Cleanliness must become our culture. Every citizen of the country should not only be aware of the need to keep the surroundings clean but act with a sense of realization and responsibility. Let cleanliness be a natural part of our manners, our etiquette.This was observed by His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj, Head of the Sant Nirankari Mission, while inaugurating the ‘Swachh Rail – Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ at a special function at New Delhi Railway Station yesterday. More than 20,000 volunteers of the Mission carried out the cleanliness drive at 45 main Railway Stations across the country on this single day.
The drive taken up under the auspices of the Sant Nirankari Charitable Foundation (SNCF) will be repeated once in every month for one year. The Stations were adopted by the Foundation on a request from the Hon’ble Railway Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu addressed to His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj.Baba Ji said, “Recently we visited a village in Meghalaya which had been declared as the cleanest village of the year. We noticed that a child threw a wrapper outside his house and another child, aged just 4 years, came at once and removed it. This is the kind of culture each and every child, young and the old has to adopt.”
His Holiness said that the devotees of the Mission participate in cleanliness drives and other campaigns with a spirit of faith and devotion. It’s not even possible otherwise, he said. They do not make it an eye-wash or a mere attempt to seek publicity in the media. They displayed the same spirit on this day last year while participating in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Referring to Gandhi Ji, Baba Ji said that he too believed that cleanliness outside can be achieved onlywhen our minds are clean and pure. The Sant Nirankari Mission too preaches the same, saying that pollution must be removed both from the mind as well as the environment.
Earlier, Shri Rakesh Mutreja gave a detailed account of various activities undertaken by the Sant Nirankari Charitable Foundation towards the service of humanity in the fields of education, blood donation, cleanliness, tree plantation, empowerment of youth and women, etc. and the appreciation and recognition it has earned in the country and abroad.
Speaking on the occasion, the senior officers of the Railways including Shri Pradeep Kumar, Member Staff, Railway Board, Shri A.K. Puthia, General Manager, Northern Railway and Shri Arun Arora, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi thanked Baba Ji and the Foundation for their blessings and cooperation.
They revealed that out of 27 religious and spiritual organizations to whom the Hon’ble Railway Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu addressed his letter,Sant Nirankari Mission was the first to respond and top with the offer to clean 45 Railway Stations not only on 2nd October, but once in every month thereafter also for one year. They also gave details of various steps they are taking to ensure cleanliness and better service by the Railways.His Holiness, Pujya Mata Ji and almost all the Members the Central Planning and Advisory Board, Executive Committee of the Sant Nirankari Mandal and the Management of the Foundation visited HazratNizamuddin, New Delhi and Delhi Main Railway Stations and blessed and encouraged the volunteers.
A large number of school children from the Mission also participated in the drive with placards carrying slogans such as: Suno Rail Ki SitiAyee, SaafKaroRahoKo Bhai;Rail AapkiSampatti Hai, Swachhta Vikas Ki Guaranty Hai;Gandagi Hai Jahan Narak Hai Wahan, Swachhta Hai Jahan Swarg Hai Wahan; Bharat Ko Rog Mukt Banana Hai, SwachhtaKoApnana Hai; and SabhiRogon Ki EkDawai,Ghar Mein RakhenSaafSafai.
The function concluded with the release of balloons by His Holiness and Pujya Mata Sawinder Ji to mark the launching of the ‘Swachh Rail – Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. Baba Ji and Pujya Mata Ji also flagged off the Mosquito Terminator Train introduced by Northern Railway to spray insecticides and remove the pollution from the air and water in and around Delhi.