The other participants were different government bodies like the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Central Ground Water Board, Delhi Water Supply & Sewage Disposal Board and NGOs like the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, and Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Delhi chapter, and many others engaged in the field of environment and development.

All the participant schools were serious about their respective projects (see project-chart below) and the children depicted enthusiasm while displaying individual models to the visitors.

On visiting the stall of DLDAV School, Pitampura, we were told by the students that the theme of their stall was ‘solid waste recycling.’ These children strongly rejected the popular view that the onus of keeping Delhi clean lay only on the government. They were emphatic that the cleanliness campaign was the duty of each and every citizen and it was not such an uphill task, if dealt with at the community level.

"What is vital," said a young and energetic Neha Joshi, "is the willingness towards the cause and not so much the solution per se." "Delhi," added Neha, "would definitely be a much better place to live in if all of us did our little bit and acquired a more eco-friendly approach." The model on display at the DAV stall was based on the principle of waste-segregation into biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes as well as their recycling. The overall emphasis was on citizens’ individual commitment towards minimal waste.

Another participant, Salwan Public School, dwelled on the concept of an ‘Energy Bank’. School children depicted how mankind was destroying the very energy (food) chain he was part of - by cutting trees and plundering other natural resources. Hence, the only way to repay for this folly was to put sufficient energy back into the natural cycle by planting more trees.

One way to balance this man-made energy deficit, according to the school children, was to open an account with an Energy Bank which provides saplings of trees like neem, peepal and jamun. The idea was to recharge the natural resource base through such afforestation and check air-pollution at the same time.

Talking about air-pollution, we were shocked to witness the horrifying statistics presented by the school children of Ramjas Pubic School who depicted the downward spiral of the air-quality of the capital. In the same vein, the model presented by these students comprised of two colonies - a conventional one facing the wrath of Delhi’s air-pollution, whereas the other one was an optimal colony which posed several solutions to the pollution through different preventive measures inbuilt in its habitat plan.

"Yamuna is the lifeline of Delhiites," said a student of the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, " but we are digging our own graves by polluting it beyond the point of no return." The theme of these students being ‘water purification’, they displayed an excellent working model pertaining to cleansing and treatment of the Yamuna water at various levels. In fact, their main thrust was on checking pollution at the very source since prevention was always better than the cure.

Presenting alternate lifestyles, students of DPS School, RK Puram, suggested that the country go solar by plugging into the sun. This would translate into a wider usage of solar cookers, solar water heaters and other devices. They felt that this would not only check the pollution menace but also was an optimal solution for a country like India which received sunshine for more than 300 days in a year. When asked about the economic viability of these devices, one of the students retorted that it was an economical venture, considering the existing environmental and social cost of pollution.

In terms of commitment, one of the DPS students -Aparna- made us a promise that she would be promoting solar cookers in one of the adjoining villages of Delhi on her own within a year’s time.

Students of the Naval Public School were of the view that every one should try to save each drop of water falling from the sky. There were different models on display, showing rainwater-harvesting technologies like roof-water harvesting, traditional water-conservation methods of Meghalaya and drip-irrigation technique for optimal irrigation with minimum watering of plants.

We were really impressed by the concept of a Green School, presented through a model by the Delhi Public School, Noida, whose accent was on the maxim that "charity begins at home". There was another fascinating display of the concept of creating ‘wealth from waste’, by the Kendriya Vidyalaya No.1, Delhi Cantonment.

Bio-pesticides was yet another alternative presented as a preventive measure for controlling agricultural pests by the Bal Bhavan Public School. The students were well-versed with the pros and cons of adopting this technology. When asked whether using neem trees for pest-control would result in depletion of this vital natural resource base, their answer was in the negative. "Such apprehension is baseless," said one of the students, "as we simply utilise the neem seeds and do not damage the tree at all".

Though the list of the stalls and the wonderful pollution-solutions they provided is a long one, we tried to enlist just a couple of them, which in no way undermines the efforts of the rest - whether students, NGOs or even government organisations.

The value of the exhibition lay in the fact that it was attended by no less than 4,000 Delhiites, comprising school children, concerned citizens, environmental agencies, bureaucrats or politicians.

The children of Delhi have shown, through the DEAN programme, that there is certainly a silver lining behind the grey clouds and all is not lost as they are ready to be the torchbearers of tomorrow and are going to show us the light at the end of the tunnel. The moot question is: "Are we willing to follow them?" q