JOIN USThe social media has been abuzz with a number of challenges for a good cause like ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ and ‘Rice Bucket Challenge’.
Following this trend is the City-based NGO ‘Farzz’ which has organised the ‘Clean India Challenge’ for a better City.
The campaign was launched recently and had Sandalwood actress Teena Ponnappa and social activist Mehroz attending it. It was launched on Facebook and requires the volunteers to clean any place, be it their room, garden or road.
The member, then, has to nominate five other people to clean any place they choose within three days and post a photo of the place before and after it was cleaned on Facebook. If the nominated members fail to do so within three days, they have to donate Rs 500 to the NGO and the volunteers will take up the challenge on their behalf.
On the day of the launch, the volunteers cleaned the subways opposite Townhall. Syed, one of the volunteers, said, “We have already been a part of this challenge for over two years. But we have decided to take it up more seriously now. We chose Townhall because it is centrally located and has more than 10,000 people passing by everyday.
We removed posters off one subway, cleaned and repainted the place. We left the other subway as it was just an example for people to see how a clean subway is.”
He added that the volunteers were cooperative and that he didn’t need any prior support or permissions. Sumeera, another volunteer, described the campaign as a success.
Teena Ponnappa added that the experience was very enriching and inspiring. “When I first saw the state of the subway, I felt we couldn’t do it. However, after taking up the challenge and finishing the process, I felt very satisfied.
I will continue to be a part of the ‘Clean India’ project. If all us take up the challenge and do our bit to clean the City and the environment, we can lead a healthier life.”
Two of her nominees were Sandalwood actresses — Swetha Sanjeevulu and Meghana Gaonkar.