“Stop littering, as a service to Mother Bharat! How will you ensure you do your bit to achieve a clean country?”

K Srisivaram,IX B Kendriya Vidyalaya, Minambakkam, Chennai

Beyond my windows begins the world. Many of us do not have any faith in this statement. For us the world ends where our windows begin. All the trash flies through the windows towards the earth or the down floor eves. It may be a street or a bus stand; take the fruit and leave the skin anywhere you like. From spitting to dumping waste, none hesitates to litter any public place.  The irony is none is aware that they are harming the earth and everyone believes that the earth is so big and we small humans small activities can’t damage the earth’s balance. Also many firmly believe that littering is their right and there are people to clean the mess they create. It is simply cruelty inflicted on our fellow countrymen. How can a few thousands clean up the trash left by a billion people? There is no space to mention in how many ways we litter our nation. But I want to tell about the people who buy and use cozy bean bags for their comforts and when they get damaged they would leave it in a street corner or sides of the road. The white granules keep flying and enter every household in the vicinity and they do not perish ever. Another habit firmed up with us is throwing the thermo cool packing material that accompanies any white goods. As there is space crunch people throw them down and they keep floating and moving permanently.

I preach what I’ve been practicing. At my home I’m able to influence my family members. I spend a daily routine of half-an-hour for my house and another half-an-hour for my street. I partially succeed in my attempts with my neighbors. My efforts in my class are yielding results. I do attend Rotary held camps and speak for maintaining our surroundings clean.  As a responsible student I have been participating in various competitions held in my school or in my neighborhood with ‘cleanliness’ as my main topic. I’ve participated in a regional level science congress stressing the need to protect the only marsh land available in Chennai- which is shrinking fast. I keep sending photos to media and try to create awareness on this vital issue. Also I assist my father who is running a green campaign. My mother is a Science teacher and she motivates me to study the salinity level of the water available in my area and to test the soil for identifying the harmful chemicals that have entered in soil. I would continue to exhort people to stop littering public places. After the national mission started by our Hon’ble PM my work has become easier. People have started to listen and feel there is some substance in the campaign.

I strongly believe in the maxim,’ Cleanliness is next to godliness’ and  I hope my fellow citizens would also feel so.