EcoVisionary

O ver the past few decades, palm oil has quietly entered nearly every corner of the Indian food system. It is found in packaged snacks, biscuits, bakery items, instant foods, sweets, and is widely used for frying in hotels, restaurants, roadside eateries, and catering services. For most consumers, palm oil remains invisible, hidden behind the generic label of “vegetable oil.” Yet its impacts are far from invisible, affecting health, ecosystems, and livelihoods alike. For Keralites, the story of edible oils is deeply personal. In childhood, most households, including my own, relied almost entirely on coconut oil, prized for its flavour, cultural significance, and perceived health benefits. During school years, I remember palm oil gradually appearing in kitchens. At the time, many believed it was a modern and healthier alternative to coconut oil , and it slowly began replacing the traditional oil in daily cooking. The Kerala Palmolein Import Case is one of the most notable political and...

I ndore, repeatedly celebrated as India’s cleanest city, entered the closing days of 2025 with an unsettling contradiction. Beneath its polished streets and award-winning sanitation rankings, a silent failure was unfolding in Bhagirathpura  ( densely populated locality or area within the city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, functioning as part of the Indore Municipal Corporation ) . This densely populated neighbourhood would soon become the epicentre of a major public health emergency. What began as complaints of foul-smelling, discoloured, and bitter-tasting water escalated into a deadly waterborne disease outbreak that exposed deep structural weaknesses in urban planning, governance, and environmental management. The crisis was not merely about contaminated water. It was about how modern cities measure cleanliness, how invisible infrastructure is neglected, and how preventable failures continue to cost human lives. The First Warning Signs: When Water Turned Dangerous Residen...

Every New Year, we pause to reflect and set resolutions to improve our health, careers, finances, and relationships. But rarely do we ask a more important question: Can there be a better life on a damaged planet? Clean air, safe water, fertile soil, a stable climate, and rich biodiversity aren’t luxuries; they are the foundation of human survival and well-being. Without a healthy Earth, no personal goal can truly thrive. This New Year, let’s make a conscious choice: include at least one environmentally friendly habit in our resolutions. Also known as green resolutions or sustainable resolutions , these are promises based on increasing your positive impact and reducing your negative impact on the planet. You don’t need to change everything. You don’t need to be perfect. Even one small, consistent action can make a difference. When millions practice it, the impact is enormous. Why an Environmental Resolution Matters Today Environmental crises, climate change, plastic pollution, water sc...

Between 2013 and 2025, I travelled repeatedly by road from Coimbatore to Kerala. Over these years, subtle yet persistent changes in the Western Ghats landscape became increasingly apparent. Hills that once appeared continuous gradually began to show signs of cutting and excavation. In several locations, entire sections of hills had been removed, largely to supply raw materials for cement production and other construction activities. This was clearly not an isolated phenomenon confined to a single route or district. Across large stretches of the Western Ghats, mining and quarrying, both legal and illegal, have expanded aggressively, often accompanied by intimidation, violence, and even loss of life when local communities, activists, or whistle-blowers attempt to expose unlawful operations, illegal expansion of licensed quarries, or extraction far beyond what is permitted by law. These changes did not occur suddenly, nor were they confined to a single district or state. Instead, they acc...