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Is it worth the trouble?
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Teach children the ill-effects of using plastic and they will soon become eco-sensitive. But this requires commitment on the part of teachers.
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BRAVING THE chaotic traffic near Panagal Park, T. Nagar, 50 students of Sarada Vidyalaya formed a human chain recently — albeit broken, because half of them stood across the road — to highlight the need to avoid using plastic carry-bags.
`Avoid carry bags. Carry a bag,' `Plastic carry bags cause cancer' screamed some of the placards in English. The logical premise of some of the placards could be questioned but that's not important here. The young girls squirmed and giggled but held their ground as vehicles and people streamed past, sometimes too closely for comfort.
Ms. Booma Srinivasan, a teacher of the school, said, ``We need to highlight this. We must stop using plastic bags.'' She said, ``Yes, all of us have stopped using plastic bags. Unless we practise it first, what right have we to preach it?'' A very sensible stand.
Let us first consider the positive aspects of the initiative. Children are the best source for such propagation. Even the most reticent child is more likely to listen to the teacher than not. So a teacher's directive will be honoured. And what better source than children who would grow up to be adults some years from now? Teach the children the ill-effects of using plastic bags, and you will have permanent ecosensitive converts.
Standing in single file in public requires discipline and motivation. Especially when holding ground next to surging and at times even chaotic traffic. One could guess that it would probably make these children less shy in future.
The negative aspects of this effort are not many. First, it could be hazardous to make the children stand next to ill-disciplined road-users. The possibility of ``what if...?'' is real.
Second, when the initiative lasts for only 10 minutes, it shows up more as an outcome of compulsion of the teachers (to show that they formed a human chain) than a result of a deep belief. A 10-minute show is just a show, with no lasting effect. And when the students stand along the road, there is hardly any chance that the road users will pause to look at what the placards said. The urge to move on fast is strong.
The worst came later. A teacher was seen buying fruits near Ranganathan Street. The fruit was delivered in a plastic carry bag, which was graciously accepted. Understandably, because the teacher's bag was bulging impossibly — with bundles of answer scripts and probably her lunch box. It would not have been a very reassuring sight if any of her school students had seen her carrying a plastic bag full of fruits.
So the teachers of the school need to be convinced first and should practise the belief before they begin preaching to the students. Needless to say, a teacher should set an example and be a role model for the students.
GOUTAM GHOSH
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