Huzurpaga's Sou. Shobhatai Rasiklal Dhariwal English Medium School became the first school to implement Mission City Chakra's plastic-free school policies. Through annual parent pledges, steel tiffins, steel bottles and sustained policy implementation, the school demonstrates how lasting behaviour change can be achieved.
The First School to Say "Yes"
When Mission City Chakra was still an idea taking shape, one of the first people we approached for feedback was Mrs. Priyadarshani Purohit, Principal of Huzurpaga’s Sou. Shobhatai Rasiklal Dhariwal English Medium School.
At that time, the project existed only as a concept. We were proposing that schools introduce three simple policy changes:
- No plastic tiffin boxes
- No plastic water bottles
- No plastic or laminated textbook covers
The idea was straightforward: instead of managing plastic waste after it is generated, prevent it from being generated in the first place.
Mrs. Purohit immediately understood the significance of this approach.
She recognised that awareness alone often struggles to create lasting behaviour change, while a simple school policy can positively influence hundreds of students and their families every year.
The First School to Join the Mission
In the academic year 2024–25, Huzurpaga became the first school to formally implement Mission City Chakra’s three appeals.
This was not merely participation in a campaign.
It was an institutional decision to reduce unnecessary plastic exposure for children while preventing waste generation at its source.
For Mission City Chakra, this marked the beginning of a city-wide movement.
A Commitment That Continues
Many campaigns conclude once the initial announcement is made.
This school chose a different path.
With the beginning of the new academic year, the school once again invited parents to reaffirm the pledge to send their children with steel tiffin boxes and steel water bottles.
The school also shared photographs and videos of parents participating in this renewed commitment, demonstrating that meaningful change is sustained through repetition, reinforcement and community participation.
The message is clear:
Behaviour change is not a one-day event. It is a culture that is built year after year.
Sustainability Beyond Plastic
Mission City Chakra was only one part of the school’s broader sustainability journey.
Under Mrs. Purohit’s leadership, the school has also:
- Continued its dry leaf composting project initiated in 2019, inspiring other schools on the campus to adopt similar practices.
- Replaced disposable paper cups with ceramic cups for internal meetings after learning about microplastic pollution.
- Purchased steel glasses for parent meetings across the campus, preventing thousands of paper cups from being used.
Reusable cups are used for the internal school meetings and committee meetings. Strictly no disposables! - Started a terrace garden nourished by compost produced within the school.
For the dignitaries, steel tambya-bhandes are placed on the dice instead of packaged water bottles. - Initiated work on integrating nirmalya composting into the school’s circular system.
These initiatives reflect a consistent philosophy: sustainability is not a single project but a way of managing the institution.
Why This Story Matters
Every movement has a beginning.
For Mission City Chakra, Huzurpaga’s Sou. Shobhatai Rasiklal Dhariwal English Medium School was the first institution to say,
“Yes, we are willing to change.”
That early confidence mattered.
When a new idea receives support at its most uncertain stage, it gains the courage to grow.
Today, as hundreds of schools across Pune adopt similar practices, this school occupies a special place in Mission City Chakra’s journey—not only because it implemented the policy first, but because it continues to reaffirm it every academic year.
Implementation Learning
One insight from this story deserves to be highlighted:
Annual reaffirmation is as important as the original policy.
Children graduate. New students join. Parents change.
A simple annual pledge during the beginning of the academic year ensures that the school’s sustainability culture is passed on to every new batch of families.
This is a practice that can be replicated by any school implementing long-term behavioural change initiatives.
Principals on the Mission
Priyadarshani Purohit
Principal
School: Huzurpaga Sou. Shobhatai Rasiklal Dhariwal English Medium School, Pune
Mission City Chakra Impact Certificate: ⭐⭐⭐ (Three Appeals Implemented)
Implemented
✅ Steel Tiffin Policy
✅ Steel Water Bottle Policy
✅ No Plastic Textbook Covers
Additional Sustainability Initiatives
- Dry leaf composting
- Ceramic cups replacing disposable paper cups
- Steel glasses for parent meetings
- Terrace garden
- Nirmalya composting initiative
“We all have many ideas. The role of the school principal allows me to bring those ideas to reality. School and the support from the teachers, the governing council allows me to bring about a positive impact in the lives of students and their parents”
Mission City Chakra celebrates principals who transform schools into living laboratories of sustainability through policy, practice and community leadership.