Every year on September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we need to adopt sustainable lifestyle by minimizing use of private vehicles like cars.

This year, Amrita Prakriti Samrakshana Samiti the Nature Club  of Amrita’s Coimbatore campus, decided to conduct a rally to sensitize Amritians, student community, faculty members and staff members towards reducing the use of private car/vehicles and promoting walking, cycling, using public transport, etc., on the World Car Free day and beyond.

All the faculty members and students were informed about the event through emails and posters and were requested to minimize the use of private cars/ vehicles and make use of public transport and bicycles whenever possible. 

The rally with 60 to 70 students and few faculty members, armed with ten bicycles and around 30 placards, began at 4:15 pm. from the MBA Academic Block. While marching towards the main gate many students groups and faculty and staff members joined the rally from various locations.

Slogans such as ‘Take the bus, don’t make a fuss’, ‘Burn fat, not oil‘, ‘World Car Free Day’, ‘Save Planet, Save Fuel, Save Future’, ‘Turn off the Car, its isn’t that Far’…   were repeatedly chanted. The participants shouted out slogans to attract the attention of on-lookers and to encourage them to minimize use of cars/private vehicles. When the rally reached outside the gate near bus ground many day scholars and staff joined in.

At the end of the event, around 300 people including students, faculty members and staff members took an oath, pledging to minimize the use of private transport. The event was a successful one and the message reached a large audience. Creating awareness is the first step towards action and hopefully more people will pause to think before they step into a car. 

September 22, 2014
Coimbatore Campus