silent saturdays - the bulletin

A Rotaract Club of Jai Hind College Initiative

Silent Saturdays

“Silent Saturdays” was a project initiated by the Community Service

Avenue of the Rotaract Club of Jai Hind College. The project revolved around

the theme of Gandhigiri, a concept popularized by cinema in recent times. Every

Saturday of March, RCJCites took to the streets

of Mumbai, to silently protest a cause. Being in

its second edition, the event was bigger and

better! Each Saturday had a theme, as illustrated

alongside.

6th March Global Warming

12th March No Smoking

19th March Road Safety

25th March Ban on Plastic


The first of them all...

6th March: Global Warming

Silent Saturdays started with a bang with the

launch and a human chain against Global Warming that took place at Marine

Drive. The event poster was unveiled by Rtn. Mehul Sampat, Rotaract

Committee Chairperson of the Rotaract Club of Bombay. Then, the street play

followed. The play encapsulated the themes of the four Saturdays- Global

Warming, No Smoking, Obeying Traffic Rules and Banning Plastic Bags. It

was a short but impactful display of the thought processes of the youth of

Rotaract.There was a huge crowd that gathered to see the play.

Posters stressing on the causes targeted by the event were flashed at an

interval by people participating in the chain.

Passers - by too stopped at the sight of the

human chain. By that time the canvas was open

for people to express their views regarding

Global Warming. This too saw a number of

people from every age group wanting to voice

their opinions. From grafitti to picture

representation everything that one could imagine was on the canvas. This part

of the launch saw people from different countries participate and share their

thoughts on the same.

The event saw many young people who

came out and expressed themselves. It was evident

that the youth of our city are a smart and powerful

force, who not only want ‘change’ but strive to

achieve ‘change’


And then followed…

12th March: No Smoking

It was finally the time to pull up peoples’ socks and fight

against evils inflicted upon our mother earth. As 12th

March arrived the participants were ready to take on the

chain smokers in and around Churchgate area. People came in large numbers to

participate. Participants were segregated into teams of 7 and scattered in areas

of South Mumbai. Places mainly focused on were the areas around colleges like

Jai Hind, KC, HR and St. Xavier's as the youth think that smoking is the only

solution to their stress and problems in life. Places also targeted were those

around Inox theatre and many more. Rotaractors from Jai Hind College

accepted the means of Satyagraha to fight the problem. Silent protests against

smokers were carried out successfully by the participants. These banners were

made to cater to all the types of masses, from the illiterate to the highly literate.

Participants were provided with banners in Hindi and English as well. Banners

with various slogans were sported by the participants.

There were a few citizens who were relatively easy to

convince about the risk factor in smoking. And for the

others a little following and public embarrassment was

in order. This event saw a few people dropping unlit

cigarettes while a few were seen emptying a whole pack

of cigarettes.

19th March: Road Safety

The times have eroded the use of road safety, slowly and steadily. Rules are no

longer followed; precautions are rarely taken,

resulting in a rapidly climbing rate of road

accidents and deaths. Officials are

continually bribed into letting offences slip.

However, there is no prce on a life. One

mistake treated lightly can lead to an unmitigated disaster. Thus for everyone’s


safety, it’s time we adhere to road safety rules. RCJCites took to street corners

and signals to emphasise on the theme. They braved the scorching heat to let

their voices be heard. Many people appreciated their effort and poured in their

praise. Another Saturday, when RCJCites lived up to the theme of the day and

didn’t let the Holi festivities come in their way!

And finally...

25th March: Ban on Plastic

It’s time we took serious care of our planet. The evils of

plastic are knowwn to all. Laws are in place, but

blatantly disregarded. Silent Saturdays, in its finale,

broached upon the ban on plastic. Keeping in mind the spirit of the event,

RCJCites traversed the city in a bid to convey to their fellow citizens to shun

plastic. In order to enhance their protest against plastic, they

sold cloth bags at a reasonable price. Support to this cause

poured in from everywhere. Silent Saturdays got the end, it

truly deserved. It sensitized Mumbaikars about the perils

that face the planet. It also got them to be more eco-

friendly, thus achieving the true purpose of this project.

Community Service @ RCJC

Directors:

Rtr. Priyanka Chauhan

Rtr. Kamya Sanghvi

Coordinators:

Rtr. Priyanka Kamble

Rtr.Tarang Gupta

silent saturdays - the bulletin

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