Sauradeep Ghosh is a Fellow at Youth Leaders for Clear Air Fellowship by Clean Air Fund in the collaboration with Pravah.
Here, Sauradeep is sharing his story of being a part of this prestigious fellowship and designing and executing his unique Social Action Project to address Delhi’s acute air pollution problem.
His efforts are actively bringing substantive changes in the lives of the residents of Delhi and empowering them to take meaningful action towards a cleaner, greener Delhi.
Go on and read how his story inspires you(th) to take action because the time is now!
How did you come to know about the fellowship? What inspired you to take it up?
I came to know about this fellowship through a friend of mine who works at Pravah. The idea of being provided with a space to share and work on my ideas while addressing key concerns of the society and environment, that can help larger groups of people inspired me to take up this fellowship.
The fellowships give me a platform to advocate my own understanding of a just and sustainable environment where there is a healthy human-nature interaction.
What is the most pressing concern with respect to Air Pollution in Delhi?
I believe the most pressing concern with respect to Air Pollution in Delhi is not only the sole problem of air pollution but also the collective effort that is needed to tackle this issue. The problem needs an on hand collective initiative from the government, organizations and the people of this city.
The aim should be to make everyone environmentally conscious which brings in the active role of the people and further provide community-based solutions. Just having policies and being aware of the fact that pollution exists won’t help change things faster. To bring a change, the mindset needs to change.
What problems does your project solve? Briefly describe your efforts to address the issue.
My social action project aims to develop an integrated public transport system, that covers the range of available transit options and brings them together on a single platform. This will not only help reduce the vehicular stress on the road but also bring down the vehicular pollution in the city.
Furthermore, a systematic operation of a multi-modal transport not only boosts the economy but also brings new job opportunities. A greater impact on the environment will motivate people to opt for hassle-free and smoother journeys that are cheap, convenient and faster.
Which SDG(s) is your project directly addressing?
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
What motivates you to work towards the long term sustainability of the environment?
My basic understanding of the environment has been a situation where humans and nature sustain in harmonious ways. The idea of a cleaner, greener and peaceful environment that supports livelihoods is something that motivates us to work towards it.
I am drawn to innovation and technologies that can help humans complement their lives by not altering the natural state much.
What impact have you affected or plan to achieve?
A major impact that I anticipate is to help change the transportation system of the city. An infrastructural modification of the transportation system will help achieve goals beyond a clear air.
Proper functioning of such a system will help boost the city’s economy, provide better and faster travel options and also a safe passage for women and children. To make this a success, the travel behaviour of the people needs to be changed.
What challenges did you face during the journey? How did you overcome them?
A major challenge that I am facing with the project is advocating my idea to concerned authorities such as planners, policymakers and the government itself.
Another big challenge for me that came out to me was the Delhi Government’s Master Plan 2041 does talk about developing an integrated multi-modal transport system.
So to cope with that I had to change my study perspective so that my idea doesn’t compete with that of their plan, rather compliments the idea of developing such an infrastructure.
What are the skills and values that you acquired during the fellowship?
The fellowship firstly gave me a space to be self-conscious and use my creativity to help people. It gives me a space to showcase my ideas and bring them out on a larger platform.
The team of people who are associated with this fellowship have taught me how one can seek each other’s guidance. Also, I learned the ways how I can use my knowledge and experiences to help others.
How do you plan to sustain your project further?
Using better resources and more guidance I would like to refine my idea. By analyzing various other concepts of environmental management and integrating them with the social and cultural changes that determine the environmental limits.
A very cohesive study will not only add to the existing pieces of literature but even help create better and more efficient policies. Moreover to sustain such a kind of project, one needs to constantly carry on screening, reporting and reviewing for desired results.
How can people reading this contribute to your project or cause?
I believe people need to understand the need for more use of a public transport system. Not only does it provides a faster travel option but is also safe and cheaper.
The importance of a public transport system is that provides a flexible and seamless transit option that needs to be considered not only by the government authorities or researchers but even the general public.
How can others follow in your footsteps towards sustainability?
I believe that any cause related to the environment requires a public consciousness. Collective activism is the need of the hour.
One can always be conscious of their actions only if they read, discuss and acknowledge the changes happening in the recent years where climate change, pollution and health have become a major concern.
We at Young Influx would like to take this opportunity to thank Sauradeep for taking a leap of faith and sharing his impeccable story with us. We appreciate his efforts and are pleased to bring out his story to a climate-conscious audience.
And hello, dear readers, we welcome you to explore our platform. Give yourself a chance to be illuminated by a varied range of stories of other young people. Read more such stories here!
