The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Marching for a better city

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Monday, Mar 17, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Marching for a better city

Staff Reporter

Rally to create awareness about a clean city taken out

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

For a cleaner city: Residents of Malleswaram and members of LeadCap participating in an awareness rally in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: Pedestrians and commuters on the relatively-less busy roads of Malleshwaram were taken by surprise on Sunday evening as they saw a group of children and adults take out a rally and shout slogans, declaring their love for Bangalore.

Organised by LeadCap, a non-governmental organisation, students from various colleges and schools and adults marched from Sankey Park entrance in 18th Cross Malleswaram through Sampige Road and back to Sankey Park via Bashyam Circle. This rally is the fourth of its kind conducted in the city, the previous ones being held at Mahatma Gandhi Road, Jayanagar and Indiranagar. The next rally will be held in Koramangala on March 30.

The move aims at inculcating leadership qualities in each individual and to create awareness among people. Participants took a pledge to work towards a better city and nation.

“The Government itself cannot do everything. Bangalore is at a very bad juncture right now and can be saved only by the effort and initiative of citizens,” says Bhavya Kamaraj, a software engineer, who led the Malleswaram march. Students from various schools and colleges such as MES College participated in the rally.

Aashana, a 13-year-old volunteer, who was shouting slogans in Kannada, said that it was the litter on the roads that bothered her the most. Placards reflected on several issues such as following traffic rules, keeping the streets clean and even saving the trees.

Though the rally was not as populated as the previous ones, it was a success in the fact that it made several people walk up to them and ask questions.

This reporter found several people on the street who started their own conversations about the issue and also appreciated the spirit of young students.

Sangeeth Varghese, founder of the organisation, is confident that such initiatives will catch on and transform the face of the nation. “The focus here is on leadership. These people will take up the initiative and slowly bring about the change that the country needs. We want this to provide a platform for individuals as well as civil society organisations to make their voice heard,” he added.

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