Commending Philanthropy Plastics: Good And
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Commending philanthropy explained he could make greater profits “obedient student,” the seasoned politi- Billionaire philanthropist Dr Cyrus by selling his vaccines at Rs 20 a dose cian stated, tongue-in-cheek. Poonawalla intends to direct a portion instead of Rs 5 to 10. But “instead of Dr Parvez Grant, managing trustee of of his charities to fight cases of “rapes making more money than I already have, RHC, stated 25 million lives had been and other atrocities” against women. I deprived my son, Adar, of 10 billion saved by the low cost vaccines produced He pledged to set aside several crores, dollars. But like his mother, his money by Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India maybe even “hundreds of crores” for the goes to underprivileged children” and (SII). SII has manufactured around 1.3 cause. The Poona based entrepreneur other charitable causes. In 2015 Adar billion vaccines. “Every second child has conveyed this message on August 5, donated Rs 100 crores to the Poona his vaccine,” stated Grant. The doses had 2018 to a packed to capacity hall in the Municipal Corporation for the Clean City helped eradicate deadly diseases such as city’s JW Marriott Hotel. The low cost, Initiative (see “A clean collaboration,” meningitis, measles-rubella in several high volume vaccine manufacturer was Parsiana, January 21, 2016). countries. A new vaccine for rabies is being felicitated on receiving an hon- Poonawalla referred to the evening being readied and a “cure” for dengue orary doctorate from the University of function as a “magic moment” and attrib- is in the pipeline. Massachusetts (UM) as well as to mark uted his success to “God’s blessings.” He The cardiologist noted that 300 nurses the inauguration of the Villoo Poonawal- admitted he had lost faith for a number would stay comfortably in the new nurs- la Nurses Hostel at Ruby Hall Clinic of years due to certain circumstances es’ quarters named in Villoo’s memory. (RHC) in Wanowrie. Villoo was Cyrus’ but now his belief had been “revived.” RHC is the largest hospital complex in late wife. He recalled he gave her large The function at the Marriott was Maharashtra, he informed the gathering. amounts of money but had no idea where hosted for Poonawalla’s “close friends” He mentioned, to much applause, that she spent the monies. She gave it to the by his friend from his school days, Mar- Poonawalla had been nominated for the disadvantaged, he said. atha strongman Sharad Pawar, founder Nobel Prize. The world’s largest producer of vac- leader of the Nationalist Congress Party The UM citation noted that “What cines (in terms of volume), Poonawalla and a once and present prime minister most distinguishes the SII is the philan- aspirant. Around 600 thropy that imbues the very heart of your Alongside: Sharad to 700 guests that business,” (see “Paean for Poonawalla,” Pawar (l) Photo: comprised much of Parsiana June 21, 2018). The UM Wikipedia, Dr Cyrus the cream of Poona parchment mentioned the vaccines are Poonawalla; society were pres- distributed in 150 countries and SII has below: the stage, ent. Pawar recalled partnered with the MassBiologics of set to felicitate Cyrus as a student their medical school that “resulted in the Poonawalla was “exceptional,” recent launch of a novel rabies treatment, in that once after a RabiShield (the first ever rabies human late night chicken monoclonal antibody) which is believed dhansak party for will save some of the 50,000 lives lost his classmates at each year to this virulent disease.” his house, he fell asleep in class the Plastics: good and bad next morning. The “Plastics do not litter, people do… Ban- teacher sarcastical- ning plastics and replacing plastic with ly told him to bring paper is not helping the country at all,” a bed the next time affirms former industrialist, executive so he could “sleep committee member of the Indian Centre comfortably.” Ear- for Plastics in Environment (ICPE), and ly the next day international board member of the World Cyrus showed up in Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce Phi- the classroom with roze (Philli) Kharas. a bed! He was an The discovery of plastics and the 12 Parsiana August 21, 2018 subsequent develop- states, “Plastic is the widespread uptake of the material,” ment of plastics ap- an excellent ma- according to the executive summary of plications is a good terial, we just use “Fade” that he shared with Parsiana. example of disrup- it irresponsibly… Having done his undergraduate tive innovations, the the problem is with studies in product design from the MIT ex chairman of Eco- ‘one time’ use.” Institute of Design in Poona, Katila plast Limited, sup- Imagine instead is proud of his family’s design back- pliers of co-extruded snapping the top ground — great-grandfather Minocher polyethylene and off the packaging Lakdawala was “an expert craftsman, co-polymer films, Phiroze Kharas (l), Sheroy Katila (r); of single-use food cabinet maker and exported wooden noted in an interview center: Prototype of containers using and beverage prod- toys.” Father Feroze, vice president of with Parsiana on bio-degradable material from Katila’s ucts like ketchup, Forbes Technosys, a company of the August 10, 2018. concept paper sugar, salt, pepper, Shapoorji Pallonji Group that was “one Set up in 1999, ICPE chilli flakes, salad of the first to introduce self-service kiosks is the nodal agency recognized by the dressings and other condiments, using in India.” During a nine-month internship government to handle all issues related the contents, and throwing the container at Godrej Interio, Sheroy was part of a to plastics and environment. Member into a sink to dissolve without leaving any team that successfully designed a suite of a panel discussion on “Plastics for traces or residue. According to Katila, this of functional, cost effective furniture Sustaining Development” held at the is possible. Alternatively, the packaging for hostel rooms. Post graduation, he Bombay Gymkhana on June 8, Kharas can be collected in a bin to be remolded was employed with a multi disciplinary noted that the tendency is to judge and reused, he noted in an interview with design company where he worked on plastic by the litter in our environment. Parsiana on July 4. Noting that plastic furniture design and “unconventional According to him, studies in class I cities and plastic derivative material used for larger-than-life metal sculptures.” in the country show that plastic waste packaging “has a life of 500 years,” in municipal solid waste averages only according to Katila, using sugar based Jhabvala’s journals between seven to eight percent. bio-materials that work together, one About two months before author and Based on can “replace plastics in certain contexts.” screen writer for Merchant-Ivory Produc- life cycle anal- A graduate from the Royal College of tions Ruth Prawer Jhabvala died in 2013, yses studies Art, London, where he attended a dual she told her daughter Renana to donate conducted by master’s course in innovation design her collection of papers to the British Bousted Con- engineering run in conjunction with Im- Library, UK. Eleven large boxes were sulting, USA, perial College there, Katila stated that in transported from America to Britain, as Kharas shared his final year, he worked on Project Fade a result of this bequest, stated a report some statistics — a product concept for packaging that is in the MumbaiMirror (MM) dated July with Parsiana: aesthetic, convenient to use, “and vitally, 10, 2018. These “incredibly rich papers, plastic carry 100% degradable.” The project, he says, a goldmine for literary historians and gen- bags consume 40% less energy during “goes beyond the nominal paper-bag, production and generate 80% less solid cloth-bag ethic of how we endanger the Below: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s waste after use than paper bags. On the environment ourselves.” The engineer is journal; bottom: the writer other hand, during production, paper yet to patent the process, while design Photos: British Library bags generate 70% more air pollutants copyright is pending, he stated. In a de- and 50 times more water pollutants than tailed note, he explained that “Fade” will plastic bags. A kilo of plastic takes 91% “deliver planned obsolescence, reducing less energy to recycle than an equal man’s mindless, unplanned waste.” amount of paper. Is the concept workable? “Yes,” he The focus of ICPE is to spread aware- replied, admitting that it is not unique. A ness about getting maximum value from company in Hyderabad is making cutlery plastic waste, said Kharas. Waste plastics from millets, he stated. On packaging in are an excellent raw material for tar for general, he pointed out that the computer roads, while waste from tetrapacks and company Dell uses corn-starch laminates can make excellent pallets for and agar-agar composites for moving material in factories and benches packing its products. “They are for schools. “Many times tougher than capitalizing on a trend. My job as wood,” he noted. “Everyone must un- a designer is to take the industry derstand that the environmental legacy to the next level.” we leave behind for future generations Calling himself a futurist, will depend on our commitment to use Katila explained that ideas that products that in comparison with other disrupt innovatively take time alternatives create the least burden on to reach the market. “Typically the environment,” (it takes) 20 years and above Echoing Kharas’ sentiments, industri- between the technical innova- al and innovation designer Sheroy Katila tion, commercial application and 14 Parsiana August 21, 2018 At an event organized by the Library that their husbands were apprehensive on July 3 to celebrate Jhabvala’s life, about transferring assets to them, on the writer Anita Desai recalled that “The first ground “that income accruing from the published author I met was Ruth.” That asset would ultimately become a burden meeting helped Desai break the notion on them,” reported the Daily News and of authors being grand old ladies and Analysis of July 11, 2018.