A couple of days spent in a small town - that's what it took to bring home to me the full meaning of pollution. We stayed in a hotel overlooking the main road by the beach. And there was no dust, little noise, and almost no noxious fumes from exhaust pipes.

As the Tamil saying goes, 'Only in the sun will you realise the value of the shade.'

We take the pollution in our cities for granted. We have forgotten what it is like to breathe an air unpolluted by smoke and dust. We have forgotten what it is like to drink a water unpolluted by chemicals. We have forgotten what it is like to live without garbage.

We call ourselves civilized, yet we thrive on our own vomitus. We can say no to it. But dare we?

Cheers.