15 year old Abhipsha Mohanty leads us to this fairytale land of clean skies, green farms, beautiful fragrance in the air and a peaceful life.But all of this for real in her village in Odisha, which she points out is the 6th cleanest village in India. Here is a wonderful message of cleanliness.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The soul of India lies in its villages.”
According to me it stands true.
A village is a place where you can find hope, inspiration and most importantly a happy and peaceful life. In recent times, most of our cities are unlivable- congested and potholed roads, overflowing drains, erratic power and water supply, garbage strewn around so much as to cause accidents. In contradiction to this there are villages.
Early in morning the artistic golden sun gets up like a baby and starts painting the dark black sky into a bright blue one. The milky, bright clouds get up from sleep and start travelling around the sky, visiting the wonderful environment.
Next to the mountains and near to the forest there is a waterfall with ivory white water splashing down the river as if someone was spilling a glass of milk. Everyone loves to spend their time in such a place.
Here, I would like to introduce you , my village Sarahara. It is a big and ancient village, situated in the district of Khordha ,Odisha. It is self-controlled and self reliant in most ways. Moreover our village is free from all kinds of pollution and has also been declared as the 6th clean village in India and it’s a matter of pride for everyone residing there.
There are sufficient green fields all around it, growing more than sufficient granary for whole population of our village. There is a mesmerizing scene of a tan coloured smart chubby farmer with a checked shirt driving along his tractor on the muddy road. Long, tall brown and green paddy fields looks like someone has spread a green dusty bed sheet.
This is possible due to everyone’s collective effort in maintaining the village and their houses. Actually our village granary production has been exporting, that means it produce excess to sell it for others. My village is far away from the noise of the city, surrounded by flourishing fields filled with crops. The air feels lighter and cleaner than it does in cities because of a lack of factory pollution. Being in the village allows me to interact more closely with flora and fauna.
The small, colourful and cute butterflies dance all around the environment, looking for sweet nectar. The flower’s fragrance fills the whole air, making the morning pleasant. I can still remember this scene when I am away from my village feeling caged in this lockdown. The houses here are on stilts and with thatched roofs.They are arranged in a linear fashion behind barbed wire fences. The sea is just a stone’s throw away and is lined by tall swaying coconut trees, in our village.
In the afternoon when the sun is high up in the sky, the village men have a quiet siesta in shady spots with the melodious sea breeze whispering into their ears. The women folk in their vermilion sarongs gather around, chewing betel leaves and exchanging latest gossips. The sky then becomes a mixture of orange, yellow and golden hues. The sun retreats majestically and its fainting rays slowly disappear. The moon peers out of the clouds like a shy bride. In moonlight, the sea glistens.
Cleanliness adds more value to my village. Since good habits are contagious, it is possible in our part to teach neighbours and uneducated about the importance of cleanliness, by being a role model. We should also be mindful towards this habit. We should stop others from throwing waste at undesignated places.
It is the cumulative effort of all of us which can help us build a clean India someday.
Originally published in https://bookosmia.com/stories/my-clean-and-green-village/
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