Gul Bahao

Into the 21st century with new ideas from Gul Bahao

Gul Bahao CEO conducts workshop organized by WWF

Yesterday, Gul Bahao Nargis Latif addressed a workshop arranged by WWF for about 400 youth coming from the best educational institutions of Karachi including Foundation Public School, Karachi Grammar School, Beacon House School at Hotel Regent Plaza. The students numbering 400 plus listened with rapt attention to Nargis’s talk. She said Gul Bahao’s research work can form the manifesto of any political party.

Nargis said that she has worked with hundreds of youth on a daily basis for years whose energy and enthusiasm combined with the academic knowledge she had gained right from school to university level has created wonders. Her entire speech was based on a CD which was shown on a screen. The pictures vividly showed the innovations made by Gul Bahao during the 18 years of its existence. The Fuel pack (cheap fuel for running power plants), Chandi Ghar, Paaki Paani as well as the Safai/kamai Bank kept the participants engrossed in the talk. The audience interacted with their questions and comments as well as participated in the well-known jingles of Gul Bahao “Garbage is Gold” in English and Urdu.

Refuting the notion that environment is an elitist subject Nargis said that Karachites living in a highly urbanized environment should know better. She said that if we consider the environment of the Karachi port on which the economy of this metropolis revolves, we are in for a rude shock. The garbage and sewage water of the metropolis that is being daily dumped into the sea is making it unfit for docking. Secondly it has all the potential for the worst kind of natural disasters like Tsunami. On the other hand solutions offered by municipal authorities are unworkable.

Gul Bahaos projects related to waste management are not only simple, affordable they address the issues in their totality Nargis said that the nexus of Environment and Economy is comparable to the concept of heaven and hell. “If we don’t solve the worlds environment problems we are in for Tsunamis and catastrophic floods etc. On the other hand if we manage to recycle (which is the best way to tackle our waste problems) municipal and industrial waste we will in fact be improving our economy and adding richness to our lives. There is nothing useless in nature”, she declared. She said that even human waste which by standards of human hygiene my be called the “Worst possible waste”, is in fact a resource as it is a rich source of fertilizer for plants. And just as electricity cannot be banned because it can kill human beings so human waste too may be regarded as a useful commodity using it in a scientific manner.

Nargis said that an important aspect of Gul Bahao’s campaigns has been its very close interaction with educational institutions comprising schools and universities. Referring to Karachi as a “City of Schools”, the head of Gul Bahao said that her organization plans to put “Research Centers” in the educational institutes so that the young children can enjoy their studies. She lamented that students dislike studying. She said that the Gul Bahao clubs would act as bridges between the theoretical knowledge of the schools and the real world where their theories would be applied. She said that her greatest joy were the time whenever a discovery was made though it took a lot of money and persistence.

Nargis Latif meets President of Federation Of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Yesterday, Gul Bahaos Nargis latif met the president and vice president of FPCCI, Haji Sherani and Mr. Shakeel Dhingra. Nargis said that Gul Bahaos campaign “Garbage is Gold”, “Employment – unlimited” and its famous innovation “Chandi Ghar” are set to have impact on the economy of the country. In addition, its other innovations costing millions of rupees are making inroads into education, health, power generation agriculture, industry including the construction industry right up to cleaning the environment. The president of the FPPCI immediately extended an invitation to address a forthcoming meeting of the ABAD (Association of Builders and developers).

In the meantime there has been intense interaction between students of Universities and Gul Bahao for extending internships for students in its scheme “Rozgar La mehdood” or “Employment –unlimited” . Recently groups of students came from Dawood Engineering University as well as Szabist . While the managing trustee of Gul Bahao addressed students of the Chemistry department of the Karachi University. Throwing a challenge at the Chemistry students, Nargis said manufacture of transparent pet bottles is the need of the hour. She said the potential market is the crores of Pakistani people who desperately need clean water. The manufacturers she said would only have to propagate the concept of the Paaki Pani (As researched by Gul Bahao) and which has been endorsed by the Dow University of Sciences which is simply putting bottles of tap water in the sun for an hour or so. This solar treatment results in water purification without destroying essential minerals.

Welcoming the students of Dawood college of Architecture Nargis likened the invention of the Chandi Ghar to that of the ubiquitous mobile phone which has changed the lives of the people. And just as the inventor of the mobile never dreamed of the multiple uses of the mobile phone so too the mobile house or “Chandi Ghar” will throw up avenues Gul Bahao never dreamt off. Showing the students around the Chandi Ghar plant Nargis said the Chandi Ghar (prefabricated house) consists of modular blocks which can be alternately used for making something as complex as a two storey house or as simple as a sofa or bed. Nargis said that scores of Chandi Ghars have been put up in both remote areas as well as the bustling city of Karachi.

Giving one instance where the Wastic blocks (component of the Chandi Ghar) could be used by factory owners Nargis explained Millions of rupees worth of goods lying under the open skies can now be secured from the impending rains by simply making a platform from these blocks and putting the goods on top of them . This is specially so for low lying areas. She said that recently the navy personnel were very keen to put up the Chandi Ghars in the coastal areas. Their contention was that in the coastal areas no construction material has been able to withstand the corrosive effect of the sea breeze which is why the Chandi Ghar (made of plastic material) would have an advantage.

The head of the Gul Bahao Organisation informed the students that recently a breakthrough came in the person of the the CEO of Bayer pharmaceuticals who installed a Chandi Ghar in his home and entertained his guests (who included personell from the diplomatic corps) in it. He kept insisting that the Chandi Ghar was ideal for marriage halls.
Gul Bahao is now actively conducting a recruitment program for inducting students in the Chandi Ghar marketing program which again is a part of its program of “Employment unlimited.”

Letter to Pakistan’s representative in the United Nations

Dear Sir,

May the peace of God almighty be upon you!  I hope this letter of mine finds you in the best of health and spirits. In the first place please accept my heartfelt gratitude for helping in promoting the cause of Gul Bahao through your esteemed TV channel before assuming your latest responsibilities at the United Nations. This letter is in fact an appeal to you to use your good offices to further the cause of this movement, one of whose objectives is conducting research into waste management. The results have been fantastic to say the least and must be shared with the international community considering that we as Muslims and Pakistanis are duty bound to share our knowledge for the good of mankind. Sir, let me pause here and recall how it became possible for Gul Bahao to come up with its two classic innovations-the Chandi Ghar and the Safai/Kamai Bank (known as Garbage N Gold Bank). As you are aware research demands money and a great deal of it for that matter. To date more than 8crore rupees have been spent (only in 2002,1 crore and ten lacs were spent according to audited accounts). This was the time when for an entire decade the world thanks to the aggressive policies 0f Mr. Bush and company was embroiled in the deadliest war of the world. As if to create a soft corner for this war millions and trillions of dollars poured into our country especially Karachi. Certainly, getting hold of the money was no joke, but the fact remains that it came and was wisely used by us for:

  1. A socioeconomic revival
  2. Controlling environmental degradation while allowing industrialization to flourish
  3. To attract the educated youth towards research activities.

No doubt Gul Bahaos innovations have been getting coverage in the press but the approach at best has been superficial. Both the Chandi Ghar and the Safai/Kamai Bank are totally in sync with 21st century requirements. In fact most of the material used in the Chandi Ghar is high tech material. Let me describe to you the “Kutchra do Sona Lo” campaign. For two years a fleet of vehicles including trucks and pickup vans carrying young men were meeting junk dealers and motivating them to trade in garbage by giving them cash and gold. So successful was the campaign that it brought into existence a new breed of businessmen who started providing cheap raw material to industries and despite the endemic violence that keeps taking place in Karachi its economy keeps growing. The impact of the Safai mein Kamai system can be gauged from the fact that its slogan “You give us garbage, we give you gold” is a household slogan in this metropolis of more than 15 million people .The Safai mein Kamai Bank is truly the bank of the future where the instruments of banking is waste material. It is difficult to say which of the two innovations Chandi Ghar or the Garbage N Gold Bank is going to have a greater impact on the international scene. Briefly the Chandi Ghar is a modular block whose uses are multipurpose. The same blocks may be used to make a double storied houses to making  a swimming pool, furniture including chairs sofas, tables etc. They are waterproof as well as strong enough to resist storms and gales. They are easy to put up and dismantle as well. As the name suggests they are splendid to look at. Sir, recent history tells us that a single innovation has been able to change the course of history, take the example of the steam engine, the computer and now the mobile phone. I am confident that Gul Bahaos innovations are going to do just that.

It may come as a pleasant surprise to you that there has been widespread recognition of our innovations. These include:

1. German nationals connected with the German embassy
2. Clinton Foundation and Ashoka (American NGO)
3. Articles written in Courier International (French)  ,Hindustan Times (India)
4. Supreme Court of India
5. UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank
6. BBC CNN ZeeTV StarPlus
7. Included as a scientific organization in the directory of the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology. It has been covered by the mainstream print and electronic media of Pakistan
8. Have been written about in school level textbooks in both Urdu and English
9. 600 people visit our website on a monthly basis
10. Local bodies (including Nazims and Civil Servants) coming for training
11. University Students doing theses and assignments on our work

No doubt most of the gigantic work mentioned above can be claimed by me and my organization but it would be unfair not to mention hundreds of people throughout the length and breadth of Karachi who gave moral and material support especially the latter. These include:

1. Professionals like architects, engineers, teachers, lecturers, professors
2. NGOs
3. Businessmen (including office bearers of Chambers of Commerce and Industry)
4. MPAS and provincial ministers
5. Universities, elite schools
6. Women who give zakat once a year.

In addition to this and the fact that Karachi has a peculiar geography(especially its arid climate ) has made  the program  truly unique and hence the slogan “Karachi’s gift to the world” Why use the word Karachi when people from outside Karachi as well as Pakistanis living abroad have supported it Answer one must  not forget the fact that Karachi is one of the  largest metropolises of the  world  and hence any innovation coming from here is bound to affect the world. At this stage when the country is going through a rough spell and people’s morale is at low ebb it is particularly important that the above slogan be raised. If these two innovations are publicized on the world forum they are sure to renew the country’s self-esteem and confidence. February 1 will the day when Gul Bahao will be completing 18 years of its existence. In other words it has taken a full 18 years for these innovations to develop and mature. And before I forget there have been claims by other organizations and persons to own these innovations. They have not been patented by us.

Sir, you have been putting your best efforts to project Pakistan’s case abroad. God willing you will also succeed in projecting Karachi’s gift to the World as well.”

With Best Wishes I end with the prayer “May the blessings of the almighty shower down on you”

Nargis Latif
(Managing Trustee)
An Open Letter to Mr. Hussain A. Haroon Pakistan’s Representative in the United Nations

Chandi Ghar hall attracts millions on Submarine Chowk of Clifton

For the last two weeks or so the Submarine Chowk of Clifton has been presenting a rare spectacle, the “Chandi Ghar”.  Lacs of vehicles pass by with the passengers staring in amazement at the beautiful piece of architecture glittering in the bright sunlight. The main entrance has two banners (in Urdu and English).  One carries the letters “Donate your recyclable garbage for flood affectees”

The scheme is unique. According to  Mohammad Hannan, Gul Bahao’s spokesman, Clifton being the rich man’s home throws up millions of rupees worth of waste paper, plastic ,metal everyday. if people bring these in, the money will be enough to build thousands of Chandi Ghars for the flood affectees, he said confidently. Continuing he said “If every flood affectee gets a Chandi Ghar, he will remain in his village to carry on his “Zamindari” and will not need to move into the cities and cause  overcrowding , which ultimately is the cause of tension and breakdown of the system .

The Chandi Ghar is truly a magnificent innovation “A gift from Karachi to the World” – the title of an exhibition to be held in January when foreign diplomats will be especially invited. The Chandi Ghar was not made in a single day, It took the organization 17 years and more than 8 crores, the spokesman says emphatically. Mohammad Hannan regretted that the media has given a one sided coverage of the Chandi Ghar and associated it only with waste management. The truth of the matter is that it has brought in a new technology which despite being high tech(the raw material i.e plastic is highly affordable, is highly affordable as well. It is not only useful in disaster management, once it enters the  market, new vistas will open up and “its applications will be much more than its innovators ever dreamed of “. The exhibition to be held in January will also showcase the modular nature of the wastic blocks (or building blocks) of the Chandi Ghar. The same blocks can be alternately used to make beds, sofas, swimming pools, fishponds etc.

The Chandi Ghar on Submarine Chowk has raised a good deal of interest in people from different walks of life especially people from different walks of life. More important it is helping to raise the spirits of the people who want to rise above the uncertainity and depression which has overtaken the people of this humungous city. Here it may be recalled that the City school PAF chapter has been the most enthusiastic partner providing both moral and material support for putting up the Chandi Ghar.

Kindly put your valuable 1,000 ( one thousand ) Rupees in First Women Bank, Gul Bahao account no 0007001857810001 or Allied Bank, Nargis Latif acc. no.0010032750390011( 0159 branch code –  One Unit costs Rs. 40,000 with double ceiling). You can also make your donation via western union. For information about making a donation please contact us or inform us on telephone numbers 021-32250452,0333-8869491, 0300-6628697 or through SMS.

Worlds first plastic house plant established

Today, Nargis Latif Managing Trustee of the Gul Bahao Trust while addressing the assembly of A level students of City School PAF chapter announced that Gul Bahao has succeeded in establishing the world’s first assembly plant of prefabricated housing made from plastic waste on main Rashid Minhas Road on a two thousand yards plot. Nargis claimed amidst tremendous applause that Gul Bahao has developed a totally new product through its research work which is comparable to any other innovation of the 21st century. She exhorted that we Pakisanis must rid ourselves of the inferiority complex that we are incapable of innovating. She said one of the impact of the plant will be to make a name for Pakistan as no one in the world including the developed countries has come anywhere close to designing the Chandi Ghar (Made of building blocks from plastic waste) She said that the raw material is being supplied by manufacturers free of cost and in tones which has helped to reduce the cost of the houses considerably the result is that the plant is in a position to supply hundreds of houses to flood affected areas. And now a 20’ x20’ house will cost as little as Rs 40,000. She reminded the audience that last year Gul Bahao put up a number of Chandi Ghars in the flood affected areas of Muzzafargarh and Thatta . Nargis said that in order to make a deeper impact Gul Bahao will open the doors of this vital research open to the public especially the business community so that the Chandi Ghars may be produced enmasse and large numbers of flood affectees may be benefited.

Here, the head of Gul Bahao announced the formation of the Gul Bahao Club whose objective she said is to form Research Centres in the schools. However as a first step she said students will be asked to bring in recyclable garbage like paper, plastic etc from their homes which will be a source of revenue generation for the houses to be built for the flood affectees . She said in the past the students had donated their dry garbage but only in a limited way and that now efforts would have to be increased manifold. She revealed that Karachi University and NED University have been supporting Gul Bahao’s cause by donating their recyclable waste. This she said helped the organization considerably in meeting its expenses. She exhorted the students to “donate” as much recyclable garbage as possible to Gul Bahao.

Kindly put your valuable 1,000 ( one thousand ) Rupees in First Women Bank, Gul Bahao account no 0007001857810001 or Allied Bank, Nargis Latif acc. no.0010032750390011( 0159 branch code –  One Unit costs Rs. 40,000 with double ceiling).