TOI: Private initiative is trying to make up for government apathy in environment issues: June 04,08

This is the effect on most kids who attend Altamount Road residents Kumkum Somani and Smita Kharbanda’s gardening workshops at various South Mumbai gardens; they sensitise children to the importance of preserving the environment. The workshop, Little Gardener, is not just about being able to identify trees, learning about seeds and watering but also teaches children — from the age group of four to 10 — about concepts like garbage-separation, vermiculture, solar power, air pollution, and rain-water harvesting. 

The workshop is packaged creatively to allow children to understand the concepts. “When they put a plastic bag in the soil and see that everything but that bag has decomposed, they understand that plastic bags are non-biodegradable and toxic,’’ Somani says. Somani started the workshop 15 years back and adopted two open spaces in South Mumbai. “I adopted the terrace of our office building in Worli, which had become a dumping ground for taller buildings in the neighbourhood. We first set up potted plants and it grew to a full-fledged garden. We sometimes conduct our workshops there,’’ she said. 

Somani and Kharbanda have innovated different ways to hold the interest of the children; they have jingles about plants, craft sessions about vegetables and teach children about movements like Chipko. “We play a game with the children where they learn about the magical underground; we hide a small treasure box in the soil and the children try to dig it out. They come across dry leaves, different pebbles and roots in the process and learn about them,’’ Somani said. “I knew I had to something when my little one told me that vegetables came from bhaji galli,’’ Kharbanda said.