Kurt Archer

The journey began in Amritsar with Shahid insisting on meeting up with these girls we met at the temple, who did not speak a word of English. Lovely ladies though. This primal distraction lasted till about 4 p.m. after which we went our separate ways and returned to Guru Ram Das, where we were staying during our visit there. We got caught up in a conversation with an Australian lady who was bicycling with her boyfriend across India and shared some amazing stories with her. We left the hostel just after 5 and reached the station in time to take the 5:30 bus and reached PathanKot at 8:30 – after spending 3 hours cramped in a tiny noisy bus. Upon arrival we settle to eat some chana (chick peas) and the vendor tried to cleverly overcharge us! Our bus to Dharmsala left at 9:30, but because of the ordeal with the food vendor, we were held back and the bus was pulling away with us running behind it frantically. Luckily we caught up to it, as it was the last bus that evening – but it was completely packed! So for the next 4 hours I sat on my bag in the aisle with drowsy people falling onto me throughout the whole journey.

We then met Weng Lee, or Sitting on a Mountain, Watching the Sea, as is his real Korean name means. He looks like the teacher in the Karate Kid! I’m not joking, short old man long white hair pulled into a pony tail and a slim long white Asian beard only on his chin. He is a master of Tae Kwon Do, Yoga and a teacher of Psychology at Yale campus in Seoul.

So you can imagine our entourage, a burly actor, a skinny young Canadian and an old Korean master rolling into McLeod Ganj at 1:30am. We woke up an incredibly disoriented driver who took us up the hill to a virtually dead city. Everything was closed even the hotels. So for 30 minutes our trio combed the quiet streets of McLeod Ganj. We finally ran into an Irish lady huffing down the street with a very drunk British boyfriend in tow. They invite us to their hotel, which turns out to be locked and 30 minutes or so later trying to wake someone up to get in finally succeeds, but is short availed as the manager apologizes for not being able to give us a room. So the trio gets invited to stay with the couple… cramped on the floor of their tiny apartment room. Weng and Shahid were on the floor and I was on the bed beside the drunken boyfriend. By 6 a.m., the sun comes up and Weng is  already awake, using his magnifying glass to read some book before he takes off into the day. That was about the same time that boyfriend tries to cuddle with ME! So pushing off a drunken man when trying to get some rest proved impossible, so I moved in place of Weng and awoke a few hours later, well rested.

Even with the entire struggle, it was well worth it, McLeod Ganj is a paradise! Wait up for my next post for more details.

Well I have arrived to Amritsar through the Wagha border. Last time I came through here, I paid 550 Rupees for a cab, this time I paid only Rs. 35…

So I met this actor and sufi from UK with a background from Jalunder and Pakistan. Its been great fun so far, exploring the Golden Temple; walking the narrow alley ways. Yes, it is as everyone has said it is, grand and beautiful. We sat with a Guru ji who told us all about Sikhism, and how connected to nature they are. I asked what they think of Sufism, and he responded, that because he is Sikh, he is also Sufi. Beautiful. It was just the kind of wisdom I have wanted to experience while here. 

Another amazing experience was the closing and cleaning ceremony. Hundreds of volunteers were there to help take down everything, clean everything, people we pushing and shoving to do service for the Palace. And the free food! It is a system I have never seen before, so effective, so efficient. From cleaning bins, to trays for daal and and water bowls. Everything one could ask for and more. This system needs to be documented and replicated in other place; indeed a best case practice. 

We are also staying for free at the hostels here, there is a section for foreigners here and everything. I'm planning on staying one more night before I head to Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj. All I can say now is Jai Hind!

Today was the Environmental Seminar at SAFMA. Thank you so much Nimra and Sarah for organizing everything so well and making it a huge success!

So we invited a lot of people all over Lahore, and about 100 showed up, 20% of which were youth,which is a satisfactory start for now, but much more needs to be done to create awareness in the youth. The media was also there to carry the message forward to those of you that missed it.

We screened the documentary 11th Hour and invited top panelists to discuss Environment in Pakistan.

Those invited include: Dr. Mehjabeen Abib-Habib, leading environmentalist scholar, Mr. Ali Habib, Director General of WWF Pakistan, and Mr. Asif Farooqui of Waste Busters. 

The discussion was focused on what the state of Environmentalism in Pakistan was, and what our individual efforts can do to improve the situation we face in Pakistan.

I would also like to thank SAFMA for all their help in making this event such a success. I will be following their work around South Asia everywhere I go. 

 
While I was visiting the Roshni Village in Lahore, an eco-friendly farm and school who produces the best organic bread, I met the man who started it all. He shared with us this presentation he gave at LUMS on Alternative Economy, and I wanted to share it with you all.
 
 
Presentation on Alternative Economy
by Hamid Hellmut Hannesen, Roshni Association, Lahore
 
In ancient cultures all social and economical life was influenced by the religious life. Normally there was a group of religious people, not involved in any practical work, but teaching everybody and designing all social and practical life. Worldly leaders like kings and pharaohs were part of this.

Read the rest of this entry »

We had an amazing turn out today with over 70 students of the Environmental Sciences department at Punjab University. Thanks to Sana I, for organizing everything! It was a  big crowd but the discussion ended up being very positive. I was surprised to see that one of the inherent opinions held by the students was that the environmental damage, pollution, etc is an issue for western countries alone. The discussion ended on a high note with a professor of Environmental Science talking about the importance of peer review of any large or small scale project. As active participants in society, it is important not only to act in an individual capacity, but also to hold accountable the projects that are creating potential environmental damages.

One of the examples of this comes from the Bachao group in Lahore that pressured the government not to cut down all the trees along the canal in order to widen the roads, eventually a bypass was developed, which took out some of the trees, but most of them were still left, their serenity in tact.

Another success story I heard was actually produced from a study by students from Kinnaird College for Women who tested the health of traffic police. The result was high levels of air pollutants in their lungs which is produced by petrol. The result was a proposal for CNG rickshaws to take over the transport system in lieu of the petrol burning rickshaws which were a source of major pollution. 

Peer review and accountability are important features of environmental awareness! 

Lastly, I am excited at Punjab University in opening a new faculty department for Environmental Science. It will be in operation this year for students to expand their research and labwork in working with environmentalism. Although the establishment is far from an eco-design, the curriculumis very cross disciplinary, so many students will be exposed to the issues of the day.