Cement "Melter"

The invention of "Cement" gave a new meaning to the way Architecture was perceived. Things have now gone to the next level, from use of plain cement to a mix of reinforcing structures, metals, composites and such, to come up with marvels. However, a few days back, in my office kitchen as a repair work was initiated, four or five tiles had to be removed. Yes, you guessed it right. I know the tiles could be glued to the wall or cemented into the structure. In this case, the tiles were cemented.

That made me wonder if a such chemical existed that could "melt" cement, or perhaps soften it enough to enable a "non-destructive/not-so-destructive" repairs. The implementations could be taken any distance, right from bringing tiles in a bathroom or kitchen down to bringing entire buildings down swiftly. The advantage? Only the cement goes and you manage to rescue everything else, bricks, wood, and perhaps the metal bars as well, which could be "re-used". It also gets rid of the noise pollution coming from the drills in case of huge concrete blocks, and the "air-pollution" from the smoke rising high-up in the air.

Just a thought. What do you think?

Porous Bricks

God created a huge ball of mud, water, fire, diamonds, coal, various types of trees, plants, and herbs, various forms of life... add any number of items to this list... and put some spin on the giant ball, we call it earth. Nature was assigned several tasks for efficient management of earth, the climate for example. Nature picks up the evaporated water from one part of the globe, transports it to a pre-determined destination, and drops it there. HE left unto us what we seek on this planet.

As I see trees being cut to make way for buildings, roads being laid, concrete being spread out, I feel the earth suffocating. The "mud" surface has been covered for ever with a new layer atop and shall never see the "light" again, nor shall it get to hug the "rain drops".

We must seek ways to let the earth taste the sunlight and rain once again. The thick layers of bitumen or concrete that separate the two, we need to find ways to redevelop the "layer" so that the forces of nature (water, sunlight, and earth) could meet. I do understand that transportation has changed the world, and so have many other things. But we must let the various forces of nature complete their cycle naturally. For long now I have been thinking about Porous bricks, bricks that can breathe. Some way that the rays of the Sun or the drops of water could seep through the brick to the underlying surface. I am not sure how feasible this idea is, but I would really want to see the earth breathe normally in these concrete jungles.

Mobile Schools

On my way to office I see constructions in full swing. New towers, commercial and residential, and roads coming up at a fast pace. As I look outside from a window in my office building, I see a big portion of the city dug up, foundations being laid. Dunes of sand make it look like a small desert. It is good to see a city grow so fast.

At the construction site, I see some kids playing. It's day time, the time when they should be in school, learning new things. But there they are, running around those sand dunes, some times playing hide and seek around the giant construction equipment at site, completely unaware of the fact that their parents are playing a part in the growth of the country.

I see an irony when I see the laborers constructing the buildings, because with no education for their children, their own children might not get a chance to enter those malls or offices or residential towers that the laborers/workforce are constructing.

I sometimes wonder if we could come up with some Mobile Schools. A mobile school could reach the construction sites and help the kids learn and grow. A network of such schools could enable the continuation of the studies of such kids so that when the construction workers move from one construction site to another, their kids are not at a loss. With continued education, the construction workers kids too could someday hold a big position or own an apartment in one of the towers that their parents constructed.

If this message ever reaches the government or to a NGO, I would request the government to lay out such policies which makes the Builders or Developers to provide such a basic facility. May be the builders could contribute in part and the rest be funded by the State Governments. But I strongly believe that a such mechanism is very much a need of the hour so that we can nurture the future of kids whose parents are struggling out there playing a crucial role in constructing the future of the country. Every child must get education so that he/she can look forward to a brighter future.

Let us work together for a brighter future for the country and the planet.