JOIN USManipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) celebrated the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi by launching Daan Utsav.
As part of the Utsav, 500 children below 12 years of age participated in Kidathon, organised jointly by Volunteer Services Organisation, Sports Council, MAHE and Madhava Kripa School Manipal.
The Edu Building in MAHE came alive at the crack of dawn as children queued up for registration on Wednesday. There was enthusiasm on the face of every child and parent accompanying them.
For registration, each child had to carry five plastic items and deposit them with the organisers for scrapping. The children marched from the University building to KMC Greens shouting slogans such as ‘say no to single-use plastics’.
MAHE Pro-Chancellor Dr H S Ballal who launched the Utsav stressed that children are the leaders of our country’s tomorrow and the country’s future depends on them.
Let us join together to make this planet plastic-free,” he declared.
“In this Daan Utsav-2019, MAHE hopes to bring about a significant change in society. We are trying to spread awareness. This can best be done through children as they have the most impressionable minds and through them, we can reach out to many families,” said Dr Anup Naha, Volunteer Service Organisation (VSO) chief coordinator.