JOIN USIn line with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Mangaluru branch of Ramakrishna Mission has taken the pledge of cleaning the coastal city with conviction and earnestness for the last two years. It is spearheading the Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan initiative and has undertaken over 400 cleanliness drives in 40 weeks. With the motive of creating awareness among the public about cleanliness and hygiene, the Ramakrishna Mission undertook the initiative in three phases and the first phase begun on February 2, 2015. Huge response for the first two phases of the jatha and active participation of citizen forums led to the start of the third phase, which began on October 2, 2016.
Community effort
Every Sunday, with the support and supervision of the Mission, 10 groups undertake 10 cleanliness drives in different localities. Cleaning equipment such as brooms, pans and shovels, and a truck to dispose the waste, one photographer to capture photos, and an amount of Rs 5,000 is given to each team. All though it started with 40 groups, the number of groups quickly rose to more than 60. People from all walks of life have been supporting the efforts.
The activities include door-to-door visits educating people on cleanliness, garbage segregation and solid waste management, and cleaning roads and public places, among others. The teams also undertake cleaning unutilised dumping places, developing gardens, and planting saplings on roadsides and government school premises.
Apart from this, many other unique attempts have been made to spread awareness about the importance of cleanliness in the city. The most significant attempt of this kind was the painting of a 1,300-feet stretch of wall in the heart of the city. The painting depicted local art, culture and heritage. Artists took the task of repainting and decorating the old bus stop with graffiti to give it the feel of a tree. The ‘Varnodara’ team, led by Dr Pradeep, created an art installation on a road roller which was laying in ruins for the past few years in front of Jeppu Park. Today, this piece of art draws several photographers to take a picture in front of it.
Expressing his contentment over the success of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan, Swami Jitakamanandaji, head of Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru, says, “We succeeded in our attempt to create awareness among the people towards cleanliness, but it is a collective effort which needs to go as long as a human being stays in this globe.” Ganesh Karnik, Member of Legislative Council, is a regular volunteer for Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan. “It has given me a tremendous amount of satisfaction to be involved with the initiative since 2015. Such activities have far-reaching consequences, especially on health issues. However, for such activities to succeed, communities must come together and work for the cause as each one of us has a responsibility towards making our nation a cleaner place,” he says. Ganesh Bolar, another volunteer, says, “This is a unique opportunity to serve society.”
Attractive approaches
Along with cleanliness drives, talks by famous personalities — titled Swachh Manass — are arranged to inspire students to actively become involved in the drive. Workshops for homemakers, elected representatives and civic body workers are also conducted. The most distinctive attempt was a series of magic shows called Swachh Jaadu conducted by magician Kudroli Ganesh. In fact, it aimed at attracting people towards the concept of cleanliness through entertainment.
“Our next step now is to take this drive to the panchayat level and involve people to clean their surroundings. We have already had meetings with the village panchayat officials and panchayat development officers in the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi to expand the cleanliness drive,” says Swami Ekagamyanandaji, co-convener of the Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan. They are also planning a solution for waste management in urban areas under the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ programme.
Through several activities and active public participation, Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan has led they way for Mangalureans to clean their surroundings without any coercion. If the same air of collective spirit flows through everyone, the earth will definitely be a healthier place for all.