them what is getting an internationally

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recognized education what is buying the

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best car what is fashion or the most

play06:25

beautiful woman competition in that one

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instant where you declare one woman the

play06:28

most beautiful you've declared three and

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a half billion of the others not that

play06:33

beautiful that's the foundation of the

play06:35

Cosmetic

play06:37

industry swage Reviving faith in

play06:44

you the five in swaraj Basha bjan B bhan

play06:48

bhan diets dialects dresses dwellings

play06:51

dances and songs this ladies and

play06:52

gentlemen is one system you take any one

play06:56

element out of the picture you cannot

play06:58

achieve sustainability and all these

play07:00

five elements respond respond to the

play07:02

climate let's see how the 5 days have

play07:05

taken thousands of years to evolve our

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ancestors have ancestors have worked

play07:10

painstakingly to bring it to a level

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where our lives are in sync with nature

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and I as an architect can help you

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design a building where you are

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completely isolated from your natural

play07:21

environment so we say bringing

play07:23

sustainable development home and giving

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local a chance I don't know if you

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realize most people in the room might be

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very comfortable being uncomfortable

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being called local let's start with

play07:33

diets India has 21 agroclimatic zones

play07:37

which is why we have this this is

play07:40

India's food map now remember I told you

play07:43

India has 17 climate zones but I also

play07:45

told you in the beginning that nothing

play07:46

in this presentation is

play07:47

true right so we have 21 AG agroclimatic

play07:50

zones and we have 155 soil

play07:54

types and soil varies with climate let's

play07:57

look at dresses across the world

play07:59

wherever you go you will be able to

play08:01

guess from the clothes of the people

play08:03

which climate zone they belong to these

play08:06

people on the screen are not poor you

play08:08

might think they are they belong to a

play08:10

hot humid climate zone where it is not

play08:11

practical to wear

play08:13

clothes they'll never

play08:15

dry cold climate hot humid climate

play08:19

Rajasthan where they wear chuda to

play08:21

prevent their arms from getting tanned

play08:24

while doing daily chores around the

play08:26

house or a Sam you'll also notice that

play08:29

colors change as you cross climates so

play08:32

when you're in green places for example

play08:35

like Maharashtra you'll find people

play08:36

wearing very subdued colors but as soon

play08:38

as you go to a place like Rajasthan

play08:39

you'll find people wearing vibrant

play08:41

colors bright pinks and purples and um

play08:44

neon greens let's look at b or dwellings

play08:50

from 4 million years back through to

play08:52

9,000 years back through to today we

play08:56

build buildings regionally that use

play08:58

waste Mater material like mixed

play09:01

with mud and we make buildings that are

play09:03

100% biodegradable they respond to the

play09:06

climate so waterand do in Maharashtra

play09:09

and you'll have Himachal Pradesh which

play09:10

uses wood which has wood and you've got

play09:12

padmanabhapuram in Palace in Kerala

play09:15

where that shiny floor that you see is

play09:17

made out of good or

play09:19

jaggery and then you've got the

play09:21

backwaters of Kerala where the people

play09:23

built with the environment if you ask an

play09:25

architect today to build a building in

play09:27

the backboard of Kerala he's going to

play09:28

talk about reclamation

play09:29

filling up the water with soil piling

play09:32

foundations 300 deep and then building a

play09:34

skyscraper and then living putting

play09:37

thousands of people there a TOA tribal

play09:39

Hut from the nilgiris and the temples of

play09:42

South India havam mahel adiabatic

play09:45

cooling you know when you took the air

play09:46

out of your teacher's car when you were

play09:48

in school and the air felt cool that's

play09:50

the principle of a jali it just works

play09:53

that's fatur sikri and that's the Sidi

play09:55

Sayad mosque in Ahmedabad that jali is

play09:57

finer than a 50 PESA coin and it's made

play09:59

by

play10:00

hand those are the haves of shika and

play10:03

this is the patoki hav in Jessel so what

play10:05

did you do you took the flat face of a

play10:07

building you broke it up with lots of

play10:09

ornamentation and made sure that that

play10:11

building's entire face is shaded by

play10:14

small small small small small small

play10:16

elements so the ornament played a

play10:19

role when a woman gets her ears pierced

play10:21

and I want you to Google this when you

play10:23

go home the acupuncture points on the

play10:25

ear the lobe has only one acupuncture

play10:27

Point despite 150 other acupuncture

play10:29

points on the A on on the entire human

play10:31

ear that lobe corresponds to healthy

play10:36

eyes this is rainwater harvesting at a

play10:38

community level when water was not a

play10:40

commodity on a tap this is the ranik V

play10:43

this is also rainwater harvesting at a

play10:45

community level this is what the

play10:47

britishers built now the British did not

play10:49

understand why we wore so much ornament

play10:51

or why we put so much ornament on the

play10:52

buildings they didn't understand the

play10:54

science behind it but they still didn't

play10:55

mess around with the climate thick walls

play10:58

High ceilings big windows for natural

play11:01

ventilation and to keep the building

play11:02

cool a dome on top that Shades most of

play11:04

the uh the roof throughout the

play11:07

year and then we had modernism and Adolf

play11:10

loose in 1908 said all ornament is

play11:12

Criminal and we said

play11:17

a so we started building jalis like this

play11:20

can you compare this jali to the jali of

play11:21

the sidad mosque can you compare these

play11:23

small windows to the windows of the hes

play11:25

of

play11:26

shika but we just carried on the trend

play11:30

let's look at dances and songs travel

play11:32

through India ladies and gentlemen

play11:34

dances and songs change with the climate

play11:36

this is nagaland this is ladak they

play11:38

dance so slowly you'll go to sleep but

play11:42

it's high altitude oxygen is rare and

play11:44

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

play11:46

dance over there gumar PUK

play11:49

Chong G bangra Batum odsi kiuri katak As

play11:57

you move up from the equator it gets

play11:59

colder and your dance forms become more

play12:01

and more upright as you go to the south

play12:03

of the country it gets hotter the body

play12:05

is flexible so the movements are very

play12:06

extreme so you've got kariu and bum

play12:09

in South India and you've got vajti and

play12:11

dangal in North

play12:13

India instruments are sourced from

play12:16

nature and the key is

play12:20

dialects the world lies in language

play12:22

ladies and gentlemen the language that

play12:25

you speak allows you to interface with

play12:27

nature language develops consistent to

play12:29

your physiology so I used to make fun of

play12:32

all my South Indian friends this is not

play12:34

a language until one of my South Indian

play12:36

friends Fahim barami from Kerala walked

play12:38

up to me one day and said shy come here

play12:40

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

play12:43

after Mei I was

play12:45

like and I suddenly realized in that

play12:48

instant that as a as a North Indian

play12:50

person I cannot say the of Maharashtra I

play12:53

can't pronounce most of the syllables of

play12:55

Malayalam or of Karnataka or of Tamil

play12:59

and I make fun of them I'm sorry ladies

play13:00

and gentlemen when you can speak more

play13:02

syllables you can access parts of the

play13:04

brain that are different that are new

play13:06

that I can't that gives you as South

play13:09

Indian people an edge and I respect that

play13:12

today but I didn't understand that

play13:14

earlier these are the consonant

play13:16

inventories of the world and these are

play13:18

the vowel inventories of the world same

play13:20

tanduri chicken phenomena at the equator

play13:23

are the most biodiverse countries at the

play13:25

equator are countries that have the most

play13:27

linguistic diversity

play13:29

from the VES and the puran

play13:31

sh let two legged and four-legged

play13:34

creatures prosper from the Holy Bible

play13:36

Book of Job 12: 7 to10 ask the animals

play13:39

and the birds and the plants and of the

play13:41

earth and the fish of the sea and they

play13:42

will tell you that the hand of the Lord

play13:43

has done this and from the Holy Quran

play13:45

and the had Hadith whoever brings Dead

play13:47

Land to life that is cultivates

play13:48

Wasteland for him is a reward therein

play13:51

today we have people declaring

play13:52

cultivable land

play13:54

uncultivable in North India so that they

play13:56

can install solar panels on it

play13:59

Alamar Kashmir till forests remain

play14:01

intact adequate food will be produced

play14:03

does it say till GDP will remain intact

play14:06

does it say till HDI will remain intact

play14:08

it says till forests remain intact

play14:10

adequate food will be produced we've

play14:12

traveled through India and we have

play14:13

collected verses from the local people

play14:16

that talk about their profound worship

play14:19

for nature and for the mother the Sens

play14:22

of in India enumerates

play14:24

1,635 rationalized mother tongues and we

play14:27

boiled it down to 22 national languages

play14:29

because we have 155 salt types ladies

play14:31

and

play14:32

gentlemen and everything that a

play14:34

companies dialects follow suit all our

play14:37

festivals respond to Nature all our

play14:39

festivals remind us about climate change

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colors respond to climates and now we

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stand United and

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developed so if you buy a Audi a Bentley

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

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all owned by Volkswagen if you buy a

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alpar Romeo a Ferrari a Maserati a

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Chrysler or a Dodge it's all owned by

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Fiat have you seen this so we're telling

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the world that The Squatty Potty is a

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better product to use than to sit in the

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kakas and to take a dump but now because

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CrossFit is telling the world that it is

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very good to sit in the third world

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squat it's known as the third world

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Squad I'm from the third world it's

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legitimate to do it because it increases

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your health

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same

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language zucchini broccoli red and

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yellow bell peppers I didn't grow up

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with all this stuff I'm getting to eat

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vegetables and fruits that used to grow

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in cold climates

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why do we act the way we do our

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vocabulary doesn't allow us any other

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way we tell people buy LEDs or buy photo

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voltage you'll be sustainable wait a

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minute so you're trying to tell me that

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manufacturing led to this problem and

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Manufacturing will miraculously solve

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climate change how does that make any

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difference developed countries point to

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developing countries you've got a

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sanitation problem you need to do what

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we should we do you'll become developed

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if you start consuming the same products

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that we manufacture let's see if that

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will work even if that was true India

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has a third of the land mass of the

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United States of America and we have

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three times the population why do I use

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the United States of America because my

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country when it grows up it wants to be

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the United States of

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America if I compare the five most

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populated cities of India with the five

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most populated cities of the US this is

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what I get in terms of population and

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this is what I get in terms of land so I

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have that many people in Mumbai living

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on that much land that many people on

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that much land that many people on that

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much land I am dealing with these kind

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of population densities in my country

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ladies and gentlemen I don't know if we

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belong to the same

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country and we protect which environment

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City dwellers are brought up with that

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environment peoples buildings roads cars

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malls and multiplexes villagers have a

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different environment and tribal people

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have a different environment our sole

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aim in life has become to take the city

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environment and spread it everywhere

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else incidentally that's exactly what

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the British and the Dutch and the French

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did when they conquered

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us so what's missing in our opinion

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three key ingredients are missing

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familiarity with the 5Ds ownership of

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the local environment and the 5Ds and

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taking a stand for the local environment

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in the 5 days ladies and gentlemen I'm

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sure before you saw before this

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presentation you you weren't even

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familiar with half the things that we

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just showed

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you taking a stand comes later first you

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have to be familiar being proud of who

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we are as a country that has worshipped

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its natural environment for thousands of

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years and done so alongside all

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religious

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worldviews what's happened to us

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suddenly

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if all of us were proud of who we

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already are what would be possible

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remember this country is ours we are

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part of the problem and also the root of

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the solution we are the only ones who

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can make a difference we need not do

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anything new we don't need someone else

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to tell us what's cool our ancestors

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were not fools to develop systems in

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harmony with nature after so many years

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we have a local alternative to every

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product off the shelf but we are

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linguistically challenged to preserve

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nature one can only learn from our

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villagers and tribal people not educate

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them learn from them not speak to them

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listen to

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them stop feeling guilty after learning

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what you just did evangelizing what you

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know stop it stop blind blindly aping

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the West stop changing local languages

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and local systems for what you think is

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best stop teaching local communities

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that they are not good enough and then

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they will be good enough if they learn

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English or computers or solar power stop

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looking down upon what is local start

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cherishing the mother in all its forms

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mother tongue Mother Earth Mother Land

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mother rain mother rivers and mother

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nature let your children know that they

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are the result of a legacy that has

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stood strong and relevant for thousands

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of years looking at local people and

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local cultures 5DS as the sole potential

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teacher for sustainable development

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discovering means of livelihood that

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have sustained in harmony with nature

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for thousands of years by patronizing

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them in cities start demanding local

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diets start Reviving faith in our

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festivals our folk songs and our

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mythology start steering ing School

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curricula towards learning from parents

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and

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Elders start empowering villagers and

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tribal communities to be proud of their

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Origins so they don't keep giving up

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their Origins and coming to the city

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because and in closing you are

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swage every decision you make impacts

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the status quo every time you choose to

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speak eat live sing dance dress a

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certain way you seal the future whether

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you like it or not accept it or not or

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care or not you are the change what do

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you

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will om

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shant

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shant

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shant

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shant

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sh

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shant

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shant shant shant

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shant let there be peace in outer space

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let there be peace in Inner Space anter

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does not mean outer space By the way it

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means Inner Space

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Let There Be Peace On Earth let there be

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peace in the waters let there be peace

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in the healing plants and herbs let

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there be peace in the forests let there

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be peace amongst all the gods of the

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world let there be peace at the source

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the one God that everybody worships in

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different forms let there be peace let

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there be peace let there be peace

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[Applause]

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Related Tags
SustainabilityIndian CultureClimate ZonesLocal TraditionsHeritageEnvironmental AwarenessCultural DiversityTraditional PracticesUrban ExpansionClimate Adaptation