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The Questions
 These were rock-hewn structures, built by nobles and kings in ancient India, to store rainwater. Cities grew around them and people gathered in their underground chambers to socialize in sizzling summers. In modern India, they have been reduced to crumbling ruins. What is it? It is the fastest growing urban phenomenon. It takes over the city roads and pollutes the air with its fumes. It is also known to cause asthma, lung diseases and even cancer. What is it? It used to be available free of cost—clean, pure and plenty. Now it is packaged in plastic and sold at a price. What is it? A huge majority of India’s urban population uses it as the only mode of transport. But its share of road space is steadily shrinking as the battalion of cars continue to swell in the cities. What is it? A common feature in every urban household, this appliance is supposed to clear away human excreta. It does, but at an enormous cost of a precious resource. What is it? It is a process of extracting valuable minerals from the earth. It supports every industry and drives economy. It pollutes water, erodes soil, destroys forests. It also displaces communities and triggers violent protest movements. What is it? Visual proof of how running water bodies are turned into putrid garbage dumps. Almost every river in India suffers from this malady. Yamuna is one of the starkest victims. A legal and peaceful mode of registering protest that grows from within. When communities join forces to prevent outsiders—the industry, the government or even the local mafia— from taking over their land, forests and rivers. What is it? It is a seasonal wind system that ushers in copious amounts of rain. It is the lifeline of farmers in the Indian subcontinent. Its annual occurrence not only moulds India’s social and cultural trends but sets the pace of the country’s economy. What is it? It enters our homes in various forms—as printed sheets, via the satellite, and the Net. It helps us to forge a link with the rest of the Planet. It moulds our opinion on the hottest topics and events, and the most-talked-about personalities. It may sometime invade our privacy. What is it? |
