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Ubiquitous plastic bag once an elitist fad
Refuse, Reuse, Recycle!” was the motivational slogan coined by Uttarakhand’s Director General of Police (Rules and Manual) Alok B Lal as thoughts synched and hearts united at the scintillating valedictory celebrations of The Pioneer’s environmental aware-ness programme on Monday.
In a bid to contribute to societal development as a national daily newspaper, The Pioneer had launched a city-wide anti-polythene drive on December 10, 2011. The campaign had been flagged off enthusiastically in the presence of Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand Government, Subhash Kumar and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, RBS Rawat.
In the weeks that followed, staff of The Pioneer and over 200 teenage volunteers traversed entire Dehradun gifting specially woven jute bags to people from diverse demographics, convincing them to adopt eco-friendly alternatives to the sadly ubiquitous polythene carry bag. Over 12,000 bags were given away as tokens of motivation with support from ONGC.
On December 26, the drive peaked to a frenetic climax that left all with renewed spirits. The end of this programme was indeed the beginning of a positive change in public mindset. Attended by a select group of dignitaries and chaired by Lal, Monday’s event witnessed enthusiastic participation from eminent personalities including Dehradun’s Upa Mukhya Nagar Adhikari HS Rawat, Dr Ashraf Khan of MIC Skin Care and columnist Brig. CS Thapa. Adding colour to the programme were over a hundred youngsters from Government Girls Inter-College, Drona’s School and other institutes.
In a function that continued for over two hours under the warmth of a golden sun, time seemed to stand still as the message to protect our ecology from polythene damage was reinforced in myriad, powerful forms. While girls from GGIC staged well-choreographed dances, songs and literary renditions, students of Drona’s International School enacted an impacting portrayal “Maanav, tu bann gayaa daanav (Man, you have become the demon)” and presented bilingual speeches. As the variety of structure added interest to the cultural show, the dire need to preserve the Earth ran throughout the repertoire as a common message.
Known already as an adept painter, gifted singer and a respected official, DGP Lal left the audience touched by his heartfelt address as chief guest on the occasion. Reminiscing about his salad days, he spoke of how, during those times, plastic bags were not commonplace but elitist accessories brought to India mostly by foreign visitors. “Back then, in Indian homes plain cloth jholas formed a quintessential part of domestic paraphernalia. Plastic bags were an object of desire seen when someone travelling abroad brought them along. I remember how there would be animated talk in families about these fancy-looking imported plastic bags. The bags were even preserved as souvenirs of western charm.”
Refuse, Reuse, Recycle!” was the motivational slogan coined by Uttarakhand’s Director General of Police (Rules and Manual) Alok B Lal as thoughts synched and hearts united at the scintillating valedictory celebrations of The Pioneer’s environmental aware-ness programme on Monday.
In a bid to contribute to societal development as a national daily newspaper, The Pioneer had launched a city-wide anti-polythene drive on December 10, 2011. The campaign had been flagged off enthusiastically in the presence of Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand Government, Subhash Kumar and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, RBS Rawat.
In the weeks that followed, staff of The Pioneer and over 200 teenage volunteers traversed entire Dehradun gifting specially woven jute bags to people from diverse demographics, convincing them to adopt eco-friendly alternatives to the sadly ubiquitous polythene carry bag. Over 12,000 bags were given away as tokens of motivation with support from ONGC.
On December 26, the drive peaked to a frenetic climax that left all with renewed spirits. The end of this programme was indeed the beginning of a positive change in public mindset. Attended by a select group of dignitaries and chaired by Lal, Monday’s event witnessed enthusiastic participation from eminent personalities including Dehradun’s Upa Mukhya Nagar Adhikari HS Rawat, Dr Ashraf Khan of MIC Skin Care and columnist Brig. CS Thapa. Adding colour to the programme were over a hundred youngsters from Government Girls Inter-College, Drona’s School and other institutes.
In a function that continued for over two hours under the warmth of a golden sun, time seemed to stand still as the message to protect our ecology from polythene damage was reinforced in myriad, powerful forms. While girls from GGIC staged well-choreographed dances, songs and literary renditions, students of Drona’s International School enacted an impacting portrayal “Maanav, tu bann gayaa daanav (Man, you have become the demon)” and presented bilingual speeches. As the variety of structure added interest to the cultural show, the dire need to preserve the Earth ran throughout the repertoire as a common message.
Known already as an adept painter, gifted singer and a respected official, DGP Lal left the audience touched by his heartfelt address as chief guest on the occasion. Reminiscing about his salad days, he spoke of how, during those times, plastic bags were not commonplace but elitist accessories brought to India mostly by foreign visitors. “Back then, in Indian homes plain cloth jholas formed a quintessential part of domestic paraphernalia. Plastic bags were an object of desire seen when someone travelling abroad brought them along. I remember how there would be animated talk in families about these fancy-looking imported plastic bags. The bags were even preserved as souvenirs of western charm.”
