In front of the Gates of Gandhi Park
Taking their movement against the indiscriminate felling of trees in Dehradun to the ordinary people of this city, Citizens For Green Doon today staged a Nukkad Natak in front of Gandhi Park this Sunday, 13 September 2009, evening.
Several students performed a street skit called “Hari Zindagi”, written by the renowned theatre personality of Dehradun, Alok Ulfat. Speaking on the occasion Alok said that youth hold the key to the future and involving them in protecting the environment is the only way to safeguard our future. Directed by Raman Rawat, the 15 min skit showed the conflict between unbridled “development” combined with materialism on one hand and humanity along with nature on the other. Those who participated in the skit included: Dhruv Mehta, Yamini Negi, Archana Upadhyaya, Simren Bhasin, Neel Sharma, Sachin & Sagar Walia. The skit received a thunderous applause at the end by the audience.
Singing Songs
Carrying a poster in his hand, Rituraj Singh, a student of St. Thomas College, said “This play was so well performed that it has brought tears in my eyes. The scene in which Mother Earth cries out at the murder her children (trees) left me with a lump in my throat”.
The Street Kit "Hari Zindagi"
Participants at the Dharna were critical of the Forest Department of Dehradun, which recently acknowledged in response to an RTI application that it gave permission for cutting down 9000 trees in the recent years for widening of the roads in Dehradun, while planting a meagre 1400 trees in compensation. Slogans against the Forest Department and the District Forest Officer of Dehradun were raised intermittently. “The officers of the forest department are paid out of tax payer’s money to protect and look after the trees” rued Monisha Singh, a teacher in St. Joseph’s Academy. “They are obviously very lax in performing their duties” she added.
The Dharna in front of the Gates of Gandhi Park
Another group of volunteers together with Aina Group, under the guidance of Abhinav Goyal, sang a song “Bhole Bhala loog”, which asked the people to wake up and realize the importance of environmental degradation. Among those who participated included Mrs. Laksha Mehta, Anku Mehta Sharma, Bhumika, Amrita, Gayatri, Shiv Raj Sharma, Kavita Saxens, Jasvinder Singh & Sunil.
Street Children appreciating the play
Watching the proceedings without literally batting an eyelid, was Mrs. Swaraj Mehta, a prominent business woman and a social worker in Dehradun, who was herself a keen dramatist in her college days “The enthusiasm with which the children have performed today was wonderful. They connected well with the audience and managed to convey their message.” She added “It was also a great feeling to see my grandson, Dhruv Mehta, performing on stage for the first time and that too, for such a great cause.”
Prominent among those who attended the dharna were Dr Bhim Pandhi, Dr Amit Singh, Mrs Sonia Pandey, Ms. Anjali Bhatia, Mr. Anish Lal, Mr.AS Bisht & Saroj Bhatt from Garhwal Sabha.
Some of the performers
