Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: A mission for the people, of the people and by the people

On October 2, Gandhi Jayanti got a complete makeover this time with

launching the

on Thursday. He kick started the mission from Valmiki Colony in New Delhi, where Bapu stayed for 214 days, by wielding a broom and cleaning the pavement. This definitely gave a strong message to the society as for the first time something of this sort has been done by a Prime Minister.

Gandhi Jayanti, also referred to as the 'dry day' saw a change this time as on this day every year people enjoy the holiday. But this time, even the top authorities at the government offices had to come to the office. They came, wielded brooms and swept floors, made their offices look clean to participate in the Clean India Mission.

All this was done to mark PM Narendra Modi's call of "Swachh Bharat ", but the question is will it continue in the coming days or will it get restricted to just one day.

Like charity, cleaning too begins at home

In India, many of us contribute not to make our country look clean but to make it look dirty.

Why is it that in our country garbage can be seen flying around? People just need to find an empty space and as soon as they find it, they start filling that space with garbage.

Why it is that people spit anywhere they feel like, be it on walls or roads or walls near staircases of Government offices.

Not to forget the people who chew paan and spit the ‘cud' wherever they feel like and make the surroundings intolerably dirty.

Men feel free to urinate anywhere and it is a common sight in our beloved country. We as citizens contribute in all these ways to keep our country dirty. The concept of the common public good is absent in the people's consciousness.

We demand so much from our government, our country, but can we contribute by at least not strewing filth around. We should treat the roads, parks, bridges, rivers of our country as our property and should maintain them the way we keep our own homes clean.

If we can keep our homes and surroundings clean, then we can keep our country clean too.

This campaign should not fade away and should not be seen as a mere photo opportunity

The cleanliness drive which swung from enthusiasm to indifference across India should not just get restricted to getting clicked.

The ministers and babus were also mobilised for the Swachh Bharat abhiyan on Gandhi Jayanti, but many feel that this practice by all the officials was only for one day. But this should not happen and the efforts to make a clean India should keep going till the time we get a filth free India.

The Rs 62,000 crore Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, India's biggest cleanliness drive, will cover over 4000 towns in the next five years. Thus, rather than considering it as a Government initiative, all of us should come together to make it a success.

Appealing to citizens to undo India's reputation of poor public hygiene Modi also said, "We all have a solemn duty which is to clean up the blot of grime on Mother India. Gandhiji gave us freedom, but we are yet to be free from filth and dirt. Don't look at this just as a government initiative."

Let's come together and make it a reality

This mission will become successful if we all come together and make concerted and perennial efforts. And thus, to involve the citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also initiated a chain by inviting some eminent personalities including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kamal Hassan, Anil Ambani, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, yoga guru Ramdev and team of TV serial "Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma."

The PM asked all these people to nominate nine more people to join the campaign and also hoped that the chain would continue.

Progress and success in this mission will not be possible until and unless, the non-governmental efforts will not get combined with the government's endeavour.

The government should continuously campaign till change in attitude of people is visible and should also impose fine on littering and urinating, so that people stop doing such things. And once the change in the attitude of people comes, then this mission will automatically gain momentum.

The Prime Minister of India has initiated the mission of a clean and filth free India and we the citizens of this country should not let this mission stop till every nook and cranny of India becomes clean.