How can going veg save the planet?

I have often heard this clichéd slogan; 'Go Vegetarian and save the environment’. My question is, how can you save the environment by going vegetarian? On the contrary you might lose your health because you deprive yourself of so much good that comes from meat.

There are innumerable health benefits of eating meat, to say, for example, it serves as a fabulous source of high quality proteins, which a single vegetarian food is not able to provide. It contains all the essential amino acids that the body requires. The red meat contains very high quantities of iron, when compared with plant origin foods. 100 grams of Liver contains 6000 mcgm of iron as against 325 mcgm in 100-gram carrots. There are several other benefits of eating meat and I am not denying the same of vegetables as well. If one can live on vegetables one should, but the ‘absolute term’ is not quite done.

There is something called ecological balance. Every living thing needs something to survive and there is a set of food in nature that is healthy and consumable by all creatures and plants. Poaching is a heinous act but not eating meat. The tiger can only survive on meat and nothing else. The cow eats grass and that's the way it is made. The sparrows eat grains. There are birds that eat insects for survival. Humans eat both meat and vegetables. These are standards we must live by.

The latest term that is doing the rounds is 'Lifestyle addiction'. If people can give up this addiction, there are far better chances of saving the environment. If people can travel by sea instead of air, pollution will come down. If people can have car-pool and not drive their own car to work. If only people could walk, rather than drive, to the local store to buy milk. If only people were God-fearing so that they would revere Him and take care of the earth. These are some of the 'laws' that have to be followed. The ‘environmentalists’ are doing a lot for the cause but that’s not enough at present.

The point is that it is not about going vegetarian; it’s about unnatural behaviour pattern of humans. We always want more and more of anything we like. That’s why we have broiler products and genetically modified foods that are unhealthy compared to normal food. I would support a slogan that says ‘Stop eating broiler and save the environment’.

Have a nice day!

Learning from IPL T20
The recently concluded IPL had a big significance in our lives. It was not just a game of cricket, but much more than that. For us sitting at home and watching the big game on TV was so much inspirational, I wonder how it must have been to witness the game on the field. Here are some of the lessons we can learn.

Boundaries broken
The tournament had players from all over the world and they were not identified as Indians or Australians or Pakistanis but by the names of their teams. Certainly it is nothing new in Europe but it is a new concept for a lot of people in this region. There was oneness in them. They showed their respect for each other through trust, honor and friendship. They were not held hostage by their political boundaries when it came to achieving a common goal. It was nice to see captions on newspaper like ‘Mathew Hayden of Chennai Super Kings’ or ‘Jayasurya of Mumbai Indians’.

Teamwork matters
An individual can only imagine what a team can achieve. The Rajasthan Royals was considered the weakest of the lot, but they proved everyone wrong by their teamwork. They did not have any star player in the team. It was the only team to have a 38 year old retired captain. There was only one player in the team who had played from the Indian team in ODIs. The team went on to win the trophy. It is the not the big names that matter in a team but individuals who are a cohesive lot.

A leader builds
A leader can make or break a team. The Rajasthan Royals’ Shane Warne showed the world what it takes to be a good leader. They could have easily become their own victim if they had thought that they were the weakest team. Warne capitalized on the strengths of his teammates rather than worrying about their weaknesses. He did not ask his boys to work on their weak points but encouraged them with titles unique to their abilities.

"Leadership is the energetic process of getting people fully and willingly committed to a new and sustainable course of action, to meet commonly agreed objectives whilst having commonly held values"

Healthy entertainment
It was all about healthy and positive entertainment. With so much ‘unhealthy’ and ‘Parental Guidance required’ shows and ‘family problem’ soaps, this one was a champion. This surpassed all former TV entertainment in India. There was so much relief from the usual slapsticks and 'reality shows'. I am sure the Saas-bahu saga had to go through a bad phase for 45 days. People could see that the best team can lose at times but that does not mean the end of the world. The viewers could empathize with the feeling the players went through in the tournament - the feeling of hope, joy, passion, anger and frustration.

Equal opportunity
The greatest contribution of the IPL may be this; that every player, big or small, got equal opportunity to prove their mettle. We witnessed some of the finest talents on the field which otherwise would have just died without ever being noticed.

Welcome Euro 2008!