Cleanathon India 2018

Cleanathon India 2018

Cleanliness is next to Godliness and it has to come from within. Gandhiji rightly believed that emancipation was possible only through cleanliness. An unclean and insanitary situation only spells disorder and turbulence. On the contrary if we have a clean and sanitised surrounding, half the battle is won.

Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Swachchata Mission’ is no longer a distant dream to fulfil. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhijaan’ and so with the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi it saw numerous drives. One such drive worth mentioning is the NDTV 24 x7 Cleanathon report.

Hiranandani Foundation School had the honour of contributing their bit towards this great cause. What made it more fascinating was when NDTV 24x7 live captured two of our erstwhile students questioned Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

Q. Can technology and clean environment co-exist?
According to Mr. Bachchan technology and environment can co-exist. He said,“There are traffic conditions that tell us how long it will take to reach a particular destination. But, can there be an app so that there is provision where the GPS can tell us where the next toilet is located? In big cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore it has been noticed that once you are caught in a traffic jam, there is really no option of coming out of the situation and elderly people might need to go to the toilet urgently. However, if there was a scientific system to help in locating the nearby toilets, it would be beneficial for the common people.”

Q. What conscious effort are you taking to reduce your carbon footprint?
As quoted by Mr. Bachchan, “If you were to come to my place, you will find that each one of us is very conscious of the fact that we do not want to litter our compound. I have introduced the idea of ‘mere dus guz’__ if you clean up just ten yards around the area where you stay, you can clean up the entire region you live in and I will definitely try to propagate that.” What an impactful replythat students will remember all their life.

Later a mime was presented portraying ‘trees to be protected’followed by a pledge. The school now takes this decision seriously and a massive drive of keeping the surroundings clean has become the sole aim of all students. Perhaps a few years from now we shall get to see clean Mumbai, clean India.