India is a country not only known for its diversity but also the spiritual energies it offers. The country is filled with holy places, and this causes movement of lakhs of pilgrims of different religions and cultures to holy places to seek God’s blessings. One such place is Sabarimala, Kerala, where there is a shrine dedicated to Lord Ayappa. While traversing to the shrine, pilgrims leave behind lots of wastes. As a result, the shrine and nearby areas are left dirty and messy.
To end this, an IPS officer, who is currently the IGP of Kochi, Mr. P Vijayan, had started the ‘Punyam Poonkavanam’ initiative to clean the temple and the nearby areas. He and his team pull out all stops to ensure Sabarimala stays clean, and because of their efforts, cleaning has become a ritual in the temple town and nearby areas as well. Most visitors to Sabarimala now devote time to cleaning the shrine and the Pampa river that flows nearby.
However, it was not an easy task to convince the people to do something they had never practiced before or even thought of.
In this video interview, Mr. P Vijayan talks about the challenges that came up while implementing the course of action, and how this initiative can be replicated in other pilgrimage centres as well.
Watch the interview here:
