The Nagla forest is a relatively unknown part of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. This peaceful and serene forest was a “school in nature” for 26 participants consisting of college students, younger students, and volunteers from the New Acropolis Center in Mumbai. The event was a “Clean-Up” drive organized by the “Active Ecology” department of New Acropolis.
The activity had two objectives: connecting with nature and observing how it works harmoniously to support life, and and to clean the space, and discover how the act of cleaning can be a regenerating process.
During the trail walk guided by the volunteers, participants learned about the bio diversity of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park with a specific emphasis on the mangroves. Armed with gloves and bags, participants bagged different types of waste that had washed ashore on the banks of the Vasai creek, killing the mangroves.
An hour-long action of vigorous cleaning filled ten sacks with of waste. The group was faced with the reality of how mindless urbanization has a direct impact on nature. It was a day of philosophy in action, and as one inspired second-grader said, “We have done so little, we must come again and clean up more!”