<![CDATA[DR. NEERAJA HAVALIGI - Blogs & Poems]]>Wed, 06 Apr 2022 05:50:18 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Plastics]]>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 05:08:57 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/plasticsPLASTIC

It has us
in its
Clings
Wraps
and
in its covers.

In its soft
bold, ubiquitous
presence,
it holds
carries,
ties ends,
and it
Stays.

It stays
Everywhere
In homes
On roads
In land and
in the ocean

It streams
In fish
In vegetables
And in us.

Plastic
Sticks its reminder
if we cannot cure
(Our dependence on plastic)
We should
prepare
ourselves
for accelerated
Strangulation
One day at a time.

Life below water
Life above land
Life everywhere
On the blue floating dot,
All at stake
Unless we change.

Refuse plastic
Single double whatever,
Seek alternatives
Innovate (we are smart, aren’t we?)
because we care,
Don’t we?
———--------------
​Neeraja
]]><![CDATA[Hope and Resilience]]>Thu, 24 May 2018 00:14:23 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/hope-and-resilienceHope and Resilience
- a poem for my farmer uncle

Bare hands and feet
work the ground,
season in 
season out
and like now
in seasons 
out of bounds.

Hands, feet and soul 
feel earths call
a call to caution
of times to come.

He tells me of
times 
when the earth 
frolicked like
a young thing unbound
she was happy
she was nurtured
her laughter
spoke in the
seeds and fields of coriander
peanuts, coconuts on the yonder.

Swaying fields of crops
aroma in summer air
memories of another day.
Days that stay
in memory 
reminding me of work 
still to be done.

A promise to keep
for those bare hands and feet
working the ground
trying to understand
why the earth
is changing her mind
her wind, her rain
leaving the soil and people 
waiting in vain.

Get to work he says
my farmer uncle,
even as he is laid to rest
in the bosom of his mother
he lies to rest.
His tired hands
feet and soul
now free of the wait
for rains, sun and steady winds
his constant companions
to tend the seeds he saved.

I promise you my farmer uncle
I will work till its my time to rest
do my best
to gather my community
around the stories
of hands, feet and soul that work
with earth, water and seeds,

Remind people he says
the earth, water and seeds,
belong to all,
they are ours to nurture,
ours to care
ours to stand up for
and save.

Climate change is a reminder
he says
of corporate plans
gone awry.
Climate hope he says, this farmer uncle 
resting himself with fellow microbes
as I write,
Climate hope is 
the seeds we save
the seeds we nurture
the seeds we share
seeds bring us together
to the table
to celebrate
natures nourishing blessings
gently reminding
we are only passengers
on this ride
we call life, 
a reminder
to care when you can
for the train that offers
such a wonderful ride.]]><![CDATA[May 23rd, 2018]]>Wed, 23 May 2018 23:48:07 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/may-23rd-2018This poem was inspired by students and people I met while teaching the Model United Nations Camp through Saturday Academy in Summer 2017. The experience left me with hope for our collective future, on the many avenues we have to understand and use water as a limited resource. Here is the poem.

Water Diplomacy
On the Willamette 
bouncing stones
bonding over food 
and talks 
of summer, storms
smart fund sites
pollution
recreation
and conservation.

At Bull Run
the grand Old Growth forests,
'natures infrastructures'
in their silent majesty,
taught us
of ecosystem payments
we don't account,
in busy bustling lives,
Of water use efficiency
energy from dams,
of salmons and salmon runs.
it is never zero impact.

We learnt of
of intergovernmental networking
bringing water to communities
to you and to me,
of compromises made
of shared responsibilities
to have 
fresh cool water
at the opening of a tap.

We are 'privileged
by what people before us have done'
Briggy said,
a gentle reminder
for future stewards at the
Bull Run.

Another visit, another day
Waste not, we learned
through the stench 
and near barfs
our students held, 
appreciating
the work 
that keeps rivers turning
into waste,
instead,
turing waste
as fuel of the future.

We travelled 
by bus in Portland,
and on maps and minds 
to parts of US and Canada,
to countries in Asia, Europe, Africa
South America
understanding
water is without boundaries
but is,
contained in treaties
agreements
and understandings
between people
communities
counties
countries
and regions.

We learnt water is more than 70% 
us humans,
it is our culture
our language
our food
our music
our dance
our economy
our ways of lives.
It contains
and nurtures all,
this colorless
odorless
usually tasteless
three atom gift of nature.

We learnt of dams
and control,
of biodiversity loss
loss of many lifetimes
of knowledge,
Of shaken
threatened
thriving economies,
Of corporate social responsibility
of political
geographical interests
conflicts and 
compromises.

Students I believe
are great teachers,
for their
enthusiastic
open minds
to learn,
their debates
a reflection of
bright minds,
of their negotiating skills
their diplomacy,
their passion for nature
nurture and sense of fairness,
for sustainable economies
sustaining cultures 
and communities,
with mindful growth.

I could not ask more
from our MUNers,
only for more time
for our learning journey
together.​]]><![CDATA[Culturing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]]>Thu, 13 Jul 2017 21:29:20 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/culturing-diversity-equality-and-inclusionDiversity, equality, inclusion
embrace
in their circle
reminders of
power, structure
distance, absences
and more,
with no name,
no words to describe
feelings that
get carried over,
sometimes,
over and over,
over lifetimes
over generations.

We are
what we have seen, heard
and experienced,
what we have let go,
held on,
grown out of,
and what remains. 
Each of us
a masterpiece
of timeless
and timed
evolution of moments
of a lifetime.

What defines me?
how I spell color or colour
my skin that doesn’t change
the many languages
that shape my thought?
My empathy,
my accent, my gender,
my food, clothes, job, roles
culture, habits, habitats? 
What do I
bring to the circle,
to the table
to my  cohort, colleagues and community,
in different
countries, counties,
mapped and unmapped,
to diverse cultures, languages
topographies
and more variations
than I can list? 
To my collective,
I offer my lifetime,
my circle has ‘me’,
an amalgamation
of memories
of countries, counties,
languages, cultures
food, love, laughter,
that nurture me,
tears and hopes
that remind me
to find meaning
empathy, connections
and a purpose
for this ephemeral life. 
I share this ’self’
with my circle,
I hope
my vulnerabilities
my strengths are
viewed a such,
that it will open others
to start our journey
on a common ground
of sharing
what makes us,
us. 
From this common ground
we start our conversations
start our culture,
inoculated with moments
of lifetimes
of experiences
and empathy.
In these shared lessons
we grow together
being symbionts
creating pathways for
co-operation,
networking to thrive,
together.

Lets empathise
collect and connect
views of
diversity, equity and inclusion,
be pleasantly surprised
at the common values we hold dear,
and work together
culturing diversity equality inclusion
for our collective future
together.

-By Neeraja Havaligi

]]><![CDATA[Climate Leadership]]>Fri, 02 Jun 2017 19:11:59 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/climate-leadershipWhy are you here?  
people ask me
why did you leave
your birth land
and adopt another.


I heard, I tell them,
about America to be a place 
where hard work
discipline
sincerity
creativity
passion
to explore possibilities,
only those things
mattered for success.


Why would America 
be titled a 'land of possibilities’?


I worked hard
for the vision I had
for a verdant
blue watered
world that
nurtured all.


On the way, I learnt 
of brutal history and inequalities,
I also learnt of
a culture
of volunteering,
of rooting for your community,
of sticking out and speaking up
for equality,
and justice.


In time
some lessons got harder
the pain got deeper
the news got darker,
peaking with rallying cry
to ‘make America great again’


Venting outlet for some,
bewildering for many
America was already great 
they said,
for here evolved
Emancipation Proclamation
and more,
proof of leadership
standing up for justice
equality
and equal rights for all.


And yet, 
we just walked out
of a climate deal
like we belong 
in another planet,
we walked out of a partnership
with195 countries
striving
to reach global goals
of responsible living
with justice,
equality for all.


We just said 
we don’t care for you
your climate
your raising water
your energy woes
your crops
your farmers
your people,
as if
our climate
our raising waters
our energy woes
our crops
our people 
were on another planet.


Hope still lives
and thrives in this vast land,
in formal and informal leaders
private, public and non-profits
taking reins of leadership
working harder
on a steeper climb,
for people here and everywhere,
because  climate my friend
is without boarders,
Pittsburg or Paris
it pervades all.

Climate knows 
only one Earth, its many species,
treats all the same,
with water, air and land,
with high winds, high waters
droughts, fires, 
floods, power outages and more..


Strife, war and famine
are no hoax, climate reminds,
in realtime 
we are in this together.


All pervading climate
is a leader by example,
calling on human
ingenuity, curiosity
and leadership
that holds hands
lifts up and moves together.

​
Leadership, like Climate,
is a collective force,
calling for collective good,
so we can 
thrive together.

-By Neeraja, June 01, 2017. Portland.]]><![CDATA[June 01st, 2017]]>Fri, 02 Jun 2017 02:08:06 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/june-01st-2017This is inspired by my neighbour aunty, Sujatha back in my home town in India. She is still our neighbour, still our other mother/our aunty/our inspiration to laugh, live and let live.
-----------
145, the other home.
By Neeraja Havaligi.

Memories of many days
Months and years
Pass my fingers 
As I think of you
Aunty.

The smile reaching your eyes
The ears always willing listeners
The eyes, enormous pools of humor and wisdom
The hands that pampered us
With pachadies, pulusus and more,
The feet that walked for us
The heart that holds us close
With love only you seem to have in abundance for all. 
Thank you for being
Part of my life
As I grew 
On 6th, between 141 and 145
Knowing that I always have you
Standing tall and proud 
Of all I accomplished 
in my life.

​Thank you for trusting my strength in myself
And trusting the wide world of goodness
To care for me
Far away from 6th.
It is trust that defines you
Trust that life is good
And it will get better 
If we laugh, let go and live,
Like you do.]]><![CDATA[Biodiversity Haven, Cannon Beach, Oregon. USA]]>Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:22:19 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/-biodiversity-haven-cannon-beach-oregon-usa
Picture
Driving up on the coast from California toward Oregon earlier this year, I was awarded with some stunning visuals of the Oregon coast and blown away with the numerous possibilities for learning here. The landscape has it all. Coastal redwoods, rocky volcanic formations jutting out into the beaches, curved into arched rocks, haystacks, sea stacks and whatever else we can name them. This coastline is a photographers dreamscape and a biologists playstation all the way with opportunities to watch intriguing intertidal species and others such as the seals, whales, surfers, whipped up trees and more.

Cannon Beach is known for its Haystack rock, a 235 foot monolith, home to intertidal species such as limpets, sea slugs, chitons, crabs , sea anemone, starfish and teeming other species, reflecting biodiversity. This intertidal area is designated as a Marine garden - there are 7 in Oregon. 

Here are some resources that will help you plan ahead for your exploration. Check Haystack Rock Awareness Program for details on programs you can be part of throughout the year. There is a ample information on summer opportunities for children of all ages, for teachers planning field trips, to know schedule of beach programs, tide timings and more. HRAP beach programs have trained staff and volunteers working as shore interpreters and educators. The beach program also has bird stations with spotting scopes, educational brochures that open the mind to infinite life possibilities in nooks and corners, wide open oceans and jutting rocks that mark this beach. Bird watching can be rewarding from Spring through Summer. Enthusiasts spot Western Gulls, Tufted Puffins, Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, Surf Scoter, Bald eagle and more. In the midst of being in a place with 'water, water everywhere', is also a place to learn about its watersheds and how we can play our part in this watershed to support its health and well-being.

Haystack Rock, the unique monolith with its sisters have more stories to tell of their origins (like why do we see more of these interesting rock features along the Oregon coastline and not in California's coastline), of their historical connections with native Americans (of the Tillamook tribe) and later with explorers from different parts of the world that came to live here, making this scenic part of the west their home.  Explore, ask questions (why the does the sea end here by the monolith, and not else where?, why don't we see those starfish in numbers as in the past, and more) and while doing all that, learn to be still to watch the streaming biodiversity in those intertidal pools and beyond, reaffirm life's processes.
]]><![CDATA[Funding cities for conservation and climate resilience]]>Tue, 12 May 2015 00:54:46 GMThttps://www.neeraja.net/blogs--poems/first-postCities are primarily seen as spaces where human population is congregated. But amidst all the human life and chaos that comes to city life, cities are known to harbor biological diversity and hence offer opportunities to learn from human interactions within ecosystems. Cities are home to lessons in resilience of species, both human and other. These lessons define human needs and wants, and show by example human capacity to redefine, recalibrate, reinvent both the needs and the wants.

In the blog titled "Funding cities for conservation and climate change' posted on Conservation Finance Alliance, my effort is to make a case to channelize biodiversity and climate change funding to cities to conserve biodiversity and engage communities for climate resilience. If blog link does not work, check the pdf here.   ]]>