Reader\'s Digest India - 09.2019

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AGE-OLD RITUAL, NEW PROTOCOL )

environment Karkidaka Vavu is an

annual ritual in Kerala, where Hindus

perform rites to their forefathers by

making an offering (bali). Celebrated

on the riverbanks and beaches of the

state, this holy day, every year, wit-

nesses collateral damage—plastic and

polythene bags, thermocol-based ma-

terials and other non-biodegradable

items. But this year it was different:

The Thiruvananthapuram district

administration had declared the

observance of ‘green protocol’. Turns

out, it was an excellent idea. “The

plastic ban was completely successful

in all the five major venues in the dis-

trict. Almost five lakh people partici-

pated in the ritual and only 10 kgs

of plastic waste was generated,” says

K. Gopalakrishnan, district collector,

Thiruvananthapuram, who closely

monitored the implementation of the

protocol. Here’s to many more such

environment-friendly initiatives.

GOOD NEWS

for a

Better Planet

34 september 2019

People at a Karkidaka Vavu bali

venue in Thiruvananthapuram