By Matters India Reporter
Patna, September 28, 2019: Students of St Xavier’s College of Management and Technology, Patna have expressed solidarity with the Global Climate Strike.
They were among millions of students of colleges and schools who on September 27 took to streets at more than 4,500 demonstrations in at least 130 countries to demand politicians to urgently tackle the climate crisis.
The youth climate campaign, started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg outside the Swedish parliament a year ago, has grown from a solo protest to a campaign of millions of young people demanding radical action.
Adults, businesses and trade unions have also joined the youth climate campaign.
Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said its 200 million members in countries from South Africa to Germany, Mozambique to Turkey stood shoulder to shoulder with the students.
At the Patna college, students of different classes, along with their mentors, displayed posters, raised slogans and staged short skits with messages demanding serious efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
The posters, skits and poem recited on the occasion called for initiative to save water and plant trees, warning the people that “There was no planet-B.”
Aman Kumar, a student read out the Hindi translation of Thunberg’s speech at the recently held UN Climate Summit.
The Xavier’s Theatre Club presented a mime show that depicted that the supposed ape-to-human ‘progression’ was now moving in reverse order.
Jesuit Father Tony Pendanath, in-charge of Taru Mitra (friends of trees) and its secretary Debopriya Dutta were the chief guests on the occasion.
Addressing the students, Dutta stressed the need for eco-spiritualism to save the earth and asked the students to celebrate the coming festivals of Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath in an eco-friendly manner.
Calling upon the students to do their bit in this regard, she hoped that the St Xavier’s College would soon become the most eco-friendly and green institution in Patna.
Dutta also administered a pledge to students and teachers to work collectively towards conservation of resources for a better tomorrow.
Rector, Jesuit Father Joseph Thadavanal announced the winners for the best poster, judged by Jesuit Fathers Joseph Vetti, Sebastian Kanekattil, and M M Mathew.
Principal Jesuit Father T Nishaant, vice principal Jesuit Father Martin Poras, and members of the faculty were present on the occasion.