A cylindrical drum filled with dried leaves greets me at the school ground. Next to it are neatly-stacked herbal plants. A little further, near the cricket nets, there are kolakesiya, banana and pineapple plants.
Since four years ago, when I left Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, my alma matter has grown greener.
With the help of the Swami Vivekananda Study Circle, students have started working towards increasing the green cover on the campus, and have also learnt how to reduce the generatation of waste.
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The study circle, started in 2015, has 85 students from classes 8 to 11.
Now, for the last one year, the green activities of the club have become more vibrant with the involvement of Kapaleecharam, formed under the aegis of Mylapore Residents’ Welfare Association.
Sumitra Srikanth, a Kapaleecharam member and a parent of the school, has been spearheading these initiatives, along with students and teachers.
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Last year, 150 students of class XII were given money plants in recycled plastic bottles along with their hall tickets.
“I ask all my students to bring onion, garlic and fruit peels to add to the compost bin. In a class, around 20 students bring them regularly. Food waste from the canteen also goes into the bin, which we later use as manure for all the plants. The support staff pour water every day to ensure moisture is retained and composting process, speeded up,” saiys Vijayshree Sarath, a teacher at the school.
The school has organic gardens in three places. Over 120 pots of neem, thulasi, karpuravalli, aloe vera and croutons are placed close to the school’s main entrance inside metal fences.
The second one has been set up near the cricket nets. A terrace garden was established in April last year.
“We grow basil, tomato, brinjal, ladies finger and other vegetables. There are also around 112 cotton saplings that we are tending. Once they grow fully, we will plant them in a village near Navallur,” says Priyadarshan, a class XI student.
Guiding students
“I initially provided grow bags and seeds to set up the terrace garden. Later, I explained the entire concept using a power-point presentation and videos to the children. The students set up the garden,” says Sumitra, who is well-versed with organic terrace gardening.
The dry leaves take around three months to fully decompose and become manure. “With the help of study circle members and scouts from the school we have helped clean the Chitrakulam and the Virupaksha temple tank. This was when the Kapaleecharam group contacted me to present me with the Green Warrior award of the year. After this, Sumitra and I started working together to promote a green and clean environment,” says Vijayshree.
The Kapaleecharam group plans to create a similar atmosphere at other schools in Mylapore by deploying one member in every school to guide and monitor these activities.