By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 31 Jul: A special programme was organised here on the occasion of Harela festival, which not only provided a platform to the creativity of children, but also gave a strong message of public awareness towards environmental protection. Organised in the Municipal Council Auditorium with the joint cooperation of Mussoorie BJP Mandal and Robust World Sanstha, poetry recitation and a painting competition were organised, in which students from various schools participated enthusiastically. The participating children presented the beauty of nature, the utility of forests, water conservation and the need for greenery in a very emotional manner through their paintings and poems. While some poems expressed the voice of trees in words, the paintings also reflected serious problems like global warming and plastic pollution. The students gave the message through their creations that “the earth will be saved only when we save trees”, which forced everyone sitting in the auditorium to think.
In the poetry competition, Asmita Nautiyal – Class 11 – Saraswati Shishu Mandir Vidya Mandir, got the first place, Anushka Tiwari – Class 10 – CJM Beverly School was second, and Sonakshi Uniyal – Class 8 – Mussoorie Girls Inter College, third. In the painting competition, Amit Kumar – Class 11 – RN Bhargava Inter College got first place, Payal Negi – Class 11 – Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, came second, while Shraddha – Class 12 – Nirmala Inter College took third place.
The Chief Guest, Subhash Badwal, inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp. He said that when children get creative platforms like this, the emotional attachment they develop towards the environment remains for life. The Harela festival is not just a tradition, but it is the beginning of a responsibility for the coming generations. He appealed to the people present to take a pledge for environmental protection and plant as many trees as possible. He pointed out that the event not only gave children a platform for self-expression, but also showed society that even small efforts for nature can be the first step towards big change.
The organisers declared that such events will be organised continuously in the future so that awareness about the environment remains in the minds of the people.
Robust World Sanstha founder Dr Shubh Bishnoi said that the organisation has been organising various public awareness programs in collaboration with BJP Mandal Mussoorie since 16 July. He said that Harela is not just a festival, it is a movement to reach the call of environment to every home, every heart. The organisation has also held environmental workshops, tree plantation drives, street plays and cleanliness rallies in schools under the Harela festival.
Dr Shubh Bishnoi also announced that this campaign will not be limited to the festival only, but will continue throughout the year through various activities. Students of St Clare Convent School, Mussoorie Public School, Sanatan Dharma Girls Inter College, RN Bhargava Inter College, Mussoorie Girls Inter College, Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, Sanatan Dharma Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, CJM Hampton Court School, Nirmala Inter College and CJM Beverly participated in the competition.
