JOIN USThe students of Sheshadripuram Academy of Business Studies (SABS) are definitely an environmentally-conscious bunch. They recently organised a rally, in Kengeri Satellite Town, which sought to promote the usage of eco-friendly Ganesha idols, an issue which the City faces every year during the habba season.
To make the rally effective, they also associated themselves with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
The thrust of the rally was to encourage people to use Ganesha idols that don’t harm the environment as a part of their festivities. Most people use idols which are coloured with dangerous chemicals, including lead and mercury.
The eco-friendly ones, however, are unpainted and made of clay, so that even after they are immersed, they do not pollute the City’s water bodies. The students came up with lots of information about the dangers of using the former, which they sought to share through the rally.
Around 600 students — also from colleges like SIPUC and Indira Priyadarshini College of Law — came together to carry out the rally. They were accompanied by their faculty members.
Jayaram, principal of Sheshadripuram Academy of Business Studies even shared some facts about how harmful lead-painted idols could be. He pointed out that they not only destroy the animal and plant life in water bodies, but also poisons the environment, and if mixed with water that is consumed, can have hazardous effects on people.
They carried two Ganesha idols with them. One was coloured, while the other was made of plain clay. The students shouted out slogans that highlighted the differences between the two idols, displayed placards with witty messages and even distributed pamphlets with some information literature to the residents of the area. It was indeed an informative rally.