Thought-provoking weekend fare

BY JAYANTA MADHAB TAMULY| IN Media Practice | 10/06/2013

Keya Acharya's Sunday cover story in The Hindu throws light on the use of renewable energy, a subject usually neglected by journalists.

JAYANTA MADHAB TAMULY says weekend reading does not have to be about filmy froth.

Though titled as “Fuel for food”, Keya Acharya’s cover story in The Hindu (Sunday Magazine, June 8, 2013) on the use and prospect of use of renewable energy in the food preparing process for Mid Day Meal programme, appears more to be “Fuel for Thought”. While the weekend supplements of Indian print media presume gossip or filmy fundas to be the ultimate entertainer, Acharya dares to prescribe an inspiring story- the prospects of renewable energy in the context of one of the biggest welfare schemes of the nation.

The Mid Day Meal scheme of India is one of the country’s ambitious projects which aims to protect children from hunger and increase school enrollment and attendance At present, 11 crore children are benefitted from cooked food in 12 lakh schools throughout the country. The point here is about the energy needs of such a programme. Acharya has drawn attention to an issue, hardly looked at by the media, though of serious importance.

The success or failure stories or the scams of government schemes always grab the headlines. But here the writer has drawn the attention to the issue of fuel which is the basic element in the implementation of the scheme. In these days of crisis of energy sources, we often speak about and look for renewable energy. The article brings out the story of using biomass briquettes for steam generation and biomass pellets for cook stoves by Adamya Chetana for 120,000 daily meals for government schools in south Bangalore alone. At the Akshay Patra Kanakpura kitchen, 4000 kg of briquettes are used to ensure food is cooked at an optimal 93 degrees Celsius, so that it remains safe for eight hours.

Media’s coverage of the issue through popular writings on renewable or alternative energy sources has been less than required. Biomass briquettes are biofuels (fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation) a substitute for coal and charcoal and are used to heat industrial boilers in order to produce electricity from stream. Bio coal briquettes have been introduced to meet the growing demand for coal used in burning and heating purposes.

Media should bring out such inspiring stories of alternative sustainable energy which can save a huge amount of money and energy that are of great concern for a developing country like India. Though academic or scientific writings on these issues are available, common people find the scientific terminologies difficult to understand. Hence, journalistic writings, by virtue of their wider appeal and comprehensible nature, should focus on such areas which can offer a new way of thinking for the common people.

The Adamya Chetana kitchens, by using biofuels, not only save a large amount of money, but save the schools and children from a smoke filled environment as well. While diesel in India is available for about Rs. 50-55 per litre, biomass briquette costs only Rs. 5.50 per kg.

Media is often found to deal with the political overtones of government schemes. Common people, the prime beneficiaries of schemes like Mid Day Meal programmes, hardly get to know that use of renewable sources can open up an avenue of employment to them. The write up mentions that the Kanakpura kitchen uses 4000 kgs of biomass briquettes per day and it shows that there is great scope of generating employment as production of biomass briquettes do not need skilled scientific knowledge. They can be produced locally with small infrastructural arrangements.

The practice of use of biomass briquettes is available only in the urban areas. If media highlights this issue, it can be popularised in all parts of the country, which will help in saving money and environment and will also open up new employment opportunities for a good number of people. Journalists should dig out such accessible options for common people which can not only inform them, but also recommend a new, acceptable livelihood option.

Weekend supplements of Indian print media are found to delimit their duty of enlightenment and relaxation by concentrating their features on gowns and recipes. It is an unfair prejudice that relaxed readers cannot consume deeper stimulating stories in the weekends. Rather, people crave more for such unknown but inspirational stories as they provide some food for thought.

(Source article –“Fuel for Food”, Keya Acharya, Sunday Magazine, The Hindu, 8/6/13/ www.thehindu.com)