If you were at Khar Gymkhana last weekend, an attractive seat under a tent would have caught your attention even before the hurried activity could. For those of you who missed it, the tent and the seat were made out of old plastic bottles. Created by DIRT, an NGO that works towards propagating the message of recycling, the installation introduced Go Green Carnival, a first-of-its-kind initiative at Khar Gymkhana.
"Instilling an environmental spine in everybody" was the reason members such as Dharmendra Savansukha and Raju Advani came together to host an event like this. "We believe that waste can be converted into a great resource and we wanted to bring it to everyone's attention by presenting it in an interactive and engaging way," said Savansukha.
Established NGOs such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) shared space with relatively lesser known ones such as Nature Forever Society (NFS). NFS aims to highlight the decreasing number of sparrows in the city. While patrons could visit the stalls in support of the NGOs, the carnival also owed its vibrant mood to the multiple workshops organised over the two days.
Nrityanjali, an NGO that aims to make children aware of their surroundings primarily through performing arts, held a workshop on making the best out of waste. "We have used the 3D effect to underline the severity of the problem that is imminent if we continue with the way things are. The theme for the activity is 'Nurture Nature', and the teams are bringing it alive through their own interpretations," says Anonna, Wildlife Co-ordinator for Nrityanjali. The team also presented a street play titled Lachar Bezubaan and a few dance performances by its students, driving home the message to those present.
Supporting the Khar Gymkhana team in their efforts were several corporate partners including Firefox Cycles, Reva, the battery-powered car from the Mahindra & Mahindra stable, Nirmal Enterprise, the water purifier company, LED lamp manufacturers Treen Technologies, among others. Café 21, the team that presented interesting eco-friendly snacking options was a huge draw with their Green Maya, an herbal refreshing green tea concoction that had everybody back for seconds.
Speaking about their association with the event, Firoza Suresh, Maharashtra Operations In-charge for Firefox Cycles said, "The theme of protecting the environment shares a strong synergy with cycling, so this has been a perfect platform for us."
Commenting on the event, Khar resident Jasi Chadha, said, "This unique initiative encourages us to take simple and small measures to protect the environment in any way that we can. Even the bottle installation is a strong message of how beautiful waste can be when it's upcycled well. While I try to do little things like switching off the lights and fans or turning off water faucets, I am hoping to learn something new here."
"We have a waste quantum of about 800 kg at the Gymkhana," said Advani, "We intend to initiate a bio-gas project whereby we can provide livelihood to at least two rag pickers, who would be tasked with the collection of waste. We will also use the proceeds from this to secure education and medical facilities and so on. 'Giving Tuesdays' is another initiative that we will launch shortly wherein residents of the area will donate their newspapers, plastic waste and tetra packs. These will be used to set up a fund to sponsor scholarships for the staff members of the Gymkhana."
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