Falling in line in boycotting foreign soft drinks, including Coca Cola and Pepsi, Sri Krishna Educational Institutions has announced that it would replace soft drinks in their campus outlets with tender coconut and other regional products.

The historic protest carried out recently by students in support of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu saw the student community centralising other related issues that affected the farmers of Tamil Nadu, among which banning of Coke and Pepsi was given prime importance.

After the protest, a few organisations and restaurants heeded the suggestion and announced a ban on Coke and Pepsi, with V.L.B. Janakiammal College of Arts and Science implementing the ban on Tuesday.

An official circular was sent by the Management in which they had mentioned that fresh juices will be served in place of imported cool drinks. This was widely accepted and appreciated in social media, and many lauded the initiative.

Falling in line, Sri Krishna Institutions has also adopted the initiative in all three food courts and small outlets on their institution campuses.

“We would be replacing them with tender coconut and regional products such as Badam Kheer,” said A. Alagarsamy, Head of the Department of Social Work of the institution.

He further added that a majority of the student community has accepted the change. “We can see even ardent soft drink lovers give them up for the cause,” he told the Covai Post.

Welcoming the initiative, S. Jenifer, a final year student of English Literature studying in Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science, said that banning imported items would create an awareness among the youth about the importance of natural products.

“This will also boost our economy by and large,” she said.

G. Afshan Faaiza, student of another private arts and science college, said that the much-awaited ban would help both the consumer and the local farmer. “This should be followed by other institutions as well,” she opined.