New Delhi, Alaknanda, Oct. 5, 2018: A silent procession undertaken by the students of Don Bosco School Alaknanda on 5th Nov 2018.
With smoggy clouds engulfing the city, Delhi has witnessed an uphill ride in terms of quality of air. Pollution has taken a toll on residents. As the festive season of Diwali approached, it was naturally assumed that things would get worse. Ergo, as part of our HPE SEWA activity, our class 12-D took the initiative to spread awareness about the importance of Green Diwali and why bursting crackers might just be the last straw in polluting the environment. The awareness campaign included a morning assembly organized on the 2nd Nov 2018 in the school and a silent procession undertaken by the students of class 6 to 12 on 5th Nov 2018. To organize such an event, our class was divided into 4 groups with different tasks assigned to each group, namely- the Art Group, the Placards group, the Pledge group and the Speeches Group. The Art group was responsible for designing the notice boards and the petition board and for preparing badges to be worn by all students of the class. Their teamwork and enthusiasm helped in pulling off the task with great ease and brilliance. The artistic notice boards enriched our assembly and the badges surely enhanced our pride as flag bearers in the movement. To encourage the participation of all classes, the Placards team took up the responsibility to convince students from other classes to bring placards, banners, posters, and everything else that would help in the fight against pollution. Though the anticipated response was much less, the unwavering efforts of the team helped in garnering an astonishing number of placards from students. It was tremendously surprising and encouraging for us. It came across as a reward for our efforts. While the above 2 teams were more involved with the procession on 5th Nov 2018, the remaining 2 teams were closely associated with the Assembly on Friday, the 2nd of November. The Speeches and the Pledge team were responsible for drafting speeches to spread awareness about our cause. With their scintillating words, they were able to influence the students. The Pledge team also designed the pledge and distributed copies in all classes so that the students ponder over their promise and subsequently spread the belief. Besides distributing copies of the Pledge, our class also interacted with the students of other classes to further promote the cause. Our efforts resulted in an impactful assembly organized on Friday which was praised by all. It encouraged many students and teachers to pledge not to partake in polluting the environment. The assembly included speeches, audio-visual presentations and mellifluous songs to communicate the general idea. Monday saw another extravagant and successful procession where in students from all the classes participated. Human chains were formed with students holding placards in unison and requesting passers-by to sign the petition. The staggering response was an appreciation for all of us. The day ended with smiles of deep satisfaction highlighting each face. We knew that even if a few students refrained from bursting crackers, our purpose had been fulfilled. We retired to our homes knowing that our efforts and hard work had borne fruit.