Sannidhi Street in Mylapore got a makeover recently thanks to students of The Grove School and Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre for Children, who wielded the broom.
Removing plastics, paper and prasadam plates, the students of class X said they were happy to participate in the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat campaign.
The 40-odd students and staff from these two institutions collected eight bags of trash, which they handed over to the Chennai Corporation staff.
“We chose the street since it is a busy one with many shops and is frequented by devotees, shopkeepers and shoppers. We wanted to grab their attention. The children went to the shops and asked people to avoid plastic and carry their own bags for shopping,” explained P. Sudhakar, Joint Director, C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre that manages the schools.
One of the students P. Advaith said that they had taken a pledge to keep the environment clean. The students now plan to support the civic staff at the Nageswararao Park in Luz in their efforts to keep it clean.
Like the fictional Man of Steel, these Chennaiites also don two identities. While life in the mornings is all about formals and meetings and number crunching, by evening (or early morning), they are transformed into artistes, sportsmen, tutors and what not!
“It is an extremely satisfying feeling,” said R. Suguna, a professional, who teaches glass painting to children after she returns from work. “This is my favourite hobby, and the moment I begin teaching after gruelling shifts, I feel rejuvenated,” she said.
R. Kumari, a student, takes Bharatnatyam classes for women and children. “I have 12 students including children and adult women. Teaching them has helped me learn more about the art and made me focused,” she said.
M. Karthikeyan, a software professional from K.K.Nagar, gives football coaching to school children. “Football has always been my first love, but when I began working, I got so involved that I never had time for any recreation. I became increasingly frustrated. I needed some balance in life. My friend suggested I take up football since I was good at it. So I chose to coach my colony children, every day, early in the morning,” he said.
(Reporting by
Deepa H. Ramakrishnan and Aditi R.)
