Sanctuary Asia - April 2018

Ahalya and I run a bookstore and library in Lower

Parel. By its very nature, the library encourages and

enables the reuse of books. We give our members

non-woven tote bags and carry bags, which last longer

than paper bags, and they bring these bags on every

visit. We have our own cardboard cartons we reuse

for all our outdoor events. Our library has several

windows and the light streams in through the day.

We’ve designed the bookshelves in such a manner

that maximum natural light comes in. We do not need

to turn on the lights through the day, and we only

turn on the air-conditioners (ACs) when required. The

water from the AC goes through a pipe to the trees

that surround us. We do not own a car, and rely on

public transport to get us from home to work and

back. Ahalya is vegan and usually shops from local

sellers and farmers’ markets and

prefers to buy Indian vegetables,

fruits and spices.

I quit my corporate job with IBM in 2003 and

started an organic farm in a village near

Mumbai. We grow rice, pulses, spices, oil seeds

and vegetables on our own land. Besides, we

have lots of trees that provide us with fruits all

year round. We have also left some

portion of the land wild with many

varieties of trees and shrubs. They

give us the necessary organic

matter for our land and also

provide shelter for birds and

insects. Though the transition from an urban life to a more rural

setting has been diffi cult, I feel our current life, though tough, is

better in the long run for my wife and I, as well as the environment,

than the unsustainable life we were living in the city.

I am fascinated by hornbills.

When I discovered that these

unique birds were threatened,

I joined the National

Conservation Fund’s Hornbill

Nest Adoption programme. I

wanted to raise enough money

to adopt three nests. On my

birthday, I asked my friends not to give me any

presents, but to help me raise money for the nest

adoption program. In fact, hornbills became the

theme of my birthday party and starting with the

invitation itself, I think I managed to inspire and

motivate my friends to get involved with nature

conservation. Hopefully, they will do the same

when their birthdays comes around.

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Venkat Iyer, Author, Mumbai

Meethil Momaya,

Library owner, Mumbai

Sahiti Bulusu,

Fifth grade student, Bengaluru

COURTESY: AFROZ SHAH

Nature lovers across the city recently celebrated the appearance

of olive Ridley turtles on Versova beach in Mumbai for the fi rst

time in 20 years. This miraculous comeback is the result of an

ongoing gargantuan cleaning eff ort, which began in October

2015 at Versova beach, initiated by Afroz Shah, a Mumbai-based

lawyer (below). Since then, Afroz and his army of volunteers have

together managed to rid the shore of 13 million kg. of marine

debris, in what is touted to be the largest beach clean-up in

the world.

“The appearance of the olive Ridley turtle, its nest and its

hatchlings in an urban setting like Versova beach is an indication

that the marine ecosystem around the seas of Versova is

regenerating. Constant cleaning of the beach helps marine

species. We all will have to do our bit to build our bond with the

ocean and the nature,” says Shah.

Sanctuary | Cover Story