The price of going organic - is it worth it?

Check out my latest article at thealternative.in here 

Ditch that wrapper

Every time I receive my copy of National Geographic Traveller, I do it with a pang of guilt!  What do I do with that thin wrapper? Is it degradable? I know it provides safe shipping and prevents damage due to fingering.  I even wrote a letter to Nat Geo about replacing this with a paper flap, which they promptly published in the magazine but that issue still came with the same wrapper.

I did some reading to understand what is used for the wrapper.  The perfect product is Cellophane which is regenerated cellulose and can be degraded.  But good things don’t come cheap!  So, the cheaper alternate is BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Poly Propylene).   And BOPP can at the best be recycled.  Given the flimsy thickness of these wrappers, it is unlikely to be profitable to the rag picker or recycler.  My guess is that it ends in the land fill. And my guess is also that BOPP is what is used by most magazine publishers and not cellophane.

Can publishers look at some other options?  A thick paper flap that seals the front page to back page should work well.  A paper envelope should again work well for shipping though it may take away the look.

Will the publishing Industry choose ‘Substance over Form’?

You know the books I read – You know me!

Well, it had to be this theme for my first posting in the blog!   

Books shaped me into what I am and what I am not today.  Inspired by the recent FB lists on My 10 favourite books, I started making the list.  I have never been good at precise writing and it is no surprise that I could not pare the list to 10.  Also, I wanted to capture the mood of each book.  Result – this list.  Thanks, www.goodreads.com , for helping me keep track of my reading. 

1. Books that which initiated me into reading –Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and Around the world in 80 days by Jules Verne 
2. Book that made me laugh –Dork by Sidin Vadukut and The Elusive Pimpernal by Baroness Orczy
3. Book that made me cry – Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and The poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Book that gave me hope  – The Geography of bliss by Eric Weiner and Three cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen
5. Book that made me brood – After Dark by Haruki Murakami
6. Book that made me a child  - Danny, the champion of the World by Roald Dahl
7. Books that I consider most romantic  – Bridge across Forever by Richard Bach and The Time Traveller’s wife by Audrey Niffenegger
8. Book that made me want to go to last page to see who did it  – Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
9. Book that made me aspire to be a better woman – On Balance by Leila Seth
10. Book that made me go mushy – The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
11. Book that made me want to travel - Neither here nor there by Bill Bryson
12. Grandiose Books– Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki and Lord of the ring by JRR Tolkien
13. Classic book –The Name of the rose by Umberto Eco
14. Books I am partial to , with river themes  – The Ganga – a journey down the Ganges river by Julian Crandall Hollick , Empires of the Indus by Alice Albinia, Nadanthai Vazhi Kaveri by Thi Janakiraman
15. Book that was complex but un put down-able  – Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand
16. Books which enlightened me most – The evolution of God by Ajay Kansal and India after Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha
17. Book with the best futurist theme – 2001-A space odyssey by Arthur C Clarke
18. Book with unusual structure  – The Golden gate by Vikram Seth
19. Books with unusual theme – Locks, Mahabharatha and Mathematics by V Raghunathan, Synchrodestiny by Deepak Chopra
20. My Go to book when all is fine or when all is lost – Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Reader, Can you spot the two related authors in this list?

And do you have other choices ?

And this post is dedicated to Friend 'V' whose opening remark to me till now has been 'Where is your  blog?' 

Cheers.