PATHANKOT DIARY The Indian Heritage School, Bungal (Pathankot), celebrated the World Environment Day in a unique manner. The day is marked throughout the world since its inception by the United Nations in 1974. The school invited a renowned artist, Ashok Chitrakar, to teach the students what the day was all about. His works motivated students to save planet Earth. This correspondent caught up with him on the sidelines of the function. “The environment is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing all of us share. So why degrade it? Children should understand that our planet’s alarm is going off and it is time to wake up and take action. Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations. Through my paintings and sketches I have exhorted the students to nurture nature so that we can have a better future,” said Chitrakar which, incidentally, is his pen name. He added that students these days were not interested in taking up the study of environmental science. “It actually is a study of how living things impact the environment. I have seen that many people in society trying to help improve the environment but others just cause more damage. We are already reeling under the impact of global warming, a phenomenon which is caused by rapid deforestation and pollution. If we destroy our atmosphere, we may not be able to rebuild it. And without it, there will be no oxygen for us to breath. Humans need to breathe in order to live and without an atmosphere the human species would all but cease to exist. Through my works, I urge students to take up the subject of environmental sciences,” he added. The staff and students were impressed by Chitarkar’s paintings and also by his ability to drive home the message loud and clear. “Damage to the environment by humans, such as industrialisation, deforestation and urbanisation greatly adds to environmental pollution. A lot is being said and heard these days about the need for a clean atmosphere and the steps that must be taken for the reduction of environmental pollution and to give way to a clean and healthy eco-system. But the problem is how many people are really interested in cleaning up the mess they themselves have created in the first place?” averred Sana Aggarwal, a Class IX student. Another student, Vriti Mahajan of Class VIII, outlined the reasons for the environment getting polluted. “Human activities, like burning of fossil fuel and cement production, results in the emission of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas. On the other hand, ammonia-based fertilisers also add to the problem,” she maintained. School Vice Principal Saurabh Painuli asked the students to take a pledge to save the surroundings and the atmosphere.

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