Ethanol beyond E20: A cautious road ahead
When the fuel tank becomes a battlefield between energy security and environmental prudence, India must tread carefully. The government’s reported plan to permit ethanol blending beyond E20 through flexi-fuel vehicles is, therefore, both promising and fraught with caveats. The proposed transition can help India wean itself off imported fossil fuels, conserve foreign exchange and buttress the beleaguered agricultural economy. Greater ethanol utilisation may also provide sugarcane and grain producers with an additional revenue stream and help shore up rural livelihoods. Moreover, diversifying biofuel feedstocks and promoting value-added by-products could make the sector more resilient.
However, we must remain cautious. Excessive dependence on water-intensive crops such as sugarcane may exacerbate aquifer depletion and ecological stress. The government must also ensure that food security does not become collateral damage in the pursuit of energy security. Flexi-fuel vehicles should be introduced through a calibrated roadmap, accompanied by transparent fuel-efficiency assessments, stringent emission monitoring and consumer awareness.
Equally imperative is the creation of adequate ethanol storage, transportation and dispensing infrastructure, particularly in remote and economically vulnerable regions. The benefits of the policy must percolate beyond refineries and automobile manufacturers to farmers and ordinary motorists. A regulatory architecture must prevent profiteering, protect engine warranties, standardise fuel quality and ensure that consumers are never made to pay for policy experimentation. Ethanol can undoubtedly assist India in making significant progress, but this can only be achieved by merging ambition with evidence and ecological responsibility. Instead of just increasing the blending percentage, let's also elevate the standards for sustainability.
Dipen Gogoi,
Teok, Jorhat
Nostalgia around the television sets
Televisions entered the middle-class homes around the mid-80s. It was a small wooden box that brought joy and happiness to every household. From the children to the elders, television promised something interesting to everyone. At that time there were no shopping malls or multiplexes for spending time in the small towns, but television made the weekends no less than some festivals back then. On Sunday mornings children would wake up early, women would complete their household chores quickly and elderly people would finish their newspaper reading before 9 am, because episodes of Mahabharata came on the television at that time. It turned into a community gathering where everyone from the neighbourhood would come and sit together on the floor to watch the Mahabharata with great reverence. For Hindu brothers, those episodes of historical epics were filled with faith; for Muslims, it was something new to learn and respect. At that time, episodes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana were not just weekend entertainment programmes but a way to erase religious differences and build a sense of unity. Usually, people owned only black-and-white television sets, but the colour of joy that those boxes delivered enlightened everyone's heart. For the first time, people could watch their favourite sports stars play, who had previously only appeared in magazines and newspapers. The "chitrahar" may have featured only a few songs, but each one captivated viewers, who watched with rapt attention, never turning their heads away. During exams children were not allowed to see the TV programmes, as it was believed to hamper the studies, and doing so secretly meant getting few slaps from the mother. "Doordarshan" was not just a channel at that time; it represented a deep emotional connection. It brought movies into people's drawing rooms and provided opportunities for many women and elderly individuals who had never gone to cinema halls to watch them.
But after the advent of cable networks, life never remained the same again. Today, TV serials air from morning to night, but they provide little joy compared to the happiness that those episodes of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Chandrakanta, and Mowgli brought. Now there are tens of news channels, but rather than delivering news, they create more chaos. Instead of simplifying the incidents, the debate shows amplify the confusion. Today people own colour television sets, wherein innumerable movies and songs come in various channels, but there is no gathering of neighbours and friends to watch those programs together. Children now no longer watch cartoons; they play online games. Doordarshan has become a nostalgia today, which people hardly remember. It is true that technology has increased our choices today, but it has failed somewhere to bring that social cohesion, friendly atmosphere and happiness which those boxes of black and white television sets once bought.
Kabir Ahmed Saikia
Rajabari, Jorhat.
Clay versus POP idols
The installation of Ganesha idols is currently underway throughout Maharashtra and beyond. Maharashtra, in particular, will witness a splendid 10-day festival filled with devotion, music, and cuisine. The Maharashtra government had told the Bombay High Court that it was not possible to do away with the Plaster of Paris (POP) idols at once and that it will be done in a phased manner. In a recent Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the people to use clay instead of POP. Clay idols are costly and heavy, but since they are made of "shadu mati", they dissolve easily in water bodies, whereas POP idols take time to dissolve. Since the latter contain pesticides and chemicals, it is obvious that immersing these idols contaminates the lakes. The highly mouldable POP idols are affordable, light, resistant and amenable to mass production, and hence they are popular. The choice of material also depends on where the idols are installed and how large they are. Therefore, everything boils down to people's preference.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)