At Angalakuppam, a tiny village of Tamil Nadu bordering Puducherry, a group of around 20 children can be seen chasing each other, with some of them shouting ‘give me the bracelet.’
They are playing ‘Thannee Adi,’ a game that aims at sensitising children to water pollution. The children take turns playing roles as ‘attackers,’ ‘protectors,’ and ‘runners.’ The ‘attackers’ have to try and touch the ‘runners’ and give their bracelets, while the ‘protectors’ try to prevent this. In consecutive levels of the game, the children are told the bracelets are products that consumers buy, while the attackers are consumers, the runners are waterbodies and sources and the protectors are ecologists.
At a discussion following the game, the children are enthusiastic with their answers and suggestions.
Harini, a Class IV student, and her friends say they will tell their parents about substituting chemical pesticides with natural ones.
