Ganigarapalya Government School Cleanup

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi 

The premises of Ganigarapalya Government School are generally well kept. However there are areas between the two buildings that are short of good aesthetics and two regions primarily among them could be considered as needing attention and good upkeep. 

Communities in India need to develop a strong sense of hygiene with good social norms and implement processes which will lay a strong foundation in that regard. Our country is considered as developing, and the privileged and educated also does not yet equate to being aware of good social norms. Given this backdrop, a good portion of the area between these school buildings are unfortunately used for dumping garbage. The piled up waste makes this area look appalling and is unhygienic for the students and teachers of the school. This path is the main thoroughfare to access much of the school.

These areas were periodically cleaned with considerable effort. However the dumping did not cease and waste rebounded to get accumulated in big heaps. Over a period of time, people in the area, BBMP workers and the local community, realized that repeated rigorous cleaning was not a lasting solution. The solution was in creating awareness amongst people surrounding this area, that this main thoroughfare is important to be well kept, and instilling in them a sense of belonging with ownership. 

Picture below illustrates the requirements for better upkeep:

For the awareness campaign the kids of the school were enlisted. They visited pretty much every house in the community, educating and imbibing in them a sense of pride of a good well kept street. The places to dispose of garbage which is periodically collected by the city were also given to the households.  The kids enjoyed this endeavor and practiced campaigning and educating skills.

Pictures of Awareness Campaign of the students and Volunteers:

On 19th November 2022, Mrs. Chaitanya from Mission Disha, BBMP Solid Waste Management Team,  CPP Volunteers and Hongirana Foundation took on the onerous task of cleaning up this alley.  

Before and after pictures illustrate this effort.

After the street was brought to order, Team Hongirana organized a beautification project of the walls that bound the alley. The walls were painted with beautiful murals that enhanced the visuals of the street. Art not only made the street pleasing to the eye, but the science on the behavioral patterns of human beings suggests that, Art tends to get preserved and thereby the street would remain clean.  It reminds people to not dump garbage and develop a feeling of goodness about the street. Overall, it was a successful project to make the street clean and visually appealing. 

Pictures of their efforts and work are attached below:

In summary, with the hard work of  innumerable volunteers, students and local community, It culminated in a good looking street, contributing to the hygiene of the area. Children and Teachers can access the buildings of the School with greater ease and comfort with cleanliness surrounding them. There is also increased hope that residents of the street and its vicinity will depict greater responsibility benefitting all.

Once again our thanks to Mrs. Chaitanya from Mission Disha, BBMP SWM and the local community . We are also very thankful  to Sri Ramaswamy from Ganigarapalya for extending support locally and making residents see us as part of them.  It was wonderful to witness the progress of the project starting from 19th November and ending on 25th January.   Attached below are pictures and a video of the completion of the project.

                                          

HG Foundation Beautification Results