Stop Cribbing; Join Hands to `Change Mangalore?

Stop Cribbing; Join Hands to `Change Mangalore?

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Jan 27, 2010: As we look around, while the city’s skylines are changing rapidly with more high rises, malls and concreted roads, we do find a lot of eyesores, especially the Government buildings craving for attention. Here is a group of youth who have chosen to be a part of the solution by supplementing the administration to give the city a face lift. 

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At a time when it is the order of the day to blame our city fathers (the corporators) or the bureaucracy for failing to attend to the problems in the city, a group of youngsters are all set to launch a campaign to mobilize support from the citizens to chip in and give a facelift to the public places around. Aptly called `Change Mangalore’, the project is, literally by the people, of the people and for the people.

It was indeed a historic occasion in Mangalore as : Hundreds of school children, youth and the citizenry armed with buckets of paint and brush In their hands, painted the compound wall of the Public Library at Kadri-Mallikatte to launch the `Change Mangalore’ campaign initiated by Centre for Integrated Learning’s (CIL) youth wing CREST (Creating Resource to Empower Society Today) in association with Rotary Club of Mangalore Hillside, here on Wednesday.

While the campaign was launched by a four-year old Chintan Krishna who hit the first stroke of the brush, the atmosphere charged with excitement witnessed school students, youth and eminent personalities of the city including District In-Charge Minister Krishna Palemar, Mangalore MLA U T Khader, MCC Standing Committee Chairman Sudhir Shetty, Health Committee Chairman Shanta, former Mayors Shashidhar Hegde and Purandar Das Kulur, Rotary and Lions District Governers among others, painting the walls of the public utility space.

 

 

 

 

Speaking on the occasion, Krishna Palemar called on the citizens of Mangalore to participate in the process of city development rather than sit back and blame the administration and people representatives for the delay in developmental works. Terming Change Mangalore campaign as an eye opener to each of the citizens and also to people in other cities, he mentioned that such initiatives will go a long way in bringing people towards participative democracy which is the need of the hour.

 

 

 

There was an ambience of festivities around the library building with youth band group Elysium playing famous numbers to pep up the enthusiasm of those involved in the painting act. Noted singer and TV anchor Mime Ramdas gave a kick start to the event with his folk and patriotic songs. Families came with tiny tots as the kids enjoyed soiling their hands and some even their dress with the paints.

According to Executive Director of CIL, Sachitha Nandagopal, Change Mangalore has been envisaged to bring people together from all walks of life to realize their responsibilities towards the city through constructive acts. We aim to change the mindset of the people, especially the youth so as to be part of the solution rather than pointing fingers at the administration for slow pace of progress.

President of Rotary Club of Mangalore Hillside, Bhaskar Kiran informed that as part of the `Change Mangalore’ initiative, one public utility space in the city would be identified every month and the same would be rendered a facelift involving the citizenry of Mangalore.