Schools in city go green this Raksha Bandhan

Tashvi Kapoor, 5, will tie a rakhi not only to her one-year-old brother, but also to a tree in her school. On Wednesday, Kapoor and 10,000 other pre-school students from 28 centres of Podar Jumbo Kids will tie rakhis to trees as a gesture to protect them.

Tashvi Kapoor, 5, will tie a rakhi not only to her one-year-old brother, but also to a tree in her school. On Wednesday, Kapoor and 10,000 other pre-school students from 28 centres of Podar Jumbo Kids will tie rakhis to trees as a gesture to protect them.

HT Image

Students will take up the cause on the lines of the Chipko Movement of the 1970s. “I love trees and I will hug them to tell people not to cut them,” said Kapoor, a senior KG student at the pre-school centre in Santacruz.

“This is a step towards educating children about the importance of trees, and it fits in with the theme of love and protection that Raksha Bandhan embodies,” said Swati Popat Vats, director, Podar Jumbo Kids. Vats had conceptualised the idea last year but was able to implement it only at one centre in Pune owing to the paucity of time.

While some students will remain at their centres, others will visit neighbouring parks. “This is a good initiative by students to protect trees,” said D Stalin, an environmentalist. “However, it is more important that the message reaches other citizens for this to have any impact,” he said.

Environmental awareness seems to be the common thread for Raksha Bandhan celebrations at several city schools this year. At JBCN International School, Borivli, and Kapole Vidyanidhi International School, Kandivli, students will make rakhis from organic material such as waste paper, grains, seeds and flowers.