Category: Environment

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Teachers Day

by:Aanchal

Ohh well, it’s a teacher’s day. When does it fall? I am neither thankful nor unfeeling that a special day
has been dedicated for teachers, to thank them and to honor them for what they do. That too, the
day falls on the birthday of a very special person, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. No, I am not good at
remembering dates and events (and that is clear from the first line itself), it’s just that I loved his name
and went on to remember this.
My faintest memory of a teacher’s day is us going to school only to find our seniors dressed up as
teachers and taking charge of their duties for the day. All the teachers were sent on a trip to someplace, giving them a break from their schedule, a day to enjoy and have fun. Growing up and
changing schools, I witnessed a change. The teachers were no longer sent to trips, rather we wished
them a “Happy Teacher’s Day” in a monotonous sing-song every time the periods changed and a new
teacher entered the class. And yes, I was one of those enthusiastic kids who would make cards for my
favorite ones, expressing how much I loved them and what their presence meant to me. Our
relations with them kept changing, from us talking about fighting with friends or getting a scolding
from mom to us getting periods and assumed mental breakdowns that we thought we experienced,
to talking about what we dreamt of a university and how we would enjoy the freedom we would be
entitled to (although we didn’t get any freedom, thanks to the pandemic). Every phase began with a
new face, a new personality, but all of them were equally understanding and equally supportive. I can
closely relate to the quote, “We are who we are, because of who they are”.
From scolding us for laughing and talking in class because they thought we were wasting time, to
allowing us to cry silently even when sitting on the first bench because they somehow knew that the
tears were uncontrollable and that it was the only way to let things out. From arguing with them for
giving us fewer marks in tests, to thanking them after a meritorious result on the boards, we all grew up
and so grew the respect for a sometimes-motherly-sometimes-fatherly-and-sometimes-friendly figure
called teacher.
Now, now, I don’t have all the sweet memories of school and teachers. We all have faced some form
of punishment, be it not bringing a notebook or cheating on a test, or not doing homework, and I am
no exception. I have had strong, well-conveyed disagreements. But just one teacher not behaving
properly cannot overshadow the love of all the others, the well-deserving-worth-mentioning ones.
And now I have a change of mind, I am so grateful that they have a special day dedicated for them.
And why just a day? Why not a year, an entire lifetime of thanking those who shaped our lives and
thoughts and to whom excellence and brilliance meant much more than an A+ grade.

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culture Environment feelings Happiness Love Music personal

Blues of the Rain

by:Anshuman Gupta

One of my favorite activities that I look forward to each day is going up to my terrace for an evening walk. Popping in my earphones, listening to different genres of music on different days, gazing at the scenery around me, mostly the skies. Sometimes I even go up late at night to just gaze at the moon. Therefore, it does stand to reason that Monsoon would be my least favorite season, all that rain dampens (pun not intended) any chances of me going up and hanging around for a while by myself. Yet in some ways I’ve come to appreciate this solitude that follows with me cranked up to a windowpane, sitting instead of walking, still listening to music as I watch the raindrops splatter on the ground. 

It does give a person a chance to reflect on things, after all, think mostly, maybe gain new perspectives in the circumstances a person may be in. Sitting in solitude and listening to the raindrops falling one by one does provide a better chance to concentrate, for a reason, I do have some speculations for and will get back to in the end. First, I want to address the themes Rain is usually used for in literature, our best friend. 

Rain has always been used as a literary device to primarily portray two types of atmosphere: the first being the atmosphere of romance. We know how it goes, it starts raining, the couples are enthralled by rain for some reason as if they have never seen it in their entire lives despite being in their twenties or thirties, they step out into the rain and dance the Bollywood dance. *Cham Cham* ensues. Oh, so romantically they then spend hours in the rain, dancing and looking at each other lovingly as they lean in for a kiss, kissing as frequently as a rain droplet falls on the ground. Hypothermia, so romantic isn’t it? Shudders 

The other atmosphere primarily portrayed by rain is that of a bleak atmosphere, with the rain being a metaphor for a cynical and dour mood. The dark clouds bursting with rain as the protagonist looks out his window in sadness or with a sense of purpose, an aura of so much edginess around them you would think it’s a Zack Snyder movie. 

Personally, where do my thoughts lie when it comes to rain and how do I view it? I’d say both these takes are something that resonates with me in a weird quirky mix. I’ve always appreciated the philosophy of the balance between Yin and Yang. As an advocate of that philosophy, I tend to fluctuate between these two atmospheres. 

It is prudent to point out however that which atmosphere I currently immerse myself in when met with rain depends on many factors. Of course, the choice of music can influence an atmosphere as well, the right song creating the right vibe but personally, when I find myself pressed to that windowpane, looking out to the wet scenery before me, that music just becomes background noise to me. A way to keep me at peace more like; but the lyrics don’t hit me like they usually do. Instead, it provides a bubble for my mind to then work its magic, the magic of overthinking and screwing up my sanity. 

Coming back to the two rain atmospheres, a boy my age definitely has his share of romantic thoughts, it’s only natural after all, I’m human. But mix in cynicism with those thoughts to traverse a completely different route and you may get aligned to what I think during this season. I don’t mean I’m cynical of the idea of love or if it will ever happen, I’m not a spoilsport like that. It’s more the idea of how you decide which human complements you. It’s more me scoffing at certain romanticizations present in the media. For example, I’m completely against the idea of “love at first sight” or “opposites attract”. They feel like an attempt to simplify what love is supposed to be, reducing it to a silly genre used to sell literary pieces for a crowd to fawn over, it doesn’t feel true, it doesn’t feel right. 

Besides this, I think of myself a lot. Not in a narcissistic self-absorbed way but more in a trying to figure out myself way. It’s always fun to converse with and debate yourself in that regard, after all, isn’t every human being trying to figure out who they are and how to best improve to be as virtuous as they can be, make decisions that make you happy and a will that makes you be of some use to the world we live in. Cynicism does take a walk around these thoughts as well, satisfaction with oneself is hard after all, especially in this age and time where you just sit around in one place. I’m in my second year of college yet it feels like I have never moved past the stage of graduating school thanks to the same old environment and inability to move forward in life physically as well thanks to the pandemic. Maybe getting lost in the vortex of all these thoughts isn’t such a good idea, but when it rains, and you just look at the raindrops falling down one by one, an imagery not quite hard to imagine, it’s just so easy to get lost in the chaotic rambling of your mind. This entire piece is one chaotic rumbling of the mind thanks to the rainy season. The concentration indeed is absolute, and as for why, as I mentioned earlier, I think I do have one speculation towards this whole conundrum. 

You see, the thing about rain is that it has a rhythm to it. Splitter – splatter, as the raindrops fall one by one, one after another, it’s a beat on its own, a pattern. Human brains are by nature susceptible to patterns and work well with them. Not surprising then that it’s easier to think more and ponder stuff in this season and get lost in the vortex, compared to the linearity of thoughts in other instances……

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Of Gratitude and Affirmations

by:Prajjwal

Gratitude and affirmations. We all might have come across these two words several times, maybe on our socials, or whenever we surf “How to be successful in life” or something congenial to this. This article is basically a review/experience of how gratitude has transformed, not just my life but the greater good as well. It does sound philosophical or scholarly, to begin with. I, for one, found it worthless and stuff even before I could go on to discover it, only to realize its actual power at a later time, especially when I hit the rock bottom. Everyone does experience their ‘rock-bottom’ phases in their lives. You might be just stuck with some work, you might be in a dilemma on how to proceed further, unable to pull off the burden upon you while you are left with no other assistance to heal your mental wounds. And this is when gratitude can prove to be your knight in shining armor. Also, this is not some kind of a summary of Rhonda Byrne’s gratitude books. It’s just one of my little ‘secrets’, I’d like to share with you.

There are a zillion things out there that go unappreciated or for which we are ungrateful. We all have succumbed to a mundane robotic routine of ours. How often do we realize the importance of people in our lives? How often do we feel lucky to have a roof above our head, pure air around us, the pettiest things we use daily? Be it our gadgets, accessories, or trivial stuff around us. How often do we thank our own existence? To start off with, I’d suggest you maintain a gratitude journal. You could savor your gratitude to all the things or people to whom you are grateful and appreciate their existence. Take a vow to recall moments of gratitude associated with the ordinary events, your personal attributes, things that pique your interests, in order to interweave a sustainable theme of gratitude in your lives.

Second off, practice affirmations. Gratitude and affirmations go hand in hand. Want a new car? Crave for a new outfit? Want to overcome your bad habits? Want to improve your grades? Affirm it! (Nothing to boast, but the secret to all my exam results lie here:)) And slowly you start manifesting what you affirm. You start to attract what you speak. This is the whole concept behind affirmations- the law of attraction. So make sure when you stand in front of a mirror the next time, to affirm good thoughts instead of holding an empty gun pointing at your head. Every syllable we speak manifests energy, towards or against us.

The science of gratitude is omnipresent. It is vast. It is relieving. It isn’t unrealistic wishful thinking. Luminaries such as Plato, Socrates, William Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Newton had discovered it way back and have delivered the same through their works. 

Change your perspectives, drink loads of water, exercise daily, think of grace, gifts and reap your rewards. You do feel a gush in feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin once you shift your thinking from negative to positive. Replace your feeds with gratitude pages, group your apps on your home screen with affirmative titles, consider yourself lucky if you see repeating numbers, download apps that help you practice gratitude, practice freelancing, start writing letters (it’s okay even if you don’t have to send them), and reinforce positivity back into your lives.

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Half Empty/Half Full

by:Tharun

“Ordinary people think merely of spending time, great people think of using it.” –Arthur Schopenhauer

And might I add, extraordinary people spend time thinking of how to use it and end up doing nothing with it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, yes, I identify as an extraordinary being.

Off late, with the spread of social media and the internet, not a day goes by without you hearing something preachy or uplifting. Be it about positive thinking or influencers saying that we need to work smart rather than work hard for the thousandth time. Without a doubt, all of that feels really good to hear on a normal day. But on certain days(like this one), when I don’t feel like working at all in the first place, all of this positivity sounds borderline insulting.

You may think that this sort of mentality is toxic to have and that it is an unhealthy way to deal with problems. You are right and I totally agree with you. But can you just keep your logical thinking and level-headedness aside for a while and rant with me?

As long as you don’t feel like the human form of the clown emoji for longer durations, this is not that bad a phase to be in. Think about it. There are a few positive takeaways from negativity in itself.

Take the case of laziness and procrastination. The fact that you stash away chores for later, shows how optimistic you are about life and how strongly you believe in a better tomorrow. How you believe that a day will finally arrive when you will break free from the shackles of your mind and move on to worthier tasks, like homework.

Running away from your problems isn’t that bad either. For starters, it improves your cardiovascular endurance(I’m sorry for that). But then living in a state of denial is an art in itself. Even after being surrounded by the harsh reality at all times, if you still manage to live in your own problem-free bubble, it is definitely something worth appreciating. It needs perseverance and a thick skin to remain unaffected. This is something that I learned from our political leaders.

Now, these periods of absolute idleness and futility don’t just help you see the positive side of negativity. It also brings out the hypocrisy of forced positivity. “You Only Live Once” or YOLO is the best example. Just because your days in this world are limited, doesn’t mean that each day has to be better than the previous one. Paraphrasing from Neville Shah standup special Going Downhill, that’s just too much pressure to put on one periodic rotation of the earth about its axis around the sun. If you were to look at it, a person who procrastinates has a much healthier outlook towards life than a person who says “Live every day as if it’s your last”, before sharing a Socrates or a Rumi quote imprinted on a completely unrelated image of Heath Ledger’s Joker on Instagram.

I guess what I’m trying to say in these disgruntled blabberings is that it is okay to feel unproductive and irrationally angry at the world at times. Just because you know that you’re being unreasonable doesn’t mean that you have to immediately do something about it. The fact that you acknowledge it, is already one step towards recovery. Give yourself the space to figure out the problem. And while you’re at it, laugh at yourself and others even, as long as your bubble of fake prophecies and pseudo-intellect doesn’t become your reality. 

So the next time you feel low or angry about something, just remember that it is alright to feel the way you do. Rant unreasonably about your side of the story, for a while. Justify each and every mistake of yours, for a while. Look at that glass of water as half full instead of half empty, even when there is no water in it, to begin with, for a while.

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The Black bird of social media

by:Anshuman

Now this is going to be a long one, bear with me. Twitter, one of the most popular social media sites out there, having an enormous user base, has its fair share of problems. It’s often regarded these days as a “toxic” place and such a label isn’t unwarranted in the slightest, in my opinion of course. 

Let’s go right to the root of the problem, it’s character limit. With 280 being the maximum character limit, there isn’t much scope for an actual substantial discussion in the first place. Twitter is at its best when the user base makes use of the character limit to come up with creative jokes, sharing stories or thoughts that may cross their mind, with people responding to it in a fun healthy discourse. The main problem arises when people use the site to address significant and debatable issues because usually the character limit isn’t enough to give it justice or credence, especially when in a discourse with someone else. The ideals behind the original point become muddied when you don’t have enough space to actually explain the nuances of your statements and put it forward in a more precise and detailed manner. Such an issue becomes abhorrent when combined with the major issue that is performative activism and virtue signalling, which Twitter loves to participate in. 

Sharing posts about issues going around in the world isn’t wrong in the slightest, it helps bring attention to them and could actually cause pressure for the concerned authorities to take action and rectify the issues to the best of their capabilities. The problem is when it’s used as a tool to promote themselves. In many instances you see internet celebrities dodging criticism by putting out a tweet speaking vaguely about how they respect and support oppressed communities and see them as equals, literally the bare minimum, to earn praise and virtue points. They don’t care about hopefully bringing attention to the issue at hand. They do it to save face, earn praise for doing the bare minimum, increase their following and earn more clout and internet points. It becomes a selfish desire rather than a selfless act. These people use the plight of oppressed communites such as other races, people of different sexualities, transgender and non binary people, people with disabilities etc. for their own gain and clout by treating them with the barest minimum of respect. These less privileged people’s lives aren’t made for one’s own inspiration story!  They are normal people as well! One isn’t a superhero for treating them as such and shouldn’t be rewarded with undying love and loyalty for doing the bare minimum. You might be wondering that even though one may have scummy ideals, atleast they are doing a good act and inadvertently helping, so why do I care so much. The reason I do ties into the next problem I have which is the “Stan” culture. 

Being a fan of something/someone is completely normal and human. When I talk about Stan culture, I talk about the obsessive fan culture that not only significantly harms the mental health of the person who they are obsessing over, but even themselves. To get too obsessed towards a certain thing is never healthy, especially when the Stan culture is over a person. This leads to the dangerous phenomena of parasocial relationships as well where the fan convinces themself they actually have a relationship with this person who they know nothing about, all they know is the online persona a person has created. This can severely impact the mental health of both parties involved. The major problem with this is that most of the time it’s minors who get involved in such stuff. This leads to predators with a significant fan following having a platform to be able to groom their minor fans thanks to parasocial relationships, preying on them and taking advantage of them in disgusting ways. Stan culture is an obsessive thing that is very prevalent on Twitter, trending everyday in some sort of hashtag. Such fan culture shouldn’t be promoted. By allowing stans of a person to exist, who elevate a person to such a superior status for doing the bare minimum, we strip away the concept of accountability from them. 

On the other end of the spectrum however, is the issue of “cancel” culture. The funniest thing to me about this is that people in fiction love redemption stories, stories where people realize their mistakes and improve on them slowly and gradually to become a better version of themselves. However when it comes to real life, Twitter for some reason forgoes the concept of redemption. Any mistake a person has ever made is held against them throughout their lives, even when they have shown regret for that mistake, apologized for it and have improved themselves and changed their behaviour. It’s good to hold people accountable for bad stuff they might do, but it’s obnoxious to never give them an opportunity to change, to approach them with hate instead of trying to educate them. No one is perfect, all of us have made mistakes we regret in our lifespan. Not everyone should be “cancelled” and have everything taken away from them for a mistake they made in the past, especially when they have shown progress and change. Forgiveness is a trait that’s completely forgotten when it comes to Twitter. 

Another major issue is that dissenting opinions are seen distastefully. It’s like people there want a collective hivemind of thoughts and emotions and any differing opinion must be silenced and banished. People there have a problem of treating their opinions as facts and facts as opinions. Differing views and ideals should be encouraged to force an open dialogue and discussions. People with differing opinions are just blocked. For the record, blocking someone isn’t a sign of weakness or something you should avoid if they are actually troubling you and spamming you. But when you start blocking people with a differing opinion than you, even on harmless topics, you’re just creating an echo chamber for yourself which is detrimental to discussions and debates as a whole. To combat bigotry, there needs to be a dialogue. To reconcile and unite, there needs to be an acceptance of differing thoughts and ideals and finding a common ground should be encouraged. Battling hate with hate is a recipe for disaster. Being mean and rude for no reason shouldn’t be celebrated as a positive trait. Some people would prefer to be praised as a villain rather than be obscure. This is just harmful and detrimental on every front.

To conclude, I do not in any way mean to generalise every user there as having these problems. But there is a big audience which causes these issues. A large part of Twitter has these problems which makes the atmosphere overall “toxic”. This piece is for addressing those parts of Twitter.

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Environment feelings Happiness life Nature

Up the hill and into the waterfall

By: Joshua

Right around Christmas, my family decided that we should go on vacation since it might be our last family vacation before I left for college(look how that turned out). My dad is from Mangalore and we all decided to stay at his cousins’ place in the village. So one fine evening we’re all just sitting around and talking and my cousin asks us if we wanted to see a waterfall and obviously, we said yes and decided to go the next morning.

The waterfall was around four kilometers up the hill and it wasn’t a normal hill. It was covered in tall trees and was part of a legit forest. So we took the car and began our journey. We could only go to the base of the hill in the car and had to continue on foot for the rest of our journey. As we made our way into the forest, I noticed the ground covered in stones that looked like they belonged at the edge of a river and the remains of what seemed like a small stream. The stream was probably gushing with water in the monsoon season.

Once we crossed the dried-up stream, we were greeted by tall trees that stood like firm guards at the entrance of the forest. The path was covered with the roots of those huge trees, penetrating the ground and trying to make their way towards the sky and huge rocks that wanted to twist my ankles(fortunately that didn’t happen). The path seemed like it was built by the forest itself but with a slight element of man. 

After about an hour and a half of careful walking(avoiding thorns, weird insects, and almost slipping and falling to my doom), we finally reached the waterfall. It was a magnificent sight to behold. Small droplets flying through the air and creating a rainbow that emerged from the bottom of the waterfall. So with a sigh of relief, I began to sit down but my cousin said that we still had to go higher up to actually find a proper place to sit and chill(the waterfall had like 4 or 5 different levels). So I got up, brushed the dust off my pants, and jumped from rock to rock to get across the first level(sounds like a video game). There was a narrow yet steep path on the side, which we all somehow managed to climb.

The view at the second level was even more breathtaking. You could almost see the entirety of the forest. The water pooled into a small area and there was another rock under the waterfall that made the perfect sitting spot(I had an amazing back massage there). The water was so cold even though the sun was scorching. So after fooling around in the water, my cousin asked me if I wanted to go up to the third level, and well off we were(the path was so steep and filled with mosquito-like insects, and at one point I felt like my legs would fall off). We(my cousin and I) reached the third level after around 10 minutes and there it was, a giant and deep pool, filled with such clean and clear water that you could actually drink from(which we did cause our bottles were empty by then).

I felt so much at peace that I didn’t want to go back home. The view was so beautiful and the air so fresh and fragrant(it had a subtle sweetness). For a moment I actually imagined how it would be like, living next to a waterfall. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s gonna be possible anytime soon(sigh), maybe when I die I’ll go up that hill and into the waterfall…

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change Environment ethnic growing up language life society

Far from Home

By:Rajendran

Language proficiency is a skill many develop to blend in with their surroundings, expand their exposure in the field of expertise, and gaining knowledge. However, we must agree that it is not a mission easily accomplished. Those who seek a little spice in their life would prefer to fly to other nations, learning their culture, and waking up to a new horizon but all that does not come without a struggle. To be specific, Tamilians who venture out into the vast Indian country, a motherland to hundreds of dialects and languages are no strangers to this issue. Living in their own country and still struggling to get through their everyday lives due to lack of proper communication is common and tragic.  Here are a few challenges faced by individuals who make a living among their foreign peers and colleagues who are not familiar with our mother language, Tamil. 

Here are some of the potential challenges faced by individuals who live in a place where their mother language is not spoken. The essential key to connect is communication. However, without properly learning the language; it is difficult to engage or understand the true intention of our friends. This can often lead to misunderstanding among our colleagues. There are high chances that we might end up making acquaintance with people who don’t have the best intentions for us. 

When we have to think and acknowledge the perspective of others, we expect the same but the struggle is real when the opposite party have a hard time understanding our way of saying things. For example we go to a grocery store where vegetables, fruits and meat are easily identified. Unless you’re a very good cook you can’t be sure what spice to use and asking for help can sometimes lead to wrong ingredients and spoil your meal. This is just from one angle but such simple activities require communication which we fail to acquire and they never saw the need to learn another language to despite it is now common that we reside there. 

“We understand the beauty of our mother tongue when we are abroad”

As stated above are a couple of issues we Tamilians face in our birth country. Learning a new language does not mean we have to abandon our own mother tongue and also it is even okay to teach your language to them if they wish. In addition to this, it also seems impossible to master the language without facing these obstacles. If we decide to pay attention to the mocking and avoid the struggle of communication, then the language will not be mastered. We should always remember that it’s okay to make mistakes but always remember to learn from them. After overcoming our challenges it will be accomplished.  

“Whoever doesn’t know foreign language does not know about his mother tongue either”

According to some recent research, about 90% of the population who were far from home undergoing a problem just related to language, and yes learning other languages isn’t any worse until you forget yours. Remember many people console and give their shoulders when we are low but only by lying in our mother’s lap we feel completely healed and that is how our mother language too. This earth has a million numbers of languages. But never lose the very common link language called a ‘Smile’.

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Spiraling Away

By:Varshaa

Living is gamble, loving is much the same, 

Life is chaos, existence is arbitrary and overthinking is everything.

So, excuse me if I sound overly analytical of inane if not mind-numbing things. Also, fair warning, you could most definitely go down a spiral reading this, so get ready for the ride.

When I started attending university, I had suddenly filled my day with so many things to do that I started to make sense of time with intricacy I had never before. I had finally capitalized on time, made these fancy to-do-lists, color-coded, with cross-references to a master list and whatnot. Everything was perfect, no time to overthink, no time to question anything.

Cut to, months later, I was home, and the concept of time was lost on me. Tuesday and Thursdays sounded no different from one another, days and nights merged and I was losing so much time, which I was constantly anxious about. At this point I should remind you, I am an extremely restless person, so when I say I was lost in a timeless existence, I mean that I was trying out new things every other minute and feeling constantly inadequate.

One thing, however, was never lost on me, no matter how many times I wished otherwise. Thoughts.Questions. Thoughts and Questions that turned into endless obsessions. One such obsession was the very human ability to be sad. By common knowledge, Sadness (I mean everyday-sadness, NOT DEPRESSION) is what one would describe when one feels like one has lost something of value. Scientifically, it is the consequence of an imbalance of the ‘happy’ hormone. But what I don’t often understand is the very contradicting human ability to pick themselves up and dust themselves off and why some have that ability more than the other.

What if sadness is objective to time? What if everyone had, say, 50% of sadness and 50% of happiness in their lives and it works like a sand clock? Then, everyone would be just as happy or sad in their lives. What if it is us that put a label on our lives to make ourselves believe that someone’s life is happier or sadder than ours? That could mean you are, by intention, trying to make the 50% of your life with happiness, sad. Then, isn’t it your fault for not trying to live up to the happiness of your life? Isn’t it because of your pessimism that you are not able to conquer your own happiness?

At the same time, what if sadness is subjective and all we need is a little perspective? I know it’s an irritating argument, of course, starving kids in Yugoslavia have been brought up enough in these conversations. However, what I mean though, is the stark contrast we see between things that make us happy and things that don’t. What if we are describing the absence of happiness as sadness due to the greed we have for happiness? In the age of social media and pretend lives, we are so saturated with normal and ordinary, that every-day life is not making us happy because it is not especially special and only special things are supposed to be happy according to our pretend internet lives?

And finally, are we all sad because it is easier than to try and be happy?

Well, thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Yours sincerely,

Spiraling away

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Environment Sports

The Bad Formula

Author: Abhinav

Formula 1 is among the most famous sports which are broadcasted on television. The adrenaline-pumping rush of the insanely fast overtakes from the outside in a fast corner is what excites most fans. But how eco-friendly is the sport? The modern F1 car uses a 1.6-litre V6 engine which consumes fuel at a rate of approximately 3.5 miles per gallon. All the races on the F1 calendar are 190 miles long which means that every car on the grid uses 54 gallons of fuel at each race and that multiplied by 20 cars on the grid makes it nearly 1100 gallons of high-performance fuel. Added to this, there is a qualifying session and three practice sessions which add to this fuel consumption and air pollution.

In fact, due to the very reason of air pollution, this year’s Emilia Romagna GP at Imola had a two day race weekend instead of the traditional three day weekend. And it is not only the fuel consumption that raises the eyebrows of environmental activists. FIA, the governing body for motorsport in the world, is notoriously known to force F1 tire manufacturers to decrease the life of tires by manipulating its composition to give the race an enthralling edge.

The F1 car chassis contains about 85% of carbon fibre which is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. This is concerning because most of the races involve crashes in which a part of the car has to be replaced and most of the time these “parts” are aero components which are made solely out of carbon fibre.

    But even with these many red flags, Formula 1 has always been evolving and has been doing its best to give back to society. The most recent example being the “Project Pitlane” in which all the UK based F1 teams united in an effort to answer the call for the ever-increasing need for ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic. Even the fuel being used in Formula 1 these days has evolved a lot from the toluene which was being used in the cars in the 80s. Efforts to increase the bio-components in F1 fuel are being made by all the teams on the grid.