Cleanliness is next to Godliness – A proverb, a perception, and a breakthrough for development.
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, I can proudly say that Vidya Valley School with the help of our Principal Mrs. Nalini Sengupta constantly strives to bring into reality the famous proverb “cleanliness is next to Godliness”. As they say the bond between two families connects them oceans apart, is so true as Vidya Valley northpoint, even though functioning from another part of Pune under the guidance of Ipsita Rodricks, works on the same principles as the sus branch.
“October 1st, 1995 last exam of the first term in grade 10th. We all were super excited as we would begin our mid-term vacations on October 2nd. Our English teacher announces our holiday homework – An essay on “The Father of our nation.” At that age I could connect Gandhiji only with non-violence, Satyagraha, quit – the Indian movement the readings that I had learned from our books. Little did I know that these facts were just the tip of the iceberg.
In the year 2014 when the Swachh Bharath Abhiyan was introduced to pay tribute to “Mahatma Gandhi”, my curious mind and hunger for facts wanted to know How did Swachh Bharat come into existence? and then started my journey through the by lanes of South Africa and India.
History says that the first drive for sanitation and cleanliness began in the year 1906 in South Africa when he questioned the white Europeans about the reason behind the discrimination against the Indians settled there, and the Europeans showed the mirror that the main cause is the unhygienic lifestyle of the Indians. Then started the movement of educating people on the importance of hygiene and cleanliness by Mahatma Gandhi. Now I could connect the dots between Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Gandhi Jayanti.
My research on these facts motivated me as a teacher to nurture our future generation and inculcate the values of cleanliness in them, and that self-help is the best help on this cleanliness drive and this is the path to making a mark on the global map as a developed country. As they say, charity begins at home the same way cleanliness begins at home. A school is a second home for every student, so we at Vidya Valley follow the cleanliness drive every day at school and together will work in transforming our country from an unhygienic country to a “CLEAN INDIA”
-Sneha Devarhubli
(Academic Coordinator)
