NSS volunteers hold cleanliness drive on the entire palkhi route

NSS volunteers hold cleanliness drive on the entire palkhi route

Pune: Around 200 volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS) have undertaken a cleanliness drive in the palkhi procession this year on the entire route till Pandharpur.

The students have been undertaking several social awareness-related initiatives, under which they convey social messages and educate warkaris in the procession, and villagers on the route to the wari since 2004.   

“As thousands of people walk miles from Pune to Pandarpur as part of the palkhi processions of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram, places are littered when the palkhis move ahead after their halts for rest and food. So, once the palkhis move ahead, these students clean the area,” said Board of Student Welfare Director Prabhakar Desai.

The students will stage skits giving social messages such as the need to maintain hygiene, use of toilets, gender-related issues and more. The students have been distributing seeds in a bid to increase tree plantation in the villages through which the palkhis pass, and pamphlets that have the toll-free number 108 for free emergency ambulance service. The villagers are educated on the use and importance of the toll-free number and are asked to avail it when required.

“The wari is a huge and significant procession conducted every year. Through this initiative, NSS volunteers are trained to manage large groups and also get an experience of an amalgamation of modernity and tradition. This also gives an opportunity to youngsters to converse with the old and new generations, who participate in the procession,” said Desai.

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