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Lessons to Learn from a small village called Mawlynnong

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Sheebavinod, Oct 8, 2009.

  1. Sheebavinod

    Sheebavinod Gold IL'ite

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    I came across this feature in BBC some days ago by Jyotsana Singh and instantly had decided that this would be the next post in my blog.

    Mawlynnong, a small village in the north eastern state of Meghalaya has earned itself the the reputation for being the cleanest and best educated in the entire nation, all its residents can read and write and every household as a toilet. In a country where the basic human necessities are yet not being met in many places, this small village stands out distinct for its accomplishments ,the credit entirely being that of its residents.

    Everyday at five in the morning a group of volunteers in the village sweep the roads. It is a process that is repeated several times a day .Some cleaners are hired by the village council to sweep the roads - but many villagers take turns to make sure they are swept several times a day because it is not possible to pay so many people. The streets are all dotted with dustbins made of bamboo. Not even a leaf that has fallen down from a tree will be found on the ground, all the litter is immediately discarded . Plastic is completely banned and all waste disposal is environmentally friendly. Rubbish is thrown into a pit dug in a forest near the village where it is left to turn into compost. The lessons in hygiene are started at schools from very early age so that he children learn how to keep their surroundings clean and tidy.The village council called Darbar , maintains the discipline in the village and they are very strict about it. There is a fine imposed by the council in case anyone litters the place or cuts down the trees.They inspect houses to check the sanitation facilities. Workshops about Global warming are being organized. They have a very effective local governance system.Its Khasi tribal inhabitants are known to be worshippers of nature. They still use the forest for many of their needs but they make sure that it is not misused. There are punishments for rule violaters.
    Local initiative is the reason for this village for being so successful. It has been so successful that the state government has been prompted to promote eco-tourism in the area but the locals are resisting this. Inspite of this , the village is already popular and lots of tourists are visiting to see the cleanest and greenest place in the entire nation.

    Every individual has something to learn from this small village and it shines as a best example for our countrymen to follow. It surely proves that we can make this world a better place to live in .
     
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  2. manchitra

    manchitra Senior IL'ite

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    Loved your post Sheeba . I will search for more info. on the same. Your description itself makes me feel that I am there. I can feel the fresh and clean environ.

    If each person takes responsibility instead of waiting for various agencies to step in or blaming the govt: for cleaning and upkeep each and every spot in our country would be become like Mawlynnong. One can always dream isnt it and hope it would become a reality soon.

    all this lessons in cleanliness and basic hygiene should start at very young age. one thing is taught and something else is practiced. First we must teach children how to use dust bins. Once when my son threw a paper from our balcony. I took him down and made him pick it up and showed him the dustbin.

    Our Tv channels can also play a major role in this.Why not a breaking news about the above place for the next 15 days on Tv channels like they do for any mishaps.

    Keep writing .
     
  3. chithradhamo

    chithradhamo New IL'ite

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    a nice sheeeba. like the people Mawlynnong all of us must take upthe resposibility of keping our surroundings clean. There must be cooperation among people. and yes school must take it as an important subject to be taught along with histry ,science etc. Parents also must take up the resposibility of teaching the chilld about environment and how important it is to keep them clean. Each individual must know that it is his or her responsibility to keep the surroundings clean . And plastics must be abandened.
     
  4. asma747

    asma747 Senior IL'ite

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    A good place to live in without any dirt, and the people are also good with each taking responsibility. Nice topic Sheeba. Keep writing.
     
  5. Sheebavinod

    Sheebavinod Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Chitramma,

    sorry posted it twice
     
  6. Sheebavinod

    Sheebavinod Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Chitramma,

    As usual you are the first to comment:), happy that u liked my blog and as you said I guess it should start from home and that was a good gesture that u taught ur son , :thumbsup. We should have more people like u around so that everyone knows the importance of cleanliness and make it a way of life.
     
  7. Sheebavinod

    Sheebavinod Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Asma n Chitra,

    Thanks for dropping by and the lovely comments:)
     
  8. knot2share

    knot2share Gold IL'ite

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    Loved it Sheeba. It is so encouraging to read about such environmentally aware places and people and we should be taking the inspiration from them to make our place also clean and neat. Fantastic idea of educating children at school. The commitment from everyone in maintaining their area is to be applauded. I like the fact that the Council imposes fine for not complying. Else we don't understand the value behind such effort sometimes. Thank you for such a good article on the village.
     
  9. amihere

    amihere Platinum IL'ite

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    There is a saying something like, it starts from a family, then from a village and then to country. Sikkim is also the same; you won’t believe it’s an Indian state when you see how tidy the place is. If you litter the place there is a heavy fine of 5000Rs. The change has to come from people, how many of us care to keep the waste a banana peel/ chocolate/biscuit wrapper with us and then dispose of it only in ‘Use Me’s. Also the govt. sometimes doesn’t take care to empty the use me cans, some of them are filled with litter and then it starts coming out. Only if we can study this lesson from our fellow beings to keep the place neat and tidy. Also we have to take the pain to use plastic as less as possible. Carrying a shopping bag whenever we go for shopping reduce the plastic bags that are pulled out. Why should we wait always for a law? Maybe all of us at IL can take a pledge that we will use plastic (mainly plastic covers) only when there is no other option and is absolutely unavoidable to use it. Carry a bag always in your hand bag or carry bag so that whenever you shop for groceries you don’t have to go for a new plastic bag.
     
  10. moozypie

    moozypie New IL'ite

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    A real eye opener Sheeba..Cleanliness and a discipline to keep the surroundings spic and span is much needed in a country like India..

    Like Chitra said, there should be some initiatives from our so called news grabbing media to bring forth such information and features too..
     

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