Clean and green pilgrimage is crucially important for a Swachh Bharat (Clean India), as our pilgrimage sites are frequently visited by lakhs of pilgrims and hence trash is often seen strewn across these sacred spaces of worship especially after major festivals and holidays.
Such is the case in the Neelkanth Marg at the foothills of the Himalayas, in the Rajaji National Park, as a group of volunteers, with the inspiration and green leadership of HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President of Parmarth Niketan and Co-Founder of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, joined the Parmarth Rishikumars, to clean up this region from the trash that had accumulated from the Kanwad Mela, which had taken place in July-August. Tourists and volunteers from across the world joined these efforts on #WorldCleanUpDay ( World Cleanup Day Let’s Do It INDIA ) and kick started the 15 day #SwachhtaPakhwada being organised nationwide.
During the next fortnight, the Parmarth Rishikumars are committed to cleaning up this eco-sensitive region and whilst doing so introspecting on innovative solutions to prevent such waste from accumulating next year.
