Jal Mahotsav - 2010

Jal Mahotsav 2010

‘Water Festival’

The Jal Mahotsav 2010 was inaugurated on 22^nd September 2010 by Shri Mahipal Maderna, Water Resource Minister Government of Rajasthan, amidst an atmosphere of celebration and joy. The Jal Mahotsav 2010 was designed to be an intensive and fun learning experience for young participants with particular emphasis on water conservation and sanitation. The opening ceremony was made enthralling by the students of ‘Netraheen Vidyalaya’ (School for the blind) and Ms Namrata who, through music and song, narrated the story of water and the current challenges faced by the people of Rajasthan. The festival was declared opened with the dignitaries lighting floating candles in a wide mouthed earthen pot. This symbol reflected the problems relating to the life giving elixir and the solutions which in the words of former President Dr. Abdul Kalam, must come from ‘Ignited Minds’. The spark of inspiration for the water festival was provided by three wonderful human beings. Mrs. Nasira Sharma, whose novel ‘Kuiyan Jaan’ is in itself the complete story of the water situation in India; Mr. Amrit Lal Vegad, famous writer and painter who has dedicated his life’s work to the river Narmada and who is the chairperson of ‘Narmada Samagra’; and Dr. Madhu Pant who has dedicated herself as an educationist to nurturing the innate creativity of children. Together, they formed the three pillars that held aloft the Jal Mahotsav.

• Supported by UNICEF and CCDU, the Jal Mahotsav had the following three broad aims in mind –

1. Spreading Awareness :
During the course of Jal Mahotsav, (through performing art, creative writing, painting and discussion) we aimed to make the participants aware of the urgent need to conserve water and carefully manage its consumption. We also aimed to make participants aware of how faecal contamination was spread, especially via contaminated water, and how they could keep water safe and families healthy. Our objective was to sensitize our young participants to respect our most precious resource - water and to motivate them in turn to spread awareness amongst their peers.
2. Training :
All workshops/activities were geared to equip the participants with sufficient practical know-how so as to enable them to take action at their individual level. This included the basics such as managing domestic consumption, basic roof top rainwater harvesting, tips on good personal hygiene, community hygiene and how to keep water safe to drink .

3. Information Dissemination :

• Demand Management – Stressing judicious use of water
• Traditional ways of saving water
• Roof top rain water harvesting
• Artificial recharge
• Recycle and reuse
• Purification of water
• Safe Storage of water
• Basic Hygiene –
• What are the causes of diarrhoeal disease?
• Ways to reduce diarrhoeal disease – Including washing hands with soap or ash before meals, after nature calls and safe disposal of excreta.

Main Resource Persons

• Shri Amrit Lal Vegad - Writer & Painter (M.P.)
• Dr. Madhu Pant - Writer & ex- Director, NBB New Delhi
• Mrs. Naseera Sharma - Writer “Kuiyan Jaan”
• Mr. Rituraj - Poet
• Mr. Soumya Dutta - Scientist, New Delhi
• Dr. Jag Mohan Mathodia - Painting Artist, Professor, Raj. School of Art, Jaipur
• Mr. Kanhaiya Lal Verma - Sr. Traditional Miniature Painting, Artist
• Dr. C.P. Singh - Principal, BNCPT Collage, Udaipur
• Mr. Ranbeer Singh - Sr. Stage Artist, Writer, Director Jaipur
• Mr. Beni Prasad Sharma - Sr. Stage Artist, Writer, Director Jaipur
• Dr. Madhu Bhatt Tailang - Famous Druvpad Singer, Jaipur
• Dr. Sushil Nandal - Sociologist
• Ms. Namrata Sharma - Young Singer & Musician
• Mrs. Anjana Khilnani - Sociologist
• Mrs. Kanta Vegad - Environmentalist

Participating Schools :
More than 3000 children from 28 government & non-government schools participated in the ‘Jal Mahotsav’.

• Tagore Public School, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur
• Aryan’s Academy, Jaipur
• Warren Academy Day Boarding School, Kartarpura
• Tagore Public School, Shastri Nagar, Jaipur
• Govt. Seth A.L. Podar Sr. Sec. Deaf & Dumb School, Jaipur
• Disha School, Jaipur
• Army Public School, Jaipur
• Prayas, Jhalana Intuitional Area, Jaipur
• Godavan Bal Kendra, Nehru Nagar, Jaipur
• Saaras Bal Kendra, Amar Nagar, Jaipur
• Suman Bright Academy, R.K. Puram, Jaipur
• Pushpa Public School, Jaipur
• Future Academy, Jaipur
• Bo-Peep Sr. Sec. School, Jaipur
• National Bright Academy, Parivhan Nagar, Jaipur
• Jan Kala Sahity Manch, Jaipur
• Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur
• Mahaveer Public School, Jaipur
• All Saint Church School, Jaipur
• Springdale Public School, Kalwar Road, Jaipur
• Pratap Children Academy, Sirsi Road, Jaipur
• Mahashwari Girls’ Public School, Vidyadhar Nagar, Jaipur
• Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh, Gangori Bazar, Jaipur
• Universe Public School, Singhbhoomi, Jaipur
• Govt. Primary School, Kumawat Bari, Khatipura, Jaipur
• Govt. Primary School, Amar Nagar, Jaipur
• Govt. Primary School, Harijan Basti Khirni Phatak, Jaipur

A brief list and synopsis of the daily workshops follows.

22^nd September, Day 1
(Number of Children - 960)

1) Banner Making
Resource Person:

• Mr. Jag Mohan Mathodia (Painter and Professor, Raj. School of Art)
• Mr. Kanhaiya Lal Verma (Traditional artist, Sambhar Lak)
• Mr. Rakesh Vyas, Jaipur & Mr. Chandra Pal

In the Banner Making workshop children were asked to make a banner related to water conservation and sanitation. There was a team from each school (maximum 10 children), and each team could make a maximum of 2 banners of size 1*2m. The best 3 banners were awarded a prize and certificate on the last day of the festival. The creations of the children were on display on all four days during the festival.

2) Elocution
Resource Persons:

• Mrs. Nasira Sharma (Writer, National Bal Bhavan)
• Dr. Madhu Pant (Writer and Former Director, National Bal Bhavan
• Sh. Amrit Lal Vegad (Writer and Painter)
• Mrs. Kanta Vegad (Environmentalist)

Children were asked to express their views on any one of the following topics:

• Philosophy of water
• My own efforts on water management
• ‘Bin Pani Sab Soon’ (no life without water)
• Sanitation: Comparative challenges in rural and urban India

The children could express themselves either in Hindi or English. However, only 2 speakers from each school were permitted to participate (one for Hindi and one for English). The time limit per speaker was 3+1 minutes. Participants were judged by the resource persons and outstanding performers were awarded prizes and certificates on the final day of the festival.

3) Creative Games and Sports:
Resource Person:

• Dr. C P Singh (Principal, BNCP Sports College Udaipur)
• Dr. Sushil Nandal (Critic & Sociologist, Sikar)
• Mr. Rajendra Bhati & Mr. Chetanya Vyas

This was the most directly engaging activity of the entire Jal Mahotsav and it was the literal embodiment of learning while having fun! All the children and volunteers enjoyed themselves thoroughly while at the same time their psyche was subconsciously digesting the correct ‘F’ – Diagram linkages. Through relay races and amidst peals of laughter the children learned about the correct steps of hand-washing, disease prevention and water use management.

• Game- Arranging the F diagram
• Game- Pathway to healthy life
• Game - Hand washing Race
• Game- Hygiene game

23^rd September, Day 2
(Number of Children - 930)

1) Poem and Story Writing
Resource Persons:
1. Sh. Amrit Lal Vegad (Writer and Painter)
2. Dr. Madhu Pant (Writer and former director, National Bal Bhavan)
3. Mrs. Nasira Sharma (writer, National Bal Bhavan)
4. Mr. Rituraj (Poet, Jaipur)
5. Mrs. Kanta Vegad (Environmentalist)

This workshop was divided in two groups: Group ‘A’ consisting students from class 6^th to 9^th and Group ‘B’ consisting students from class 10^th to 12^th.The workshop began with a brainstorming and discussion session after which the participants were asked to write a story or poem using their imagination on the topic of sanitation, water scarcity, water conservation or save water. Outstanding students from each group were awarded prizes and certificates on the last day of festival and all the works produced during the workshop were on display for the rest of the festival.

2) Poster Making and Painting:
Resource persons:

• Sh. Amrit Lal Vegad (Writer and Painter, M.P.)
• Mr. Kanhiya Lal Verma (Famous Traditional Artist, Jaipur)
• Dr. Jag Mohan Mathodia (Painter and Professor, Raj. School of Arts)
• Mr. Rakesh Vyas, Jaipur

In this workshop participants were divided according to their age groups. Group ‘A’ consisted of Children from class 4^th to 6^th, Group ‘B’ consisted of children from class 7^th to 9^th and Group ‘C’ was made up of children from 10^th to 12^th standard. The number of participants from each school was limited to 30 (10 from each group). In this workshop every participant had an opportunity to showcase his/her creativity to the fullest. The session began with an interactive discussion between students and resource persons which explored the core issues of water scarcity and sanitation. Following this the children were free to express themselves through visual art. Selected works were displayed for the remaining days of the festival and outstanding efforts were also awarded on the final day.

3) Science of Water and Sanitation
Resource person:

• Mr. Somya Dutta (Renowned Scholar and Environmentalist)
• Dr. H.C. Bhartiya (Retd. Professor Rajasthan University)

This was perhaps the most interesting workshop from children’s point of view. In this workshop Mr Dutta asked various questions related to water conservation, water cycle, hygiene, greenhouse effect and its effect on water cycle, melting of glaciers, ‘F’- Diagram relationship and many other topics related to water and sanitation. He also cleared the doubts which were raised by the participants. After a Brainstorming session he then divided the children into various groups irrespective of their schools and assigned various tasks to them such as carrying out a ‘water audit’ of Bal Bhavan Jaipur (measuring the length and breadth of Bal Bhavan Jaipur and then calculating its area without using a measuring tape and then estimating the water storage capacity of the same vis-à-vis estimated water consumption) and comparing the water cycle of nature and with that of Bal Bhavan Jaipur.

• Children were very happy after this workshop as there doubts were dispelled through scientific explanations and experimentation.

24^th September, Day 3
(Number of Children - 730)

Creative performance - Group Dance, Group Song and Skit
Resource persons:
Drama & Skit:

• Mr. Ranveer Singh (Senior Stage Artist, Vice president-IPTA)
• Mr. Beni Prasad (Senior Stage Artist)

Group Dance:

• Dr. Madhu Pant (Writer and former director, National Bal Bhavan)
• Mrs. Anjana Khilnani (Traditional Dance, Jaipur)

Group Song;

• Dr. Madhu Bhatt Telang (Classical Singer)
• Mr. Praveen Arya (Instrumentalist-Pakhawaj Instrument)
• Ms. Namrata Sharma (Young Singer)

This was, in fact, the most entertaining workshop cum competition in which participants were asked to showcase their talent based on the theme water conservation and sanitation. Each school was asked to send only one group in each category (Dance, Song and Skit) and the numbers of participants were limited to 10 in each category. Time limit was 5 minutes for dance and group song and 10 minutes for skit. Every participant gave his/her best and it was really difficult for the judges to decide the winner in each category.

25^th September, Day 4
(Number of Children - 520)

On the last day of the festival selected performances of dance, skit and group song were asked to put on a repeat show for the benefit of one and all. Moreover all the banners and posters created over the past few days were displayed and winners were given prizes and certificates for their performances/efforts.

The most important part of the day was appointment of “VARUN DOOTS” (Water Ambassadors) who will carry on the task of promoting water conservation and sanitation in their communities, schools and neighbourhoods. 21 of the most efficient and committed students among the participants were selected as “Varun Doots”.

The three pillars of the Jal Mahotsav – Mrs. Nasira Sharma, Mr. Amrit Lal Vegad and Dr. Madhu Pant, led the “Varun Doots” as they took their oath of office. Each water ambassador was presented with a coconut and our three chief resource persons explained the symbolism at length to all present. Just as the coconut grows by the sea shore surrounded by saline water and yet sustains itself to store sweet nourishing nectar, so must these young volunteers rise to the occasion and rejuvenate civil society into preserving the life giving elixir.

The ceremony was also attended by Ms Amita Shaw (Director, National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi), Mr. Brijesh Prasad (Vice Chair Person of National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi) and Mr. Pankaj Mathur from UNICEF.

Results and Outcome

A total of 3000 students attended the Jal Mahotsav 2010. Each of these students was required to answer a questionnaire before and after the activities that they participated in. A comparative statistical analysis of the results of the two questionnaires revealed that only 8% of the participants were able to draw a correlation between good personal hygiene/sanitation and water/vector borne disease prevention. Surprisingly, the results in this regard were the same for students from government and private schools. Also notable was the miniscule minority of educational institutions that provide soap in student washrooms.
Post activity questionnaires showed a significant improvement with 98% of respondents answering correctly and showing a proper understanding of the ‘F’- Diagram relationship. The immediate result of the Jal Mahotsav 2010 has been the significant increase in awareness, knowledge and skill of the 3000 direct participants.

Another less expected but valuable outcome has been the demand from students (and accompanying teachers) that their institutions make adequate hand washing facilities available.

21 new ‘Varun Doots’ (Water Ambassadors) have been selected and tasked with spreading the knowledge and skill set acquired during this festival to their peers in their schools and localities. It is conservatively estimated that this will enable the message of the festival to reach out to an additional 10000 people.

As a result of the creative games and sports workshop, four engaging and fun learning games have been devised to deliver the message of the Jal Mahotsav. These games have been forwarded to participating and member schools and are expected to be incorporated into the children’s play schedule. This will not only multiply the outreach of the Jal Mahotsav, but the repetition of the various messages via these games will help reinforce the children’s psyche.

Furthermore, many paintings, posters, Banners and stories/essays have been shortlisted for use as resource and exhibition material for future use.

The first monthly meeting of ‘Varun Doots’ was held on 24^th October & 31^st October. These ‘Varun Doots’ are tasked with compiling annual reports from within their institutions and peer groups, These reports shall form the basis of further statistical analysis of the final outreach as well as the probable percentage change in the behavior of the target group.