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| A report on the Ganga Action Plan Campaign |
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THE HOLY RIVER GANGA IS THE DIVINE GODDESS FOR ONE BILLION BELIEVERS THE WORLD OVER.
As per the call sent out by the EECC for Ganga Action titled 'The River front of my town' , Delhi Public School, Varanasi organised the following set of activities :
'Ganga week' was celebrated from 11th of July till the 19th of July. The main focus of the week was to sensitize children of the appalling condition of the sacred river and the hazards being faced by it due to various pollutants being dumped into it endlessly. They were ignited towards
the need for creating an awareness drive in the society so as to rouse it to the cry of the dying, aging river and also to make them aware of how the man of today is creating a menace and making his own destiny questionable.
It is said that the rivers of India have a natural capacity to cleanse themselves. But with growing urbanisation, agricultural demands of water increasing and sewage spewing into our depleted river systems this innate capacity to rejuvenate is being sorely tested. Disturbing reports of the Ganga drying up due to the Gangotri glacier receding at the rate of 10 to 30 mts a year. The actual disappearance of the river that sprang from the locks of Lord Shiva, for a country whose entire tradition and religious ethos is woven around this sacred river, this would be a sad day .
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The next event was a SPECIAL ASSEMBLY titled 'GANGA IN CRISES'. An effective dance drama was staged on this occasion. It brought forward the origin of Ganga , its former glory and its present day condition. A cry was given out by the goddess that if man wanted her to cleanse them then they also have to save her.They have to see her plight and cleanse her of all the dirt and pollution which man has incited on her. |
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Only then will she be able to help mankind and save them of their pains and miseries. The show was simply marvelous and thought provoking. The children gave a stunning performance therein kindling a thrust towards the growing need of preserving 'NATURE'S BOUNTY' for future generations. |
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Taking this thought as the central theme Essay writing competition was held on the 17th of July . It was titled 'STOP POLLUTION - SAVE GANGA'. The children poured out their views beautifully. A Class IV student wrote thus :
A pleasant flow of breeze
A shadow of Moonlight
Sweet bells ringing nearby
Prayers humming side by side
And a full lot of eternal silence
Oh ! Almighty God where am I ?
This is Ganga. The Holy and Sacred river of our nation.
It would be an alarming thought to picture India without it ....
On the 18th of July the School organised an open house competition -
Expressing views on Ganga and its pollution. This too turned out to be a major event. Apart from the participants there were many other children who kept on coming forward wanting to speak on Ganga's pollution.
Just as each palm holds a life line and a palmists say that the breaks on these lines mark moments of crisis and danger. In the same way Ganga is the life line of India and its fate as we see today is in great danger - was a superb thought presented by a class V student.
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Each child had a different way of presenting the growing problem faced by this critically sick river and each called upon the authorities and the society to do something before it was too late. ' Don't pollute you Maa'. How can you ? was a cry of one of the children. |
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The week culminated by a rally on the 19th of July in which the children with placards, banners and leaflets marched in a procession from Assi Ghat to Tulsi Ghat, a km stretch through the heart of the old city of Varanasi . |
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They then cleaned the Tulsi Ghat off its garbage and threw them in the bins specially installed by Delhi Public School, Varanasi on the Ghat. Children of clasees IV , V and VI actively participated in this rally. They even passed on the message of cleaning Ganga to the Society by exclusive interview taken by Sahara Samay. Some of the parents also joined the rally. |
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After cleaning of the ghats was over the children were taken to the Laboratory in which they were made aware how Ganga is being polluted. |
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Last but not the least was the interaction with a resource person Prof.Vir Bhadra Mishra, Magsaysay Award winner and the hero of the planet according to time magazine, founder President of the Sankat mochan foundation and the Mahant of the Sankat Mochan temple Varanasi who headed the Civil Engineering Dept. at BHU. His 'Clean Ganga Campaign' to prevent further pollution of Ganga won him International acclaim - he figures on the UNEP's Global 500 role of honour and the Time magazine calls him one of the 7 heroes of the planet.
He applauded the students for their enthusiastic participation towards this noble cause. |
