India unplugged: Batti Bandh hour is back again
A call to switch off on December 15, between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm ……Mansi Choksi
Mumbai: The next time you stroll down Chowpatty, don’t be surprised if you find a group of noisy children beating up Battameez Batti, a lifesized yellow bop bag with an evil caricature of a bulb. Battameez Batti could be sitting next to you on the local train, be flying over your head in the form of huge helium balloon or be pestering you at the bus stop.
BB is the face of Batti Bandh II, a NextGen initiative to raise awareness about global warming. On December 15, Indians in many cities will be asked to switch off from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm—no fans, lights, lifts or chargers. The first Batti Bandh was held last year on the same date, and more than 20 lakh Mumbaikars responded to the call. The Hour without Power certainly had an impact, with power companies registering an average dip of 40 MW. This time, plans have got more ambitious with Mumbai Unplug expanding to India Unplug and a tie up with Al Gore’s Live Earth concert that will take place in the city on December 7.
While the aim is the same, this time friends Keith Menon and Shiladitya Chakraborty want to make the event more fun and less preachy. “Being part of this change need not be a boring affair. We want to bring people together through a sense of celebration,’’ says Chakraborty. Adds Menon, “In Delhi, we’re working with the organisers of the Eco Arts festival. In Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad too we have volunteers coordinating efforts.’’
A Batti Bandh concert will be organised to fund the adoption of green spaces in the city. “We put up messages on social networking sites and within a couple of days, we had hundreds of people signing up. Musicians, percussionists and string instrumentalists will perform together for a 60-minute concert, possibly like a jam session on Marine Drive or Carter Road,’’ says 23-year-old Menon, who earlier worked at a television channel for children. “We’re considering options such as the cycle dynamo where around 200 bicycles will be connected to dynamos. When people pedal, the lights and sound get brighter and louder. We also want recycled garbage collected from the city to power the event.’’
Menon adds that some of the money collected will be used to purchase the climate friendly CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and volunteers will go around personally replacing bulbs in people’s homes. Street musicians, magicians and street-play actors will be roped in during the unplugged hour. A treasure hunt called Green Goblins will involve schools and colleges. “We’ll create designs with a secret message. These designs will be plastered around the city. There will be a map with clues and with the discovery of each clue, the treasure seekers will be given a pair of green glasses. Only if they put on the green glasses will they get to see the message,’’ says Chakraborty.
Organising the show was quite a challenge this year, from getting sponsorships to permissions. “It’s really tough to have a meeting with any representative from the police because of the tense atmosphere in the state, and corporates who sponsored us last year have not been as forthcoming because of the recession. Also, two of our friends who worked closely with us last year have dropped out,’’ says Menon, adding that they have had to pay from their own pockets. On the upside, there has been no dearth of volunteers.
One myth the boys are keen to bust is that the last Batti Bandh caused a grid failure because of so many people switching off at one time. “This is a major misconception,’’ says Menon. “If power companies like Tata, MSEB and BEST are on board with us, there’s nothing left to say.’’
MOONLIGHT SONATA: A musician serenades passers-by on Marine Drive during Batti Bandh last year