Ashok Khemks gets 57 postings in 33 years of service.
Nuclear Energy. Nuclear Power. From Fusion, fission. With high-level radioactive nuclear waste that takes 100s of years to reduce radioactivity to insignificant levels. Low-carbon power with zero greenhouse gas emissions. Mostly fission nuclear power. Method: nuclear reactor generates heat; heat is removed by a cooling system; a steam turbine transforms heat into mechanical energy; electric generator converts this energy into electrical energy. Uranium, Plutonium or Thorium are nuclear fuels. Spent nuclear fuel (waste), to be isolated from the biosphere. 10% electricity is nuclear energy. Solar is still lower at 4%. Wind is 7%. Coal, Natural gas and Hydro are higher at 36%, 23%, 15% respectively. Are we seeing nuclear energy as part of our energy portfolio in future?
Disabilities. PwDs. 10% of the world are moderately or severely disabled. 10% of young adults have mental disabilities. 25% families have PwDs. 2-6% India is impaired. 2.2% severely. To this, add: poverty; gender; age. Impairment Intensity increases with each addition. These reinforce each other’s effects.
Most of us are impaired one time or the other, one way or the other. Long-term disabilities (21 types listed) may be cognitive; developmental; intellectual; mental; physical; sensory; a combination. From birth, or acquired during a person’s lifetime. Some are readily visible and some are not. They hinder full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. A person, with a certain disability, may have higher levels of abilities in other faculties. More often than not. There is social, economic marginalization of persons with disabilities. Some disabilities are purely because society looks at them as not within its ‘norms’. Some are considered ‘disabled’, as a result , and some others are considered exceptional, extraordinary et al. These norms themselves change with times, and places. Technology and medicare also contribute to this evolution. Averages of the population, universe can be norms with defined tolerance, standard deviation times 2, 3 or more. Normal, vs non-normal, abnormal, unfit. Nazi holocaust did kill 250,000+ for being disabled/unfit, for example.
As we value all life equally, society has to remove the barriers in the way of living meaningfully. Access to all ‘disabled’ physical or otherwise become important. Society has to ensure the same. It is not always fixing the person. It is also about society fixing itself.
According to WHO, disability may affect: Learning and applying knowledge; General tasks and demands; Communication; Basic physical mobility, Domestic life, and Self-care for daily living; Interpersonal interactions and relationships; Community, social and civic life, employment; Other major life areas. Some of these are curable, treatable, or their effects could be reduced. Medically one time, or recurring. With assistive technologies. With accommodating family, community, society. With pension/social security/allowance to cope with severe disability. With positive discrimination in education, engagement, employment, jobs. With counselling, customizing and preparing for appropriate livelihoods portfolios that suit them. Without compromising on their rights to equality, dignity and integrity.
‘Nothing about us, without us’. Disabled for disabled a la Elders for elders, will this movement work? Can ‘agency’ happen? Can we be with them? Can we be inclusive truly? Can we march together?
Yes, we can. If we coexist, keep flowing. With agency ability. In N? antharbhavayoga for 7L.
Click here for a compilation of Yogakshemam updates.