The words hygiene and sanitation take me back to my
childhood days when my grandmother used to enter the kitchen only after taking
a bath,wearing a white cotton saree specially meant for this purpose. The
kitchen was out of bounds for anyone wearing shoes or chappals.My grand mom used
to draw a line with flour around her sitting place and her mud baked oven
(chulha ).No one was allowed to enter this space.I was the privileged one
sitting opposite to her at a respectable distance from the marked line.I remember
helping her by handing to her the various condiments ,the cut vegetables etc
which were kept on a rack behind me. The only condition was that I had to first
wash my hands and feet before helping her.This was a ritual that I simply loved
and at the same time inculcated in me the habit of washing my hands before
handling anything in the kitchen.The cooking done she would douse out the
burning coals and the residue of coal ashes was collected for the cleaning of
utensils as it was considered to be pure and a good cleaner.This was a daily
routine followed not only in our house but numerous other households as well.
Every day she would broom the courtyard clean as she was not
satisfied
with the work of the servants. She would personally
supervise the washing of all the open spaces and the washrooms so that there
were no flies or dust remaining She was a great teacher who instilled in us the
values of hygiene and sanitation.
There is no doubt that hygiene and sanitation play a great
role in our lives ensuring a healthier life and cleanliness of our homes and
surroundings keeps us away from infections and diseases. We usually take care
of our homes but our surroundings are sorely neglected.Time has come to change
our attitudes and habits.
India
is one of the oldest civilizations of the world and has a charm and charisma
that has always attracted people from all over the world and from different
walks of life,like historians, teachers ,philosophers and adventurers. They
came here to study our scriptures and visit our historical sites.Things have
not changed even today more and more tourists
come to India
attracted by its age old charm.
Although India
has progressed in many fields but the only eyesore is our lack of cleanliness
and sanitation facilities in the slum areas as well as the villages.
This problem has been on the rise with the ever increasing
population. Individual efforts as well the civic authorities must take the initiative of not only spreading
awareness but also take appropriate measures to keep the city clean A healthy
environment means a healthy individual The school is a good starting place to
teach the children the advantages of hygiene and sanitation.
There are many organizations who are helping in spreading
this awareness as well as bringing into the market products which help us to
maintain good standards of hygiene and sanitation ,Dettol being one of them
helping in giving us Indians better hygiene and sanitation options.
If we are aware of the benefits of good hygiene and
sanitation then there is nothing that can stop us from being a part of this
initiative. Then we need not hang our
heads in shame and we can embark on a journey to make our country ,Swachh India
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