Books Testimonials – Prasad Modak

Testimonials

Dr Watson and Professor Holmes

If Ibn Battuta and Confucius were rolled into one, we might find a person closely resembling Prasad Modak

Three things about Prasad’s blog posts have always held a fascination for me; at the end always leaving me wanting for more.

Prasad travels far & wide in this world, with eyes, ears and all of his other senses open and an uncanny ability to capture every little minutia of his experiences with people, places and events. A raconteur par excellence with great sensitivity, his stories are so evocative that one becomes part of the play – the fly on the wall.

The multi faceted personality that Prasad is, he can speak on any subject under the sun with great authority on hither to unknown Environmental matters, while at the same time with great empathy describe the life and times of his driver. At other times, his tongue in cheek impish humour leaves you pleasantly speculating whether Prasad is all praise for the Minister or just chiding him for his decisions and actions.

And last, but not the least is his Professor friend, who is the ideal foil for many of life’s unanswered questions in Prasad’s mind. It is a relationship one cannot put a finger on and codify with any certainty. Prasad uses his friend skilfully to raise issues and also provide a counterpoint to his own views. It is then left to the reader to choose one from the dynamic duo. Personally, I will take Dr. Watson for his rooted to earth approach over the pipe smoking Professor Holmes and his Stratospheric flights of fantasy.

A savoury snack bhelpuri

A decade of interactions at work, countless invigorating technical and knowledge-based discussions, interspersed with anecdotes from personal life, one would think that there would be nothing left to say. However, this is not the case with Dr Prasad Modak. And I realized this when I started reading the blog that he writes.

I like to think of the blog as the savoury snack bhelpuri, a perfect blend of tanginess, crunchiness and balance. And as a plate of bhelpuri stimulates the taste buds, the blog stimulates the mind, leaving one wanting for more. Incidentally, bhelpuri happens to be one of Dr Modak’s favourite snacks. These blog posts spill over with his incredible knowledge of environmental sciences, radically different thoughts (presented mostly through his ‘Professor friend’), tales of hopping across continents meeting with people (sometimes experts and at other times, incredible human beings) and his life experiences. All of it, well, most of the time, spiced up with humour.

“Shades of Blue and Green and Everything in Between” is Dr Modak’s second book presenting a delectable selection of his blogs. The ‘Blue’ brings out the human side of Dr Modak: a mix of his life experiences presenting his various traits of spirituality, caring, giving and critical thinking. The ‘Green’ is about the teacher and his insatiable desire to gather and distil knowledge – presenting environmental issues and topics in ways that compel the practitioners of the field, to unlearn and relearn, providing superb insight to students as well as veterans. Some of the pieces are a must read to get an interesting commentary on the developments related to environmental governance in India, of course through the characteristic Professor friend of Dr Modak!

Every piece has a rationale to its inclusion on the blog. Sometimes it is the knowledge it imparts, sometimes wisdom and at other times, it is the experience. Knowledge about multiple environmental issues – some so common yet misunderstood, others more profound – wisdom about the multidimensional aspects of environmental sciences presented lucidly, and personal experiences (and learnings) from stalwarts in the subject, personalities in their own right, as well as from nondescript individuals. But nowhere has the knowledge or the message been preached or sermonised – it is simply embedded for the readers to recognise and appreciate.

A perfect compendium of life, the blues and sustainability

I have been reading Dr Prasad Modak’s blog for a long time now. He is one of those special writers that prods and pokes at all of our preconceived notions and makes us reconsider what we are thinking. In short, just when you believe you have wrapped your mind around a complex issue on sustainability or how we should be doing in life, along comes Dr Prasad Modak to provide a very insightful and alternative perspective to the wisdom we have amassed.

However, there is more to Dr Prasad than being a Guru on sustainability. Through the posts he writes while on his own life journey, we are treated to the walk of a man on a mission to enjoy life to the full and to relish every relationship, no matter how fleeting. Whilst no one wants to live their life vicariously through another, it is impossible not to draw on Dr Prasad’s life lessons, as guidance for our own life. I often find myself pondering over what for many, would be quite prosaic situations, but for Dr Prasad, a rich and fertile ground of interaction with others. I dig deep into these grounds and store away the golden nuggets that are revealed.

Dr Prasad’s new book, “Shades of Blue and Green and Everything In Between” provides the perfect compendium for his writings on his life, the blue, and on sustainability, the green. I recommend this book as the perfect stimulus to reawaken our minds and as an encouragement not to ever be satisfied with the ordinary.

Stories that can keep you awake at night

I first met Prof Modak in 1990. I had a new job as an Environmental Impact Assessment officer with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and within a few months, I was dispatched to Bangkok to attend a four-week training program on EIA at AIT, Bangkok.

Dr Modak taught us the basics of EIA at AIT. He had an effortless style. I thoroughly enjoyed his sessions. We never realised we were being taught. Today when I read his blogs, I feel the same patience and wisdom in his prose. Dr Modak’s blogs sustain a balance even when discussing serious stuff. I particularly like his way of blending the personal with the scientific, the exotic with the ugly.His humor and satire stitch seamlessly and his characters seem familiar and believable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories. The one on EIA for Indian weddings took the cake …..

Dr Modak’s stories are great at evoking emotions. Some of them have kept me awake at night… Government corridors, pollution control boards, projects, projects and more projects and never ending discussions and decisions are disturbingly familiar …. Dr Modak tells stories that need to be heard not once but again and again. Keep going.

Hard Hitting – makes one sit up and take notice

Prof Modak is known to be an accomplished environmental expert. However, this blog also brings out the accomplished writer in him. Normally, scientists and engineers tend to be very dry and matter of fact while writing on technical issues. However, Prof Modak’s blog posts are full of humor and satire which make them such pleasant reading. “How to get Speedy Environmental Clearances” was one such piece which I enjoyed. His elephantine memory and penchant for details are amazing. Some of the blogs like “Supreme Pollution Control Boards” on the regulators were hard hitting and made everyone sit up and take notice. He has a vast national and international experience on environmental regulatory issues and pollution control. ‘Consent to Close’ is a thought which needs to be incorporated in environmental laws after due deliberations. Prof. Modak’s blogs address every one whether you are a domain expert or a commoner. “Wear Oxygen masks When Indoors” or ‘’Waste Segregation” are highly informative and educative to every citizen. I only wish Prof. Modak tries his hand in writing pure fiction. Keep writing sir!

Informative, Educational, Entertaining

Prasad is like a Pied Piper marching into the sixties with the 60 posts following him. I have been an avid reader of all blog. Technology has made life easier. As a result, most of the blog posts were read within a few hours of getting posted on either the net or Facebook. I found all his blog posts informative as he has a lot to share due to his wide experience and exposure. And he is happily doing so. The blogs are educational and here I notice his academic instincts, flair and achievements come into the play with a professional presentation of the material at hand. He is a born teacher. I also see the blog posts entertaining with a sniff of a Shivaji Park, Balmohan, Busybee (Behram Contractor) and Marathi Manoos humor. Of course the blog is packaged with international finesse and the Queen’s English.

For the above selfish reasons, I wish Prasad a long innings in writing more. Sixty is only a number, so more the merrier.

Compelling Sustainability Stories!

Compared to writing a newspaper article a blogger has much greater freedom of expression and Prasad shows this well in his blog. All the blog posts are compelling sustainability stories, always “witty” (like the state of the art eye clinic at COP 21!), informative with useful websites and never boring. And we keep wondering who his friend the “Professor” is?

I always tell my students that to pass a message we should never ever preach but try to tell sustainability stories through events or people. And Prasad shows how this blog can be a powerful platform in reaching the public.

We admire people because we recognize something in them that we see in ourselves — a quality we recognize, a quality we someday hope to possess, or a dream we share. And this is why we like his blog. As a Professor in a University, I 263

could relate easily to many of the stories he himself has experienced in his journey as an academic.

Looking forward to the next blog post and to learn from it and feel inspired!

Think Differently

Prasad Modak’s blog posts have always reminded me of a famous book by Sharu Ranganekar “In the wonderland of Indian Managers”. Ever since the first post on July 30, 2014 on Environmental Impact Assessment these posts have provoked and expected the reader to look and think differently at tools and objectives of environmental management. I never felt that these posts were for earning appreciation and praise. Prasad never looked for it in his life. Through his blogs, I was amazed to know of the persons Prasad has met, the interactions he had and his process of continuous learning.

Many a times, experts are not aware of objectives and scope of the EIA process and inclined to raise issues just to exhibit their domain expertise. I am not aware if in any country appraisal bodies are expected to review 30 to 40 proposals in single sitting. We need to have a re-look at our implementation mechanism and augment the same, to start with, in terms of number of persons in organizations like MOEF&CC, PCBs, etc. This blog raises such fundamental issues.

Books that Matter! made me realize what I missed in life. I graduated from Sangli. We used to follow books by Indian authors. Even for the college library, budget and space were constraints. I had excellent opportunities and access to quality publications, somehow, I failed to make best use of it. I am accepting my mistakes, hoping students who read this blog do not repeat the same.

‘The National Anthem, Me and Cleaner Production’ really pinched me. Perhaps I found the answer to why ‘We’ had limited success. For over three decades, we environmental professionals, have convinced ourselves that we can change industry by showing them how concepts like CP, SD, EIA, CC are good for them. We have achieved some success. But then the driver always remained ‘making profits’. As I am approaching the end of my professional career, I feel that we must inform all in business, that it is their moral responsibility to make best use of the available technologies for making ‘more from less’. Profit may be a spin off benefit but it cannot be the sole motive. I wish that reading this blog is made compulsory reading for all post graduate courses in environmental management.

Tagged as part of ‘must read’ list, fresh and inspiring!

Modak’s blog posts are interesting to read, as they contain simple yet effective story telling of inspiring ideas on environmental technology, management and policy issues. His posts are as inspiring as he is in person- a man full of energy and enthusiasm, and passionate about environmental issues. For the past one year, reading his posts has become a ritual for me during the week-end, and often on my travel. His posts reflect good story telling skills that he has, and also his enriching knowledge and experience to explain complex issues in a simple manner, hence catching the readers’ attention.

As a regular reader of his blog, I have read and enjoyed almost all his posts. Nevertheless, there are a few that remain in my mind as fresh as when I read them first. One; “Why the Fuss.” Here he takes us back to the early 1980s when we had limited laboratory and professional guidance in the Environmental Engineering field of study. He shares his dilemma in choosing his research topic, and yet how motivated he was by his Professors and advisors. This post came at the right time, just when my students were about to begin their theses. I shared with the post with them; they found it motivational and helpful in choosing their research topics. “Travelling Professor” is another blog that I not only enjoyed reading, but also was inspired on planning my own retirement life as an academician. Through “Never Jump the Queue”, he takes us through his dramatic experience at the Egyptian Immigration in 1992. It is indeed a reminder to people like us who travel a lot for our work, to follow immigration rules sincerely. This blog is the best way to share your experience and learning with the younger generation.

I sincerely hope to read more of his posts in 2016, and tag them as part of my regular weekend ‘must read’ list. I do hope he balances his future posts targeting all sectors, as in: academia, environmental consultants, environmental business/private sector and government, and talks about new and happening topics in the environment field.

Awareness without preaching

Each one of Prasad’s blog posts are unique. Both Sathya and I enjoyed reading all of them. These blog posts convey excellent messages on sustainability, still an abstract theme for most of us, in a simple and humorous manner so that everyone can enjoy and appreciate the concept. Prasad has an art of delivering complex messages on controversial topics in a simple and humorous way that is simply awesome and brilliant! What struck us the most was that he is able to bring awareness without preaching. We are certain that this book will make lots of people happy and bring out lots of humor becoming a stress reliever in this modern world!!

I am sure that these blog posts have created lots of converts –it has made several of us look at our day-to-day actions through the sustainability angle. We convey our appreciation and thanks to the ‘Professor’ for being there to listen Prasad’s ideas, as he seems to have lots of influence on politicians and bureaucrats. Our list of favorite blog posts is long … though these three posts seem to have stuck in our minds forever … Creative Fusion, New Year Resolution, and Washing Machine… The one on creative fusion is an outstanding, brilliant piece. We really enjoyed every bit of it, and were amazed at how good a professor Prasad is and how he has and will mold young and old minds alike. He is the kind who can bring a change and not the politicians…the change may look like a drop in the ocean but we should remember that droplets make the ocean. Sathya could relate more to the article, as her passion is art, nature and children. The Montessori Method of teaching also believes in this principle. We think that there is a deep connection in all this though we never realized it until we read your blog post on Creative Fusion. We love the idea of creative fusion and do hope and pray it will become mainstream one day.

What’s True and what’s fiction?

Dr Modak’s blogs serve to bring him into the reader’s company. As his friend, I have to wait to get an opportunity to be in his company. So, I relish the blog more for this reason than for the literary value of the writing. He writes in an autobiographical style and names many characters which keeps one guessing what is true and what is fiction. I have a strong belief that his Professor friend is none other than himself.

His blog posts have all the traits of a good short story of which I enjoy the humor most of all and appreciate, in particular, his visualization of the state of elite society. The impact of his blogs is not only pleasure but also much enlightenment.

Informative, succinct compilation of current developments

I wanted to compliment you on “Sixty Shades of Green”. I found the book very informative. I do get snippets about the recent developments in Indian environmental sector via the internet, but it can be tricky to wade through vast amounts of data to get to the relevant portions. Your book provided me a succinct compilation of current developments. The style of writing was engaging and avoided a mere “reporting” of facts. More importantly, I appreciate your conversations with your “Professor” friend. These provided a mature and balanced view emphasizing the need to think holistically and to maintain a balance between the costs and benefits of a proposed environmental action. The occasional appearance of mythological characters, such as Yama or Chitragupta, was amusing. I hope to get continually enlightened and entertained by your writing. More power to you!

Prasad Modak

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