Last week our group visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and did a tour of New Delhi. The Taj was beautiful and the tour was stimulating, but there was one thing I noticed that each had in common: electric autorickshaws. These autorickshaws have an electric battery powered engine instead of one that is diesel or gas powered. Because they don’t have a combustion engine, they are ...
Peter VanSusteren
The Green Revolution: Defining Success
In our travels we have seen examples of India’s massive agriculture industry. Farmers selling produce on the side of the road, rice paddies covering the landscape, and agricultural research universities for example. Most of these developments are in some way the result of rapid agricultural industrialization during the 60s and 70s in what is now known as the Green Revolution. ...
Go Fish – Community Involvement in Fishery Conservation
We visited the Andaman Islands a few weeks ago to learn about their rich biodiversity, conservation of their ecosystems, and the history of their development. Part of our time was spent with ANET (the Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team) who taught us about those various subjects and led field trips into the community and around the coastal ecosystems. One of the field trips ...
Ecotourism, Climate Change, and the Andaman Islands
Last week, our study abroad group flew to the Andaman Islands to learn about biodiversity and environmental conservation from the Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team (ANET). The Andaman Islands are a biodiversity hotspot, meaning that there are at least 1500 endemic species of vascular plants and 70% of its primary vegetation has been lost. The weeklong trip was composed of ...
Drink Up – Water and Energy Conservation in India
Resource conservation is a present problem in India that will continue into the foreseeable future. Deeply rooted political and philosophical issues in India are stifling its investment in advancing conservation technology but there are some basic, everyday practices in place that are helping play a small role in saving energy. I’ve noticed some of these problems and ...
The Concrete Jungle – My Urban Indian Experience So Far
My time spent in two major Indian cities has been packed full of sensations and feelings that have overwhelmed me at times. Now that I’m back in Chennai I feel more comfortable because it is familiar to me and we are away from the Golkonda Hotel’s awful hallway music. After getting out into the city to do research with Hyderabad Urban Labs (HUL) and spending time in Chennai, ...
Save Me a Seat: Socioeconomic Inequality and India’s Reservation Quota
I’ve been doing my best to read the newspaper as much as possible to familiarize myself with the general values and concerns of the public while I’m studying here in India. The Hindu is my preference, but the Times of India is a good alternative. Many topics come up regularly such as the Rohingya refugee crisis, public transportation/highway safety, religious sensitivity, and ...
Trying to Not Get Run Over – My First Week in India
This past week was my first experience living outside of the United States and my first week as a student in India. During this time, our academic program has resided in Madras Christian College, explored the surrounding town of Tambaram, and traveled to the coastal city of Chennai while studying various subjects including urban life in India. My daily experience with the ...
