Sunday, December 12, 2021
NO.
No, I didn’t forget that I write a newsletter every Saturday, for which all of you, by god’s grace and owing to my exceptional writing skills, eagerly wait. Let’s just say that I was busy exploring a beautiful place and I wanted to write about that, hence a delay of one day. Sorry to keep you waiting!
Last week I was in Jaipur for a short trip. We all think of forts and palaces when we think of Jaipur. But I went to a completely new place called Kishangarh, which is 90Kms outside from the city of Jaipur. Leave apart going there, I bet none of you would have even heard of this picturesque place. Kishangarh is Asia’s biggest marble trading center. What is so special about this, one would ask?
Kishangarh serves as the dumping yard for marble slurry - white material which looks like snow but is actually a waste material produced during the manufacturing of marble. It is this marble slurry offloaded by tractors all day at an expanse allotted by the Rajasthan government to the Kishangarh Marble Association in the 70s as a dumping yard that gives this place a hill station vibe. The place looks exactly like a valley of Kashmir, with people wearing gloves and jackets. The dumping yard has also been a famous spot for film directors shooting their snowy scenes in this Rajasthani Kashmir.
However there are serious environmental concerns regarding the same. Slurry is basically calcium carbonate added with other minerals or chemicals like dolomite, gypsum and sulphates. It destroys the soil cover and contaminates ground water. The dust particles are also so minute that surrounding population inhales them and develops respiratory diseases like bronchitis. The quality of air is so poor that it prevents timely healing of wounds. It takes almost double the normal time for any wound to heal up here. The poor quality of air weakens the immune system of those who are exposed to the dust directly.
Leaving you with some pictures from the dumping yard -
I never thought a wasteland could look so beautiful that people would be rushing there for pre wedding shoots. If you are in or around Jaipur, this is a place you should go to instead of the forts. Also, there’s no entry fee as of now, but considering the demand and popularity of the site, the association may soon impose an entry ticket.
See you on Saturday, until then have a great weekend :)
Cheers!
Some things that you may find interesting-
Article: The problem with too much logic
Video: The Big Misconception About Electricity
Podcast: The One Percent Show - Saurabh Mukherjea
Song I am listening to: I Took a Pill in Ibizia by Mike Posner
Thought of the week: “Another person will not hurt you without your cooperation. You are hurt the moment you believe yourself to be. –Epictetus”
Here are the last three posts if you were too occupied to read them: