IIM Raipur celebrated Green Diwali this year with cow-dung diyas
RAIPUR: Indian Institute of Management Raipur stood apart with an inspiring act to consciously opt and observe a vivid eco-friendly Diwali this year. The Chhattisgarh-based institute was the only one among the 20 premier business schools of IIM in the country to have led by example on promoting the use of diyas made from cow-dung.
Moved by the novel initiative launched by Raipur district administration to facilitate the making and promotion of cow-dung diyas on a mass scale, the IIM Raipur took a pledge inculcating the spirit to celebrate the festive occasion as ‘Green Diwali’.
Interestingly, this year Diwali gift packs for staff and faculty members of the institute comprised of none other than the different types of colourful ‘cow dung diays’. The 'Festival of Light' for the students, staff and those associated with the IIM Raipur turned out to be memorable coupled with an absorbing sentiment attached to the festive occasion displaying such innovative diyas across the campus. Each hostel coordinator was provided over 250 cow dung diyas to decorate their respective centres through organising a creative competition among them.
“With the rising level of pollution in the country, we decided to add our contribution to reducing it a bit. The Chhattisgarh government’s recent emphasis on ‘Gouthan’ (cattle shelter home) programme that became an economically viable option for the rural areas, caught our attention. We felt delighted to be the only IIM having resolutely gone ahead to do something different for a larger cause and chosen diyas made of cow dung”, Bharat Bhaskar, Director of the Raipur IIM told the Express.
The IIM Raipur got in touch with the Raipur district administration to procure the diyas. The business school was equally impressed to find the rural women’s productive skill associated with the self-help groups (SHGs) at Raipur-based Gouthan as they turned cow-dung into 2.5 lakh eco-friendly diyas to meet various bulk orders placed to them from different parts of the country ahead of Diwali and had secured a good source of income.