Meet Mumbai’s College Crusaders

For campuses in Mumbai today, a major focus is trying to get out of pure academics and move into the extra-curricular sphere. Lately, that has translated into students switching from regular youth theatre and poetry groups or even sports centred-activities and into ground-level, conservation efforts in society. That was also what happened recently, as several city college groups turned up in large numbers to lend their hand and heart to two movements they believe in — saving

Aarey Milk Colony

and doing a major

clean-up

at

Dadar Beach

. On a weekend, when you may have planned a day of rest or a drive around town, close to 400 college students got down and dirty to lend a hand towards the green movement.

Mission Dadar: How it brought colleges together on a Sunday to clean the beach

Early on Sunday morning, Mumbai’s young cadets, college professors and students met at Dadar beach, just behind

Kirti College

, with a singular task — to clean up the beach. They donned gloves and old footwear and took over the long, murky shoreline, scattered with marine litter. For first-year student Yashvi Rambhya from KES College, Kandivali, the event got her to leave home and head here at 5 am. “It’s an absolute shame what we have done to our beaches, especially this one, as it is a beautiful area. I came here a few weeks ago and I’m shocked to see how the debris has accumulated since,” she points. Her classmate Isha Saiya adds, “We talk about global warming, but the only way to change things is by tackling the issues at a grassroots level. It’s so nice to see so many students here and we will make a difference if we work together.” Professor Himanshu Prem Joshi, who
represents Bhavan’s Nature and Adventure Centre in various colleges, reiterates, “A project like this brings many colleges together with the aim to make our future green. So many of these students have been making the time to delve into nature conservation, which is heartening to see.”

The city’s college cadets worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the other students. Cadets Yash Karke, Shahar Gosavi and Aashish Yadav of the 3 Maharashtra Battalion, were lugging away a pile of accumulated bottles, algae, weeds and dead grass from the sands. Points Yash, “There is no bigger wake-up call than this. We really need to make this a garbage-free beach.” They were bolstered by the first and second year

NCC Cadets

of the 3 and 5 Maharashtra Girls Battalion — from Kirti College (Dadar), Sathaye College (Vile Parle) and Shahpur College (Thane). “The beach must be cleaned at all costs. After all, this is our home. And today, the students are showing the way,” beams Megha Dhadve of Nanavati College, Vile Parle.
By mid-morning, they had gathered four tons of garbage. However, this cannot be a one-off project. Like cadet Vaishnavi Kamble from Sathaye College said, “Yeh ek-do baar mein nahi hoga. It’s going to take a regular effort. We should do this every weekend.”



Aarey: Swinging into action to save the forest

Students also came together to save Aarey Milk Colony, one of the last remaining green lungs in our city. For World Earth Day, they joined hands with other environmentalists to participate in several events — first at Bandra, then at Aarey — to save the 3,000-acre forest area. The action took off on a Friday evening at the Carter Road amphitheater with a drum circle, cultural performances and a
‘creative wall’. Hrushikesh Patil, third-year student, of

RD National College

, Bandra, who has been with the Aarey movement for a year now, is gung-ho about getting a public platform to draw more attention of youngsters to their cause. “So many Mumbaikars are still unaware of what is happening at Aarey and it was great to see other students come by and share this on social media. With so much energy around, it is sure to rope in more youth,” he enthuses.
Shagufta Khan, a student of the visual arts from Bandra was dressed as a tree who gave out hugs for free. “I want to send the message that what we
are today is because of nature and that trees are beautiful and calming. We can’t do with the lack of them in a concrete city like Mumbai,” she says.
Ayush Bansal, second-year BMM student from St. Xavier’s College has also been hands-on with the environmental efforts in Aarey and is hoping that other youth do so, too. “We have been to the padas (tribal hamlets) in Aarey, sat down with the tribal folk and worked with them. Our college encouraged us towards this and we hope other students lend a hand in the efforts. Aarey is such a beautiful expanse; we are lucky to be one of the few cities to actually have a green forest inside it,” he says.
A day later, on Sunday, the venue shifted to Aarey, where students from five colleges participated in Warli painting, a forest art workshop and a nature trail. Says Tanmay Shinde, first-year Science student from Sahyadri College, Bhandup, “Can you think of anything more peaceful than meditation right in the middle of the forest? There is so much talk about the Japanese concept of shirin-yoku (forest bathing) and this was just like that. Students created art out of twigs and leaves. Mumbaikars must come here to feel the silence and beauty of the forest. Only then will they realise its value.”

NCC DIRECTOR SPEAK‘The youth alone can make India a superpower’
The NCC cadets now don the green cape, more than ever before. Colonel Satish Hange, Additional Director, NCC Directorate, Maharashtra, calls it a “powerful and inspiring” idea. “It is the youth and only the youth that can make India a superpower,” he states, adding, “Every citizen should take a cue from these students. We need to clean not just our beaches, but also our roads, gardens and overall environment. The use of polythene must be discouraged and we must switch to

recyclable

items.”


PRINCIPAL POINT‘We must look at things within our reach’— Dr Agnelo Menezes, Principal, St. Xavier’s CollegeDr Agnelo Menezes, Principal, St. Xavier’s College, talks about grasping at initiatives within reach. He says, “We have a strong focus on saving the environment on campus. For instance, we are vigilant about leaking taps. Our IT students have also created charts showing where switches are located, so that no lights and fans are randomly switched on. This saves electricity. It may be a drop in the ocean, but every drop matters. Thirdly, the projects that the students do are in the e-format, which saves paper. Also, in

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

, they have been part of the movement to save trees. We also have kids coming into our campus who are encouraged to participate in the green efforts. I feel more colleges should take these matters up.”

‘The concept of vertical gardens should be boosted’ — Nandita Roy, Principal,

Gurukul College

For Nandita Roy, Principal, Gurukul College, there is no doubt that the youth can make a huge difference to the city’s environment. She states, “The NSS and DLLE contingents of colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai, do a laudable job with environmental consciousness. Slogans like ‘Say No to Plastic’, are scrupulously followed in colleges. I also feel that energy conservation can be chased to greater heights by today’s youth, in terms of awareness about the benefits of solar energy, wind energy and water harvesting. Tree plantation is almost lip-service only. Where is the space to plant trees? The concept of vertical gardens should be boosted by government and University agencies to combat pollution. Maybe there could be prestigious competitions for the best vertical garden as well. Youngsters need to understand how green can be aesthetic as well as the need of the hour.”





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