Cold waves

Sharma’s personal activism got a platform when she heard about the campaign through various member schools of the project. She struck upon the idea of recycling tetra paks and wrote a Hindi jingle Lenge hatho me hath. “I wrote the jingle in Hindi because I wanted it to reach people beyond Pune and Maharashtra. I didn’t want language to be a barrier,” says Sharma. She adds that her school students recorded the jingle and it was aired on a radio station. Together with her students,Sharma also sent the jingle to people across the city in SMSs.

The response she got was overwhelming as people called to ask how they could put her idea to practical use. This led her to another idea,of holding workshops to educate residents about preserving the earth. Sharma shares she worked on her campaign from July to September last year and submitted a report of the campaign in October. The results were declared in January while the trip was organised recently.

Talking about her expedition with Swan,Sharma says,”It was an honour to be accompanied by him. He inspired me to be passionate about whatever I am doing to preserve the eco system. I learnt to be a leader and have courage during the toughest time.”

Back in the city,Sharma wants to carry on with the campaign. She is also trying to start various other environment-saving campaigns at grassroots levels as she believes that change begins from home. Her dream is to see a greener Pune in the next couple of years.