By — Shyamal Sinha
On March 21, the Global 03 Branch of the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) hosted “Mega Eco Ten Minutes” in front of Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, India. Approximately 60 participants attended the event, which featured a 10-minute eco-action designed to make civic responsibility, unity, and non-violence a shared habit.
The International Peace Youth Group(IPYG) is a youth organization under Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), founded based on the spirit of the Declaration of World Peace, proclaimed in 2013. More than 1,500 youth organizations worldwide actively participate in peacebuilding initiatives. At the national and regional levels, IPYG operates the Youth Engagement & Peacebuilding Working Group (YEPW), through which it promotes youth-led peace initiatives and builds peace from the grassroots in local communities.
The background and relevance of this initiative [ Eco Ten Minutes ] lie in several key areas. Firstly, it aims for Social Change by maintaining community spirit amidst rapid urbanization. Secondly, it focuses on Environmental Protection, emphasizing coexistence with nature and the protection of peace heritage. Thirdly, it seeks to achieve Forming Community Solidarity by making the local environment better and establishing order. Finally, it promotes 10-Minute Acting as a way to continue peace activities in daily life.
Today’s peace challenges extend beyond war, as communities face division, misinformation, and weakened trust. Peace must therefore be strengthened through community-based practice and everyday cooperation. This event was held in support of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), building on the Karnataka State Legislature’s unanimous adoption of the DPCW Resolution in both chambers on August 21, 2025.
The key provisions of the resolution include: declaring full support for all articles of the DPCW; establishing a cooperation framework with HWPL; sharing the resolution with the Central Government and other states and calling for collaboration; promoting pilot projects for Peace Village and Peace City; reflecting DPCW Article 10 on civic participation, peace education, and cultural dissemination in administrative measures; and submitting related documents to the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and relevant government authorities.
This event, held as part of the Legislate Peace (LP) program, served as a starting point for the India Peace Working Group, aiming to form a core team of local leaders and partners. It also aimed to build a sustainable system for recurring peace actions monthly and quarterly beginning with Mega Eco Ten Minutes, and to strengthen a collaborative network connecting universities, youth groups, civil society, and local institutions for long-term partnership.
The event was attended by G. Nagaraj, Founder of The Indian Ploggers Army, along with its volunteers; Anirudh Jatkar, an actor and one of the six brand ambassadors for the Bengaluru Swachh Survekshan Drive (Cleanliness Survey) under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA); and students from Kristu Jayanti University; as well as citizens of Bengaluru.
G. Nagaraj shared that the activity is about “not only burning calories or a block, but actually burning your ego as well, because you’re picking up somebody else’s trash.” He emphasized that “the bigger message we want to convey” is each person owning their neighborhood and noticing those plastics. “It’s always action that actually speaks,” he said, encouraging participants to pursue peace together and make the planet healthy and clean.
Bharti, a volunteer with The Indian Ploggers Army, pointed out that Bengaluru, which was once a garden city, “has become garbage city because of our mindlessness.” She called on people to be more mindful, practice Bring Your Own Cutlery (BYOC), carry their own bottles, and reuse clothes under the concept of “pre-loved,” urging a return to “our grandparents’ age of minimalism.”
Through this event, IPYG connected participants into a Peace Participation Network and conveyed the message that peace can become part of everyday life through a simple, realistic 10-minute action that anyone can join.
In addition, HWPL plans to regularly operate Mega Eco Ten Minutes on the last Saturday of every month, and applications for participation can be made via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19brE26Nob/?mibextid=wwXIfr).
