Bengaluru: The city’s civic spirit was on full display Sunday as #IamBengaluru – Volunteer for Parks by TOI concluded week 2 of its citizen movement, with more than 500 residents turning up across parks in JP Nagar, Koramangala and Rajajinagar for sapling plantation, plogging, and clean-up drives. The initiative is supported by Greater Bengaluru Authority.Families, children and first-time volunteers joined the drives, with many participating in a plogging drive alongside former India cricketer and ICC match referee Javagal Srinath at Mini Forest, JP Nagar Phase 3. Srinath interacted with volunteers on caring for Bengaluru’s green spaces and joined students and residents in collecting plastic waste and discarded beer bottles from the park.Adding a creative touch, the WoW (Women of Wisdom) team staged a street-theatre-style demonstration, with a volunteer wrapped head-to-toe in plastic performing a satirical song on how “plastic isn’t important”. The performance drew crowds and applause while highlighting the problem of single-use plastic.Residents at the Rajajinagar and Koramangala sites also participated enthusiastically in plantation and clean-up activities through the morning.The movement received support from Adamya Chetana Foundation, which backed the plantation drive in Koramangala 5th Block, while Youth for Seva encouraged greater citizen participation and ownership of public spaces, particularly parks and neighbourhoods.QUOTESJavagal Srinath | former India cricketerGreenery has always been a strong dimension of Karnataka, so preserving it is our moral responsibility. Initiatives like this are important because we’re blessed to have parks that still exist. It’s not just about cleanliness and a clean environment, but also about keeping the city we live in clean. It’s a very holistic programme, and such initiatives need to happen more and more to create awareness. This is not something you start and end; it is work in progressBharathy B | CA, JP Nagar 7th PhaseI’ve been quite an active citizen for the past 13 years, doing a lot of spot fixes, lake rejuvenation and other civic initiatives. This event was aligned with my thought process of avoiding plastics. At home too, we are very particular about not using disposables and only using reusablesAkash Sen | techie, MahadevapuraI’ve always been part of such initiatives, especially those focused on girl child education. I participated in Times of India’s initiatives in Mumbai, where I previously lived. I moved to Bengaluru about a month ago, and when I learnt about this initiative here, I thought, why not be a part of it? So I turned up today. The experience has been wonderful, especially with the energy around and Javagal Srinath turning up — it was like the cherry on the cake. It has been fantasticGoverdhan Reddy | Koramangala RWA memberBengaluru has undergone rapid urbanisation, making the development of parks and citizens coming together very importance. I’m really happy TOI has taken up this initiative to bring together NGOs and volunteers for a greener Bengaluru. If we take care of nature, nature will take care of usDr Mahima | from RajajinagarIn my childhood, my parents took me to parks every Sunday. It feels great to come back and help clean up these parks. Let’s make Bengaluru the Garden City againAnitha Shyam | secretary, Women of WisdomWe’ve been working to educate people about the harmful impact of plastic, spreading awareness about pollution and encouraging people to say no to plastic. Since our initiatives match with TOI, we thought why not work hand in hand…many such events are needed for our city
