The Impossible Beach

On the morning of Sunday, 19th February, 2017, the Water Conservation Community launched their Clean up project at Chimbai Beach (Bandra west). This exercise was carried out inorder with an aim to study the beach and plan for the big clean-up movement which will be held on 26th February. Renowned Sailor Shibani Sachdeva is leading this movement along with Prof. Omkar Bhatkar from St. Andrews College in collaboration with a few colleges from Mumbai who are striving to get back the beauty and serenity of the beach.

By 7 a.m. a group of around 70 people which included students from St. Andrews College, Rizvi College, MMK college and Sydenham College, along with members from the team of WCC and the BMC gathered at the Chimbai cross. After praying for the success of the project and singing the National anthem, the group proceeded to deal with the task at hand. The exercise was learning and mesmerising experience for everyone present there. The dedication, passion and love for the ocean brought the group together, united as one to make the big difference everyone longs for.

The participants were disheartened on their arrival at the beach due to the large amounts of garbage dumped on the beach. The beach was no less than a dumping ground. Cleaning all the garbage was definitely beyond the teams’ capacity but with conviction they proceeded to do what they had gathered there for.Armed with gloves, masks and brooms, these earth volunteers began to pick as much dry garbage as they could and pile them up so that the BMC workers could then dispose the piles into the garbage trucks. These piles of garbage included mainly large amounts of empty cigarette packets, and broken glass bottle shards. Part of the garbage was also plastic cement sacks which were buried in the sand and had to be pulled out by the volunteers

After nearly 2 and half hours of dedicated and purposeful hard work, the stretch of beach that was attended to looked to have gained most of its original beauty. The feeling of exhilaration at the job well done brought a smile and sense of accomplishment to the young faces. All of the volunteers huddled together and yelled out the campaign slogan – Wake up Mumbai! Wake up India! There were patriotic songs and songs on social justice that were sung.

Each volunteer was given a candle which they lit and placed at the foot of the same cross at which prayers were offered at the start. After this moment of prayer, a healthy and sumptuous snack of puri bhaji and chai was provided.

These earth volunteers now look forward to uniting once again on the big day, hoping for a bigger number, for a bigger change, for a bigger mind, and a cleaner beach. On 26^th Feb’ 17, they will also bring ‘Art on the Beach’

It is high time we realise that by polluting our oceans and beaches we are causing harm not just to one aspect of the environment but rather to a whole ecosystem. In the long run we are murdering ourselves. Saving the ocean is saving me and you. Wakeup Mumbai! Wakeup India!

Written by Ziska Mendes and Sasha Cylesté D’moore