The idea of Sundarban Charcha— Developing a culture on Sundarban in various schools and colleges in the Sundarbans came to mind to create love, respect, and a sense of wonder for the Sundarbans. An initiative where student will learn how the Sundarbans were born, when and how the rivers and salt marsh plants were born, the climate of the Sundarbans, the crop cycle, literature, agriculture, industry, settlement history, livelihood problems and prospects, the causes of natural disasters and proper education to deal with them, and the biodiversity of the area.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal plays a vital role in climate preservation through carbon sequestration and coastal protection. Its extensive network of mangroves absorbs and stores significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, mitigating the effects of climate change. Additionally, the Sundarbans acts as a natural barrier against cyclones, storm surges, and tidal inundation, safeguarding coastal communities and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change.
This concept first took shape during an Environment Fair organized by SPAN in December 2021 in the Basanti Block of South 24 Parganas, considered the gateway to the Sundarbans. The prominent people present in the fair decided that the main objective of the fair should be to spread the importance of the Sundarbans and its heritage among the student in various schools in the Basanti block in the future.
This thought led SPAN to educate students of Basanti Higher Secondary School about various aspects of the Sundarbans through various sessions for the past one year involving 65 students from Classes VII to IX.
This initiative has led the students to dream of creating a school-based Sundarbans museum so that in future, other students and interested individuals can learn about Sundarbans. There are also plans to create a library with various types of books written on the Sundarbans and develop park along the riverbank in front of the school, where various salt-bearing plants of the Sundarbans will be located.
The sessions that are being conducted on a regular basis are :-
A dialogue has already been initiated with the school authorities and they have already agreed to allocate space for the museum. Further discussions are planned with teachers, parents, Panchayat leaders, and Block officials to collectively support the development of this initiative.
Challenges faced:-
The work on obtaining permission from the Education Department to build a museum and library is stalled. Also Mr.Animesh Sinha, who was in charge of SUNDARBAN CHARCHA, has left for his heavenly abode for which SPAN is facing a resource gap .However the vibrant youth council of Basanti and SPAN team members, organized an exhibition at Basanti High School where the Students built models and presented their learnings to their peers to carry on the culture in the future.
In the coming days, there are plans to form a team of interested students from Basanti High School and members of Basanti’sYouth council who will jointly run awareness programs on various topics related to Sundarbans in other schools to create awareness about the Sundarbans amongst the people of the area.
This initiative is equipping the next generation with knowledge and a sense of ownership and responsibility to preserve their natural heritage.
