Life is a vicious cycle - everything thing that goes wrong - is stuck in a crazy cycle which is interrelated to many other things.. My deduction below to our core problems in life (energy, climate, development, security etc) - demonstrating how the climate crisis and energy crisis and other problems mean one and the same thing..

Climate Crisis ⇔ Energy Crisis

The biggest challenge staring at the face of India is - how can we sustainably develop and provide energy to 700 million citizens – which will give these citizens access to equal opportunity and basic needs – elevate poverty and provide better health and living conditions – but providing this energy may come at a huge cost to life on earth (if we use coal & other fossil fuel). The good we were trying to achieve will be washed off by the effects of Climate change and first of all devastate the same people for whom the good was meant to be for.

With a handful decades of fossil fuel remaining and a climate catastrophe looming on our heads, the crisis may look like something in the future, but we would be mistaken if we thought like that. It is an emergency situation today – as our current actions will determine our future. We face a challenge now to provide energy in the most sustainable manner to the growing demands.

Challenge ⇔ Opportunity

18 days – 1800 Kms, 130 climate leaders, 5 theatre productions, 2 videos, 20 photography journalists, 2 Pothochitros..

Yesterday was quite an extraordinary day, we were pushed for time and had to cover up for the lost hours of cycling from the day before, as our press event in Varanasi finished late- Now we were left with 150 Km to do - the most we had done in this ride was 115 and 150 looked tough but doable - until we hit the roads ofcourse..

The first 50 km went well, but the next 40 as we crossed allahbad and the surrounds were nighhtmare -It was UP traffic and roads at its worst - but we managed unharmed shouting our way out of the hole..Then we were in for some very strong head wind (we have been getting a moderate head wind through the ride but yesterday was a toughy (it went on until about sunset)

We were really pushed - but we ended up doing 165 Km - we did it so we could have a safe ride today and make it in time for the kanpur event.

At the end of the day i had two thoughts which co-related with our case “why new coal” -

1) Human capacity has no limits - We can achieve whatever - i would have never imagined i could do 165 km a day - infact we exceeded our expectation, our target. We should not set boundaries for what can be done and what cant be - we can just about achieve anything we want. With indias future energy needs - if we push ourselves, challenge ourselves and stretch - i have no doubt that a low carbon even a zero carbon future with no new coal or even no coal is possible.

2) Work hard today for a secured tomorrow - We only pushed ourselves yesterday so that we could comfortably reach kanpur and have a secure ride.. Similarly, just so that it is easy now to put up coal to answer india’s energy demands we will leave a mess for future generations. We can work hard now so that we have a stable climate , life on earth has a secure future.

Humans in the past have struggled and toiled hard for future generations -its the way life has evolved - today we have the same opportunity. We only need to switch ON and start riding.

(The picture was taken in jharkhand, the lady with the child on her back was such a powerfull image of humanity)

We knew we were in jharkhand.. One of the most mineral rich states in india - yet one fo the most underdeveloped..

I keep getting this question a lot - and while riding today, I suddenly realized why I was doing the ride – thank god, I will now know “why”..

When we look at the entire ride from delhi to Kolkata in totality – 1600 Km in 16 days - it almost sounds craz for myself (i panicked when i had to do a 90 km ride)

But when we break it up and simplify it - 100 km/day, Speed - 20 km/hr - it starts making sense! And when we apply the same sense into India’s New Coal (for power generation ) it starts making , rather it doesn’t make sense building new coal power plants..

It may seem impossible to move away from coal - now, but so do a lot of things. So coming back to where we started - as a very small example – our cycle ride seemed impossible (the ride ofcourse is insignificant to the mamoth task of moving away from coal), But what we want to do through the ride is - demonstrate that the seemingly impossible is possible if we put our mind to it..

A bit on the personal note – I had a million reasons not to do the ride – I almost convinced myself once that I would not- but I had one extraordinary reason to do it – ride for yourself.. i wanted to do it
for myself..and here I am on the road..

And when I was in jharia speaking with Mr. Agarwal (who is heading the save jharia NGO) he put it “I don’t know what will happen to jharia tomorrow – it may burn down , it may survive – I don’t know , but today I know I need to do what I am doing”.. It summed everything for me and when I look at it in perspective to all I have been doing with Switch ON and the cycle ride – I don’t know tomorrow if the world just boils and life on earth stops existing or a miracle volcanoe or meteorite turns up - and saves us from the climate change catastrophe.

But I Switch ON myself today because today that’s what I want to do, I have to and I must do..

Likewise god knows if government of India does go ahead putting the 213 new coal plants or actually does a massive effort on efficiency and taps solar for all our energy needs – I am doing my ride today because “I” need to..

More than ever, the future (so much so, that life on earth) depends upon our current, immediate actions. The current global crisis-ses we face are all inter-related and ironically have the same root. We face a security, ideology and climate crisis in a trust constrained world, a development and economic crisis in a carbon constrained world.

Our loosing respect for ourself and our surroundings have led us to tipping points. This initiative seeks answers for our future security with respect to ourself and to all and everything around us .
The economic, development, security , ideology and climate crisis we face today have same roots - and there is a simple solution in stopping fossil fuel use- which will renew our economy, provide opportunities and avert the climate crisis. But making the switch to renewable’s is only the end result – before that we have to undergo a complete transformation in our thoughts and actions - to truly save ourself.

With the climate emergency, today we are at the tipping points of disasters much greater than ever before - this time these tipping points threaten to wipe out human existence. If we do not shake off our complacency and do not address the problem at the root, no problem we face today can be solved.

The next couple of years are critical for humanity, as we decide what path we want to choose – and there are only two – (one less advocated) a fossil free clean prosperous future for life to thrive – (the other more convinient) the fossil fuel driven growth path which will leave a mess for future generations to clean up – if life on earth were ever to continue at all . There is no middle ground, we must decide on our actions now .

In the pursuit to a cleaner safer prosperous future - on a mission to save ourself, we embark on a bicycle ride across India – to seek answers (discover) and (respect) - for ourself and everything and everyone around us. Join us on the bicycle ride upto delhi in January 2009 – to question our reliance on fossil fuel emissions and highlight the solutions that exist - and to prove to ourself that the seemingly impossible is possible.