Not big speeches only,actual river cleaning.
Akash Gupta,a dedicated youth leader in Basti,expressed heartfelt gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his river cleaning work was mentioned in recent 'Mann Ki Baat' program . And you can understand why this recognition mattered so much for his team .
His team of seven members has managed to clean approximately 300 meters of Manorama river in just 65 days . That is not small thing ah,especially when river cleaning usually needs money,people,time and lot of patience.
And Gupta's main point is very direct . He said,"Work related to cleanliness cannot be carried out until entire country comes together." Simple line,but it hits because many times everyone waits for government,municipality,department,someone else.
Few things standing out clearly here:
- Akash Gupta and his team cleaned approximately 300 meters of the Manorama river in 65 days.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted his effort during the 134th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' .
- Team also plans to plant saplings along riverbank during monsoon season.
But this story is not just about one river stretch getting cleaned . Gupta is also talking about environmental conservation,community responsibility and sustainable habits like rainwater harvesting . These are basic things,but we ignore them till problem becomes too big.
He also said,"Citizens should make efforts to clean resources that we have received from Mother Nature,rather than wait for the government to do so." And honestly,this line feels like whole message of this effort . Government schemes like Namami Gange Programme and Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan can exist,but people still have to show up locally.
During 134th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' ,Prime Minister Modi shared how Gupta was moved by polluted condition of Manorama River,which was once vibrant during his childhood . Instead of just complaining,he followed mantra,"No complaints,a fresh start."
And tbh,that mindset is refreshing rn . Because in many towns,people know river is dirty,drain is blocked,pond is dying,but everyone keeps passing blame . Here,seven people started with what they could do .
Question is,will more citizens actually join such efforts when attention moves away from this story,or will it again become responsibility of few people standing near dirty river with hope…
