No crackers please, the spirit is crackling enough..

October 27, 2008

No crackers please, the spirit is crackling enough

DNA Correspondent

Monday, October 27, 2008 03:26 IST

It's that time of the year again, when Mumbai divides itself into two

halves; those who burst firecrackers and the others who shut their doors and

windows and plug their eardrums.

The youngsters of Lok Group Society — a colony of three buildings in Kalyan

— have decided to boycott firecrackers this year. " While there may be some

errant youngsters, most of them have pledged to not burst firecrackers and

have even joined in our efforts to create awareness against it, " said

Pradeep Nayak, a resident of the society who is spearheading the effort.

" It wasn't easy to convince people, especially teenagers, who had been given

money to purchase firecrackers. Many elders also protested saying it was a

tradition to burst crackers during Diwali, " said 16-year-old Prajakta

Sawant, a resident of the society.

To promote their cause, about 100 children from the society, who are a part

of Gaia Nature Club, organised a rally on Saturday to create awareness about

the ill-effects of bursting firecrackers. " We also performed skits and put

up posters and banners about noise pollution, " added 18-year old Amey Nayak.

On Sunday, the youngsters organised sports events and games for the other

residents. " We felt that that merely creating awareness would not work

unless we gave children and adults an alternative. So, we organised other

activities to keep them entertained, " said Pradeep.

But this isn't the first time that the youngsters tried to spread awareness

about the ill-effects of firecrackers. " We have been organising signature

campaigns and silent protest marches for the past four years, but it is this

year that our campaign became successful, " said Pradeep.

" This is a positive step taken by the society's youngsters. Our volunteers

helped them organise the rallies and create awareness, " said Nilesh Bhanage,

general secretary, Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

--

Mansi Bhanage

Rescue - Co-ordinator

+91 9820161114

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