K.P.B. Hinduja College Students Organise a Clean-up drive at Dadar Chowpatty Beach AftertheCelebration
As the city bid an emotional farewell to Lord Ganesha following the festivities, students of K.P.B Hinduja College of Commerce (Hinduja College), the flagship autonomous higher education institution guided by the Hinduja Foundation, came together to extend the spirit of celebration into an act of community responsibility. In a post-Visarjan beach clean-up initiative at Dadar Chowpatty, over 150 students and volunteers joined hands with Mumbai University, BMC, Maharashtra State and Coastal Guard to help restore the shoreline and encourage greater awareness around keeping Mumbai’s beaches clean.
The initiative reflected the belief that while the festivities may come to an end, the values of responsibility, community and care for the city should continue. The drive was carried out as part of the wider National Service Scheme -NSS-led initiative undertaken in collaboration with the University of Mumbai, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Coastal Guard. Students actively participated and covered several metres of the shoreline, with volunteers spending the day collecting and segregating waste along the beach, helping restore the shore following the immersion festivities. The activity included clearing flower offerings, plastic and other decorative materials, cloth and post-Visarjan debris, with several bags of material collected.
Dr. Navin M. Punjabi, Principal, Hinduja College, said, “Our responsibility as an educational institution is not limited to preparing students for their professional lives. We also want them to understand the role they can play as responsible citizens. Plastic and debris left on our beaches don’t stay there they eventually make their way into the ocean, where they harm marine life and ecosystems that are already under stress from a warming planet. Drives like this help students see the direct link between everyday civic action and larger environmental challenges, while giving them the opportunity to take meaningful action in their own city.”
For the students, the initiative was more than just a clean–up drive– it was a gesture of gratitude towards Mumbai and a reflection of the belief that every celebration can leave behind a positive impact, not just memories. What began as a small student initiative over two and a half decades ago has today become an institutional tradition passed down through generations of students.
Guided by the ethos of the Hinduja Group founder Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja “My dharma is to work so that I can give” the College’s beach clean-up sits alongside its wider outreach programme, including blood donation drives, tree plantation drives and other community initiatives.