Soil Biotechnology (SBT) featured in “The Hindu”
August 9, 2014
Organic Food Healthier – proves Newcastle University report
August 29, 2014

A story behind the story


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Life Link’s Soil Biotechnology (SBT) systems have been featured in Habitat supplement of The Hindu newspaper on 24 Aug 14. The article was simultaneously published in Bangalore and Coimbatore editions, titled, “Here is a green system for treatment of waste water”.

There is a small story behind this story. That is what this blog is about…

It all started when I met Mr. Yusuf Turab a young Green Architect and Sustainability Consultant (this class of consultants was a new discovery for me). Yusuf’s YT Enterprises is doing interesting work promoting trendy possibilities like green roofs, besides advising clients ranging from individual house owners to builders of gated communities and complexes and many more on making green choices that make economic sense also. My discussions with Yusuf led to his introducing me to Colonel.

After an eventful meritorious 30-year service in the Indian Army, during which he was also a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal (that is what the VSM suffixed to his name stands for), Colonel (Veteran) Achal Sridharan, VSM started a new career catering to the special needs of the Senior Citizens. Known just as Colonel in the circles he works in, he is now a living legend in senior care in India. In order to transform the stigma attached to “Old Age Homes” his firm, Covai Property Centre India Pvt. Ltd. pioneered a revolutionary niche in the real estate market of “Retirement Community”. Now, he has morphed himself into a consultant, advising other real estate developers on how to go about setting up retirement communities

As I shared the possibility of Soil Biotechnology (SBT) based sewage management systems with Colonel, and as I have interacted with him further in due course, I have come to admire this person bursting with enthusiasm and energy at his “young: age of 64 (I must confess that when I compare myself to Colonel, at my age of 47 I fare rather poorly not just in his boundelss energy but looks also!)! It was he, who, in the middle of my discussion about SBT, picked up his phone and called up Soundariya Preetha, who is in charge of “Habitat” supplement of The Hindu newspaper, here at Coimbatore.

When I met up with Soundariya Preetha who handles this section of the newspaper here at Coimbatore, she was genuinely excited that there is such a wonderful indigenous and reliable technology available. By the end of my discussion, she was having her own thoughts of the possibilities of application of SBT.

I thought the article on SBT would appear that week. But one more week went by, and … nothing. Surprised, I contacted Soundariya Preetha. Her reason for delay and her plan left me startled and touched. During those ongoing weeks, Habitat was not published as a pull-out, but was just one or two pages within the main newspaper, lost amidst much of depressing and insipid news, advertisements and tender enquires. In order that the story about this wonderful technology should not get lost among the many sheets of the main paper, she was waiting for a while until the supplement would appear as a pull-out.

Two weeks ago, another story of the successful use of SBT for rejuvenation of a small lake in Bangalore appeared, titled “A tank is revived”. Once more i felt… “Oh, this is not what I had expected! The application of SBT for decentralised treatment of domestic sewage is what I would have liked to be highlighted.

And then thursday, was I not surprised to receive a call from Soundariya Preetha, seeking some final clarifications for the story! The earlier story, I feel in retrospect, ran as a teaser for the final story, “Here is a green system for treatment of waste water”.

Thank you Soundariya Preetha – for your thoughtfulness! And of course, it goes without saying…Thank you Colonel and Yusuf! All of you inspire me in no small way! This blog article is a small tribute to you.

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