The MTV Dirtbusters campaign, which was inaugurated late January, targeted young people in and around six colleges in the city. The ground campaign was supplemented by a contest on television. Viewers were asked to write in what they would do to the most polluting element in their neighbourhood, and the lucky winner and his friend are scheduled to visit Singapore, the cleanest city in the world. The trip is being sponsored by MTV, Add Presto Pens and Kinetic Challenger.

The event got off with mayor Mr Hareshwar Patil seeing off MTV's Dirtbusting Truck, which was accompanied by a van designed along the Ghostbusters theme. The vehicles did the rounds of Wilson College and Sydenham on the first day, and the day after they visited MMK and National colleges in the suburbs.

In tow was MTV VJ Nikhil Chinappa and a team of six dirtbusters wearing dungarees, boots, gloves and welding glasses. They played a game wherein they challenged the students of the college to beat them at dirtbusting. Of course, the college-goers were provided with hygiene equipment. The collections were weighed on the `I Kicked Some Dirt Weighing Scale' and those who did best won gifts from MTV and Add Presto pens.

MTV India chief Mr Alex Kuruvilla was present at the launch of the event. He says, "We were having fun, and getting some good work done in the process. It all started when we heard that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation was planning a cleanliness drive. We thought it would be a good idea to use their resources and our creativity to generate civic awareness among college kids. With this campaign, we hope to kick off an anti-pollution movement. The next time you see someone polluting your neighbourhood, dirtbust them!"

The Dirtbusters drive was the first public service campaign MTV undertook in the new year. It had conducted four such drives last year, which Mr Kuruvilla says were extremely successful. "Our global anti-AIDS campaign was the highlight of the past year. Then we had a campaign in association with HelpAge India where we impressed upon youngsters the need to be respectful to their elders. Our anti-leprosy drive, where we debunked myths about the disease, was appreciated even by the British Council which conducts programmes on this disease on a regular basis. The final one last year was our anti-corruption crusade," Mr Kuruvilla informs.

It would be unrealistic to assume that one campaign will change the mental make-up of all those college students who participate in it, but like Mr Kuruvilla says, little efforts add up. "It may not change your life but it could change your backyard!" he says, laughing. "My own daughter reacted very positively when she got to know of our campaign. She said people would listen to us because we're MTV. And I agree. We are a potent vehicle of influence as has been proved by the success of our previous campaigns. We are in an industry where we spend 90 per cent of our time providing entertainment, and this is a different way of creating more goodwill."