Sabujer Abhijaan Sharad Samman 2025: Celebrating Green Festivals in the Sundarbans

This Durga Puja, the Sundarbans Climate Club members under the ACV initiative  came together to promote an environment-friendly celebration through the “Sabujer Abhijaan Sharad Samman 2025” an award recognizing Puja Committees that have taken commendable steps to make their festivities greener and more sustainable.

The initiative began with the children of the Climate Club developing indicators to understand how eco-friendly the Puja celebrations were from waste management and use of natural materials to energy conservation and community awareness. These indicators were shared with Puja Committees across the Patharpratima block, providing them with guidance before the festival began.

During the celebrations, the young Climate Club members visited 26 Puja Committees across 5 Gram Panchayats – Digambarpur, Gopalnagar, Banashyamnagar, Achintyanagar, and Heramba Gopalpur engaging with committee members, evaluating their practices, and scoring each based on the green indicators.

This year, 5 Puja Committees were honoured with the Sabujer Abhijaan Sharad Samman 2025* for their outstanding green initiatives:

1 Uttar Gopalnagar O Kamdebnagar Sarbajanin Durgatsab Committee

2 Tentulia Sarbajanin Durgatsab Committee

3 Digambarpur Anchal Sri Sri Sarbajanin Durga Puja

4 Gadamathura 3rd Khanda Sarbajanin Durgatsab Committee

5 Paschim Sripatinagar Netaji Sangha Club Durga Puja Committee

Additionally, five Puja Committees one from each participating Gram Panchayat—received Appreciation Letters for their efforts to become model green Pujas in their respective areas:

* Gopalnagar GP – Uttar Gopalnagar O Kamdebnagar Sarbajanin Durgatsab Committee

* Digambarpur GP – Tentulia Sarbajanin Durgatsab Committee

* Achintyanagar GP – Paschim Sripatinagar Netaji Sangha Club Durga Puja Committee

* Heramba Gopalpur GP – Heramba Gopalpur Sitalpalli Sangha Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee

* Banashyamnagar GP – Banashyamnagar Sarbajanin Durgatsab Committee

The award ceremony was graced by distinguished local representatives and members of the Gram Panchayat Samiti, along with community leaders from the respective Gram Panchayats. They motivated all the Climate Club members for their innovative efforts and appreciated the spirit of green celebration.

The Sabujer Abhijaan is more than an award — it’s a community-led climate action driven by adolescents of the Sundarbans who are learning, reflecting, and collectively planning for a more sustainable future. Through participatory analysis and dialogue, they are not just encouraging green celebration, but also fostering a culture of responsibility and environmental stewardship in their communities.

This collaborative effort was made possible with the support of Mukti, Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha (BTS), Development Research and Community Service Centre (DRCSC), Indraprastha Srijan Welfare Society (ISWS), Rupantaran, Praajak, and Praxis.