The idea behind Salon, a small yet, impactful activity was to make people water warriors and making India Water Positive
The venue, Kondapur Well for the event chosen was not only apt,
but, demonstrated how a dirty and polluting place when transformed becomes the most useful public space
Hyderabad, Telangana: TEDx Hyderabad Salon on Creating Water Positive Cities held at Kondapur Well, Amphitheatre in the city on Sunday. Salon events are events that keep a TEDx community engaged between regular TEDx events.
This year we chose the theme Creating Water Positive Cities.
Water positive is very important because of its severe scarcity. The planet is in danger of running out of water. Human beings are consuming more natural resources than they are supposed to be doing. This year’s natural resources are already consumed as of July. Becoming water positive means, helping to replenish those dwindling levels of available water.
The venue chosen for the event was the Kondapur well, which was restored by Kalpana, one of the hosts of the Salon. The place which was a dump yard and a constant source of pollution is now a sought after place to visit. A small amphitheatre was created, to make it suitable for small events. The idea behind choosing the venue was to showcase how a dirty and polluted place can be converted into a beautiful public space and venue.
Three thought leaders Veeramalla Prakash Rao – Chairman of Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation and supervises Department of TS Ground Water and Walamtari; Dr MV Murthy – Hydrogeologists and CEO of ekoknowledge.net and MV Rama Chandrudu – Environmental planner and chemical-free life advocate participated and deliberated on the subject.
As Veeramalla Prakash Rao got up to speak on the water positivity, nature started responding with rain. He continued speaking undeterred and by the time he completed, he drenched totally and won the hearts of the audience for his passion for water positivity. Thus the discussion began on a very positive note and set the right tone for the rest of the session.
With groundwater touching alarmingly low levels, the consumption has to be judicious. The best way to sensitise consumption patterns is to measure the usage of water. Without measurement, there can be no minimization; he highlighted how saving water was akin to having money in the bank. Only when it is measured, we can know how much is being consumed. The aim of this is to sensitise people to use water more sparingly, opined Dr M.V. Murthy.
MV Rama Chandrudu emphasized how critical it was for individuals to take the onus of saving water and inspiring people around them to do as well. He also shared how he has stopped using harsh chemicals at his home thereby making it easier to recycle water.
Ms Kalpana Ramesh, Water Expert; Mr Viiveck Verma, TEDxHyderabad Licensee and Curator, President – SAHE and Ms Archana Kuncham, TEDxHyderabad Core Team Member, hosted and facilitated the conversations which were then followed by performances.
Kesavi and Praneeth crooned two beautiful songs about water and the environment. The little Kathak dancers, from Kathak Kala Kshetra, the students at middle school enthralled the audience dancing with the grace of beautiful peacocks.
Post the performance held a Panel Discussion where the panellists echoed the need for water positivity around everyone. They comprised Abdul Raheem, Sadar, Masjid e Dilawar Shah Begum; Kailash Agarwal, Trustee, Sree Krishna Goshala; Sridhar Yalamanchili, Ex-President, Gautami Enclave and Linga Reddy, President, Doyens Township. The four panellists assured to become water positivity mascots.
The Salon events are meant to engage and spark discussion on issues of interest to our local community. It is also meant to inspire action and bring about change. Kalpana Ramesh is a living example and attended a similar event in 2016, today, she is a force to reckon with, having several achievements up her sleeve and now being known as Telangana’s Water Woman. She is one of the 7 women achievers who took over PM Modi’s social media accounts on Women’s Day, the honour Prime Minister Modi bestowed on few women. And Kalpana is one of them.
The result, charged up participants vowing to fight for water positive cities.
“It was truly heartwarming to see everyone react with so much positivity, on seeing change and how everyone felt responsible for wanting to bring in small little changes, themselves”, said Kalpana Ramesh.
“We want to bring people together, to contribute towards their local communities, as responsible citizens of their city, to spark off more action and change”, said TEDxHyderabad licensee and curator, Viiveck Verma.
