ISRO deputy director Murthy using bicycle
Bangalore: Global Warming has suddenly become the discussion point in all important international conferences, including the latest one going on in Copenhagen. If you want to do your bit for the environment there are plenty of things one can do. Murthy L N Remilla, who is currently the Deputy Director of Business Development at ISRO has set one such example. He has been traveling from home to office on a bicycle for the last 18 months, reports Bangalore Mirror.
When Murthy started riding his bicycle 18 months ago, he was ridiculed by his own children. The distance between Murthy's home and his office is five kilometers and in initial days he just used bicycle to test himself. "My family members were surprised and did not like the idea. My two children thought it was undignified and found it odd, but I persisted. Six months later, I gave back the bicycle to my son when a friend of mine sent me a new one from the U.S.," said Murthy.
"The road from Sadashivanagar police station to our office is tree covered. It looks like the Nehru Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir. I had spent time doing my PhD in the IISc campus and it was common for people to use bicycles there. One fine day, I started to use the bicycle and have not stopped since," the 44-year-old says.
Murthy has inspired other staff in ISRO to follow his lead. Whenever he has a break from marketing ISRO's remote sensing data across the world, he can be found persuading his colleagues and subordinates to do their bit for the environment. His subordinate Ravindra HS has taken to cycling and so has A S Sudarshan, Personal Assistant to the ISRO Director. "We used to talk about environmental issues. But when we actually saw the senior scientist doing his bit, we knew our time has come to contribute," Sudarshan said.
Murthy's environmental concern does not stop at the office parking lot. He makes sure that printing paper used in the office are printed on both sides and lights are switched off when not needed. "The printing cartridge and electric waste are not bio-degradable. I am rude with people who waste paper, power and petrol. As individuals, we can do what is possible at our level to protect whatever is left of the environment," said the Electronics and Communications engineer.
The scientist is often tempted to take his car to office. "It takes me 20 minutes to cycle the five kilometres from home to office. However sometimes, I am tempted to take the car. But in those few seconds, I steel myself and shut the garage door. We cannot have the kind of roads we have in China or Japan and we cannot do the job for BBMP. But bicycles are good for our health and wealth, even if we don't think about the country or the world," Sudarshan said.
"For me, it is the condition I leave behind for my daughter and son that concerns me," he added. Hoping that the Metro would be a boon, he said, "The Vajra bus system has inspired many to take to public transport. Earlier, travelling by bus was like purchasing tickets to a new movie on Friday. The Metro should also boost public transport," adds Sudarshan.
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