Dear friends!
Wish you a very Happy New Year first of all!

Stepping in the new year on the right note, well I got reminded from Ankush, what he says about Rotaract. I formed a group in Shimla, almost four years ago by the name of 'Shlaysh Vrind' Umfortunately it was a dead society within a year itself as college students could not participate more actively. But in a few initial months there was good response and we did all sorts of good things. The motto was "Charity begins at home." With small programs like being environment friendly and going to schools and teacing children how to be environment friendly.

POLYTHENE
Like for example, if I am buying a pack of chips why do I need another polythene? Say no. Secondly, if a polythene is inevitable like vegetables, which are carried home and are used for just five minutes and when at home they are tucked away. So what we did was at our weekend meetings we all got the polythenes nicely laid out to our meetings, collected them and gave it to a vegetable seller to use them again. We did that in schools also, asked children to bring used polythenes that are not dirty and soiled, collect them and give it in cooperative / government stores. It was mandatory that they were clean.  Such small initiatives go a long way but the tempo has to be maintained and unfortunately the society became dead. We refrained form complete ban on plastic as it was impractical. We have to go step by step. The idea has to be driven into the mind how plastic is harmful for nature, then it can be carried forward for total ban.

TREE FELLING
There is a school in Sanjauli - "St. Xavier's". The school administration felled down a few trees to build up a new school building. And there was a blackboard or a notice board outside it. What we did was everyday in the evening or night, we posted a message on the blackboard with a chalk. -- "Save environment, save trees -- Even the school does not fell trees" Secondly we bombarded the school with personal mails. I do not know how much the principal was embarrased or would he refrain from such acts in future but it did make an impact on others who visited the school and passed by. Though the message remained there on the board till the teachers or the principal saw it. But we did it every night then for a week.
I know these are small initiatives but they make a beginning at least.

BLOOD DONATION
Getting the cue from Ankush, why not organize a camp in the new year. I know it would need a Herculian task to organize but why not get started in Delhi?

Regards,
Dhaleta Surender Kumar