‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’, goes the proverb. We can achieve everything physically, mentally or spiritually only when we are clean in our body, mind and soul.
Being clean and tidy is vital, which should start with personal hygiene. Any good habit should start from young age. The basic hygiene like personal cleanliness of regular brushing, bathing, washing hands before having food, etc, should be followed from childhood. Such a feeling of keeping oneself clean, should extend to the limit of keeping neighbourhood, society, and country clean, which is the basic duty of every citizen.
It should spread from the adults to the youngsters. Adults should set as good example of cleanliness. Habits like smoking in public, chewing tobacco, betel leaves, spitting on the roads and side path ways, are some of the sick habits, passed on from the elders. Public places are in great threat with such unhealthy and unsafe habits. Not only these polluted water bodies, unclean messy trash bins, dirtying roads are the major reasons for spreading of dangerous diseases. Lack of hygiene and cleanliness is an invitation for infectious diseases.
There is a dire need to educate, sensitise and create awareness among the people to keep the surroundings clean and healthy. Only a healthy environment can obviously make the living place a heaven. Healthy citizens are an asset to the society and the nation at large. Importance of cleanliness can spread from home, and school to the kids at a preliminary level.
Masses can be reached easily by using the different media, to propagate an awareness. Street plays can be enacted to reach the people in their own language close to their heart and understanding. As the importance of cleanliness cannot be ignored, both as an individual and as a community effectiveness of it should be understood by every dutiful citizen. Healthy citizen by being stong physically, mentally and spiritually is the need of the hour. Let us become Healthizens………… to march forward, to make all our endeavours a success.
Remember to stay Healthy.
Shanthi Vijayabhaskar
