Cleanliness as a drive is often seen in media where people appear more inclined towards getting their names portrayed for doing works unlike handfuls that do without creating a buzz and less about making it part of their lifestyle. For the handful of unsung crusaders cleanliness is an obvious part of their life and not a campaign limited by goals and deadlines.
Meet youngsters of Anchal Shishu Ashram at Harmu as they share importance of cleanliness driven by conscience of living in tardy environment than following the clarion call of running a campaign limited by targets. The orphanage houses 16 children and all of them go to school like any normal children.
The children of the orphanage keep their room clean, maintain a garbage free surrounding and also do a little bit of gardening near their shelter home.
Interestingly, they are motivated by their sense of right and wrong on hygiene than look at mass leaders to take the first swoop and then follow the footsteps.
“We keep our rooms clean. We have been doing this from a very long time. I don’t see anything wrong in this and I have no grudge about doing this,” said Puldev Oraon.
Oraon’s gentle voice carried an important lessons which if people had learned would have made bharat swacch even before the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Swacch Bharat Abhiyan. Oraon is a student of Class-5 at Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir.
Cleanliness activities of children at the orphanage continue despite a person deputed by the caretaker for cleaning the premises and is a result of upbringing at the orphanage which has been in news earlier also for cleanliness drive for removing garbage from the banks of Ranchi lake.
“There is man deputed at the orphanage for the purpose of cleaning the premises. No student has been ever forced to do that yet they keep the area clean and uncluttered on their own. For them it is more about a way of living than a campaign on cleanliness,” said caretaker of the orphanage, Mahesh Wadhwani.
Interestingly, children of the orphanage are not aware of cleanliness drive launched under the banner of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan which made even the PM take broom and promote cleanliness. The attitude of the children some too small to even think about cleanliness as a way of life would shame advocates of cleanliness who although swear maintaining high standards of hygiene.
“I always try to keep my surrounding free of garbage. Doing so gives a sense of satisfaction as this is my home and it is duty to keep it clean,” said eight-year-old, Shibu Purti.