Geetanjali Krishna: Pedagogy of the parents

PEOPLE LIKE THEM

One morning, my six-year-old son came back from school, waving a pamphlet on hygiene. "We were told in school today that we must wash our hands before eating "" so I'm going to do that from today!"

I was a bit miffed; this was something I'd told him to do, at least five times a day, every day since he was born. He went on to educate me about other cleanliness dos and donts, which most moms in the world try to get their children to follow (I, for one, don't succeed most of the time).

It turned out that some people from a group called Green Credence had spoken to his class, and this new-found enthusiasm for hygiene was a result of that talk. When I saw him diligently wash his hands after playing in the park, I realised I had to meet this group to find out what magic they'd used.

"We began very small, one-and-a-half years ago," said P S Shahpuri, who founded the organisation. He runs a construction business, and developed a social conscience, thanks to his children.

"My daughter would return from her college in London, and wonder at how dirty her hometown was. So during her vacations, she began printing eco-awareness brochures on our home computer and handed them out at petrol pumps," said he.

Initially, he got involved just to keep her company, but soon, he was hooked. "We would stand in busy markets like Hauz Khas, to create awareness about the disastrous environmental consequences of using poly bags," he reminisced.

However, these projects met with little success. Today, Shahpuri and his group laugh about the number of times people they attempted to speak to, told them, not very politely, to mind their own business. Or the times when they were asked whether they didn't have anything more constructive to do.

"That's when we thought that perhaps children would be more receptive than their parents, and began doing programmes in schools," said Shahpuri. So, they devised pamphlets for different age groups on three themes "" environment, hygiene and health. Today, the group has been to over 75 schools in Delhi, telling children the environmental benefits of making small changes to their daily lives.

"We tell them that car-pooling saves fuel and traffic congestion, the advantages of using paper/ cloth bags instead of poly bags, the number of trees that need to be felled to provide the paper and pencils they use," said Lokesh, an investment agent, who works part time for Green Credence.

They've also started a Green Club for which children have to first promise to use eco-friendly practices, and also try to convince their families to do the same. "One of our aims is to convince more parents to opt for car-pools," said Lokesh.

"We get children to take our pamphlets home and ask their parents for help in filling out questionnaires," said he. They then build up a database of parents keen on pooled cars, and then try to help parents get together.

Green Credence has also covered schools in Chandigarh and Mohali, and now plans to spread out further. Pepsi, Avon Cycles, Reebok, McCain, Bajaj Capital and Education One have sponsored them so far.

"To reach out to the million-plus students just in Delhi, not once, but repeatedly, is a mammoth job in itself. That's why we need more donors," said Shahpuri. What would make him happy is to see his life come a full circle "" if Green Credence could inspire some children to change themselves and their parents, just as his daughter changed him, he'd think his job well done.