Mumbai school kids sweep up sea of garbage at Chimbai beach

Instead of the usual garbage-strewn stretch they spot from their windows every morning, the Chimbai beach on Friday was bustling with school children, who wielded brooms with great zeal as they cleaned up the beach.

Residents of Dhaval Ganga building in Bandra woke up to an unfamiliar sight on Friday morning. Instead of the usual garbage-strewn stretch they spot from their windows every morning, the Chimbai beach on Friday was bustling with school children, who wielded brooms with great zeal as they cleaned up the beach.

School-children-from-Beacon-High-School-in-Khar-RN-Podar-School-in-Santacruz-and-St-Stanislaus-School-in-Bandra-joined-the-HT-Clean-My-Mumbai-initiative-to-clean-Chimbai-beach-Prodip-Guha-HT-photo

School children from Beacon High School in Khar, RN Podar School in Santacruz, and St Stanislaus School in Bandra joined the Hindustan Times Clean My Mumbai initiative on Friday. Donning gloves and masks, bearing dustbins and garbage bags, some of the children got busy sweeping up the area, while others held placards that motivated their friends to complete the task.

Varun Shekhar, 11, class 6 student of RN Podar School, said, “It’s our duty to clean and preserve our environment. I want to see Mumbai clean and green.” Aditiya Sanadhya, another Class 8 student of St Stanislaus High School, Bandra, said, “Our Prime Minister has asked us to clean our country. We started with our school and our house, and now we have reached our city.”

Mona Anil from an organisation called All for Kids, which helped organise the clean-up drive, said, “It starts with the children. They have to be part of it, and not just mere spectators.”

School children from Beacon High School in Khar, RN Podar School in Santacruz, and St Stanislaus School in Bandra joined the HT Clean My Mumbai initiative to clean Chimbai beach. (Prodip Guha/HT photo)

The students were later joined by volunteers from the Laughter Yoga Club, who helped them clean the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Dhaval Ganga residents expressed delight at the work being done by the kids. “The beach is the most ignored part of Bandra. We have been struggling to keep the beach clean. We are happy that something is finally being done,” said Jyoti Pillai, a resident.

After spending a few hours at the spot, the students headed back to their classrooms. “If need be, we will come back and clean it again,” said Srushti Bandekar, Class 9 student at Beacon High School.