For decades, the Parsi residents of Udvada, many of whom are retired individuals and families that moved to the South Gujarat sea side village, bemoaned the lack of a social meeting place. A piece of land adjacent to the beach which once housed a gymkhana lies barren. But now thanks to the efforts of the Clean and Green Charitable Trust (CGCT) spearheaded by trustee Filly Bapuna, benches have been placed on the beachfront where visitors and residents can socialize while watching the sunset.
The spot comprises a small plaza with benches on a white mosaic floor, a selfie point and access to the sea shore via steps and a railing. The entrance to the plaza and the beach is from opposite the Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Dharamshala.
Above: benches on the beachfront at Udvada
"We have extended the sitting area by 30 ft and kept 12 benches, provided by various individual donors,” Bapuna explained. Appreciative messages have been received from locals and those as far afield as Dubai and New Zealand. A recent visitor from Bombay also commented to Parsiana how clean Udvada was.
Thanks to the clean-up drive by the Trust there was no flooding in Udvada during the last monsoon (see "No floods,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, October 7-20, 2022).
"Our activities are carried out thanks to donations by different corporates, trusts and individuals,” Bapuna stated. The CGCT has the required income tax certificates for credit available to donors. "We look forward to donations and would also request for corpus donations to sustain us in the long run since every year we give Rs 9,00,000 to the private contractor to clean the village, over and above the gram panchayat’s contribution of Rs 1,15,000 (USD 1,391) a month.”
The CGCT has been working with the panchayat to create environmental consciousness among the villagers (see "A collaborative clean-up,” Parsiana, June 21-July 6, 2022).