Clean Development Mechanism in the Building Sector

Malathy Madathilezham writes that there would be significant local, economic and sustainable development benefits to India with an effective implementation of Clean Development Mechanism

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the four flexibility mechanisms that can be utilized by the industrialized nations under the Kyoto Protocol. Under the clean development mechanism (CDM) adopted in 2001, private players and governments from developing countries can earn carbon credits by adopting environment-friendly practices like growing trees on degraded land or adoption of cleaner energy sources like hydroelectricity.

These carbon credits can then be sold to polluters in developed countries to help them meet their targets of emission cut. This race to earn carbon credits has resulted in the rise of artificial forests with fast-growing varieties of trees. Such trees, however, are only good for storing carbon. This is basically to encourage the participation of the developing nations in emission reduction process and is often touted as the only link between Kyoto protocol and of the developing countries’ willingness to participate in a future global emissions regime. The problem with the approach of transferring CERs based on CDM projects is that the aspect of sustainable development has been trivialised and the major focus is on the reduction of emissions.

In the Seventh Conference of Parties (COP-7) to the UNFCCC it was decided that a National Authority for CDM should be designated by the participating Parties and a written approval of voluntary participation from the Designated National Authority should be included in the project proposal confirming that the project activity would help the host country in achieving sustainable development. In accordance to this the National Clean Development Authority was constituted.

Clean Development Mechanism and the Building Sector

More than one-third of the total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, both in developed and developing countries can be traced to buildings and most of it is during its use for heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation etc. Materials manufacturing, construction etc consumes a much smaller percentage. There is a great potential and need to reduce energy consumption in buildings.

According to the fourth report of the International Panel on Climate Change, the building sector not only has the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also that this potential is relatively independent of the cost per ton of CO achieved. This is because of the fact that the increase in investment costs is offset by reduced energy costs over time which is a result of the measures aimed at reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

But the fact remains that this potential remains mostly untapped in most countries. Only six of the 3000 CDM projects in the pipeline seek to reduce energy demand in the buildings. Out of these six, only one is generating Certified Emission Reduction Credits (CERs). Thus even though this sector is identified as offering the greatest potential for GHG emission reduction, CDM is not having much of an impact here.

The Indian Scenario

In terms of energy demand, India stands sixth in the world and accounts of 3.5 % of the world’s commercial energy demand in 2001. In spite of this the annual per capita consumption of energy is low compared to other developing countries. In the last five decades, there has been an increase in the total energy use along with a shift from non commercial to commercial sources of energy.

It can be observed that the building sector plays an important role in the increase of energy use mentioned above. About 11% of the world’s energy consumption in residential sector can be accounted to India.

The Union Government of India along with many international agencies has taken steps towards efficient and optimized energy utilization and simultaneously employed various means to check financial as well as environmental losses due to wastage of energy. But most measures bypassed the building sector till CDM came to be proposed. Using marginal costs of abatement in different countries to estimate the flow of CDM funds it is estimated that India would collect between 7%-12% of the total global market for CDM-led investment (Jotzo and Michaelowa 2002)

SWOT analysis of CDM in Building Sector

Strengths

1. It can be seen that CDM is a good complementary mechanism for financing EEB projects mainly in the following ways

a) Reducing various financial risks inherent in EEB projects;

b) Making life cycle-based financing more acceptable to investors;

1. Providing complementary financing to offset increased investment and transaction costs
2. The project based approach of CDM provides a good platform to promote energy efficiency in the building sector
3. The rules and procedures of CDM contain measures aimed at ensuring “real,measurable and verifiable” emission reductions (COP 1, Decision 5).
4. The flexibility to allow ‘bundling’ of several small projects (which are located close to each other and implemented at the same time) helps to reduce CDM related transaction costs to small projects.

Weaknesses

1. The CDM was created for two purposes: to   combat climate change through GHG emission reductions and to support sustainable development in developing countries. In its current form, the CDM only assigns monetary value to GHG emission reductions, and not to project contributions towards sustainable development. The CDM has been heavily criticized for not sufficiently fulfilling its sustainable development mandate, which is one of its most challenging tasks (Schneider, 2007)

Opportunities

1. With the buzzword of sustainability becoming increasingly popular and the importance of an environment friendly brand image, CDM project approvals are of added value and are especially attractive to business stakeholders, including builders, owners, tenants, and even banks.
2. The relationship between CDM and policy implementation of the government which complement each other in various terms

Threats / Challenges

1. There are characteristics of the building sector which make the managing of the projects comparatively difficult and costly. These include small savings per technology improvement, large numbers of buildings, widespread locations, many technologies used to achieve efficiency improvements, various specifications for dispersed end use requirements, varying end-user knowledge levels and decentralized energy use decision making.
2. Fragmentation and complexity of the construction sector
3. Risks – Business risks and perceived risks
4. Diverse Stakeholder interests
5. Lack of Information, misinformation or asymmetrical information
6. Lack of experts
7. Costs

1. Investment and Transaction
2. Management

Conclusions

There would be definitely be significant local, economic and sustainable development benefits to India with an effective implementation of CDM. There should be increased cooperation with potential investors and stakeholders (both public and private). Also the issues of risk management and project financing should be addressed by establishing adequate facilities for the same. This could take the form of a national CDM fund that supports the development of good-quality and relevant CDM projects.

Related articles

• Why are carbon markets failing? (guardian.co.uk)
• Carbon credits are a big swindle (beowulfjournal.wordpress.com)
• Carbon market experts favour simplified CDM procedures (vancouverdesi.com)

जलता जीवन, जलते तुम हम

By Atul Singh

जलता ज़ीवन जलते तुम हम,

ख़त्म हो गई राहें सब ।

आगे है घनघोर अँधेरा

दुःख की बदली छाई है ।

साथ मिलाकर छोड़ गए सब,

क्यूँ तू संग मेरे आई है ॥

क्यूँ करू तुझसे प्रणय निवेदन,

क्या तू जीवन सार मिला ।

किया तिरस्कार तूने है अब तक,

क्यूँ अब तेरा प्यार जगा ॥

तू ठहरी अलका का वैभव,

पर अवनी का मैं भी पुजारी हूँ ।

प्रेम सिखा कर चली गई जो,

उसका मैं आभारी हूँ ॥

प्रेम है क्या ये तू क्या जाने ,

मीरा की वो मूरत होती ।

जिससे मैंने किया प्रेम था,

प्रेम की सूरत वैसी होती ॥.

क्यूँ डाले बाहों के घेरे ,

करती मुझको आलिंगन ।

मैं तो हूँ एक ठहरा पानी,

क्यूँ तू खोजे उसमे जीवन ॥

उसमे ज़ीवन नही मिलेगा,

फूल प्रेम का नही खिलेगा ।

जलता जीवन मेरा अब तक,

जो प्रेम करेगा वो भी जलेगा ॥

” जो प्रेम करेगा वो भी जलेगा “

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• Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai (sujamusic.wordpress.com)

Meet Shyam, The 11-Year-Old Snake Charmer

This is the story of Shyam, whom this author met at a restaurant at the Delhi-Agra highway. He had a tale to be told so here it is.

How many of us have come back home after a bad day at office and thrown things around because of a bad meeting, bad boss, poor traffic, a stuck deal etc. While doing all this, little do we realise, that in a country where a third of the population lives upon what Montek Singh Ahluwalia calls enough income (Rs 30 per day), we are blessed to actually be on that road with a car, in that office with an AC and a computer, in a job with a 6 figure salary. Look around you and there are numerous without even basic amenities of food, clothing and shelter. This is one such story.

Meet Shyam, an 11-year-old, snake charmer from Kosi. For my western friends am sure being 11-year-old and being a snake charmer might sound a little unbelievable but in this country which is often presented in marketing meetings as the biggest market in Emerging countries, there are villages where 2-year-kids start training on learning to charm snakes as without any formal education and support, this is the only career they entitle themselves to.

I happened to jump onto this young lad when I was stepping out of a restaurant at the Delhi-Jaipur old highway. As usual after having splurged Rs 500 on a unnecessary lunch alongside my wife, I was headed towards my car for an afternoon siesta as my Driver would drive me back to Delhi. Suddenly I heard the sweetest “Bye Bye” I had ever heard. Just outside I saw Shyam with his friend, a snake.

As Shyam saw me interested, he lifted his snake and moved towards me with enthusiasm you only associate with someone who loves his job. At 11 years of age am not sure whether he really loved his job or whether he was trained so well. As he came towards me, I could not stop but wait to talk to him and here I am, narrating his story to all of you.

Shyam is all but 11-years of age. Studies and after his school helps his family by sitting outside the restaurant alongside his snake. I could not refrain myself from asking a foolish question. Whether he was scared of the snake or not. His reply was obvious “He is like my friend, I know it since a long time now and it never bites me”.

Shyam has a father who often drinks and beats up his mother, a mother who is often ill and two sisters who are 2 years and four years elder to him respectively. He says that they will get the older one married soon (I did not ask him whether he was known to the fact that getting a girl below the age of 18, married, entitles legal action).

So what does Shyam wants to become when he grows old. He wants to become an engineer and wants to study in the prestigious IIT. Believe me the kid knew this and also wanted to touch the tab I was carrying in my hands. I gave him that opportunity and he thanked me with all glitter that he could generate in those small eyes. I continued to talk to him as he fondled with my machine. I was a little scared about it but then Shyam was one kid who knew how to handle machines, he gave that feeling at least.

So how do you study I asked at home? “Oh that is not a problem at all, we have a light just outside our house which works almost all the time, that is where I study”. Remember the stories our mom’s used to say of IAS officers having become what they are studying under the streetlights. Why go far, don’t we remember the kind of struggles APJ Abdul Kalam undergo while he was studying to become India’s best weapons scientist.

So what kind of problems do you face I asked and what are you scared of. “My father beats me when I get home with less money.” It is here that I felt a pain pang in my heart. Such a sweet kid, wants to study, helps the family at a tender age when kids his age would be playing in the sun and still gets beaten up, I thought. How many times does he beat? Almost daily he said.

Leaving the beating aside our Shyam was happy with everything life has bestowed on him. He was happy to be sitting outside the restaurant with a wild snake while people eat in air-conditioned restaurant inside. But yes he has big dreams, he has dreams of gifting his mother a restaurant like this because he says that his mom cooks awesome food and he would like everyone to eat what she makes.

Moral of the real-life story is simple. Life outside is as tough as anything can get. Only the toughest can and will survive but the one’s that will be remembered would be the ones who survived it with a smile. I will thus definitely for all my life remember Shyam, the 11-year-old snake charmer.

It was time to say good bye and again the thank you that he said when I gifted him packets of chocolate, biscuit and money was the biggest gratification I could have received for anything I had done till date. Shyam, I would again meet you and pray that you step up the gas further and become India’s biggest and bestest engineer ever.

Related articles

• The Snake Charmer (2bitsworthofthoughts.wordpress.com)

Jazz by the Way!

Sampurna Majumder delves into the history of jazz in Kolkata on International Jazz Day!

The UNESCO organizes the International Jazz Day on 30 April every year. So being a music aficionado (or at least trying to be), I thought of delving a little into the journey of this musical genre in a country that already has an excellent musical legacy.

Well, the search for the same, again took me to my hometown, the City of Joy. I was not quite surprised as the Kolkata is officially known as the Cultural Capital of the Country. By the 20^th century, many Europeans had  adapted the city as their hometown and their way of life began to be reflected in the city life. Pubs and nightclubs began to come up in the city that started belting out some outstanding jazz tunes.

By the late 1950s and 1960s, Kolkata was already home to a few nightclubs some of which still continue to run. And what tickles in my mind, is the jazz veteran Carlton Kitto who continues to lighten up the jazz scene of Kolkata.

Kitto began his musical journey in the 1970s at Moulin Rogue. Owned by a French Lady, Carlton along with his band Carlton Kitto Jazz Ensemble lit up the evenings at Moulin Rogue. The only Jazz Musician from the city, recently a documentary named Finding Carlton has been filmed on him that traces the history of Jazz in India. The movie has captured many moments that showcased how Jazz bridged cultures and provided a common language of communication.

Today, restaurants like Moulin Rogue, Mocambo and the age-old Trincas are places where one can expect to listen to some amazing jazz music on a Saturday evening In Kolkata.

Once frequented by the likes of Amitabh Bachhan and Shashi Kapoor, Trinca’s Tavern continues to run the tradition belting out Jazz musical for over 6 decades now. Someplace Else is another hang out where you can soothe your ears with similar tunes.

Therefore if you have a soft corner and an ear for somewhat improvised music, Jazz is definitely for you – and now you know where to visit for some good Jazz musicals.

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White Light Balance – DSLR Photography

This is the first of the series of posts by Mili Sharma on the technicalities of photography. Mili is an IT professional, who is passionate about travelling. She also pursues photography as a hobby. Today, she has written about White Light Balance.

White light balance is used to ensure that the color appearing to our eyes appears the same in the photographs too. In other word, balancing the white light gives us more accurate colors in our photographs. Human eye has the capability to judge the white color under difference light conditions. However a Digital Camera cannot automatically understand/detect the white light in various light conditions. This is when the feature of balancing the white light comes into effect. It allows the camera to understand the white color in various light conditions and remove the unrealistic colors.

To understand this better, we first need to be familiar with the concept of ‘Color Temperature’. Each color has a temperature. Color temperature describes the spectrum of light which is radiated from a ‘blackbody’ with that surface temperature. A blackbody is an object which absorbs all light incidents irrespective of the frequency. The Sun is considered to be a black body radiator as. The unit for measuring the color temperature is ‘Kelvin (K)’. Colors which have temperatures over 5,000K are called cool colors (blueish white) while the colors with the temperature between 2,700 K and 3,000 K are called warm colors (yellowish white through red).

We can also relate the warmth of the colors to daylight and evening light. Daylight has a spectrum similar to that of a black body with a correlated color temperature of 5,500 K. Digital Camera come with predefined white light balancing effects. Some on the common White light adjustments are:

Color Temperature	Light Source
1000-2000 K	Candlelight
2500-3500 K	Tungsten Bulb (household variety)
3000-4000 K	Sunrise/Sunset (clear sky)
4000-5000 K	Fluorescent Lamps
5000-5500 K	Electronic Flash
5000-6500 K	Daylight with Clear Sky (sun overhead)
6500-8000 K	Moderately Overcast Sky
9000-10000 K	Shade or Heavily Overcast Sky

We can manually set the white light balance by following the steps below to set the white light balance:

1. Press the MENU button and select the Shooting Menu.
2. Select White balance and then scroll to the right.
3. Select one of the values like Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct sunlight etc. and click OK.

Note: These steps are for Nikon users. Cannon users may refer to the User Manual.

If not sure what white balance option to use then leave it set to ‘Auto White Balance (AWB)’.  We can also create our own white light balance using a Grey Card or a White Sheet. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Keep a Grey Card or a White Sheet ready in front of you.
2. Press the ‘MENU’ button and select the Shooting Menu.
3. Select ‘White Balance’ and then scroll to the right.
4. Select ‘Measure’. It will show a pop up to ‘Overwrite existing preset data’.
5. Click on ‘Yes’.
6. It will then ask to take a photo of a Grey or a White object.
7. Set your focus on the Grey Card or White Sheet and take a picture.

You can now expect better photographs with better color accuracy in various light conditions. Happy Clicking!!

सब खवाब हुए धूमिल…..

पैदा हुवा मै जिस दिन, माँ-बाप मुस्कुराये I

थी तंग घर की हालत, लड्डू ना बाँट पाये I I

बस आस उम्मीदों में, बचपन भी मेरा बीता I

हर हसरत रही अधूरी, लगता रहा पलीता I I

ना शिक्षा मिली ढंग की, ना काम ढंग का पाया I

संघर्षों ने जर्जर, कर डाली मेरी काया I I

शादी भी मैंने कर ली, पैदा किये दो बच्चे I

हालात अपने फिर भी, हो पाए नहीं अच्छे I I

महीने से हफ्ता पहले, घर में ना टिकता राशन I

तब खाने को मिलता है बीवी का केवल भाषण I I

पीता हूँ ख़ूनी आंसू , है ह्रदय मेरा ज़ख्मी I

जीवन में सदा मुझसे, रूठी रही है, लक्ष्मी I I

सब खवाब हुए धूमिल, अरमान सारे टूटे I

है आखिरी तमन्ना, ये प्राण तन से छूटे I I

हे ईश!  मेरे मुझको, बस इतना डर सताता I

जिस राह से मै गुजरा, बच्चों का ना हो नाता I I

Chinese Breakfast @ China Town!

Continuing her series on China Town, Sampurna Majumder writes about the uniqueness of the locality.

The variedness of Kolkata never seems to satiate me. From lip-smacking delicacies to some of the best known cultural events – Kolkata has loads to offer.

In my last article I focussed on the existing China Town of Kolkata. This time, I decided to take a step ahead and find out something unique about the locality.

It is a Saturday early morning around 5.30 am. The Tiretta Bazaar in Old China Town is already bustling with life. You can choose from some of the best Chinese delicacies that are served here. From yummy chicken soups to pork suimai – you name it and its there. On weekends, the breakfast platters are over by 8 am. Call centre employees and night-club hoppers comprise the main crowd.

If you want to try something new and adventurous you can always end up at the shops selling Chinese sauces and other ingredients that are required for cooking. There’s one shop named Sing Cheung Sauce Factory that sells all kinds of Chinese sauces.

The spicy pork sausages taste like slimy scrambled eggs. You can also try having the spicier broths with a dash of Sichuan chillies and pickled garlic. The fish-ball soup that is found at every nook and corner of Tiretta Bazaar is a must have. The best part about the breakfast is you will not find the regular Chinese stuff – like noodles or rice, but an assortment of other delicacies with broths and soups taking away the credits.

Tiretta Bazaar is one of the remaining cosmopolitan food hubs in the city that has already started becoming somewhat conservative in nature. Whatever, be it, if you are in Kolkata do miss the chance of a sumptuous Chinese Breakfast in the heart of the city.

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Why Misogamists are Wrong: A Rebut to “A Misogamist’s Conundrum”

Our anonymous author tell us why Misogamists are wrong when they blame the institution of marriage without event looking into the reasons of why is it failing. A must read.

This post put me in an inebriated frame of morbidity; first because, I am currently reading the suitable boy, and second, partly due to the whole concept of marriage as an institution that we have built. For me the reason, why marriage is an institution is because, it has stood the Test of time. Another reason why it’s an institution is because, any institution which embeds itself in humour and self-loathing, yet continues to survive is an institution.

The misogamists in our society, like a fellow author pointed about, draws on a crux, which has been prevailing in society since time-immemorial. For instance, when Anuj pointed out the significant increase in wants and comfort, and money after the marriage, little did one think that the origin of marriage was based on the concept of economics. A societal structure was created to preserve wealth, pass on wealth to generations and showcase the survival of fitness.

Why then are the misogamists complaining? If you look at the construct of marriage, it has evolved, through expected rig morale of expectations. Today it is even more visible. Take any matrimonial website, if the girl is fair, she wants a richer, smarter, better, astute looking husband. Try this, use the same photograph, same qualifications, and same job; however increase the salary by 40,000 a month and a significant increase in expectations arise. Why won’t immaturity between couples arise and conflict take its place. The system didn’t become this way, the system was designed this way. Another way to date an Indian girl is contact your astrologer and connect with your girls’ astrologer. If they are commensurate, the date happens.

I don’t want to be a marriage counsellor, but I think, no amount of medicine can help an ailing society. If the crux of marriages has to saved, it has to begin from the beginning, the same way; Vishnu did come up with avatar after an avatar to save the society, though Lord Shiva preferred destruction.

For the whole institution of marriages, we need to break the system and bring a new one. I can’t speculate, how the new system would want to be, but to emerge an institution based on a legal contract is baffling, I’d save grace to Anuj when he mentioned the reasons marriages can be viewed in a positive way. These could answer the question of, why should marriage, be a legal contract. Arranged marriages technically are statutory rates, taking the stated down measure of the first night.

One solution (which may not be practical, but a judgement call for self-illusory tendencies) is to strip down the very essence why marriages don’t work and look beyond to see, if a sub structure can sustain itself in a metaphysical verse. For instance, strip the education, caste, creed, religion, gotra, colour, race, education, employment, size, height, weight, region, city, country, expectations. You will get nothing, the nothing, which is the silence in the storm, precedes love and unconditional love can yet, save this entire institution of marriage. 

Related articles

• A Misogamist’s Conundrum (missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com)
• The Benefits of Marriage (insureyes.com)
• I’m nobody, but I’ll still tell you what I think about marriage equality. (mixedupmommy.com)

Dilli ki Hawa – 2

This is the second part of the Dilli ki Hawa series by Sampurna Majumder, where she talks about her acquaintance of with K, the ‘bad girl’ of her PG accommodation.

I was on the verge of finishing with my studies at the University. Five years just went by in a spree. It was the last day of our final exams. I was happy as well as a bit worried about as to what lay ahead of this. Despite complaining so much about classes and assignments I felt a sense of void; a thought seeped in what next?? Job? Well, I was gaping for an answer.

However I was not the one to give up. I ran from pillar to post and managed a job with a travel magazine at south Delhi. The pay being very basic, I had to relocate somewhere nearby. After some house-hunting I found an accommodation  at Gautam Nagar, a rather down market area compared to the posh localities of south Delhi. I managed a small room with an even smaller bathroom. The area allotted as kitchen had more of cockroaches and  not to mention I shared the room with another lodger and a few mice as well. The mice were nice I must say, for, they used to ‘sing’ for us at night. I thought, what would I have to do anyways; because I will be in office for nine hours then come back, gulp down something and hit the bed. Perfect for a beginning I suppose. I moved in.

J was my roommate who was preparing for her MBA entrance exams. Her appearance reminded me of the typical laborious student, spectacles with thick glasses. The room opposite to ours always intrigued me. I was told it had a lodger but even after seven days of moving in, I never got to see her. I was also told or rather warned by the landlady that K, the lodger was not the kind to be messed with. According to her, the latter was sort of a ‘bad girl’ and I must maintain a distance from her, just as the others did.

My landlady’s warning made me curious and I longed to meet this ‘bad girl’. Exactly after a week, as I entered my chummery in the evening, I bumped into a tall girl sporting a sexy outfit which enhanced her ‘size zero’ figure. I immediately recognized her to be none other than K, the so-called ‘bad girl’.

Exchange of a dry smile followed by an even dry line from K, ‘new lodger in the chummery, right?’

‘Yes’, followed my answer.

Over the next few days I bumped into K often and our communication increased to a few more sentences than our first meeting. Sometimes she would offer me her breakfast. Sometimes she would ask me if I would join her for a cup pf coffee. One fine evening, rather late evening I went up to the terrace for an after-dinner-walk. I spotted K perched comfortably on the boundary wall and smoking. She greeted me. I went up to her and our conversation started. I learnt K was the second of her four siblings and she hailed from a small town named Hissar in Haryana. According to her, the town had very few good ‘English medium’ schools. Now, though she had the privilege of studying in one of them, she was to be married off  to a rich businessman ( in this case a farmer ) after she passed out her high school. Her destiny was sealed. However, K was determined to make her own destiny. She dint want to ‘die’ so soon. She wanted to live. So, one fine day K ran off from her house and landed in Delhi. She did numerous odd jobs and finally ended up as a small- time model. And now she was here. She told me that she wanted to make it big in the world of showbiz and so she has plans to move base to Bombay and try her luck there. She also told me that some acquaintance of hers named Mr. D has connections with the film industry.

One Saturday evening, I was sitting at a pub in Greater Kailash with a friend, while suddenly I spotted K with a sturdy looking man. She came up to me and introduced the man as Mr. D. His very appearance put me off a little.

After that, I spotted the duo more than once at different places from Saket to Khan Market to Gurgaon.

After a month when I got a little bored with my daily routine, I went back home for a break. When I came back after a fortnight, I was told that K left the day before. K’s absence made me a little gloomy. I asked the other lodgers and even the landlady has she left behind any contact details or does anybody know where she might have headed for. No one came up with a concrete answer.

I had to let her go. However, her thoughts lingered in my mind.

A couple of years later, I made a trip to Bombay to visit my cousin. I was pretty excited as it was my maiden trip to the city of dreams. I made sure that my cousin took me to Bombay’s landmark areas such as Juhu Beach, Marine Drive and the like. Apart from these she made sure that I take a joyride in the world famous Bombay local.

That day me along with my cousin were supposed to visit Juhu Beach. We boarded the train from Borivali. We were supposed to get down at Ville Parle. As the train approached Ville Parle, we got down in a rush. Even in that crowded platform all of a sudden my eyes fell on someone very familiar. A couple who was hurrying down the platform. I immediately recognized them. It was K with a man and no it was not Mr. D. K was all decked up with jewellery and an elegantly attired ethnic outfit. I called out her name. But… she was lost in the crowd…

I did find her, however this time her mask had fallen off.

https://missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/dilli-ki-hawa-1/

The D-Day

The heaven has gone asunder

Earth struck by mighty thunder;

Life everywhere is ready to be get destroyed

In a moment nothing would be left except a void;

God looks upon the earth with hint of smile;

Earth being ruined, in his own personal style;

Suddenly he becomes worried, by sight of one thing;

All nature is in gloom, but why is she still smiling!

– Aditya Kavangal