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Ludhiana, 11 November 2013; Ludhiana-based youth group Young Flares, organised a major road cleaning operation this Saturday i.e. 10th November, during the nagar kirtan organised by Gurdwara Sarabha Nagar on the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Dev ji’s gurpurab. See pics on Flickr.
They planned their action in collaboration with US-based EcoSikh and the Gurdwara Sarabha Nagar.
More than 30 young people from National Cadet Corps and Young Flares walked along the route, collected the garbage by hands, packed it in bags and delivered it to the MC Ludhiana. This demonstrated their devotion to Sikhism and was inspired by the recent Green Nagar Kirtan initiative launched in Amritsar by EcoSikh and EcoAmritsar.
“The nagar kirtans are an exhibition of Sikh faith and belief. It is compulsory, as a part of our sewa, that we make our religious procession clean and green” said EcoSikh Project Manager, Ravneet Singh.
“Plastics and Styrofoam cutlery and plates are harmful for our planet. We must switch to traditional pattals to distribute langar in nagar kirtans,” Ravneet Singh added.
The Young Flares also distributed leaflets giving details of “Five Steps to a Green Nagar Kirtan” to all the langar stalls on the procession route to encourage garbage collection by the stalls themselves and inculcate the love for cleanliness during religious ceremonies.
The young people provided each stall keeper with recycled bin bags to encourage them keep their vicinity clean and play the best part of their sewa by cleaning. Many stall keepers pledged to adopt the best practices in future, as they were inspired by the initiative.
Many youngsters from the group shared the ill effects of serving food in non-biodegradable plastic and styrofoam and their dangerous effects on our beautiful planet. The team promoted biodegradable leaf bowls/pattals to serve the langar.
Members of the general public, inspired by the cleaning activity, joined hands with Young Flares and helped out collecting trash behind the Guru Granth Sahib Palki throughout the procession.
For more information contact EcoSikh on 998-837-3268. For information on Young Flares contact Gursahib Singh at 814-681-0006 or [email protected]
Links:
Flickr Link: Green Nagar Kirtan
Video: Guru Ram Das Ji’s Green Nagar Kirtan, Amritsar
About Us
EcoSikh is a response from the Sikh community to the threats of climate change and the deterioration of the natural environment.
EcoSikh is a registered nonprofit with 501(c)(3) status in USA.
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