Eco points

Amrit is worried about me being eco-unfriendly coz I might soon have a digital photo-frame. I jokingly refer to him as an eco-terrorist. Coz printing a photograph on paper consumes energy as well.

The point, however, is that we are becoming more eco-conscious and that is always a good thing.

Today, I noticed the annual reports lovingly couriered to me by various leading companies - Indian Hotels, BASF, Cipla and Punjab National Bank to name just a few. I actually weighed the lot and found it was 2.2 kgs!

The reason I get these reports is I am a shareholder, although a teeny-weeny, micro-mini type. The kind who holds anything between 50-200 shares. By law, these companies must send me their reports, and I appreciate the sentiment. A small fry like me is treated with as much importance as the Big Fish. But in truth, all I do is dump these reports in the raddi.

A better way, I think, would be for the Chairman to send a personal letter to all shareholders and direct them to the company website for the detailed annual report available in pdf format.

As a one time exercise every company could ask its shareholders to opt in for the printed reports, instead of doing it the other way round. But of course it's the regulatory authority which needs to say,'Let's do it!'

Speaking of a paperless world, I just renewed my medical insurance online and it was such a wonderful zip-zap-zoom experience that I felt I must thank the folks at ICICI Lombard (HDFC Standard Life is also good). I don't know how eco-friendly the method is but it is certainly bheja-friendly.

And speaking of eco-consciousness, someone should institute a special award for Malaika Arora Khan... Tonight she turned up on Zara Nach ke dikha in a tiny blue tablecloth. Or was it a towel, coz it was draped like one.

On the other hand, some feel that it's clothes like these that contribute to global warming... :)