Batti Bandh urges Bengaluru to ‘unplug’

A call to fight climate change on 13th February 2010, from 7 to 8 PM

Batti Bandh Bengaluru, scheduled for February 13th 2010, will call on Bangaloreans to switch off all their electrical appliances for one hour, from 7 to 8PM, and in doing so, ‘unplug’ not just for the day but also through their lifestyles in the fight against climate change.

Batti Bandh Bengaluru is part of an annual nationwide series of events that was started in 2007 by Keith Menon in Mumbai. The build-up to Batti Bandh Bengaluru will include programs such as flash plays, flash performances of music and singing, flash performances of dance, hula hooping, djembe performances, posters in schools and colleges, and the use of Facebook and other social networking sites as well as the radio to publicise the event. In addition, various colleges in the city such as Mount Carmel College will hold a Day Time Dark Event at their respective institutions, for one hour.

February 13th will witness the much-anticipated Dark Event, in which an hour of music, dance and art will be hosted at Jaaga, encouraging people to attend, relax and experience the joy of being part of a community and the numerous ways one can have fun without using electricity. Jaaga site is located on Rhenius Street, Off Richmond Road, Opposite the Hockey Association Stadium main gate, Shanthinagar. The only form of illumination for the event will come from the solar-powered lamps and torches handed over to visitors as they manoeuver through the maze at Jaaga; artists will be present at every turn of the maze to enthral visitors with their talent while passing on the climate message. All performances lined up for the evening will be unplugged events, including a capella singing, playing of acoustic music, shadow plays, beat boxing, a magic show and a play. A large canvas, to be set up for visitors to leave messages on, will be displayed at Batti Bandh Bengaluru 2010.

In addition to this main event, housing complexes will host community events like Housie, Antakshari, a game of volleyball, a pot luck dinner, story-telling and other community activities, during this one hour of Batti Bandh. Certain restaurants will be holding an LED or CFL powered evening, with bees wax candles and acoustic music, while a few malls and the hoardings of certain companies will be dimmed as well. Schools and colleges will be helping this cause by planting saplings at their respective campuses.

For further information, contact:
Anoo Bhuyan for Batti Bandh Bengaluru (Coordinator)
Ph: 09902351795
Email ID: ecowarrior.91[at]gmail.com

Batti Bandh Bengaluru will be carried out with Idea Cellular as the Communications Partner and Radio Indigo as the Radio Partner; TERI (The Energy Resources Institute) will supply the solar-powered lamps for the Dark Event, in connection with their Light A Billion Lights Campaign; Youth For Seva, Greenpeace and IYCN (The Indian Youth Climate Network) are also helping with the event.

Batti Bandh Bengaluru hopes to witness high levels of participation and interest from Bangaloreans in the event, similar to those seen in Mumbai. In Mumbai in 2007, 3 million people participated in Batti Bandh (384 business houses, 100+ NGOs, 300 schools, and 78 colleges), and 178.5 mega watts of power was saved (equivalent to taking 2.35 lakh cars off the road for an entire lifetime, or to 122.5 metric tonnes of CO2 not being emitted).

Batti Bandh Bengaluru’s greatest objective though this event would be, not just to get the city to unplug for an hour, but also to spread awareness on various issues related to the environment, and foster in Bangaloreans a sense of responsibility towards the climate cause.  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Chennai’s last lung space: Nanmangalam Lake faces an ecological emergency

Contaminated by sewage, garbage and illegal water extraction, Nanmangalam Lake has become a prime example of a mismanaged waterbody.

Catching a glimpse of the Indian Eagle Owl is not a rarity for birders and nature enthusiasts who frequent the Nanmangalam Lake and the surrounding forests. Yet, this privilege is under threat as the lake's once-thriving ecosystem faces severe environmental degradation. Fed by rainwater from the hillocks of the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest, the lake — spread over 200 acres — is now ravaged by encroachments, illegal water extraction, sewage and garbage disposal. Chennai has two significant reserve forests: the Pallikaranai Wetland and the Nanmangalam Scrub Forest. Located along the Tambaram-Velachery Main Road, Nanmangalam Forest is one of the last remaining…

Similar Story

Winter pollution crisis in Indian megacities: What the CSE report says

The Centre for Science and Environment's analysis reveals spiking pollution levels in six megacities, with Delhi recording 68 days of 'very poor' AQI

The blanket of haze that shrouds most big cities in India has grown denser as air quality continues to dip. Last winter was no different with pollution levels soaring way above permissible limits and posing major risks to public health.      A recent analysis of winter pollution during 2024-25 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlights alarming pollution trends in India's megacities, with Delhi leading with the worst air quality. Even megacities outside the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have seen escalating air quality challenges, despite relatively favourable climatic conditions.  One significant trend across cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai,…