This Week in Vapi

It's been another hot and dusty week in Vapi. With the heat, I haven't been doing as much walking as when it's cool, and so there are not as many pictures. Here's what I have this week.

One of my favorite trees in Vapi -- a peepal tree growing atop an old wall. The peepal is also known as the "Bodhi Tree", as it was under a peepal tree that the Buddha attained enlightenment. It's considered a holy tree by Hindus as well, and this particular tree frequently has offerings at its base. These two figures were particularly colorful.

The Indian alternative to a "cherry picker" or a "bucket truck". This man is working on a street light -- the bed of the truck has a number of lighting units in it.  I didn't see them extend the ladder-like structure, but it must collapse in some way for the vehicle to negotiate Vapi's underpasses and low-hanging wires (of all sorts).

The wedding season is coming to an end -- no one gets married during monsoon! Yesterday we traveled to a reception in Surat -- a two to three hour drive, depending upon traffic. Formal occasions always call for a sari, and I'm (slowly) learning how to wear one. It takes lots of practice!

And finally a note about Vapi "in the news". Chemical and Engineering News ("C&EN", a weekly news publication of the American Chemical Society) had India as their cover story last week. This included a two-page spread on Vapi, as a one-time "most polluted" city (in the world). It's now been "upgraded" to simply one of the most polluted cities in India. (Thank you, China.) You can read the article here: http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i18/India-Under-New-Management.html

When the reporter came to Vapi, the head of the local industrial association was very concerned. C&EN's Asia bureau is based in Hong Kong, as is Greenpeace's Asian headquarters. So the local industrial head was convinced that this must be part of a Greenpeace effort to get underground information on Vapi. It never occurred to him that "Chemical and Engineering News" actually covers the chemical industry, and is generally pretty friendly to it. Not to mention that India's national government has essentially thrown Greenpeace out of India by freezing their bank accounts and revoking their NGO status. Doesn't matter. Guilt by association.