D. Suresh lives by John F. Kennedy’s famous saying — “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
He didn’t say this, explicitly. While discussing the guiding principles of his life, Suresh made a statement that was not too far from the Kennedian adage.
“Don’t expect the Government to find solutions for you. Assist the Government in finding solutions,” said Suresh as he was showing me around his spacious house on Vasu Street in Kilpauk.
With bamboo and other trees lining the compound walls, the house seems to be a symbolic representation of its owner’s worldview.
Suresh believes in harnessing natural resources in finding cost-effective and sustainable solutions to niggling problems. In keeping with his philosophy of life, he does not wait for the government to tell him how to do it.
In 2001, when the Tamil Nadu government made rainwater harvesting mandatory in the State, he was already there. “I installed a rainwater harvesting system in my house in 1995,” he says.
“When it rains, not one drop of water is wasted. There is a network of rainwater drains, installed in three places. This ensures groundwater is recharged. In times of heavy downpour, when the percolation pits get saturated, excess rainwater is automatically channelled to the well,” says Suresh.
The filter mechanism in the rainwater collection system is simple but effective.
“It’s actually something we learnt in school and forgot. A layer of pebbles, a layer of charcoal...,” he says. When he says ‘a layer of sand’, I chime in with him, recalling elementary science lessons.
Suresh has also set up a biogas plant and installed solar panels in his house.
Patches of glass on the slanted roof naturally light up the stairs leading up to the terrace and I get an idea of how meticulously he plans things to prevent wastage.
The biogas plant is located in the backyard.
“I installed this biogas plant in February 2013 and it requires no maintenance. It generates 20 kilogrammes of gas per month by processing 10 to 20 kilogrammes of waste every day,” he says.
Cooked food, spoilt vegetables, fruits and food are used as waste in the biogas plant. Boneless meat can also be added, but not dried leaves.
Suresh’s household has only two people and the waste it generates is not considerable. So, he collects waste from neighbours and vegetable vendors.
“When it was set up, I used cow dung to create the kind of bacteria that can generate methane,” he says.
The slurry from the biogas plant is used in his terrace garden where he grows about 20 varieties of vegetables.
In the backyard, one also finds a number of fruit-bearing trees like banana, guava and gooseberry.
Twenty years ago, on business trip to a city in Germany, Suresh was intrigued by the solar panels that see on rooftops. On a whim, he scoured the city for a vendor who could supply him with these solar roof panels.
“The big vendors did not want to take up work that involved a small unit. I did not give up his search for a vendor, and finally found one,” says Suresh.
In 2012, he installed his first 1-kilowatt solar panel and as if on cue, the Government introduced a Capital Incentive Scheme for installation of solar panels, in 2013.
“When cyclone Vardah plunged the city in darkness, my power outage lasted only an evening. The next day, when my electricity was back, I turned on all my lights. It was a kind of “owner's pride, neighbour’s envy” moment for me. Actually, by doing so, I wanted to drive home a message.”
Suresh laments that people don’t understand what it means to be self-sustainable. “When someone asks me ask me about the returns on my investments, I ask them about their returns on investment from buying a television set or a refrigerator.”
The seventy-one-year-old is an alumnus of IIT-Madras and IIM-Ahmedabad and takes up lecturing stints now and then to inspire and encourage youngsters.
He has helped in the installation of close to 25 solar panels in the city and also visits schools and colleges, conducting seminars and interacting with students.
“The idea is to make people understand that if they want things to change, they’ll have to make an effort. I always use this proverb in all my speeches — Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle,” says Suresh.
Before I leave, he tells me that he’s now looking at methods of treating and recycling waste water. It’s time we stopped complaining and took responsibility for our surroundings.
Self-sustainability is the way forward and Suresh sure is leading the way.
