A DECADE DEDICATED TO NATURE: Detailed Report on 10 years of Punyam Poonkavanam

Sabarimala is a journey, in search of one's own self and also towards a larger consciousness. The beauty of Sabarimala is the oneness of these two divergent streams of existence.

Nestled in the heart of the pristine forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve and at a height of 4,133 feet above sea level, Sabarimala tests the human endurance and spirituality like no other pilgrimage centre. That makes Sabarimala unique. Over the years, millions of pilgrims trekking the forest track to reach the temple have left behind tonnes of garbage, way too much than what the forest or inmates of forest can handle. There were many who got worried about the degradation of quality of life in Sabarimala.

Every pilgrimage season left heaps of plastic waste, animals killed after eating sugar-laced plastic, river polluted by oil and soaps and devotees and personnel on duty developing respiratory ailments due to pollution and desperate measures like using chlorine like disinfectants to mitigate the impact of people urinating and defecating in the open. The biodegradable waste rotting in open made Sabarimala breeding centre for contagious diseases and swarming flies. River Pampa often got choked with used and abandoned clothes. The Sabarimala Sudhi Sena (better known as SSS), engaged by the District Administration of Pathanamthitta, was doing an exceptional work, but that was not enough. The more garbage they removed, lot more kept flowing in.

Every Mandalam Makaravilakku season, spread over two months, left behind a lot of dead animals, degraded Nature and heavily polluted Pampa. Sabarimala temple is house
number one in the ninth ward of Ranni-Perunnad village panchayat, which has a total population of 20,561 and 5,586 houses. The region is also home to Attathod Tribal colony and groups of Malampandarams, nomadic tribal groups. They all suffered during Mandalam season, year after year. River Pampa is a lifeline for millions downstream and they all suffered. The mighty river, known as Dakshina Bagheerathi or Kerala's Ganga, was being critically infected.

Then, 2011 happened. The year witnessed some developments, which had no direct connect to Sabarimala pilgrimage but were destined to change the face of it. The Kerala
Police Act was passed and empowered police to punish those who endanger public safety.

The Honourable High Court of Kerala issued an order against dumping garbage in public place and directed Kerala Police to prosecute those who violate this. But in Sabarimala, enforcement of this order through conventional policing was not practical. And then, Punyam Poonkavanam Project was launched.

PUNYAM POONKAVANAM

Punyam Poonkavanam is the result of people from different walks of life coming together to find a lasting solution to this issue and revert Sabarimala to its pristine glory. For this, those associated with Punyam Poonkavanam went to the basic principles of Sabarimala.
The Core Principle of Sabarimala Pilgrimage is that what you are searching outside is inside you. This is one of the rare and true manifestations of the 'Tatvamasi' concept of Indian wisdom. This means "You are That". In Sabarimala, the pilgrim is refined through a stipulated period of extreme penance to be the God himself.
And the base for implementing the 'Tatvamasi' concept is another gem of Indian philosophy - the Advaitha. At their roots, both these great philosophies advocate the unity of spirit and body, the unity of time and space, the unity of being and nothingness.
It gave the insight that Punyam Poonkavanam was looking for. The humungous issue of garbage management has to start from within. No outside agency cannot help Sabarimala beyond a limit. Sabarimala needed action from those who are part of Sabarimala. If someone had to act, it was us. There are no others. Only us.

THE JOURNEY STARTS

Once the goal was set, the path evolved. Clarity in vision and commitment in heart - those were the tools for the people who lined up under Punyam Poonkavanam project in the initial stages. All they did was raising three simple questions:
1. Can someone who has elevated himself to the status of Ayyappa defile the sacred grove where the Lord reigns?
2. It is proper for someone to make another Ayyappa, who is equally divine as he is, to clean up his refuse?
3. If Lord Ayyappa is omnipresent and omniscient, will He not be seeing all the irresponsible activities by pilgrims?

The focus was to integrate the concept of cleanliness into the ecosystem of the pilgrimage. This, again, has to start from inside. The police and other department personnel on duty at Sabarimala were engaged in cleaning activities every day from 9 am to 10 am.

The exceptional work and support by Rapid Action Force (RAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) of CRPF, Travancore Devaswom Board, Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajam (SASS), Erumeli Juma Masjid and Akhila Bharata Ayyappa Seva Sangham (ABASS) got an unprecedented boost. Other uniformed and non uniformed agencies like Fire and Rescue Services, Departments of Excise, Health and Public Works, also provided all-out support to this. Sight of uniformed and non-uniformed government officials voluntarily joining in the cleaning work along with the sanitation workers, without any airs of officialdom brought in slight, but definite changes in the mindset of pilgrims. Slowly, they too joined these officials in picking up the waste and gathering them at designated points for safe removal.

The focus area of the campaign was in three aspects.
1. Spread the spirit of Conscious and Responsible Pilgrimage,
2. Create the notion of Environmental Community Policing, which is participatory model and
3. Honour, support and motivate the cleaning staff at work and give them a much-needed morale booster.
Initially, the region from Sannidhanam to Marakkootam was divided into 13 sectors and work was assigned to specific groups drawn from departments of Health, Forest, Excise as well as Travancore Devaswom Board, Dhanalakshmi Bank.

Over the last several years, Punyam Poonkavanam has become integral part of the regular police bandobast (preparatory) scheme at Sabarimala. Police officers in different ranks were deployed in adequate numbers at Nilakkal, Pamba, Erumeli and Sannidhananm oversee the effective implementation of Punyam Poonkavanam. The seamless support and inspiration from State Police Chiefs have been another key ingredient in the success of the programme.

Soon, the concept of cleanliness got woven into the pilgrimage. Those trekking Sabarimala believed in their heart that cleanliness is the true path to godliness.
At this point, Punyam Poonkavanam opened a spiritual path to core of Conscious and Responsible Pilgrimage through Saptha Karmas or Seven Sacred Deeds, which ensured the objectives of Punyam Poonkavanam are met.

1. Every Ayyappa should ensure that he brings no object, especially plastic, that will have an adverse impact on the delicate environment of the Sacred Grove.
2. Take back all garbage and refuse that is generated at the end of the pilgrimage rather than dumping it at Sabarimala.
3. All Ayyappas reaching Sabarimala should engage in at least one hour of cleaning drive at Pampa or Sannidhanam on a voluntary basis.
4. Preserve the sanctity of River Pampa. Do not use soap or oil while bathing in Pampa or leave old dress in the River on the way back.
5. Keep the toilets clean and under no circumstances, relieve yourself in the open.
6. Every Ayyappa has equal right to reach the temple; so respect it and keep order while queuing for darsan.
7. Leave seeds of virtue and not your garbage behind on completion of the pilgrimage.

THE TAKE OFF

Punyam Poonkavanam has been fortunate to get the support of the Honourable High Court of Kerala right from the beginning. The venerable court has been tracking the progress of the project and issued as much as 11 judgements that gave impetus for various aspects related to the implementation.
Honourable Prime Minister of India Sri. Narendra Modi, in his monthly Mann ki Baat on December 31, 2018, profusely appreciated the Punyam Poonkavanam initiative and exhorted others to learn from its success.
Punyam Poonkavanam is the only project to be included from Kerala in the Swachh Bharat Mission E-Learning Programme (Course Number 501 and 502: Waste Management in Religious Town: Case of Sabarimala - Part 1 & 2)

Prominent socio-cultural icons on our nation chipped in their support through endorsements and active participation. Actors Vivek Oberoi, Suman; doyen of Kannada film industry late S. Sivaram (writer, filmmaker, actor and producer); musicians Yesudas, Veeramani Raju, Sivamani and P. Jayachandran were among the few who gave wholehearted support to the project in public. Honourable Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan; Minister for Devaswom K. Radhakrishnan and his predecessors; Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) P.K. Sekar Babu, State Police Chief Anil Kant and those before him Honourable Supreme Court judge Justice C.T. Ravikumar, honourable High Court judges Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Gopinath Menon; Travancore Devaswom Board president Adv. Anantha Gopan and his predecessors; eminent jurists, senior bureaucrats, police officers and politicians have been supporting this unique initiative since its beginning.
Over the years, Punyam Poonkavanam project kept on evolving. It broke the barriers of language, politics, religion, region and unified people from different walks of life for a single cause of conscious and responsible pilgrimage in unison with Nature.

As a continuation of the work at Sannidhanam and Pampa, Erumeli region took up Punyam Poonkavanam in full earnest. This time, all stakeholders came under one umbrella. The Erumeli Juma Masjid, Panchayat, schools and colleges in the region, Churches and all political parties worked with one goal. Punyam Poonkavanam became a true mass movement at this point. Not just the region was cleaned up, flower gardens were put up and preservation and restoration of Manimala River was done.

The word was spreading fast. After the Great Floods of 2018, Nilakkal was made base camp. Punyam Poonkavanam did concerted and focussed work there to influence the bus drivers and staff not to dump garbage, especially plastic waste. Extensive campaigns were done in vehicles arriving and leaving Nilakkal. A beautiful flower garden came up at Nilakkal Mahadeva Temple. Same happened in Thoottooty Mor Gregorian Retreat Centre.

In the meantime, exhaustive list of Guruswamys, the leaders of the pilgrim groups coming to Sabarimala, was prepared and awareness campaigns were launched. Process is under way to create at least 1,000 volunteers from every district in all the South Indian States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telegana and Pondicherry. This was done out of the conviction that Punyam Poonkavanam must not just make pilgrims aware about their role in nourishing Sabarimala's rich life, but this should start from the beginning of the pilgrimage.

The volunteer of Punyam Poonkavanam took promulgation of its messages many leagues ahead by taking out a Swachch Sandesh Yatra. It started from Pampa on April 14, 2018 and toured across India, covering 12,000 km in 22 States before returning to Kerala after 47 days. Among the prominent places of worship touched by the Swachch Sandesh Yatra were Guruvayur Sreekrishna Temple (Kerala), Mookambika Temple (Karnataka), St. Francis Assisi Church (Goa), Ramkund Nasik (Maharashtra), Modhera Sun Temple (Gujarat), Brahma Temple (Rajasthan), Juma Masjid, Chandini Chawk (New Delhi), Kurukshetra Temple (Haryana), Golden Temple (Punjab), Vaishno Devi (Jammu), Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh), Hardwar and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), Kasi Vishwanatha Temple (Uttar Pradesh), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Jagannatha Temple (Orissa), Tirupati Temple (Andhra Pradesh), Velakkanni Church and Rameswaram Temple (Tamil Nadu)
More than five thousand places of worship, including Hindu, Islamic and Christian pilgrim centres, have come forward in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telegana and Pondicherry besides all across Kerala to champion this cause raised by Punyam Poonkavanam. The message of personal hygiene and concern for Nature has been made a part of the pilgrimage along with the Sapta Karma vision to uphold the true spirit of Sabarimala.

WAY FORWARD

Results speak for themselves. Punyam Poonkavanam and combined efforts of various agencies turned around the situation at Sabarimala for better. In the recent years, devotees certify that Sabarimala and Pampa have been much cleaner than on regular Mandalam season. Personnel from Department of Health and Power, who will be on duty here even on non-peak pilgrimage season, vouch than the quality of air and water has increased significantly. Officials of the Public Works Department used to complain that food could not kept open due to swarming flies. This is no longer the condition. Forest official testify that unnatural deaths among animals dropped noticeably.

While campaign was on its speak, Honourable High Court issued an order for complete ban of plastic in Sabarimala project area.

A Poonkavanam Irumudi (a special variant of the bag that Sabarimala pilgrims carry) was introduced by Punyam Poonkavanam to bring down the flow of plastic to the region. Along with that the innovative idea of orumudi sanchi was introduced, which is a cloth carry bag to take back all the garbage created by a pilgrim during the journey and to be processed safely once he is back home. Punyam Poonkavanam also started the practice of giving away tree saplings as vruksha prasadam for Ayyappas to take it back home and nurture it as part of offering themselves to the cause of Lord Ayyappa and Nature.

All temples under the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu Government are in the process of being converted to Punyam Poonkavanam Kendras. More than 1,200 temples under the Malabar Devaswom are now Punyam Poonkavanam Kendras. Temples coming under Cochin Devaswom are in the process of converting themselves as Punyam Poonkavanam Kendras propagating messages of personal hygiene and living in communion with Nature. Several temples in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telegana are following the suit.

THE YEAR OF PUNYAM POONKAVANAM

(JANUARY 14, 2022 - JANUARY 14, 2023)
The tenth anniversary of launch of Punyam Poonkavanam will be marked by a year-long observance of focussed and intense activities to promote communal amity, environmental concern and consciousness about personal hygiene.
This campaign will be held from January 14, 2022 to January 14, 2023. The highlights of the Year of Punyam Poonkavanam will be

1. Haritha Theerthadanam - The focus is on restricting anything harmful to the environment of Sabarimala from coming to the project area. The idea is to promote Sapta Karmas in pilgrimage not just at Sabarimala, but in any place of worship generally. It should be there throughout to the pilgrimage, from start of the penance to the completion of the pilgrimage.

2. Shudhi Seva - It is the prime responsibility of the devotee to keep the place of worship clean, hygiene and safe. So, participating in cleanliness drive is not an option, but an integral part of the pilgrimage. Cleaning and conserving waterbodies in the neighbourhood of the places of worship is also part of this component. Kaavu or Sacred Groves will be planted and nurtured around these centres as well as flower gardens. Another option is creating Nakshatra vanangal or Astrological Forest, where trees meant for each of 26 astrological signs are planted and nurtured.

3. Poonkavana Kendram - Transforming all places of worship in South India as model centres in cleanliness (practising personal hygiene and hygiene of surroundings) and centres of protection of Nature (Water, Air and Earth). They also serve as promotion centres to spread the message to general public. Through this, Punyam Poonkavanam project will go beyond the place of worship and reach out to individuals to bring in a change for better tomorrow.

4. Haritha Jeevanam - The focus group in this component will be educational institutions and idea is to spread the message of Green Life, where one exists in harmony with Nature, among youth and children. Young minds will be influenced in positive manner through media that this generation is comfortable with. Extensive campaigns will be launched through social media for this. Other products will be innovative participatory events, short films