The bikathon, a part of Cycle Chalao, Batti Bujhao

A bunch of green enthusiasts in the city decided to to spread their message on energy conservation — Cycle Chalao, Batti Bujhao — in a unique way.

A “bikathon” was organised by the Calcutta Cycling Club, for which 70-odd young and young-at-heart Calcuttans gathered at La Martiniere for Boys at 7am on December 13. They pedalled to Victoria Memorial to highlight the benefits of cycling, for both the body and the environment.

“Cyclists in the city are few in number and people tend to stare at us on the road. Hopefully with events like these, people’s attitude will change,” said Vinay Bhatia of the club.

But what Calcutta needs more is a change in road layout. While most foreign cities have or are building dedicated cycle paths, cyclists are banned on most roads in Calcutta.

On December 15, the students took part in Batti Bandh, an hour-long drive to switch off electricity between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Vinay Jaju, the co-founder of Switch ON, a climate action project involved with the drive, said their representatives would visit schools and colleges and teach students how to compute the energy they use and save. GeNext’s green mantra: shut your lights, switch on your minds.

Walk and learn

Schoolchildren in uniform descended on Dalhousie Square a few Sundays back. Their aim: getting to know the city they have grown up in better.

Students of Class VIII from Lakshmipat Singhania Academy were taken on a heritage walk as part of My City My History, an initiative by Fox History & Entertainment channel and the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (Intach).

The day started with a short narrative on Calcutta’s Raj history by Akhil Ranjan Sarkar of Intach in front of Stephen House, after which the kids set off in search of the past.

Soon they were marvelling at the cast iron gates of the accountant-general’s office, giggling at how horses in the viceroy’s stable have been replaced with cars bearing Raj Bhavan licence plates, and then being shocked into silence on being told that Fancy Lane next to it was actually called Phansi (Hanging) Lane.

“I pass by these buildings so often. Who knew there was so much history in them?” said student Amitabh Agarwal.

My City My History has launched a contest where students (11 to 15 years) can write in about lesser-known historical treasures in their cities. For details visit www.foxhistory.com/mycity. The last date for submission is December 31.