I guess we did it in the summer hols so that children could have some fun.
You rarely see moms and dads taking their little kids out to the seashore, armed with buckets, pails and little spades, to build castles out of wet sand.
Perhaps, some artistic young people of Adyar should hold Sunday camps on the beach side this summer.
Well, last weekend, some young people carved a Olive Ridley turtle on this beach. A really large one. The act was one of the many things that made up a Beach Fest hosted by the Civil Society Group
.I came across this group when it became public that the city Corporation wanted to 'beautify' the beach and on its agenda were plans to put up many structures on the sands. And a few beach users were against it. They wanted to discuss the plans, involve people and then plan the project.
The Group is small; some studied at the KFI-The School or are on its campus now. There are also a few community activists and Adyarites who have lived in this region for decades.
But they seem serious. They have conducted a survey amongst beach users on what must be done on this beach. They have had meetings with the civic officials too. They have invited professionals to present alternatives and ideas. Architect Tara Murali who is also with INTACH has been one such.
And the most positive action from their side has been to move forward - so they are convincing the hawkers who sell bajjis and fried fish, who run 'shoot-the balloon' stalls and the rest not to use plastic cups and bags and not to dump waste in the sands. I hear the food hawkers are being given water cans and paper plates so they we can avoid using plastic water sachets. . .
The CSG also seems alive. So when the Corporation of Chennai began to chop down many avenue trees ( some were over 50 years old) on Sardar Patel Road, to make space for a new flyover at the Madhya Kailash junction, the start point of that smart-looking IT Corridor road, the CSG volunteers responded.
Some of them sent a flurry of e-mails in protest, some rushed out at midnight to challenge the labourers who were sawing the trunks and they organised a protest demo on the main road. ( The photos here are by C P Dhanasekar)
Though the effort is small, disconnected and lags when the issues are so severe, it needs appreciation.
That is because there are very few civil society groups who are alive to issues that affect Chennai. We do not have people of stature who stick their neck out, who sign petitions or lead a protest.
And we need stronger action in the face of unilateral, one-sided plans that are thrust on this city.
I was hoping that the IITians and the College of Engg. students would be engaged in the 'trees' campaign. It did not happen.
If you want to join this group, email to - civilsocietygroup@googlegroups.com
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