CHENNAI: What other than Karl Schmidt Memorial on Elliot’s Beach sands in Besant Nagar would grab visitors’ attention and pique their curiosity? This week, it is going to be the Ripon Building, University of Madras and Valluvar Kottam sand arts till Saturday. As people take a closer look to understand it before raising their phones to air for the technological ritual, a thick black smoke emerging from an industry was engulfing the iconic buildings from the left.
On the right were trees and bushes, amid which, animals and birds lived. On the path tracing the smoke, the school kids stood, all in sand. This set the scene to inform the crowd about the prevailing air pollution in Chennai. International NGO Greenpeace has recreated the city’s historical structures on the beach to educate the public about rampant pollution.
This was also an effort by the NGO to send a message to the Centre to include Chennai in its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was launched in January, 2019. ‘’Chennai’s pollution is higher than WHO standards and is only getting worse. It also remains the only metropolitan city not to be included in the NCAP,’’ Avinash Chanchal, senior campaigner of Greenpeace, told Express.
The NGO had roped in Subal Maharana, a popular Odisha based sand artist, who worked between February 24-28, with fellow artists. Speaking to Express, a 55-year-old Maharana said he decided to create the Ripon Building and University of Madras’ Senate Building for local people to relate.