It was the dawn of a new academic year at Green Compass School, and the energy on school was electric. The morning air was alive with the chatter of students reconnecting after the holidays…

Mr. James, the headteacher, stood at the centre of a three-hour staff meeting. His voice, steady and firm, carried a vision that would soon define the year…

“This year,” he began, adjusting his glasses, “our focus is environmental consciousness…”

Later that day, Esther sat by the window. Her gaze drifted to the sprawling slum beyond the school’s boundary…

“Madam, can we start by addressing the pollution in our school and the Deepa? The trash, the toxic river, the smoke—it’s killing us.”