The sun shone bright on about 30 volunteers of I-Clean Nagpur, who trooped down to the Deaf & Dumb Residential School, Saoner this Sunday. They were joined there by equally enthusiastic cadets of 20 Maharashtra Batallion NCC Nagpur from Bhalerao High School & HA Arts College, who together with the officials, staff and about 60 students, cleaned and beautified the premises and walls of this co-educational residential school, which is working selflessly towards the cause of deaf and dumb children since the year 1994.
The I-Clean group specialises in cleaning the area and then painting the walls with cleanliness-related messages and attractive Warli designs, which are native to this region. This is their 219th spot in the region. This voluntary group has completed over seven years of their formation. They believe that the cleanliness habit needs to be inculcated into the minds of our youth, right from an early, impressionable age.
It is the group’s thought that cleanliness is next to godliness, and a clean surrounding will automatically promote a healthy environment for all citizens. Working on this ideology, they ensured that adequate precautions were taken to safeguard the health of the participants during this activity. All volunteers were regularly served drinking water and other liquids to keep them hydrated during the activity performed in this hot weather. The School officials also made a special effort to create a shade where the volunteers were working, along with serving snacks & lunch to all participants.
In a connected activity, the I-Clean team is also actively supporting the civic administration in implementing the much needed ban on single-use plastics. This message is being prominently painted on all their spots. Members undertake periodical drives to educate vendors and the common man about this menace, which causes damage to our environment, livestock and human life.
Age is no barrier for this group. They have volunteers ranging from 10 to 65+ year-olds who contribute in their own ways, towards the cleanliness and beautification of our city. Members include persons from many vocations, including students, housewives, young children, CA, doctors, lawyers, business persons, IT professionals, retired persons, and others. Anyone with a sincere will to clean and beautify our city, is welcome to join this voluntary organisation.
At least 3-4 new members join the group at each spot. Earlier spots done by this team include various lakes of Nagpur, railway stations, bus stops, schools, colleges, old age homes, hospitals, Mokshadham, clubs, busy squares, hostels, remand homes, culverts, parking zones, police stations, and other places of public interest.
To fund their activities, each volunteer makes a minimum contribution of ₹50 every month. Some voluntary contributions are also received from citizens at each spot. It is the group’s vision that every city in India should have an I-Clean team and each citizen should follow the cleanliness regime.
With I-clean, it is ‘I’ before ‘You’. It is in the name – I should do it rather than asking you to do it.
The group has made an appeal to all like-minded people of Nagpur to join them in their zest for cleaning and beautifying the city. They also requested residents to help maintain the cleanliness of the beautified spot by adopting proper methods of garbage disposal as also through continuous vigil. People of all ages and vocations can voluntarily be a part of these efforts. You can call Ajinkya on 8421930862 or Jaideep on 7743994550 to be a part of this selfless group that is making efforts to make Nagpur really a clean and smart region.
