Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir and President of ISKCON Bangalore, led the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the holy precincts of Giriraj Govardhan in Braj today. Hundreds of devotees and volunteers from various locations in the country participated in the programme. This engagement was in response to the call given by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for a better and cleaner Bharat.

The endeavour revolved around the theme of Garbage-Free India during the two-week campaign of Swachhata Hi Seva initiated by the Government of India. The Braj Dham cleaning activity commenced at 10 AM from Kusum Sarovar, with Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa encouraging the assembly. The team thoroughly cleaned a 2-kilometre stretch of the Govardhan Parikrama Marg for the next few hours. The drive culminated at Radha Kund, which is considered the holiest of tirth-sthalis. This location is the third most visited place in Uttar Pradesh, with a footfall of over 2 crore people annually (as per 2018). The event embodied the ethos - Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

The senior management team of Akshaya Patra and Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir meticulously organized this cleanliness drive, providing hundreds of broomsticks, masks, gloves, and garbage bins. An estimated 500 kg of waste was collected for disposal during the Swachhata Hi Seva programme. Mrs Aruna Vashisth (Municipal Councillor), officers from an Intelligence Bureau and academicians from Shiv Nadar University were among the host of participants.

Speaking on the occasion, Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa said, “I congratulate our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji for initiating a massive Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This is one of the most successful civic awareness programmes in the world. We are happy to be part of this important project that will improve the quality of life of all Indians. We are committed to implementing the cleanliness initiatives through a scientific and sustained approach with even more vigour in the coming years.”

He concluded with the inspiring words, “Cleaning the holy dham is cleaning the heart.”

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