Is it a colourless world?

The theories of reflection suggest that the colours we see depend on the amount of white light it absorbs and the amount it reflects. White light is colourless light like ordinary daylight, ie, it is the light humans see when all the colours (VIBGYOR) make up visible light. The different colours which comprise white light have different wavelenghts. Light always travels in waves and wavelength is nothing but the distance between the crests of two waves. Scientists say that when white light falls on any object or surface, some of the wavelenghts get absorbed while others get reflected. We see the portion of the light which is reflected and that is how we perceive the colour of a thing. When all the colours are absorbed a thing appears black and if none of it is absorbed, an object appears white. For example, when white light falls on an apple, all the colours of VIBGYOR gets absorbed excepting red. The red light is thus reflected and that is why when we look at an apple it appears to be red. Similarly, a sunflower is yellow because it absorbs all colours other than yellow, a rose is red, a chocolate is brown and parrots are green.
So if every colour we see is a result of refection of white light falling on it, what is the actual colour of a thing, rather, does colour even exist? If white light was not there, would roses be blue, or green, or would they be colourless? The colours make everything looks beautiful, be it a garden or a temple or a bride. But, do all these things even have a colour of their own? What if white light is no longer available one day: would the world be colourless? Even if it were colourless, what does colourless actually look like? I wonder....

Bad news for the "purely non-vegetarians"!

Recently, a lot of news has been coming up regarding polar bears feeding on dolphins. Dolphins do not generally form a part of the diet of a polar bear but scientists have found out recently that there have been more than a few incidents where polar bears have been found to be feeding on dolphins. Research says that even though dolphins are found in the Arctics in the summer months, they have never been observed there during any other time of the year when the sea is covered with ice. However, with increasing global warming, there has been a strong retreat of ice which is why the dolphins might have wandered that far off during winters and fallen prey to hungry polar bears. Sad isn't it? Wait. It does not end there.
This is where the twist is. I found in an article that us non vegetarians are substantial contributors to global warming by virtue of our immense appetite for lip smacking steaks, Tandooris, kebabs and all the other hundreds and thousands of non-vegetarian delights. Surprised? So was I. Apparently, animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5% of the global greenhouse gases. Over the years, large areas of forests have been cleared for animal grazing.  Also, it consumes a major portion of the freshwater resources while contributing to air and water pollution. How many of us would have imagined while enjoying a big piece of mutton or a delicious pork chop that the contents of our plates would, somewhere far away, be changing the menu for a polar bear's dinner. Well. unfortunate as it is, it is true. Now the important question is how many of us are strong enough to do something about this. We have all in some occasion talked about global warming and how it should be reduced. How many of us are actually ready to take up this challenge of giving up our beloved non-vegetarian diets for the planet? It is a small step but yet for some of us a very difficult one. I do not know if I am strong enough to be able to do it immediately but I earnestly hope some of you reading this are.

The wealthy snatchers!

After many days of procrastination I have finally sat myself down to finally put into words the post that I has been pending for over a month. A few days back while I was reading the newspaper, I read an article which especially drew my attention. It said that studies and reports have revealed that the majority of the cases of snatching by bikers are committed by youths of extremely wealthy families. The wealthy youths to keep up with their wealthy lifestyles have taken to robbery and chain snatching which provide them with easy cash for expensive parties, malls, alcohol and drugs. This information got me thinking how most of us develop this wrong notion that the financially needy for the underprivileged are the ones who are responsible in any case of theft, pick pocketing or robbery. I do not mean to make any generalizations here but what I mean to say is most of you will understand or will be acquainted with the idea that all of us have at some point come across the idea that the poor are the ones behind most of the crimes like theft, snatch and run, drug dealing etc., driven by poverty or otherwise. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, people tend to blame the poor for anything that goes wrong be it global warming or the cleanliness of the city. I will not lie. In the Indian society it is very common for people to immediately blame the servants, drivers and caretakers for anything that goes missing even before giving it a proper search. They may be right in certain cases but is it not wrong to assume it by default? It is true that some of us are in financially weak positions while others are comparatively financially sound. Does that mean that the needy are always looting the rich to satisfy their necessities? The Article clearly suggested a different idea, not based on conceptions but based on reality.
It is time we change our notions and open our minds. What is important is that each one of us should first take responsibility of our own actions. Like just a few days back a friend of mine could not find her scissor. The first thing that came to her mind was the cleaning lady stole it. It is surprising how naturally it comes to us to blame someone for something just because they are weaker than we are. The scissor, however, was found just a minute later buried under a few books that had been carelessly kept on the table. Unfortunately I know that this is not isolated incident but is a very common mistake that one often makes. What is important is that everyone takes some time to think and to ponder before they form an idea, before they hurt someone, before they blame someone, before every small action that they take, before they shift the responsibility to someone else.